Volume 14 Issue 2
“To acquire wisdom, one must observe” www.brandeishoot.com
February 3, 2017
Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper · Waltham, Mass.
Immigration panel responds to executive order By Abigail Gardener editor
video game marathon
See page 14.
Students play video games for 24 hours to raise money for NAMI.
photo by katie decker-jacoby/the hoot
Members of the Brandeis community, attended a panel discussion on Wednesday evening to address President Trump’s Jan. 27 Executive Order on immigration. The audience, who filled over half of the Shapiro Campus Center theater, consisted of not only undergraduate and graduate students but faculty and other Brandeis community members as well. Immigration attorney Madeline Cronin, of Iandoli Desai and Cronin P.C., was in attendance to provide background on immigration policy, legal context, and answer questions. The Executive Order suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, reduces the number of refugees the U.S. will accept to 50,000 (the lowest in a decade), and indefinitely halts
processing and admission of Syrian refugees, according to a PowerPoint that Cronin presented at the panel. The Executive Order also lists seven countries-Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen-from which both immigrants and nonimmigrants are no longer allowed to enter into the United States (at least for the next 90 days), Cronin said. Visa interviews will also be delayed for all nationalities, even if they are not from the seven listed countries. Cronin advised that people concerned about their status know their rights so they can be prepared in case of questioning, memorize phone numbers for family members and an attorney, and have a trustworthy U.S. citizen in mind that can pay bond if needed. There are many ways in which students have already been affectSee EXECUTIVE, page 3
Rebecca Walker delivers ‘DEIS Impact keynote address By Samantha Lauring staff
“Even though we are discouraged, our work is not lost,” stated activist Rebecca Walker at her keynote ’DEIS Impact event, “The World in You and You in the World: Identity in Action,” discussing the actions of the new administration in Washington, D.C. and how discouraged people should react.
“Walker focused on identity and I think that’s something we’re all thinking about right now. She encouraged us to find purpose and to think about who we are as individuals and as a society,” noted Hannah Brown ’19. After introductions from Director of the Intercultural Center Madeleine Lopez, University President Ron Liebowitz and Student Union President David Herbstritt ’17, Walker began her talk by commending Brandeis students on their commitment to
social justice. “It has been shockingly liberating to use my experiences of my life in this body to parse and document the stories; to assess and stress the personal meaning of larger moments,” began Walker. She stressed the importance of people understanding their own identity and how it functions in this contemporary moment, and the necessity in engaging in the project of expanding our grasp of the relationship between self-knowledge, personal expres-
sion and social change. Parts of the discussion were centered on President Trump’s recent actions and how people who disagree with his policies should respond. “Numbers do matter,” claimed Walker as she stressed the importance of conversing with people who do not share the same views and values. It is about creating a balanced world, not an “us versus them” situation. “We must respond, we cannot allow ourselves to be diminished. We will not be silenced.” Walker then stat-
ed the need for resistance against those who deