The Brandeis Hoot 02/27/2015

Volume 12 Number 5

www.brandeishoot.com

Campus renovation and student safety discussed in panel

Brandeis Athletics coordinator tragically killed in car crash

By Emily Belowich

By Jess Linde

Editor

Editor

Several Brandeis buildings, including unrenovated Ziv halls, various first-year residence halls, Einstein’s Bagels and the campus bookstore, will be renovated over the summer, according to Vice President for Operations Jim Gray. Gray informed students of the coming changes at a group panel discussion organized by the Student Union. The panel also featured Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, Director of Student Activities Stephanie Grimes, the Office of Prevention Service’s Sheila McMahon, Executive Director of Health and Wellness Michael J. LaFarr and Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams. Operating on a theme of transparency between administration and students, the event served as the first of a series of panels regularly conducted by the Student Union.

Gray spoke about the changes

February 27, 2015

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

photo by emily smith/the hoot

Senior administration members, Student Union members and attending Brandeis students discussed topics ranging from housing needs to student safety. open community

and renovations during an extended comment about his prepared five-year plan for renovations at the school. The changes are meant to improve infrastructure and overall student life, with the plan’s beginnings current-

ly visible in the renovations of Usen Castle, and the final plan set to be approved by the Board of Trustees in the near future.

While under renovation, the See ROUNDTABLE, page 8

She was 31 years old, and her colleagues described her as one of the warmest, most personable and most energetic individuals at Brandeis. Her coaches noted that she was a fantastic, graceful, all-around athlete who was a leader on the lacrosse field. Her family called her an absolute super human. Sadly, on Thursday, Feb. 12, Brandeis Athletics Department Coordinator Vanessa Cox was killed in a car crash in Milton, N.H. According to New Hampshire State Police, Cox was the passenger of a 2009 Subaru Outback that was struck by a 2005 Jeep Liberty swerving into oncoming traffic on Route 16.

The Jeep’s driver, Victoria Rose, 57, was pronounced dead at the scene, and Allison Smith, 31, driver of the Subaru, died later that evening, according to a Feb. 13 article in The Boston Globe.

Two other passengers sustained serious injuries but were in sta-

ble condition by the next day, and a small dog in the Jeep was put to sleep because of injuries, according to the same Boston Globe article.

A native of Newton, Cox leaves her mother, Micheline; her father, Vincent; her brother, Brandon; and her paternal grandparents, Jean and Jim of Taunton.

Her brother noted in the Feb. 13 Globe article that Cox was an “animal whisperer.” She was a lover of all animals, but her brother said that dogs and cats in particular had her heart. She was a strong supporter of Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston and the nonprofit Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The day after Cox’s death, the Office of Communications sent an email to the Brandeis community.

“We are all shocked and saddened by this news,” wrote Sheryl Sousa ’90, associate vice president of health and wellness See COX, page 2

UAC Subcommittee Final Report released to the public

By Hannah Schuster Editor

The final report of the University Advisory Committee (UAC) Subcommittee on Sexual Violence was released on the Provost’s website earlier this month.

The Provost appointed the subcommittee in 2013. It completed the report in June, and in November, attached an addendum responding to the 2014-15 Brandeis “Rights and Responsibilities.” Upon completion, the subcommittee released the report to the Senior Administration, Faculty Senate, UAC, a handful of Board of Trustees members and Brandeis’ Task Force on sexual violence. Some points in the report have been addressed, and others may be addressed soon, now that the report is public.

The report encourages reform in various departments and encourages the development of policies which show “compassion and fairness” for students. The hope is to create an environment where students feel comfortable reporting sexual violence. There is also great emphasis on informing students and faculty of Brandeis’s policies.

The report begins by praising a series of “improvements since 2011.” Its subsequent recommendations are divided into 12 sections, the first dealing with Title

Inside this issue:

IX policies. The subcommittee would like the process of reporting sexual violence, faculty obligations and matters of confidentiality to be very clear.

The report also states that members would like Brandeis’ Title IX Officer and her duties to be more “widely known,” with the information publicized around campus and online. It explains that, as of June, Brandeis’ harassment and Title IX policies were difficult to locate. It requests that Brandeis clearly designate all faculty “responsible employees,” thus requiring them to report information they hear regarding sexual violence. The report states Brandeis must post a written guide and “train faculty on how to respond to students who disclose to them,” recommending in-person sessions of at least one hour.

In an email to The Brandeis Hoot in which she evaluated the response to the report, co-chair of the subcommittee Prof. Bernadette Brooten praised Brandeis for clarifying that all faculty are “responsible employees.” Brooten, who is a also member of the Task Force, explained they are currently writing a Sexual Violence Policy and faculty guide.

As of now, Brandeis’ harassSee REPORT, page 8

News: Prof. Brooten earns honorary doctorate Arts, Etc.: The Districts shine on stage Opinion: Colleges should prepare students more Sports: Men’s tennis starts season off strong Editorial: Facilities team much appreciated

Page 2 Page 5 Page 13 Page 3 Page 11

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

The 2015 Sorensen Fellows include (pictured left to right): Anni Long, Regina Roberg and Bezaye Teshome. For more photos of the fellows, see page 8. sorensen fellows

Sorensen Fellows prepare for summer projects

By Victoria Aronson Editor

Awarded the prestigious Sorensen Fellowship, eight undergraduate students will soon be preparing to embark on summer internship experiences located across the globe, from New York to Ethiopia. The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, which sponsors the program, announced Bezaye Toshome ’16, Bethlehem Seifu Belaineh ’16, Tove Freeman ’16, Shaoleen Khaled ’16, Anni Long

Spoken word

Senior Rohan Narayanan displays mastery of language by sharing poetry at events

Features: Page 9

’16, Ariella Assouline ’17, Regina Roberg ’17 and Wilkins Lugo ’17 as the 2015 Sorensen Fellows.

Named in honor of the late Theodore Sorensen, founding chair of the Ethics Center’s International Advisory Board and former advisor to President John F. Kennedy, the Sorensen Fellowship equips rising juniors and seniors with the opportunity to intern at organizations promoting social justice across the globe by covering internship-related expenses, including travel and living costs. Thanks to the gen-

erous donation of the late Theodore Sorensen’s wife, Gillian, for the first time Fellows may be eligible for the need-based Summer Earnings Replacement Grant as well. Toshome, majoring in neuroscience and biology with a minor in anthropology, will be returning to her hometown of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to intern with the Nia Foundation, a non-profit organization which seeks to empower those with developmental disorders.

See FELLOWS, page 8

Coffeehouse excites

‘For Colored Girls’ coffeehouse at Chums builds hype for BET and Brandeis Players’ upcoming production

Arts: Page 16

2 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

February 27, 2015

Prof. Brooten awarded honorary doctorate in theology

By Emily Smith Editor

Bernadette J. Brooten, the Myra and Robert Kraft and Jacob Hiatt Professor of Christian Studies, was recently awarded an honorary doctorate in theology from the University of Bern.

Brooten (NEJS/CLAS/WMGS) is the founder and director of the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project at Brandeis. Her work focuses on religion and sexual ethics, as well as their relationships to slaveholding and feminism. Brooten is currently in Jerusalem as a fellow at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies at the Hebrew University.

Professor Brooten’s work tackles a diverse and often challenging range of topics, including meaningful consent and female sexual pleasure. She explained what inspired her to pursue these issues through the creation of the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project in an email with The Brandeis Hoot.

“I wanted to bring together Jewish, Christian and Muslim feminists to do research that could revitalize these traditions and improve the lives of women, girls and, ultimately, of all people. Until religions definitively promote the full dignity of persons

of all genders, gender inequality will remain,” Brooten explained.

She sees the challenges in her research as linked to an unwillingness to discuss certain topics. “Writing, speaking and teaching about slavery, sexual violence and the historical religious hatred of women who sexually desire other women is difficult emotionally. Many people do not wish to hear about these topics,” Brooten said. In spite of the inherent difficulties, she finds her work very rewarding, saying that she feels “privileged to be able to do in-depth academic research on topics that have been taboo for so many centuries.”

Though the topics Brooten explores in her research are very sensitive and complex, they are also very important, Brooten explained. Her feminist ideals explain why Brooten sees her work as so critical.

“Feminists take a much broader view and think about the structure of society in which individuals make decisions. For example, we see promoting meaningful consent and sexual pleasure and preventing sexual violence as ethical issues,” Brooten argued.

She links her work to slavery both

historically and in modern times.

“We found that, historically, where there is slavery, there is sexual coercion and violence, and we were troubled that, for most of their history, Judaism, Christianity and Islam have tolerated slavery. We want for these religious traditions to move fully beyond the values that allowed slavery to be tolerated for so long,” Brooten wrote. The Feminist Sexual Ethics Project, based at Brandeis, aims “to create Jewish, Christian and Muslim sexual ethics rooted in freedom, mutuality, meaningful consent, responsibility and female (as well as male) pleasure, untainted by slaveholding values.” Brooten serves as the director and principal investigator of the Project, whose advisory board also includes professors from across the country. The Project’s website gives details about research subjects including “sexual assault, race and difference,” and Muslim, Christian and Jewish sexual ethics.

Brooten’s Project has hosted conferences like the 2012 “Disrupting the Script: Raising to Legal Consciousness Sexual Assaults on Black Women” conference featuring Anita Hill. Brooten explained that the

conference “helped the public to see that sexual violence is never separate from race or ethnicity, that it happens in all communities, but differently in each.” They have also held two training conferences here at Brandeis on sexual violence at college campuses.

Brooten’s academic background is rooted in theology, especially that of the New Testament and post-Biblical Judaism. She has worked and studied in a variety of countries and has learned about topics related to the Talmud and Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and about the New Testament at the University of Tübingen in Germany.

She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University with a dissertation titled “Inscriptional Evidence for Women as Leaders in the Ancient Synagogue.”

The diversity of Brooten’s experiences has given her unique insight into sexual violence in different parts of the world. “I now live in the Middle East, where there is a high level of violence, and I have lived in Norway, which has very successfully reduced violence. I would love to bring together international insights and experience,” Brooten wrote.

Brooten is currently working on a book about enslaved and slaveholding early Christian women. She is already a published author, having written several books including “Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism,” which won the Shilts/Grahn Award for Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction and the Lamba Literary Award for Lesbian Studies from the Lamba Literary Foundation. She has been awarded numerous academic awards and honors, some of which include a MacArthur Fellowship in 1998, a Liberal Arts Fellowship in Law from Harvard University in 1999 and the Outstanding Service in Mentoring Award from the Society of Biblical Literature in 2001.

“I want to continue to work to prevent sexual violence on our campus so that all students can benefit fully from their Brandeis education,” Brooten said about her goals for the future. “I especially want for religious leaders to become involved in preventing such violence. I am concerned about racial bias on college campuses and fear that students of color may be less likely to report problems.”

Newly appointed director of Student Rights and Community Standards starts off on a strong note

By Hannah Schuster editor

Kerry Guerard was appointed director of Student Rights and Community Standards this week. She takes on the role officially after having served as interim director. In an email to The Brandeis Hoot, Guerard said she has loved her experience with the office thus far. She continued, saying, “It was a unique experience to be able to work in a position for a few months prior to applying for the position.

Having served as the interim, it made me absolutely certain that I wanted to take on the role more permanently.” Her position is with Department of Student Rights and Community Standards (DSRCS), a branch of the Dean of Students Office. The mission of the DSRCS is “to educate the campus about issues central to the mission of the institution and to react to inappropriate behavior in a fair and responsive manner,” according to the department’s website. Guerard will adjudicate disciplinary cases, educate students on the conduct process and

also serve on the Title IX Committee and the Care Team, according to a press release.

The DSRCS also releases Brandeis’ Rights and Responsibilities handbook, through the efforts of the Student Conduct Board, which is comprised of both faculty and students.

Currently, the office is accepting applications for the Board and suggestions for the 2015-16 edition.

Guerard said she plans “to evaluate the Rights and Responsibility and get feedback from the community about the process. We have a form

that we are advertising through various listservs, working with different groups and direct communication with various individuals.” Guerard affirms she is excited to continue her work at Brandeis, stating, “I really have enjoyed getting to know the Brandeis community, and I am looking forward to becoming a bigger part of the community.” Dean of Students Jamele Adams wrote in a press release, “Kerry is a great fit for Brandeis, and our students will benefit from her experience, her ability to thoughtfully assess student-related

issues and her vision for how to best and fairly respond to student conduct cases.” Guerard received her undergraduate degree from Fitchburg State College and completed a master’s in higher education leadership and administration at Jones International University. Guerard’s past roles include interim assistant dean of students at Suffolk University, assistant director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities at North Carolina Central University and director of judicial affairs and orientation at Muskingum University.

Cox dies at 31, leaves behind a lasting legacy at Brandeis From COX, page 1

and director of athletics, physical education and recreation at Brandeis. “Vanessa was such a vital member of the Brandeis family.” On Tuesday evening, Feb. 24, a memorial was held in Cox’s honor in Gosman Athletic Center. Members of the Brandeis community, including students, administrators and coaches, spoke about her positive attitude and the high level of energy that she brought to the school.

Two students, Annie Cui ’15 and Heather Barash ’16, got to know Cox particularly well through the club women’s lacrosse program. Their group started out as six girls with varying levels of playing ability, and when Cox came to Brandeis, she not only offered to help coach the team but made a tremendous effort to help each player improve.

“Right away, Vanessa set high expectations for the team because she wanted us to realize the same potential that she saw in us,” Cui said. “Vanessa always came with a practice plan and took the time to prepare drills whether we had four or 14 girls.”

Barash had never played lacrosse before coming to

Brandeis, but she spoke about how Cox was persistent about helping her learn.

“When she found out that I had zero experience with the sport, she insisted on teaching me,” Barash said. “She basically spent the entire first practice trying to get me to just catch a ball.

Vanessa convinced me to come back and keep trying … She truly had the patience of a saint.”

Barash also spoke about how Cox tried to make every practice fun and how she tried to get to know all of the players on a personal level.

“Vanessa was always positive, sunny, bright, cheerful and caring … always looking out for each of the girls and investing not only in our lacrosse skills but in our personal lives in a genuine way,” Barash said.

Prior to joining the Brandeis community, Cox was the women’s lacrosse coach at MIT for four seasons, during which she compiled a 36-26 record with the team. She was named the first ever NEWMAC Coach of the Year in 2008. In an article from The Boston Globe on Feb. 18, Cox’s colleagues from MIT speak about her presence as a coach on campus. “She was like a breath of fresh air,” said MIT Head Field

photo by sharon cai/the hoot

a community mourns

Students, staff and faculty gathered to honor Cox’s memory on Tuesday evening.

Hockey Coach Cheryl Silva, who was head women’s lacrosse coach when Ms. Cox was hired. “She brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to our program and really connected with the players.”

Cox graduated from the University of Vermont in 2005 with a B.A. in political science and from Northeastern University in 2011 with an M.S. in sports leadership. While at UVM, Cox was a leading scorer for the women’s lacrosse team setting program records for career points (173) and goal scoring (133).

“She will go down in history as one of the all-time greats in Vermont women’s lacrosse,” Jen Johnson, Cox’s lacrosse coach at UVM, told The Globe in 2005.

In addition to her collegiate lacrosse career, Cox competed for the Canadian National Women’s Lacrosse Team, and in the 2009 and 2013 Lacrosse World Cups.

In an email she wrote in 2009 about playing in the World Cup in Prague, she said: “Competing at this level has been my dream for over five years now, and I can’t believe the time has final-

ly come to put the years of hard work, sprint workouts, wall ball and lifting to use.”

Cox’s funeral was held on Wednesday, Feb. 18 in Grace Episcopal Church in Newton.

“She never neglected anything in her life,” her brother said in the Feb. 13 Globe article. “If something was difficult for me or my mother, she would pick us up and help us plow through it, while at the same time being a high-quality competitor on the field and off the field. It was really something to watch.”

3 The Brandeis Hoot

HOOT SCOOPS

February 27, 2015

Brandeis holds fourth annual ‘DEIS Impact festival

By Emily Smith Staff

The fourth annual ’DEIS Impact festival, where students, staff, and faculty gather to discuss social justice issues, began this year on Jan. 30 and continued until Feb. 9. This year’s ’DEIS Impact featured keynote Speaker Alan Khazei, co-founder of City Year and CEO of Be The Change, inc.

The week began with the “’DEIS Impact 2015 Kickoff ” in the SCC atrium and a Shabbat dinner, along with a program sponsored

by Brandeis Hillel. Though many popular events, like “Brandeis Unites in Service,” had to be postponed due to the snow, the festival proved successful. ’DEIS Impact began in 2011 as a collaborative project sponsored by the Brandeis Undergraduate Student Union and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. It was created as an opportunity for the Brandeis community to explore social justice topics and discuss ways to implement change on campus and throughout the world. It is organized and run by a Core Committee, chaired by Alina Pokhrel ’15, as well as several other committees with student and faculty members.

Alan Khazei’s keynote speech, “Social Change Through Civic Engagement and Pragmatic Idealism,” was held in Levin Ballroom.

He talked about his connections to Brandeis and specifically the Heller School, whose Dean he approached for advice when starting City Year.

Khazei discussed his work and what inspired him to pursue social justice and education. He offered advice to students at the end of his talk, saying, “There’s a lot riding on your generation, but I’m convinced you will be the best generation yet. You have that energy. It has always been young people on the forefront of change.”

Khazei wrote the book “Big

Citizenship: How Pragmatic Idealism Can Bring Out the Best in America” and has run for U.S. Senate twice. He has spoken at Brandeis previously on social justice related topics. His keynote address was co-sponsored by the Eli J. Segal Citizen leadership program. ’DEIS Impact events this year spanned a diverse array of topics and were organized and sponsored by different clubs and academic departments. Several multi-day events were held, including an interactive exhibit on the lives of women in high-conflict areas titled “A Day in the Life of Women in Regions of Conflict.”

Groups put on performances and held debates and screenings that highlighted social justice issues. The Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative put on one such performance, titled “Dream Monologues – Moments of Transition.” Held in Chum’s Coffee House, the event featured spoken-word, storytelling and dance on topics including race-consciousness, systematic oppression and immigration.

Starting in 2014, ’DEIS Impact has sponsored an event titled “’DEIS Impact College” which offers open sessions of courses in various disciplines. These classes all share a social justice theme and this year included classes in sociology, American studies and history. All classes were held in Sherman’s Hassenfeld Conference Center.

One of this year’s most successful events was “Coffee, Cupcakes and Condoms: Controversy in Reproductive Justice” hosted by Brandeis University Students for NARAL. One of the event’s organizers, Sophia Warren ’18, described her club’s ’DEIS Impact event, saying, “In this wave of social justice from so many different voices, we’re grateful to have found our own. We can’t believe the numbers, and variation of voices we were so honored to have at our event in particular.

We are so grateful for the space ’DEIS Impact allows, to define our own understanding of social justice as a group of students to, and with, our peers.” This event was just one of many hosted by student clubs appealing to a wide variety of interests and audiences.

Heather Spector ’17 served as Vice-Chair for this year’s ’DEIS Impact and discussed in an interview with The Hoot some of the ways ’DEIS Impact has changed since its founding.

She said, “This year was the first year we actively tried to get other colleges to be involved in ’DEIS Impact. In the future, I hope to have every aspect of campus represented during ’DEIS Impact through an event, multiple events planned by members of the local community in collaboration with Brandeis groups, and multiple events that involve collaboration

between Brandeis students and other college students.” Spector explained that Intercollegiate Subcommittee instituted this year will serve to expand ’DEIS Impact to other area colleges.

Assistant Director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life Marci McPhee coordinates the festival with the help of the Student Union. McPhee wrote about ’DEIS Impact’s growth and effect on the Brandeis community in an email with The Hoot. “’DEIS Impact is an example of synergy of effort, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Devoting this entire 10day period to social justice makes each endeavor build on the other…Sweeping down oppression is what we’re about at Brandeis, and this concentrated festival of social justice is an important way we do that,” said McPhee.

The weeklong festival ended with a party at Chum’s Coffee House where the all-inclusive a cappella group “No Singer Clef Behind” performed. Students were encouraged to make buttons pledging to further social justice in the world.

McPhee described her hopes for the future of ’DEIS Impact, saying “I hope future ’DEIS Impact festivals will include even more involvement from other parts of campus, including athletics and the sciences, and increased off-campus engagement as well…

In ’DEIS Impact 2016 I’d like to see many more events planned by partnerships that already exist between Brandeis students and community organizations, working together for social justice.”

Next year’s ’DEIS Impact will take place between Jan. 29 and Feb. 8, 2016.

photo courtesy of internet source

SPORTS

Tennis travels to California for match against Chapman

By Sarah Jousset Editor

The men’s and women’s tennis teams kicked off their season in California on Tuesday, Feb. 17 against Chapman University.

The men’s team opened the season with a 6-3 win over Chapman. The Judges went five for six in singles matches but struggled somewhat in doubles, falling behind 2-1. Brandeis’ number-one pair, Brian Granoff ’17 and Danny Lubarky ’16, won their match 8-3. However, two Chapman pairs took matches at numbers two and three.

As for the singles matches, five of six were completed in straight sets. Grandoff went 6-3, 6-4 in the top spot. Ryan Bunis ’17 bested his Chapman opponent 6-3, 6-4 at the number-two spot. Meanwhile, Michael Arguello ’17 won at the number three-spot 6-3, 7-6. Chapman gained their win in singles at number four by 6-2, 6-4. However, Brandeis secured the match victory in the fifth singles

match, when Eric Miller ’16 earned his second win with Brandeis, after transferring from Boston University.

Miller won 6-3, 6-4. Alec Siegel ’15 defeated his Chapman opponent in three sets at number 6 with scores of 6-4, 4-6 and 10-7 in a super-tiebreaker.

The results were just as good for the women’s tennis team, as 25th-ranked Brandeis defeated 31st-ranked Chapman University, 7-2. The Judges won doubles 2-1. Haley Cohen ’18 and All-American Carley Cooke ’15 crushed Chapman’s All-American pair 8-2 in the number-one spot. At the number-two spot, Simone Vandroff ’15 and Maya Vasser ’16 won 8-5. Chapman, however took the number-three spot with a win over Brandeis’ Charlotte Aaron ’18 and Sarita Biswas ’16, 8-6.

In singles action, the women’s team matched the men’s scores, taking five of six matches. Cooke crushed her competitor in the number one spot, 6-2, 6-1. However, it was Brandeis’ Vandroff that dominated in the num-

photo by michael

ber four spot with a 6-1, 6-0 win. Cohen won 6-2, 7-5 at the number-two spot, while Vasser won 6-3, 6-4 at the number five spot. Hannah Marion ’17 picked up her first win of the season

in the number six spot with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Chapman.

Both the men’s and women’s team now begin a few weeks of practice before their next match of the season.

Secular/the hoot

The women’s tennis team will face MIT Friday, March 13 at 5 p.m. at MIT. The men’s tennis team will play Middlebury away on Saturday, March 14 at 3:30 p.m.

February 27, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot

SPORTS

4

Judges claim convincing victory against CMU

photo from internet source

By Curtis He Zunyu Staff

The Judges played strong as they rolled over Carnegie Mellon Tartans 59 to 44 in women’s basketball on Feb. 13. Guard Frankie Pinto ’17 brought the show on as she knocked down four three-pointers and team-high 12 points along with eight rebounds in total. Captain Hannah Cain ’15 had a large presence with 12 points.

This victory helped to improve the Judges’ overall record, bringing it to

12-9 overall and 4-6 in the UAA conference.

The Judges started strong and successfully took control over the game later on. A 5-0 start and an 11-0 run helped boost the team’s energy. The team’s impenetrable defense was truly impressive as the Judges held off the opponent, allowing four points to the Tartans in the first 11 and a half minutes. When asked about their amazing defense, guard Paris Hodges ’17 gave credit to the team’s “constant high energy level and communica-

photo from internet source

tion.” Throughout the entire game, the Judges limited the Tartans’ overall shooting percentage to a mere 24.6 percent.

The Judges overcame the Tartans’ height advantage, taking a lead in rebounds and exceeding the guest team at points in paint.

“We practice rebounding every day.

My coaches have incorporated numerous rebounding drills into practice in order to stress the importance of rebounding because it usually is the difference between a win and a

loss … During halftime our coaches typically let us know how many offensive rebounds our opponent has secured. After that the team sets a goal in order to limit the opponents offensive rebounds,” said Hodges. Such determination paid off as the Judges allowed only 11 offensive rebounds.

The Judges only committed 10 turnovers through the whole game, way below the 18.6 average for the season so far. Hodges again shared his thoughts on the team’s progress, stating, “During practice we keep track

of our total turnovers. For each drill there is a specific amount of turnovers that we can have. If we go over the amount there are consequences.”

According to the statistics, the Judges have been gradually decreasing their number of mistakes on offense after the UAA Conference began. 18.2 turnovers were recorded per conference game while 18.6 is the average for the whole season.

The Judges showed consistency throughout the game. Whenever the Tartans decreased the Judges’ lead, players such as Pinto and Cain would step up and score at the right moment to keep the momentum going.

Hopefully such consistency can be maintained throughout the rest of the season. “When facing stronger opponents we have encountered some difficulties adjusting to the opponents’ adjustments after halftime … When teams adjust to our offense sometimes we tend to move away from what worked in the first half,” said Hodges. “Staying composed and executing the game plan is what it comes down to.”

After their victory on Feb. 13, the Judges defeated Case Western University 77-68 at home on Feb. 16, achieving a three-game winning streak. The Judges end the regular season with a game against New York

Case Western takes down Brandeis on home turf

By Curtis He Zunyu Staff

The Judges struggled at home over February break, Monday, Feb. 16 in a game against Case Western Reserve University after the game was postponed due to snow. The Spartans led the entire game, beating Brandeis 7155. The game leaves the Judges 8-14 overall on the season and 3-8 in the UAA conference.

Case started off with a 7-0 lead and shot 62.5 percent from the field in the first half, while Brandeis shot only 29.6 percent. The Spartans entered halftime with a 37-23 lead.

2:40 minutes into the second half, the Spartans had extended their lead

to 43-25. Brandeis answered with a nine point run, cutting the Spartans’ lead down to 12 with two free throws from Carlin Haymon ’18. The Judges decreased Case Western’s lead to within 11 points, but that was the best the Judges could do before the game was over.

The Judges’ high scorer was Jordan Cooper ’18, who had 15 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Robinson Vilmont ’17 and Nate Meehan ’18 each scored nine points for the Judges. Tim Reale ’17 contributed eight points and seven rebounds to Brandeis’ stats. Graduate student Connor Arnold contributed a game high seven assists in his final home game. Brandeis had 14 assists on 18

photo by michael

baskets in the game.

Case Western outplayed Brandeis on multiple fronts, with 22 assists on

29 baskets, a game shooting percentage of 52.7 percent, and 36 rebounds versus Brandeis’ 28 rebounds.

Secular/the hoot

The Judges will finish their season against New York University at NYU on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 4 p.m.

Fencing faces tough competitors in Beanpot tournament

By Sarah Jousset Editor,

photo from internet source

On Wednesday, Feb. 11, Brandeis hosted the annual Beanpot Tournament. The gym was packed with fencers from Brandeis, Harvard, Boston College and MIT. Harvard was the champion of the tournament, going 3-0. The Judges placed second for the men, while BC took the second place spot for the women.

Brandeis men’s fencing secured a 19-8 win over Boston College, while the Boston College women’s team beat Brandeis 14-13.

The men’s team won in all three weapons against BC, going 7-2 in saber and foil and 5-4 in epee. The women won 6-3 in saber and 5-4 in foil, but couldn’t pull through in epee, losing 7-2. Brandeis saw 3-0 perfor-

mances from saberist Adam Mandel ’15 and Ashley Jean ’17 in saber and foilist Noah Berman ’15.

Against MIT, Brandeis excelled in foil, going 14-13 in the men’s competition and 15-12 in women’s play. The men won 9-0, allowing one touch in nine bouts. Ethan Levy ’15 and Len Grazian ’17 each went 3-0, while Berman won two bouts and Guillermo Narvaez ’18 won one. Meanwhile, the Judges lost 5-4 in saber and 8-1 in epee. The female foilists won 7-2.

Caroline Mattos ’16 and Zimeng Xue ’18 went 3-0 for the Judges. The women’s team lost in saber and epee 5-4, despite Jean’s 3-0 performance.

Harvard men won against Brandeis 18-9, though Brandeis lost by a narrow 5-4 in epee. Tom Hearne ’16 helped the Judges in epee with a 3-0 record.

The Brandeis women fell 21-6 even though the epee squad pulled out a 5-4 victory. Liz Feller ’18 went 2-1, while Shayna Lyandvert ’18 earned one win for Brandeis women’s epee.

Each contributed a 5-4 win in the final round to help Brandeis beat Harvard in epee.

Overall, the top scores for Brandeis in the tournament went to Mattos (6-1) and Jean (6-3) for the women’s team and Berman (6-2), Hearne (6-3) and Mandel (6-3) for the men’s team.

The home tournament marked the team’s senior night in which Berman, Levy, Mandel, saberist Jess Ochs-Willard and saberist Jessie Kirshner were honored.

The men’s and women’s fencing team will compete again on March 8 in the NCAA Regional Championships at New York University.

February 27, 2015

ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Crowd Control wants you to get in bed with their comedy

By Emma Kahn Staff

Crowd Control is easily one of Brandeis’ most popular improv groups. The Brandeis Hoot interviewed co-directors Danielle Balanov ’17 and Nicole Bunis ’16 in addition to business manager Jonny Shakerchi ’16 to find out more about Crowd Control.

Brandeis Hoot: Why did you join Crowd Control?

Danielle: I had no other option.

Don’t write that, it was a joke. I like to control a crowd.

Nicole: I joined because I loved doing improv in high school and I wanted to do a different form of improv in college.

BH: How is this form of improv different?

N: We do only exclusively longform improv, and other groups do short-form.

BH: What are your performance goals? What do you hope to achieve in your performances?

D: Probably to bring comedy to those who need it most. We want to make people laugh, to make people happy, to do charity. We want to turnon our fan base, like sexually.

BH: What sets you apart from other comedy groups on campus?

N: We are pretty diverse.

BH: What are your best accomplishments, whether personal or collective?

J: I think our diversity show was our best one.

N: I think that our accomplishments have been that when I started in Crowd Control (my first year), it was five people and we have really grown the group a lot and made it more of a presence on campus.

D: I think that we have a really strong friendship with Starving Artists, the a capella group.

N: At the beginning of Crowd Control, they cast a lot of first-years, now we’ve got first-years, midyears, juniors, a senior, so it’s more of a great whole. Crowd Control is in our sixth year, I believe.

BH: Whom do you look to recruit?

What characteristics do you seek out in your members?

N: We want people who have natural talent of being funny, but you don’t have to have any improv experience.

It’s really fun to find someone who has no experience and learns from us and does exceptionally because of it.

D: We like people who aren’t afraid to make a fool of themselves because we’re all silly.

N: We like people who don’t have a background in theater or improv or

starving crowds

Crowd Control and Starving Artists plan partner performance

even humor. It’s really fun to have that new experience with them.

BH: Do you have any upcoming shows?

J: On March 12 we will be perform-

ing with Starving Artists in Chum’s.

N: We’ll get inspirations from the audience, make a long-form out of it, play some line games with inspirations from the audience as well.

photo from internet source

J: We also have open rehearsals, people can come in and improvise with us if they want to, no skills required. We are non-exclusive and open to the Brandeis community.

The Districts deliver stronger performance live than in studio

By Andrew Elmers Editor

There is something truly amazing and inspiring about seeing live music.

Maybe it’s simply a result of the exhaustion that sets in after standing in the same place for two hours instead of just listening to the album, but you gain a greater appreciation for the band after doing so.

I experienced this phenomenon two weeks ago after checking out The Districts at the Sinclair in Cambridge. The Districts have been getting a lot more notice after releasing their second album “A Flourish and a Spoil” on Feb. 9. Originally from Amish country in Lancaster County, PA, they have since relocated to Philadelphia and are now appearing on late-night television and headlining tours.

Playing a mix of songs from their first two releases—“Telephone” and

“A Flourish and A Spoil”—The Districts kept up their energy throughout, barely taking breaks between songs even though there were some technical difficulties with the drumkit.

Lead singer Rob Grote was all over the stage, waving around his floppy mop of curly hair. Be it “Hounds,” with its repetitive bridge that just thumps your eardrums, or “4th and Roebling,” the lead single from their latest album, I was stomping my feet and nodding my head in rhythm the entire time.

“A Flourish and a Spoil” showcases The Districts’ improved quality since their debut. The production values sound more professional and the songs are better thought out compared to their debut album, which sounds like something recorded by a bunch of teenagers. Because that’s what they are, for the most part: The oldest member of The Districts is 21, and for a group of guys that graduated high school only two years ago to be headlining shows at venues like the Sinclair and Bowery Ballroom in New York is a huge accomplishment.

Snow Place No Home By Katherine Selector

That isn’t to say that their debut album is something to overlook.

One major difference I noticed between the two is that their first album seemed to consist of songs that all fit together stylistically. They could all be placed into that same box of folk rock, with some tracks featuring harmonica and just having more of that roots feel. Probably a result of their origins from Lancaster County, the songs from their first album featured a lot more intricate guitar work. Relocating to Philadelphia changed the sound of the band a bit. The songs on “A Flourish and A Spoil” are straight modern rock. They’ve abandoned that sort of working-class quality, and with that, a way to connect all the tracks together.

Listening through The Districts’ second album is a bit difficult when you think of all the minor changes that each song consists of. No two songs on the album really sound like they would be on the same album, and the band takes a lot of liberties in trying out different styles. “Chlorine” is a slow-building, arena-rock type of

song that would be a great anthem for some post-grunge band from the early 2000s, but The Districts aren’t that band. “Young Blood,” on the other hand, is a nine-minute epic that features great guitar solos and is a more linear evolution from their first album. “Telephone” was an album; “A Flourish and A Spoil” is more a collection of songs.

Not that they’re bad songs, though.

The Districts played “Young Blood” as their encore performance at the Sinclair, and it was probably my most memorable live music experience. Although I haven’t seen the widest variety of acts, the performance they gave made my entire night. I was blown away by it and left the venue believing I just saw the next big thing in music.

Another great thing about heading out to see concerts is discovering new music from the opening acts. Vundabar, a local band from Massachusetts playing only for the night, was terrific as a first act. The front man was extremely charismatic joking with the crowd and just goofing off while

playing guitar, their brand of rock was awesome, and they knew exactly what they were, which is nice to hear from a smaller band. Pine Barons, hailing from the pine barrens of South Jersey, are the tourmates of The Districts for this entire tour, and while some of their songs were easy to get into, and I later downloaded them, they still seemed to be finding their sound.

But The Districts were the reason I bought the ticket, and I came out of the show feeling like it was more than worth the price of admission. A band with a terrific stage presence playing upbeat, driving songs that is just having fun out there is what makes checking out a concert so much better than simply listening to the album.

I gained so much more love for all of the songs they played, and I am definitely going to make the effort to get out and see more live shows. Be it The Districts or some other band passing through, the live music experience is something that won’t die from the changes in the music industry. Live music can never be beat.

The Brandeis Hoot 6

February 27, 2015

‘Kingsman’ brings new excitement to spy genre

By Sabrina Pond Staf

From the trailer, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” appeared confident, a little edgy, outrageously daring and, if nothing else, diverting. Luckily, the film delivered and exceeded those high expectations.

In its barest bones, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” is about one street kid’s encounter with a covert, highly competitive and prestigious spy organization known as Kingsman.

Eggsy, a prankster and bar fighter, enters Kingsman’s rigorous training regimen in the hopes of making it through the life-threatening missions and joining the agency. However, his training is interrupted when evil entrepreneur Valentine decides to eradicate the human population with his own invention, a chip that is placed underneath the skin. Eggsy must work with another agent to save the human race from near extinction, beating all odds, with practically no guidance to get them through.

The film is smart, witty, even intelligent, because of its awareness of the genre. Let’s face it: The spy genre has been done to death, hashed and rehashed with little originality and inventiveness. The predictability of the James Bond movies, for example, is enough to make audiences yawn

from absolute boredom. However, that’s not the case with “Kingsman.”

The ability to recognize the staples of the genre and play with that very typical subplot actually separates that film from the genre. The result is a film that is separate from its perceived genre, ultimately generating a movie that is fresh and completely unique.

And this time, instead of laughing at the movie for its outright stupidity, it is possible to laugh with the movie and enjoy the sequences for their comic twists.

The style and quality of the action both thrilled and excited. Though entirely unbelievable, the fast-paced and exceedingly precise choreography fit the feel of the movie. The agents’ fighting skills bred the notion of infallibility, even invincibility at times.

These close-combat fight sequences were highly romanticized, though I would not regard this as a negative thing. It made the movie in general all the more attention catching. To blink your eye once would mean to miss raw action sequences and potentially crucial parts of the movie.

The film reaches new heights with its open, direct critique of Americans. The protagonists of the movie, after all, were English, and none other than Samuel Jackson, who was meant to represent Americans as a whole, played their antagonist. Valentine (Samuel Jackson) was portrayed as the average American—loud, opinionated, self-serving and a true lover

NOT ANOTHER SPY MOVIE The movie breaks spy stereotypes.

of McDonald’s. In one scene, Valentine was treating his prestigious guests to a fine dinner, which would be revealed when the silver covering was removed from the tray. Very dramatic music played in the background as Valentine’s guests stared at the silver covering, waiting to gaze at the delicious, home-cooked meal.

Upon its removal, the exceptionally cooked dinner that automatically came to mind was replaced with the thickly outlined M on McDonald’s containers and wrapping. It would appear that Americans don’t have the

Brandeis prof.’s novel made into French feature film Editor

l’art de la fugue

photo from internet source

McCauley’s book has been made into a French comedy movie.

France. “[It’s possible that] the French tend to like comedies of manners.

Or maybe it’s just that the translator writes better than I do and improves the books. Who knows?” he joked.

Once the screenwriter had a first draft of the screenplay for “L’Art de la fugue,” he came to Boston and worked with McCauley for a couple of weeks on details of dialogue and character.

According to McCauley, authors who sell the rights to a book have to understand that it becomes someone else’s project. Therefore, they have to relinquish control of all the final decisions. “My goal has always been to write novels, not films, so it’s easy for me to view them as two separate things and to accept that the director knows more about telling a story on the screen than I do,” he said wisely.

“The Easy Way Out,” published in 1992, was McCauley’s second novel.

“I was about halfway finished writing a very different book when my younger brother called me to say that he was not in love with his fiancee. He was, in fact, seeing another woman

and wanted my help trying to decide what to do,” McCauley revealed. “It seemed like an interesting premise for the start of a novel. It’s the only novel I’ve written based on something that happened in my life. Of course, once you begin writing, events and people take on lives of their own.”

Details are important and interesting to McCauley. “I have always been drawn to writers who write closely about the small details of life—families, relationships, friendships. Especially If they do so with humor, irony and wit,” said McCauley. Some of the authors McCauley loves are Anthony Trollope, Jane Austen, E.F. Benson, Muriel Spark and Barbara Pym; he rereads their work continually. Among the contemporary writers whose work he buys the day it comes out are Peter Cameron, Richard Price, Jamaica Kincaid and Carol Anshaw.

His advice for aspiring authors? “I would advise undergraduate writers to read, read, read, read. And do whatever their creative writing teachers tell them, of course.”

delivers in every action sequence as Hart, the mentor and voice of reason.

His greatest bit of advice follows like this: “Oxfords, not brogues.” Oxfords is a generic term for any shoe with lacing, whereas a brogue is an additional decorative design that is added to the shoe. Class, as always, takes precedence before anything else.

Enjoy “Kingsman: The Secret Service” not as a groundbreaking moment in cinema, but a delight, a little gem in an inescapable barrage of poorly crafted, predictable and wholly unoriginal movies.

Imagine Dragons’ ‘Smoke + Mirrors’ amazes

By Cheshta Singh Special to the Hoot

By Michelle Kim

Stephen McCauley, the associate director of Creative Writing and professor of the English Department, is no stranger to having his books adapted for the silver screen. His novel, “The Easy Way Out,” was recently adapted into “L’Art de la fugue,” a 2014 French comedy feature film. This is the third novel of McCauley’s that has been made into a film. In 1999, “The Object of My Affection” was turned into a film starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. Almost a decade later, another novel, “True Enough,” was adapted into a French film called “La vérité ou presque.”

What is interesting about these adaptations is that McCauley does not write plot-driven novels. “It’s seems a little strange to me there’s been so much interest … I have to assume it’s the characters,” he said in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot.

His novel “Alternatives to Sex” is under option with ABC for a TV series. “I am about 110 percent positive nothing will ever happen with that,” he stated. “Studios buy options for many, many books, meaning they hold the rights to make it or not for a designated period of time. A tiny percent of those optioned actually get made.”

McCauley wrote his first novel, “Object,” while working on his M.F.A. at Columbia University in 1987. The novel was his thesis, but a professor of his handed it to a literary agent, and it was published shortly thereafter. “In publishing, a lot depends on timing, and in that regard, I was lucky,” admitted McCauley. Since then, he has received much attention. In particular, his books have been popular in

same class as the English—the same adherence to gentlemanly etiquette or classy dress.

If you’re a habitual moviegoer it makes sense to roll out a little dough to see this movie—to put it simply, it’s worth it. Colin Firth’s rendition of Harry Hart, a refined and highly experienced spy, is both convincing and satisfying on a new level.

Actually, Firth channels David Niven’s James Bond, who portrayed the character in the 1967 unofficial and comedic James Bond movie “Casino Royale.” On top of that, Firth also

photo from internet source

“First comes the blessing of all that you dreamed/ But then comes the curses of diamonds and rings./ Only at first did it have its appeal/ But now you can’t tell the false from the real/ Who can you trust?” So goes the memorable intro to the hit song “Gold” by Imagine Dragons, who released their album “Smoke + Mirrors” on Feb. 17. Each song in the album has its own unique sound, evoking brilliant and powerful images with the deliberate lyrics, powerful beats and overall mysterious and striking feel of the album. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 chart in the United States. Considering that this is only their second studio album (their first was “Night Visions”), it is amazing how quickly they are rising up the charts.

“Gold” is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. Frontman Dan Reynolds shows his skilled vocal expertise in bringing forth emotion while singing, and the song is reminiscent of someone who is at constant conflict with his inner emotions. The song reminds me of somebody who is crushed to find that his high expectations and dreams will not be met.

It speaks of someone who has regrets from the past and cannot distinguish dreams from reality anymore. The catchy repetition of the word “gold” continues to pound in your head long after the last word has been sung. It also seems to be about someone who has lost and suffered a great deal, and doesn’t feel like he has anybody to turn to. He expected to feel disappointed, but it is almost like he has put up an emotional barrier protecting him because feeling the depth of his emotions would be too painful. I enjoy that the lyrics are open to interpretation and can be about many different ideas—heartbreak, solitude, expectations, reality or pain. The song is one of the more popular songs

on the album.

“I Bet My Life” is another one of my favorites on the album. The song is so full of anguish and regrets that it is easy to feel those emotions conveyed through the music. “I’ve told a million lies but now I tell a single truth/ There’s you in everything I do.” Those words basically sum up the pain and heartache captured in the song. The song is also easy to relate to—all of us have felt disappointed and also felt terrible for making the people we love feel that disappointment. And those feelings are caught so well in this heartbreaking song (whose official music video does it justice by perfectly capturing those visual feelings and that ambivalent atmosphere of regret). Although I haven’t grown tired of listening to this song yet, I am more moved by it when I haven’t listened for a couple of days.

The song “Dream” is also another powerful hit, and captures the raw emotions and sadness of everyday life and the desire to escape from it all.

The strong piano in the background is a great touch to help feel those deep and heartfelt emotions. Other songs that really touched me on the album were “I’m So Sorry,” “Polaroid” and “The Fall.” But really, every song on the album is wonderful in its own right and deserves to be listened to. It is so easy to see the pure emotion and hard work that went into creating this album, because it is full of beautiful and emotional songs.

The album conjures many different emotions. I am sure that each listener will be reminded of their own memories and experiences that matter to them, because listening to the songs will bring to surface those emotions.

In my experience, Imagine Dragons is one of those bands that succeeds precisely because their songs are so raw and pure that it is impossible not to feel something while listening to them. It is exciting to see how popular the album has become in the span of just one week.

February 27, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot

‘For Today I Am a Boy’: fantastic debut novel from Kim Fu

By Talia Franks

Special to the Hoot

I have read many books in my life.

Good books, great books and terrible books. I do not think I have ever read a book quite like “For Today I Am a Boy” by Kim Fu. The protagonist is Peter Huang.

Peter lives in Fort Michel, Ontario, in a six-person family, complete with a mother, father and three sisters. Peter is the only son, which is all her father ever wanted. However, Peter is in fact a girl in a male body.

From the first line of the prologue, this story is incredibly engaging.

The story doesn’t start with Peter at all, but rather with her parents and the birth of her older sisters. Her father’s constant disappointment with her mother’s inability to have boys is written with a sharp honesty to it, and immediately draws in the reader into the story.

“For Today I Am a Boy” follows Peter from her early days as a child to her early 30s. It tells the story of Peter and her sisters as they grow in different directions. Adele, the oldest, flouts the wishes of their father and follows her own path through life.

Helen, the second daughter, dutifully goes through with what her father wants for her. Bonnie is the youngest and Peter’s closest companion. Peter remarks in the book that she and Bonnie were almost more like twins rather than simply siblings. In time,

Bonnie rebels completely, leaving Peter stuck bearing the majority of the weight of her parents’ expectations all while stuck in the body she never wanted.

One of the best traits of this novel is the easygoing flow of the piece. The book is entertaining because while it is mostly a linear story, Fu manages to incorporate parts of both the events that are happening on the page, as well as parts of the past and the future relative to the scene. Fu seems to have grasped the art of telling a cohesive story that is not told in the precise order that things happened.

One problem I often have with novels, and one I struggle with as a writer myself, is how to incorporate critical background information without overwhelming the reader.

Too much packed into one scene can be difficult to process, and creating a proper flow of information as Fu does can be trying. Yet Fu seems to nail it. Every part of Peter’s life and her struggles is put together with perfect clarity, and the pacing of the novel is excellent. Reading an anecdote about an experience Peter had at age six amidst relating events that happened in her 30s seems completely natural with Fu’s rock-solid transitions.

Peter’s story is both easy and hard to read. Easy, because the writing style is clear without being devoid of nuance, and the narrative is complex while still keeping in mind that there is only so much information that a reader can absorb at once. Peter’s story is tough to read because she has a demanding life. As humans we often tend to do one of two things when faced with other people’s hardships:

Hoot Bites: this week’s favorite places to eat in the greater Boston area

ARTS

7

Nice Spring Breeze By Linjie Xu

We try to help, or we turn away. This is an especially difficult thing to deal with in a book. However much we may want to help Peter, we cannot because she is a fictional character. As such a character, Peter is written with so much depth that we can’t help but want the best for her. She is also written well enough that at times we don’t like her.

Many people seem to be under the illusion that for a character to be a good character they have to be extremely likeable. I certainly disagree with that. People in real life aren’t perfect, each of us is the protagonist of our own story, and who among us hasn’t committed some disagreeable transgression? So why can’t the protagonists in the books we read also do things wrong in our eyes? I like that Peter makes mistakes. I like that as I was reading the book I sighed and groaned and tried to mentally steer Peter away from the mistakes that she makes. She lives out her life the way that we all do, as a series of circumstances she has no control over, and with reactions that are entirely her own but influenced by those around her.

Beyond anything else, these things are what makes “For Today I Am a Boy” so fantastic: It is both believable and tells the story of a multi-faceted protagonist. There are so many times when other novels appear to promote diversity, but they only allow the characters to be diverse in one kind of way.

It often seems to me that too many of the highly popular novels don’t have the same kind of diversity that “For Today I Am a Boy” provides by featuring a protagonist who is a transgender child of immigrants.

By Michelle Kim Editor

Toscano 52 Brattle St., Cambridge Looking for a nice place to take your date to dinner without worrying about missing the bus back to campus?

Toscano is a classy but cozy Italian restaurant with beautiful creations. Their white chocolate tart with blueberries is to die for and will be the main reason you will want to come back. There is a wide variety of hard-to-pronounce and extremely delectable dishes. No worries, the restaurant staff members are so kind and attentive that they will understand you and your bad pronunciation.

Yoma 5 N Beacon St., Allston I have finally ventured to Allston and was not disappointed with the multitude of dining places in the area. Teeming with restaurants of different ethnicities, Allston is also home to Yoma, a Burmese restaurant. Yoma is incredibly relaxing to eat at: Service is good, the music is weirdly calming and reminiscent of a yoga room, prices are low and the food is incredible.

Shojo 9A Tyler St., Boston Similar to (but better than) New York City’s Momofuku Noodle Bar, Shojo is a great Asian fusion and is new to Boston. Set in the heart of Chinatown, Shojo wonderfully blends tastes of East and West. My favorite is the Wu Tang Tiger-style ribs, which are a nice compromise of Chinese and American spare ribs and come with Thai-style sauce.

If going to Shojo, make sure that you also order the Big Mac Mantou, which are three blissfully delicious steamed buns. This place is genius.

Surviving Sodexo: Perfect parfaits

By Charlotte Aaron Editor

This week’s recipe for a yogurt parfait is not directed toward a specific type of eater and is not made for a specific time of day. “It works for breakfast if I don’t feel like having eggs. It works for lunch if I want to have it with a salad. But also, for dinner, it is a really healthy alternative to dessert,” Alex Shapiro ’18, and avid parfait eater, said. The recipe below spells out how to make Alex’s homemade yogurt parfait—a sweet, light option to be consumed as its own meal, a delicious side dish or a dessert to top off

any other dish.

Ingredients 1 ladle of Greek yogurt 1/3 spoon of craisins granola honey Recipe: Before spooning the yogurt into your bowl, stir it around in the container until it becomes slightly whipped. As Alex notes, the yogurt settles weirdly, so it is important to make sure it is smooth when placed in the bowl. Take the bowl of yogurt over to the salad bar, and add craisins.

“The ratio is really important because otherwise it just turns into yogurt

covered craisins,” Alex said. Because the spoon in the craisins bowl is relatively large, Alex suggests only filling the spoon a third of the way with craisins. On days when homemade granola is available by the bagel bar, sprinkle the granola on top of the yogurt. Lastly, take the bowl of yogurt to the tea and coffee area. There, look for the honey container with the skinny tip so “complete control” is available while honey is drizzled on top of the yogurt. It is most effective to drizzle the honey in a grid formation. Once drizzling is complete, stir all the ingredients together and enjoy the yogurt parfait!

photo from internet source

NEWS

8 The Brandeis Hoot

February 27, 2015

UAC Subcommittee report highlights areas Brandeis can improve From REPORT, page 1

ment policy and guides for faculty on reporting sexual violence and assisting survivors are on the Provost’s webpage. A Resource Guide for Sexual Assault Survivors became available online in July. In an interview with The Hoot, Sheila McMahon, who served as “ex-officio” on the subcommittee, said an updated version of the guide goes to print today and will be posted online.

This guide will include Title IX Coordinator Rebecca Tiller’s information.

McMahon explains Tiller will introduce herself at the Rape Crisis Center open house on Tuesday, and that a webpage for her is being developed. Brandeis has also adopted a more comprehensive training program.

There is mandatory online Title IX training which, according to Brooten, over 95 percent of faculty completed. The report explains that the university must “balance the safety of the campus as a whole” with the need to protect and respect survivors.

Brooten believes Brandeis still

From ROUNDTABLE, page 1

castle will still house students through next year, but its future is unclear after that, Gray and Flagel said.

Gray’s remarks were preceded by a long and in-depth discussion about student safety, particularly in relation to the investigation and prevention of sexual assault and violence on

needs to “publicly disclose its procedures” when a “complainant requests confidentiality,” as the report proposes.

Later, the report stresses the importance of training students on their Title IX rights, and going beyond the “Speak About It” training from orientation.

In her email, Brooten maintains this must be a top priority moving forward. Brandeis Students Against Sexual Violence (B.SASV) member Evelyn Milford ’16 agrees, stating it is “a necessary measure to ensure transparency. Programs, such as ‘Speak About It’ are a first step in informing students of their rights, but there need to be more clear and concise ways in which students are informed of their legal rights.”

McMahon explains many departments are working to explore many different trainings and hopes to develop “a comprehensive training model that’s campus wide but tailored to specific groups.” She explains some new trainings were tested this year during mid-year orientation. McMahon would like everyone on campus to feel they understand Brandeis’s policies. Sections of the report propose changes with-

in two major departments, Public Safety and the Dean of Students Office. Each department stressed that Brandeis must strive to be a place where students feel safe and can expect fair treatment, thereby encouraging them to report sexual violence.

The report states that Public Safety must work harder to enforce No-Contact Orders (NCO), filings formal Community Standards Reports (CSR) against students who violate them. It explains Public Safety had issued zero in five years, although several students “reported they had been breached.”

The subcommittee believes complainants should be allowed to review police reports and that all campus police should participate in training on handling sexual violence. B.SASV member Ava Blustein ’15 agrees with the report’s point that “NCOs should not be bilateral” as students “found responsible for sexual misconduct should not be able to retaliate against the survivor by filing a counter-NCO.” In an email to The Hoot, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said he greatly appreciates the subcommittee’s work and “the time they have dedicated to focus

on this important issue.” Callahan reports, “I am in the process of reviewing its recommendations. I have been overseeing the development of two in-service training programs for Brandeis University Police staff that address some of the report’s recommendations. We will have a diversity and cultural awareness training class in May and a twoday Title IX sexual investigation course this June.”

In her email, Brooten noted the university still needs to “reconsider its policies on No-Contact Orders.” The subcommittee requests the Dean of Students Office make its policies clear, always “apply restrictions consistently across cases” and enforce such restrictions. Within the Dean of Students Office, students can report inappropriate behavior to the Department of Student Rights and Community Standards (DRSCS). DRSCS is responsible for composing Brandeis’ “Rights and Responsibilities,” which includes many definitions and policies relevant to sexual violence as well as the Special Examiners Process (SEP).

The subcommittee proposes numerous alterations to wording and content of “Rights and Re-

sponsibilities” in the original report and the November addendum.

The report also states expulsion should be the expected punishment for rape, but notes survivors’ wishes should be taken into account when determining sanctions.

The document urges Brandeis to “[increase] cultural competency” in serving its diverse population. It suggests that training include relevant information, that the PCC employ therapists fluent in world languages and counselors who understand the cultural backgrounds international students have in sexual violence. It recommends the campus climate survey “include questions on ethnicity, race and culture.”

Reflecting on progress, Brooten stated the PCC now offers therapy in various languages, though she feels Brandeis still needs to consider culturally conscious ways to support international students. Brooten wrote, in her email, it is imperative “that race, ethnicity, religion, disability and LGBTIQ concerns become central to all training and educational efforts.”

McMahon is “thrilled” that the report is now public.

Student Union sponsors roundtable discussion campus. A sensitive issue that has inspired large marches and other demonstrations over the past three years, student activism influenced McMahon’s hiring and the establishment of the soon-to-be-opened Rape Crisis Center. Flagel and the other administrators continually affirmed their dedication to student safety, specifically thanking student activists for their input and ideas.

“All the best ideas have come

from [students],” Flagel said.

“Students identified the biggest problems with our processes so that we could move to make a safer campus.”

The university is currently working to improve overall student life, including considering recommendations reported by Professor Bernadette Brooten (NEJS/CLAS/WMGS).

Within the next month, the Office of Prevention Services will be send-

ing out a census-style survey asking students their opinions of the on-campus climate in related to these issues, McMahon said.

Other services the administration is collaborating on includes the Brandeis Care Team, a collection of individuals from around the university led by LaFarr designed as a support net for students dealing with psychological issues. Flagel and McMahon said that despite the rapid develop-

ment of new programs, interactions and reports will be kept confidential, unless an ethical problem arises, such as the possibility of self-harm.

Overall the panel promised the Brandeis administration’s utter commitment to student safety and improving transparency, while encouraging students to continue to bring ideas and problems forward, in order to continue building trust.

Eight win fellowship for summer exploration From FELLOWS, page 1

Fascinated by the field of developmental neurobiology, Toshome reveals the personal ties that first sparked her desire to work with children with special needs. Watching as her family struggled to help her cousin, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, Toshome explained, “Having grown up in a culture where developmental disorders are largely attributed to supernatural causes, I witnessed the lack of treatment and rehabilitation services for children with special needs in Ethiopia.”

During the course of her internship, Toshome will be participating in speech therapy and social skills trainings as well as workshops designed to equip parents with techniques to enhance their child’s communication and social skills. She will also be collaborating with professionals in the field of special needs education to plan activities for children at the Nia Care Center. “My ultimate goal is to become a neurosurgeon and possibly work on developmental neurobiology projects to get a better understanding of disorders that affect the lives of millions of children,” Toshome stated. Like Toshome, Khaled is equipped with a passion for advocating on behalf of others. As

a double major in HSSP and biology with minors in chemistry and politics, Khaled will be completing her internship at the California Women’s Law Center in Los Angeles, California. Khaled vividly recalls the moment she first discovered she had been selected to be a 2015 Sorensen Fellow. Sitting on the commuter rail listening to the song “Brave Enough” by Ernie, Khaled had been staring anxiously as she waited for an email from the Ethics Center to load. Upon seeing the word “Congratulations,” she immediately called her father to share in her excitement.“After

a brief moment, I lose cell service and the stranger sitting across from me on the train looks up from his newspaper and says, ‘Congratulations, I wish you luck in making great changes to the world,’” Khaled recalled.

Tracing her passion for women’s health and reproductive rights, Khaled shared her experience serving as an intern at the American Civil Liberties Union in New York at the mere age of 16, where she had the opportunity to speak with women of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Inspired by her interactions with these women,

Khaled stated, “Hearing their accounts led me to conclude that the current policies surrounding women’s health and reproductive rights did not benefit a single person—it only hurt them. This is when I realized that the health care and political system that we once trusted to feel safe and healthy is now filled with apprehension.”

Khaled seeks to intertwine her strong background in the sciences with a future in public health, policymaking, education and community outreach. Long, a triple major in IGS, anthropology and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Peace, Conflict and Coexistence, will be traveling to Beijing to in-

tern for the non-profit organization Media Monitor for Women Network. She said that she will be promoting women’s rights in the media and hopes to launch lectures for local middle school children focusing on topics such as gender, privilege and respect.

Originally from Shanghai and Tianjin herself, Long strives to learn more about feminism in China and ways to foster positive social change in the country as well. Regardless of their discipline or field of choice, in the words of Teshome, this internship would be a “wonderful stepping stone in getting a hands-on experience” while simultaneously pursuing social justice at an international scope.

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9 The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES

February 27, 2015

3-Day Startup ignites entrepreneurial minds on campus

By Jacob Edelman Editor

Over the weekend of Feb. 7, about two dozen Brandeis students descended on the International Business School for the annual 3-Day Startup competition. 2015 marks the fourth year that a 3DS competition has been held at IBS. Originally held at the University of Texas in 2008, the program is now operated at 60 schools around the world. According to the 3DS organization’s mission statement, they seek to “kickstart new student-run companies and build entrepreneurial capabilities in students and their university communities.”

As the name implies, students spend 3 days at the 3DS working to design the next great startup company. Through an extensive process of working with fellow students while receiving advice from experienced professionals, the participants craft a business proposal ready for the eyes and ears of venture capitalists and startup accelerators. Winners of the Brandeis 3DS often get entered into a larger startup incubator contest called MassChallenge.

Viola Morse is the Brandeis chairperson of 3DS as well as the IBS senior associate director of administration and student services. “One of the M.B.A. students came to me with the idea, and it [looked like] a great experience for anyone interested in entrepreneurship. We were excited to be the first in New England that [3DS] worked with,” said Morse about the start of 3DS on this campus.

3DS organizer Igor Berman ’17 was the “sole heir” of the entrepreneurship club in his first year

photo by dana trismen/the hoot

and is a member of the Brandeis 3DS committee. He talks about the 3DS competition being in a constant state of improvement and becoming valuable to students looking to get involved in the startup economy. “In the world that we live in, starting a business is a very alluring idea.

‘Startup’ is a big buzzword in hubs like Boston and San Francisco, and the Internet has lowered the barrier of entry to doing something without having to put in as many resources into setup. Why couldn’t Brandeis be a leader in the startup world?”

“We try to create an environment as close to how building a startup actually is. We invite people with experience in technology, business and finance to give real world wisdom into how to make the ideas work. A startup is really

cool to join, but in terms of creating your own, it’s a really scary thought. We’re trying to lower people’s guards against doing it … Why wait until you graduate to try it out when you can do it in the comfort and safety of campus?” Berman explains.

Dan Driscoll is a part of the large 3DS network. He went to the University of Texas and participated in a 3DS competition in his first year of graduate school. The startup that he designed went on to become his full-time job in the form of a company called reQuip, which is “a marketplace for athletes to buy and sell cycling, triathlon and outdoor sports gear.”

Driscoll came to Brandeis to help as an organizer for this year’s 3DS. He passionately pitched to participants the key to a really good 3DS proposal. Thinking

about what he likes to see in a startup, he says, “The drive. You need people who are willing to prioritize their startup above everything short of family. It’s people who dream big and have a reality distortion field, and who can see the forest and the skyline and not just the weeds and the trees.

You need people who are proud of themselves and their work, and who are resilient enough to take a punch in the face. The people who refuse to be any less than their full potential. People who have a good idea and can stick with it make the best entrepreneurs.”

Octavian Bodareu was a student participant from the Republic of Moldova working on his master’s degree at the Heller School. He worked on a project called “CommunityCare,” which focuses on the problem of there being few-

er family caregivers and working age adults to support an aging society. He says, “3DS is a useful platform to exchange experience, to work in [a] group and to have more business ideas.”

Shaima Ahmadi is a first-year graduate student focusing on finance and risk management at IBS. Her team was made up of four people from IBS and the computer science department.

They worked on a project called “DressCode,” which is an application that helps users gather votes, reviews and comments from friends, the public and community members on their daily outfits. “The three days of the project were full of experience and good moments, where we worked hard as a team to develop our idea,” she recalls.

Samuel Zucker ’18 was the only first-year undergraduate at the 3DS. He’s working on an economics major, and worked from 10 to 13 hours a day on his project.

He recalled once talking with a venture capitalist about his line of work over dinner one night of the project, and another time presenting his idea for a startup to a group of 25 strangers all older than he. “The great part about being a [first-year] was that everything I was told or taught was new information to me … I was constantly learning from fellow participants about their fields of study.”

Morse hopes to continue making the 3DS better, though not necessarily bigger, and perhaps one day even partner with Brandeis’ future innovations center for which the university recently received a $2.5 million grant.

Narayanan ’15 gives poetry a voice on campus

By Dana Trismen Editor

Rohan Narayanan ’15 is changing the Brandeis community, one poem at a time. When the 20142015 school year began, the senior was already involved in an extensive amount of Brandeis extracurricular activities, including his position as president of Brandeis Television (BTV) and his critical role on TRON, the men’s Ultimate Frisbee team. But over the summer, Narayanan spent most of his time writing spoken-word poetry. He returned to Brandeis with the confidence to perform and the desire to create a safe space for others to express their emotions.

Since August, Narayanan has performed his poetry at many highly public Brandeis venues, including the Mela and Brandeis is Our House events. His spoken-word performances have been met with praise from students, faculty and staff, despite the fact that he admits he does not have any academic knowledge of the art form.

“I started writing poetry a little over a year ago, and it just kind of took the form of spoken word …

I think because I talk really fast and have a lot of angst and opinions, spoken word is absolutely the right medium for me,” he said in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot this week.

Narayanan is continuing to grow as a poet, and the topics he feels passionate about cover a wide range. “I do write a lot about myself, about identity, specific traumas in my life, struggles with depression and anxiety,” he said.

“I also write a lot about systemic bias, issues from racism to gun violence to social strata and stereotypes, and how I really don’t like institutions like schools or the government.”

In a recent poem titled “Mike Brown,” Narayanan labels America as, “A country on its knees, burdened by racist violence.”

The piece begins with the following stanzas: “Sometimes I’m afraid I’ll end up like Mike Brown/ I’m not even black and I’m worried I’ll end up face down/ Color is a target, an ardent marksmen/ We see a citizen, but they see a target/ Blood soaked shirt, hurt, shot, gunned down, dead/ Brown skin blood splattered red.”

Other spoken-word pieces are more personal. The poem “One of Us” allows Narayanan to address and struggle with his own atheism. The piece begins: “What if God was one of us?/ Then he’d probably take a wrong step off a crosswalk and get hit by a bus/ He’d mill through the crowd as another faceless citizen/ He’d get a Christmas sweater from his wife of an ugly colored crimson/ God would hate his job, on the corner he’d get robbed/ God would

photo by sharon cai/the hoot

have student loans and there’d be a bunch of cracks on his iPhone.”

For Narayanan, sharing his own work and voice was not enough.

He wanted to reach out to others on the Brandeis campus. “The Brandeis arts space is very stunted,” he said. “For a place priding itself on its social justice and commitment to free expression, I found it kind of ridiculous that there really were no places/spaces established on campus to consistently share poetry.” Narayanan is now striving to change that. He recently began hosting monthly events at Chum’s, calling the event Iamb an Artist, or simply Poetry Night.

“Poetry Nights were born from my strong desire to create a safe space and community on campus

to share poetry and emotion. So far, the response has been awesome. It really warms my heart that people have gravitated toward such a space. My hope is that people keep coming out, pushing themselves, writing and sharing, and ideally the space continues to exist long after I graduate,” he said. Iamb an Artist takes place the last Thursday of the month from 9 to 11 p.m. in Chum’s, and everyone on the Brandeis campus is invited to attend. “I’m always looking to expand, grow, meet new poets and share that space with anyone and everyone who is willing to buy into the idea and challenges of free expression, strong emotion, and a safe space,” Narayanan added.

Narayanan, who names Saul

Williams and George Watsk as his favorite spoken-word poets, truly believes that his work, and the work of others, carries power and momentum.

“Spoken word is powerful because when someone writes and performs a poem that really means a lot to them, you can feel it. Emotion is the lifeblood of poetry, and oftentimes, when done and delivered right, it’s impossible to ignore,” Narayanan said. “It’s so important to be able to share issues, emotions and experiences in mediums apart from conversations and articles; just the idea of social justice art or extremely personal poetry is vulnerable and accessible in a way that just reading words or having a conversation isn’t always.”

February 27, 2015

FEATURES 10

The Brandeis Hoot

Students divulge insecurities through photo project

By Jacob Edelman Editor

Leah Newman ’17, a double major in American studies and history with a minor in journalism, has been thinking a lot about insecurities this week, but not for the reasons one might first think. Recently she’s gotten involved by bringing a large and growing photography project to the Brandeis campus that focuses on people’s insecurities. It’s called the “What I Be Project” and it is run by photographer Steve Rosenfield.

Rosenfield travels from place to place and converses with volunteer participants about subjects that they are timid or unforthcoming about in everyday life. Rosenfield then works with the participants to transform their anxieties into words that are descriptive or evocative, writes the words on the person’s skin using ink, and takes a photo. Afterward, the individual writes a 500-word statement, which is posted along with the photo to Rosenfield’s website or Facebook.

“I saw it around. [Steve] started this project, and it blew up. He’s gotten a ton of press. He’s always going different places, and it’s an awesome outlet for young people to discuss insecurities that they don’t always talk about. One of my friends at a different college was involved with it, so I emailed Steve out of the blue one day to bring him and his project to Brandeis. We got a grant from Hillel, and it all came together,” Newman says.

Rosenfield is a Boston native, and although he currently lives in California, he’s been out and about working on this project for quite a while.

“I wanted to do something that was

photo by steve rosenfield/the hoot

meaningful with my photography. I was opinionated, materialistic and didn’t let people in on my feelings.

I really wasn’t happy, I was living through the motions. Eventually I came to the conclusion that to be happy was to do something different.

I started to share my feelings and let people in. It created a stronger bond between me and the people I interacted with. Fast forward 10 years, and I wanted to see if this project could open up doors for people to share their own feelings with their friend and family network,” Rosenfield explained.

“The title of the project came from a song from Michael Franti, a good friend of mine. I was really inspired by his music,” Rosenfield said. “The song talks about being who you are,

nothing more nothing less. Embracing it.”

Newman thinks that the project is really for the benefit of everyone. “It builds security for the people themselves. When you see that someone else is going through a thing that you’re going through, it lets you know that you’re not alone … It’s about personal empowerment and the choice of sharing your insecurities.”

“It’s made people able and willing to be more open because it gives a platform that not everyone gets,” Newman said. “As we grow and as we learn about who we are, it makes us realize that although we’re different, we have so many people who care about us and who can relate to us.”

There is a long waitlist to participate in the project, and it doesn’t

seem like everyone who wants to participate will be able to this week.

Rosenfield originally planned to have 100-150 participants in total from the outset of his enterprise, but to date, has had more than 2,200 people take part from around the country.

He eventually plans on publishing a book on the undertaking.

“Depression, anxiety and body image are probably the top three, although for body image, there are so many categories within that,” Rosenfield said. “Most of the time I’m doing [the project] at college campuses, but I’ve also done music festivals, assisted living homes and high schools.”

Newman talked about the reasons she wanted to bring Rosenfield and his camera to Brandeis. “I think at Brandeis where everyone’s so strong

in their beliefs and so outspoken and tight knit, it’s the perfect environment for people to get to know each other on a deeper level and get a shared understanding of insecurities.”

“Like the pictures on Facebook, share them, be sensitive, take time for introspection and remind yourself that you are not alone,” Newman said about what people can do to become more involved and supportive.

Rosenfield encourages people to create a dialogue and to keep talking.

“We only grow the most when we allow ourselves to be uncomfortable. I challenge everybody to allow themselves to be uncomfortable.”

The project is sponsored in part by Hillel at Brandeis with support from the Max and Sunny Howard Memorial Foundation.

AAAS department has vibrant past, important future

By Katarina Weessies Special to the Hoot

Brandeis’ African and Afro-American Studies (AAAS) Department was founded on April 24, 1969, not long after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The department was formed after 70 black students occupied Ford and Sydeman Halls with a list of 10 demands to better their representation.

The students, led by Roy DeBerry ’70 and Ricardo Millet ’68, publicly refused to leave the occupied buildings until every demand on the list was met.

The list included ideas such as the expansion of minority recruitment, the introduction of scholarships exclusively for black students and the establishment of an African Studies program.

While not all of the demands on the list could be satisfied, the students did eventually agree to leave Ford and Sydeman halls, and the school did fulfill one of the requests, establishing of the African and Afro-American Studies Department.

Since its establishment, the AAAS Department has blossomed into an enthusiastic and scholarly community.

The department is active on cam-

pus, holding a wide range of open events.

Recently, it held a screening of the movie “Selma,” a talk on hip hop and social change and candlelight vigils for victims of police violence.

Many of these events are organized and attended by the department’s accomplished professors.

One of the most striking things about the AAAS professors is their incredibly diverse fields of expertise, which range from feminism to Caribbean literature to military history.

Despite the high levels of achievement among the faculty, Department Chair Professor Chad Williams believes that the students are the department’s most admirable aspect.

He described his students as “serious and dedicated,” proudly proclaiming that they “never cease to surprise [him] with their brilliance.”

Black history is an integral part of social justice at Brandeis, even outside of the AAAS program.

Groups like the Brandeis Black Student Organization, the Queer People of Color Coalition and the Women of Color Alliance keep issues related to racial minorities at the forefront of on-campus political and social discourse.

The combined power of organizations geared toward black students and the AAAS Department promote and maintain a widespread awareness of racial issues.

Many of Brandeis’ black programs

and organizations are at the center of social justice and political discourse more than ever, and their history is far from over.

The AAAS Department plans to continue maximizing its influence and broadening its horizons.

Williams’ goals for the department include “increasing excitement,” “broadening faculty” and building “a new level of interest amongst Brandeis students.”

While most Brandeis students show some interest in racial justice, many are unaware of the legacy of the AAAS program and how its students have fought for that justice.

During Black History Month (along with all the other months), it is important that we acknowledge the efforts of black student activists.

The tragic killing of Michael Brown, and the protests and vigils held at our school in his honor, serve as a grim reminder of the social importance of African Studies programs.

The presence of the AAAS Department increases campus awareness of racial issues, provides a historical and intellectual context for current activism and creates a network of support for future black leaders.

Professor Williams describes the AAAS Department as “part of the struggle” of the black American experience. It’s important that we remember the department’s history, as well as the universal history of black students.

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EDITORIALS

11 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editor-in-Chief Dana Trismen Andrew Elmers

Senior Managing Editor Victoria Aronson Managing Editors Theresa Gaffney News Editors Emily Belowich Jess Linde Arts Editor Michelle Kim Sports Editor Sarah Jousset Opinions Editor Kevin Healey Deputy News Editors Charlotte Aaron Hannah Schuster Deputy Features Editor Jacob Edelman

February 27, 2015

Univ. snowstorm staff should not go unnoticed

T

his has been a historic winter for the Northeast. Boston topped 100 inches of cumulative snow for only the second time in recorded history. So far, Brandeis has closed four times and delayed opening once.

The Brandeis Hoot would like to thank facilities workers for the phenomenal job they have done to preserve Brandeis students’ safety during repeated snowstorms. We believe the entire student body is appreciative of their efforts and would like workers to know this. The crews have worked tirelessly, often overnight, to clear roads and pathways, ensuring the campus is navigable very shortly after snow has stopped falling, or even while it is still snowing. Sodexo employees have kept Sherman Dining Hall open each snow day. Staff members from

dining, public safety and the grounds crew have come to campus despite the difficulty traveling as result of the severe weather and have spent several nights sleeping in campus housing.

Though some students have complained about Usdan closing and walking to class in the snow, student activity was impacted rather minimally. Workers’ efforts have allowed students to retain near normalcy during the storms.

Students on campus do not need to shovel nor worry about stocking up on food and supplies. Furthermore, while students have enjoyed sleeping and relaxing on their days off from school, Facilities workers have worked nonstop on a very limited amount of sleep. Over February break, workers still worked diligently,

even though only a small number of students remained on campus.

It is always challenging to recoup after a snowstorm, but this winter in particular has demanded so much from university employees.

Though some students expressed thanks, their efforts did go somewhat unnoticed.

The Hoot editorial board affirms our gratitude and encourages all students to share their words of thanks and encouragement with workers, who are undoubtedly deserving.

These are essential members of the Brandeis community.

The editorial board believes that in general, we must be more conscious of the scores of people who work to keep the campus running and recognize their efforts.

Lecture explores Holocaust remembrance in Austria

Deputy Hoot Scoops Editor Editor Emily Smith Senior Copy Editors Mia Edelstein Julie Landy Copy Editor Allison Plotnik Senior Layout Editor Sasha Ruiz Deputy Layout Editor Ludi Yang Graphics Editor Linjie Xu Website Editors Zak Kolar Zach Phil Schwartz

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

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By Rachel Hirschhaut Special to The Hoot

The Women’s Studies Research Center (WSRC) hosted a lecture on public memory by Dr. Karen Frostig, one of their resident scholars, titled “What Happens When We Forget To Remember?” on Thursday, Feb. 26.

Frostig serves as president and founding artistic director of the Vienna Project, which is a fairly new “process-based expression of remembrance” of the Holocaust. It began in 2013, to mark the 1938 anniversary of the Anschluss, when widespread anti-Semitism began in Austria, and it concluded one year later.

As a dual citizen of the U.S. and Austria and a child of Holocaust survivors who lost many family members, Frostig has a personal connection to the field of public memory. Her work is based on discovering “the place of public art as a vehicle to bring people’s attention to history.”

She was quick to clarify that the Austria of today is very different from that of the World War II era, when the country had the highest

percentage of anti-Semites. Today, Austria is known as Europe’s new artistic capital, as it gives the most funding to support arts organizations.

Vienna has also recently been nominated as a “City of Human Rights” in regards to immigration issues. Artistic expression has become a way to combine the arts and human rights, as “public art and politics are linked” closely in Austria.

The new project represents reconciliation, Frostig said. Though some argued that Austria did not need more memorials, the Vienna Project filled a unique niche as an “inclusive” memorial. They took extra care to include the names of underrepresented Holocaust victims in addition to Jews: the thousands of Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals and political prisoners from Austria who were killed in concentration camps.

In the main exhibit, the “Naming Memorial,” 91,000 victims’ names were projected onto the walls of the Austrian National Library at Hofburg Palace. All the names were listed together, as a way of erasing differences between the ethnic groups. The project combined art,

technology and education for the cause of public memory.

Frostig said that the emphasis on individuals’ names represents the impact of genocide: “It’s not just destroying an individual, it’s eradicating a people … Families were destroyed.”

Over the year that the Vienna Project took place, other events included performance-art based “silent witness vigils” and “memory spaces” in front of historically significant sites.

She also described the evolution of Austria’s Holocaust education programs. With the help of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Israel, it has become a way to teach children universal civil and human rights lessons about protecting minorities.

Education is mandatory, and every student is required to visit Mauthausen, the site of a concentration camp.

She is proud of the Vienna Project’s work and hopes it will leave a lasting impact: “This is a new model of memorialization that we hope reaches a lot of people. This moment of engaging people and having the conversation is important.”

OPINIONS

February 27, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 12

Room selection resembles something out of Panem

By Kevin Healey Editor

Next week the Number Games begin. Soon, across our dining halls and classrooms, from Shapiro to Shapiro to Shapiro our students will duke it out to conquer that resource so valuable men would lie, cheat and (hopefully not) kill to acquire it: housing.

Some of you have been planning for ages, ruthlessly studying floor plans and interviewing residents to determine our kingdom’s largest single or best view. For others, room selection has snuck up on them like an assassin slithering through the night and now ready to kill their hopes of the ideal room.

No matter your position, now is the time to find your allies, make your groups, and cast your lot in the great lottery to determine your fate for the next year.

Winter might not be coming, but that dreaded lottery number email is.

OK, I hope we can agree that room selection really ought not to be like medieval warfare or some dystopian future combat, but the stress it seems to evoke among our students is striking.

I’ve seen panic attacks, arguments and generally upset behavior result whenever room selection is talked about. The Department of Community Living has tried to minimize the impacts on students, but their current policy hasn’t really done

a good job assuaging fears or making the process simple.

This year’s room selection has the added bonus of one residence hall that may or may not collapse into the ground at any moment. Ever since the first safety inspections of Usen Castle were launched, rumors have been flying around campus. I’ve heard about collapsed roofs, water leaks, electrical issues, bad smells and all kinds of other problems. I’ve heard only minor repairs are required and that the entire building needs to be condemned. I honestly don’t know the truth of any of these rumors, and I honestly don’t know where to find answers. I can’t get access to the actual structural reports, and DCL’s official position that the Castle is perfectly sound seems to fly in the face of an increasing amount of anecdotal evidence to the contrary.

The fact that I received an email at the end of last semester telling me that I should stay away from the Castle, in case parts of the building fall off and hit me, makes me personally afraid to pick a room there. Ultimately, I don’t know if the Castle is safe or not, but the way the DCL has handled this issue makes them seem unreliable.

Unfortunately, the way this process was handled in general makes it difficult to trust that it’ll be efficient. The information about room selection, nominally available on the DCL website, wasn’t updated until recently.

photo from internet source

This made it impossible for first years to plan ahead, especially since most students are constantly subjected to random and certainly overblown rumors from upperclassman. That being said, there is some hope for improvement in the system. Although it took a long time for DCL to update the room selection website, the current information is both complete and accurate. The information online now is really helpful, and will definitely assist students when it comes down to actually deciding which room to pick. In fact, the numerous online tours and

other information online really helped me make my decisions more easily.

In addition, the proxy system that DCL has set up should really help students out who don’t have computer access when their number is called. Seeing as the window is so narrow for selections to be made, allowing students to contact DCL and not have to worry about getting access to their laptop while in class really lowers the stress of the system. That being said, it does create a burden on students to provide DCL with enough information in case their initial

choices are denied. I could easily imagine a situation where a student’s first choice is picked right before their number comes up, and without a backup plan DCL might choose housing the student didn’t intend.

Housing selection so far has been a mixed bag. The information we’ve received about the process from DCL has so far been incomplete and suspect, but every indication shows that that has changed. With the days counting down until that stressful moment, it’s time to get ready for the Number Games and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Limited weekend services problematic for students

By Jacob Edelman Editor

It’s Friday evening, and you’re headed into lower Usdan with a few friends to grab dinner. As you approach the cashier you dig into your pocket for your ID to use a meal swipe. Wait—it’s not in that pocket. Maybe check your jacket pocket? Nope. It’s most likely between some unknown cushions

in a lounge. Getting a replacement is easy enough though, just a few dollars and you get a new ID within a few minutes. The only catch is that the Campus Card Office doesn’t open until Monday morning, so it’s impossible to receive a replacement card in the meantime. No meal swipes or easily getting into the residence hall for you.

This problem confronts Brandeisians many times a week. The

problem, though, is not that of losing our ID, and does not solely rest with the Campus Card Office; the problem is that offices are not open on on the weekends, and this is a major issue with many of the vital support services offered by the university. Whether it’s having a package being processed at 4:51 on a Friday and not being able to run up to the mailroom before closing, or suffering from some unknown ailment and

needing non-emergency medical care from the health center on a Saturday, campus services inconveniently shut down on the weekends.

Like any semi-urban area, Brandeis is a center of activity seven days a week. In a city, the post office operates and delivers on Saturdays and doctors are available at all times if one requires non-emergency room worthy medical attention. Here, however,

if we get a mail delivery processed at 4:51 on a Friday, chances are that we won’t be able to make it to the mailroom in those last nine minutes of it being open. We will be forced to lose time and wait a weekend before we can receive potentially important packages.

If we have a medical concern, we may be forced to go off-campus and visit an urgent care location See SERVICES, page 15

photo from internet source

February 27, 2015

OPINIONS 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Unofficial roads pose unofficial danger

By Jake Greenburg Special to the Hoot

Driving problems are not new on our campus. Last year, Maryanne Cai ’16 addressed the issue of campus safety in her opinion article “Drivers must be more conscientious on Loop Road,” published in The Brandeis Hoot.

Before that comes a long line of earlier complaints or warnings.

All these writings make it clear how problematic our official roadways are, but I would like to add that the issue of campus safety goes beyond designated roads on campus, as I’ve observed throughout my first year at Brandeis University.

On my second day of class at Brandeis, I decided to walk around Chapel’s Field from Massell Quad to the library, when suddenly I feared that my life was in danger. As I looked around, other students moved towards the sides of the path and some even stopped walking entirely.

I figured that maybe these students were other first years that were just confused about where they were going, as I had been during most of my first week at school. But suddenly, I heard two loud honks, and I knew what was wrong.

There was a large van behind me, whose driver was alerting me to move out of the way, as it hurdled up towards upper campus. I was primarily embarrassed, and went to the side of the pathway, letting the car pass by. However, as I thought about the situation further, I became very concerned for Brandeis students’ safety.

There were no indications that cars were allowed on this pathway, and if they were permitted on this “road,” why were there no sidewalks?

Unlike South Street and even Loop Road, most on campus pathways have no sidewalks, and cars are still allowed to drive right through them. As a conscientious pedestrian, I cross at crosswalks and walk against traffic whenever possible (something I learned was especially important to avoid accidents when I ran cross-country). Whether a person follows these strategies or not, there should definitely be sidewalks to protect them from passing traffic.

Looking into this problem further, I noticed that there are brick sidewalks on the first pathway in the front entrance of campus, as well as cement sidewalks around the admissions office. Seeing that these sidewalks were placed See SAFETY, page 15

photo from internet source

University should encourage lifelong learning

By Andrew Elmers Editor

As I’ve started to apply for summer internships, I’ve not only found the whole process of looking for a summer activity, along with searching for an idea of a career for the rest of my life, somewhat nerve-wracking. Of course everyone is afraid of commitment, but having to find a job that will last for the next fifty years or so until I retire seems a little too much to do. Given the changes in technology that will be coming over the next few decades, the job market is going to shift drastically every so often.

Then there’s the possibility of finding a new job in a new career after a period of time, but if we have spent the time and money to earn a degree after four years of college, we should expect to be able to find employment for the rest of our lives. The Hiatt Career Center and other resources are available to help people market themselves and find a job in their respective industries, but what if the jobs they’re qualified for just aren’t there anymore?

A simple example is that of the factory worker. Obviously no one gets a degree in car manufacturing, but those who started out working at a factory 20 years ago face the dilemma that their job won’t be there anymore sometime soon. With technologies that will make manual labor almost obsolete coming around the corner, folks have to be prepared to find completely new jobs.

While students going for business or science degrees aren’t faced with the same dilemma, it’s a simple fact of life that things will change over time. People always have to learn new skills to keep up with those changes, and all varieties of workers go to some sort of classes or seminars to learn about what is new out there. This

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process of re-education has been going on for a while, and is typically mandated and covered by the employer.

Yet when said employer loses profitability due to a major change in the business landscape, they don’t cover further re-education. If an industry loses most of its market share and a good portion of the labor force is left without a job, a lot of these people have to wind up looking for jobs in a completely new field. And this possibility can occur to al-

most any industry, save for maybe the STEM fields.

A college degree is only good for about 20 years until it, and the knowledge it bestows, becomes obsolete. While Brandeis is somewhat helpful at finding students a job, what it and other schools should do is offer students the opportunity to come back and learn a new field to prepare for a different career. This may sound like graduate school, and while the purpose of grad school basically covers my complaints, what I’m

looking for is a bit of a complete rehaul of the secondary education system.

Grad school is completely voluntary, and usually only exists for those who wish to go deeper into a field of study. What should be offered, instead, is a chance at a second undergraduate degree. A fresh start. Colleges need to realize that students will be faced with problems later on down the road when ideas and business practices change, and to admit that upon matriculation, this degree will

only be good for the next 20 or 25 years.

If schools can offer students the ability to reassess the job market, as well as their personal desires and skills, then a few decades down the road, people will be more productive. With most people retiring at 65 and people living healthy lives well past that, a good portion of the population is doing almost nothing. Retooling yourself at, say, age 50 with a new degree and updated knowledge See EDUCATION, page 14

14 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

February 27, 2015

Brandeis snow response team does excellent work

By Zach Phil Schwartz Editor

Of several innate human tendencies, it seems as if none is more outwardly prevalent than the willingness to complain about anything.

At Brandeis, you’ll hear complaints daily about the food and the furniture. You’ll hear for the hundredth time about the broken radiator in your friend’s room, when you frankly couldn’t care less, because yours won’t stop blasting 110-degree air. At a time like this, when four feet of snow covers the ground, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Much worse of a situation would be trying to wade to the oft-complained about dining halls through immense amounts of snow.

Thankfully, that problem remains in a hypothetical realm because of our excellent snow response team.

During the first snowstorm crisis, some students decided to hole themselves up in their residence halls while others cleaned out the C-Store.

You could’ve sworn it was the end of times, due to the sight of the masses of people fleeing a quickly shuttered Usdan. While students went into panic mode, the university stayed calm and urged patience while snow removal crews worked tirelessly to restore our campus. While the teams worked, we played in the snow like children— and some of us even skied. Over the course of two days, that storm dumped around two feet of snow on the ground, sometimes dropping more than teams could remove. Still, they were out and operational overnight and during the day, so that we the students could enjoy the amenities of the university.

Another snowstorm soon followed.

Again, classes were cancelled and non-essential areas were shuttered.

Mixed in with the hysterical cheers in the dining halls a sort of watered down panic ensued and students decided to hole up again. Unfettered by the seemingly never-ending snowfall, crews went back to work clearing paths, roads and walkways so that university life could continue. In that time, facilities workers and Sodexo employees continued to do their duties in the rough conditions, sometimes having to take temporary residence in areas on campus, including

photo from internet source

student residence halls.

Snowstorm after snowstorm came and went, and snow crews cleared campus with the same devotion, never faltering. Again and again, campus was shuttered and students retreated to Sherman or their rooms, while essential campus workers remained unflustered with the seemingly never ending string of complaint-worthy snowstorms. It seemed as if every Sunday night there was an eruption of cheers in Sherman at the news of another Monday class cancellation.

Sodexo continued to keep food op-

tions available, facilities continued to keep campus buildings in order, and the snow removal team continued to make it possible for us to actually leave our residence halls and get back to a somewhat normal schedule.

When February break came around, so did another snowstorm. This time, many students had gone home and the university warned that snow removal might actually be slower, due to the less urgent situation since classes were not in session. Despite the warning and the seemingly abandoned nature of the campus, the snow removal

teams continued to work as if it was the first snowstorm. There was no relaxation of efforts nor were there extremely hazardous conditions around campus. Despite the fact that there was no urgent reason to clear the campus at top speeds, it was done anyway.

My point here is that Brandeis hires extremely competent and devoted people to make sure campus runs smoothly, in the event of a snowstorm or otherwise. Sometimes, sadly, they don’t get the recognition they deserve, and that’s sometimes compounded with the fact that these people are

relatively unknown to the students.

In writing this opinion piece, I wish to express my gratitude and the gratitude of my peers to the devoted members of Sodexo, facilities and the snow removal team for their work during the snowstorms and all year round.

Perhaps it would do good for the university to organize a sort of meet-andgreet with these less-known workers, like it did with our devoted police officers over at Public Safety. It might help bridge the gap between them and students that prevents them from getting all of the recognition they deserve.

Preparation for shifting economy paramount EDUCATION, from page 13

can prepare someone to work well into their 70s, and make a very good wage doing so.

This process can also keep the country afloat with more people working at jobs that are more in tune with current demands. Instead of using Social Security to fund retirements, elderly people who are still working wouldn’t need to rely on that safety net, and in turn, would add something to the economy. Brandeis already offers something to help this idea with BOLLI, the Brandeis-Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where senior citizens in the area come to take classes and learn new ideas.

But they aren’t doing this to prepare for a new career, the courses simply interest them. If the school could offer a distinct academic plan that allows students to complete four years as an undergrad after graduating high school and then allow those same students to return 20 or so years later to learn something completely different, it would be a lot more helpful

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than the current system. And the school could charge an increased price in tuition in the present day for the chance to return back to Brandeis later on to take more classes, instead of charging the super-inflated tuition rates that will

inevitably be around 20 years in the future. Students would have the chance to invest even more in themselves and in the future by paying for classes 20 years ahead of time.

Or perhaps the school could

offer each undergraduate the chance to take two or three courses of their choosing, whenever they want, simply by graduating.

No need to charge extra. After all, as students, we’ve been told time and time again that “we’re

Brandeisians for life.” The university should hold to that ideal and allow students to return and learn something new that would be an actual benefit instead of receiving an alumni newsletter every quarter.

February 27, 2015

OPINIONS15

The Brandeis Hoot

Vaccinate your kids, don’t give in to fear

By Noah Seligman Special to the hoot

In an age where medical science has saved the lives of millions, prolonged the lives of many others and increased quality of life for countless more, it is baffling that nearly one in five people in my generation think that vaccinations cause autism. Why has the generation of the tech savvy and the science-driven turned in such large numbers to myths and claims that lack evidence? The largest autism-advocacy organizations such as Autism Speaks and the Autism Science Foundation dismiss claims that link vaccines to autism, as have many scholarly journals. The original report about the link between autism and vaccines was withdrawn from Lancet, a prominent British medical journal, because it was based on fraudulent data. Yet irrational fears about vaccines persist.

Not getting vaccinated, or even worse, not getting your children vaccinated, makes it easier for any infectious disease to spread. In fact, just a few weeks ago there was a measles outbreak in Disneyland. “Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available,” according to the World Health Organization. The 52 cases that originated in Disneyland are only a small taste of what could happen on a much larger scale, given that measles is exceptionally infectious. In 1980, the WHO reported 4.2 million cases of measles worldwide, in contrast to

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55,000 cases in 2014. In America, measles was declared eradicated in 2000. Now the United States is seeing an uptick in outbreaks because of people not vaccinating themselves or their children. The Center for Disease Control reported 644 cases last year, an enormous increase from a decade ago.

Before vaccines, people died from what are now considered preventable illnesses. Now many are apt to die for

no good reason. Those who choose not to vaccinate based upon incorrect science or sheer ignorance pose an inherent risk to those who are unable to protect themselves. To me, that is simply selfish. We as millennials have an obligation to heal our world, not reopen old wounds that have been cured by modern science. Many millennials probably don’t have children yet but when they do, if statistics hold, barring a strike of enlightenment,

one-fifth will most likely not get them vaccinated. This is a truly frightening prospect. Why are we in the millennial generation turning back the clock of scientific understanding? Paradoxically this is a time when the largest percentage of young people in history are going into higher education.

This wave of ignorance is not just localized to vaccines either; it is a much more widespread distrust of science as a whole. There is a growing movement

as of late of hostility to science. Climate-change deniers, anti-nuclear energy proponents, and anti-vaccination activists all have similar modus operandi: Fabricate evidence, deny reality and assert morale high ground. It is a toxic ideology that does nothing but hold back the advancement of society.

In an interview earlier this month on NBC, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky stated that vaccines cause “profound mental disorders.” This coming from an individual with an M.D. and a potential presidential candidate who is incredibly influential with younger libertarian voters. For whatever reason, this idea seems to be gripping our youngest generations’ minds like a virus, spreading quickly and with little opposition.

What makes this mindset so attractive? Fear. Fear makes any otherwise rational person behave irrationally.

The proponents of the anti-vaccination movement and their ilk are afraid: Afraid of science, scared of progress, frightened by the unknown. The irony is they are fearful of the wrong things.

So my fellow millennials, and anyone else who reads this, do yourself a favor—vaccinate yourself, vaccinate your children and encourage anyone you love or value to do so as well. You will be doing them a favor, and the rest of the world a favor, as well. Of course, what would an article about vaccines be without the opinion of Louis Pasteur, the father of vaccines?

He wisely once said, “Messieurs, c’est les microbes qui auront le dernier mot” (Gentlemen, it is the microbes who will have the last word).

Unregulated secondary roads dangerous SAFETY, from page 13

in these primary campus areas, I wonder why such safety measures were not carried out around the rest of the campus.

In addition, if cars are permitted on these on-campus roads, then there should definitely be signs indicating speed limits, places to yield and where to stop. Some of these concerns were addressed in Cai’s article, and they must be considered on all campus roads. In extension, I feel that there should definitely be signs indicating where cars are actually permitted to drive, as the distinction between a path and a road is so unclear. For example, when my parents came to visit me this past November, we were frustrated because we could

not figure out where we were allowed to drive on campus and had difficulty exchanging my summer and winter clothes because we had to travel back and forth from my dorm to the parking lot. By the time we were done exchanging the clothes, and walking back and forth, we saw at least five cars pass by on roads that seemed more like walkways.

From the experience I had with my parents, I understand why cars are convenient to have on campus roads. In addition, being a student here, I feel that these roads are important for emergency situations, as they allow BEMCo, the Brandeis University Police and other emergency services to travel across campus quickly. However, with the benefits of these roads,

there should not be an increased anxiety for students and drivers over the possibility of accidents.

The accident risk is especially concerning during the winter, when large snow banks can prevent students from avoiding cars on the slippery campus roads.

Overall, Brandeis University can maximize both safety and convenience by placing sidewalks or at least increasing the amount of signage on all roads around campus. As a student, I would feel much safer walking along a pedestrian-only sidewalk and knowing that cars are not speeding, than having to fear the next car hurdling behind me. I hope that sometime soon students will never have to fear a van sneaking up on them at night.

photo from internet source

24/7 university, 9-5 services SERVICES, from page 12

photo from internet source

in Waltham, or wait it out until Monday or Tuesday (with the health center sometimes requiring 24-hour notice) before being examined. If we have a housing problem to sort out (or a lockout from your room), the Department of Community Living will not be open to help us either, leaving our options limited to campus police intervention or, for non-emergencies, waiting until Monday.

But what impacts Brandeisians the most is when we lose an ID card on a Friday. The Campus Card Office doesn’t open until the following Monday, and our ID is our life, literally opening the doors of the university and allowing us

to eat. In the meantime of not being able to swipe to acquire food, we must choose from several options that don’t involve meals, WhoCash or dining points. We can lobby friends/significant others to expend guest meals, we can spend cash or use a debit/credit card at a dining hall or other food location or we can shop for the frequently overpriced comestibles at the C-Store.

Services are crucial to the smooth running of the university for its students, but most students don’t consider weekend closings to be a problem until they hit close to home in the form of an inaccessible package, closed health center, lost key or missing card.

Of course, offering weekend services would be an added ex-

pense to the university, but some expenses are often necessary to assume. There are, however, ways for the university to minimize extra expenses and still offer needed weekend functions to students.

Times of opening and closing can be changed to better reflect when students most need the services, shifts can be staggered differently, and services do not necessarily always need to be up to full fledged capacity each day in order to still be of use.

Perhaps the next time you reach into your pocket to find that you are without an ID on a Friday evening, you may be confident in that a new card is just as available the following day as it is during regular business hours, Monday through Friday.

ARTS, ETC.

February 27, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 16

‘for colored girls’ coffeehouse creates excitement

photos by marian siljeholm and karen caldwell

By Jess Linde Editor

Brandeis Ensemble Theater and Brandeis Players organized a coffeehouse performance in Chum’s this Monday to create anticipation for their upcoming joint presentation of Ntozake Shange’s acclaimed play “for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.”

Hosted by co-producers Carly Chermonorets ’16 and Khadijah Lynch ’16, the event featured a series of performances by Brandeis students and groups, as well as a short preview scene performed by the play’s main cast. After a short introduction from Chermonorets, the night opened with a reading by the play’s director, Ra Malika Imhotep ’15. Imhotep read two pieces, one of original prose and another a collection of excerpts by Zora Neale Hurston, cited as a personal “literary mother” by Imhotep.

Each piece was very personal and moving and fit with the play’s theme of identity and women of color’s experiences with racism and sexism.

Following Imhotep was Reno Kersey ’17, who performed an original song, as well as one by George

Michael. Kersey, with his bright-red turtleneck and acoustic guitar, was an interesting choice to follow Imhotep, but he was nevertheless very entertaining and fun. Next came Nyah Macklin ’16, who beautifully performed three songs a cappella, including a rendition of Nina Simone’s “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” that caused the entire, packed venue to go quiet for a few seconds before erupting with applause. False Advertising joked that they would never be able to follow Macklin before performing a set of sometimes surreal, but usually funny improv comedy themed around cookies. Anna Chmiel ’15 went up next, performing 15 minutes of raunchy and very funny standup comedy that elicited much laughter, even though some of it was nervous.

After Macklin and Kersey retook the stage as part of the ever-cheery Company B, it was time for the cast preview performance, which was by far the highlight of the event. They performed “My love is too,” one of the play’s set of choreographed poems, this one specifically relating to the acceptance of love by the characters.

Each character, unnamed except by their dress color, recited how their

love was too “delicate/beautiful/sanctified/magic/saturday nite/complicated/music to have thrown back in my face” before joining in a chant. The audience and I were all enchanted by the passion and power in the performance. It was especially important in light of last semester’s on-campus contributions to the “Black Lives Matter” movement which drew attention to issues that many students felt were unrepresented. When the applause finally died down, the stage was occupied by Rather Be Giraffes.

Lynch took the stage early to fit a schedule change, and performed three original poems, all having to do with gender, race and sexual identity as a woman of color in a world where the odds are often stacked against her.

The performance drew loud cries, snaps and claps of appreciation and was very intense at parts, with Lynch’s searing prose challenging her listeners’ conceptions. The evening closed with a cappella from Voices of Soul and Proscenium, and overall was a very fun experience. Tickets are on sale now for Brandeis’ performance of “for colored girls who considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf,” and will be performed March 5 and 8 in the SCC theater.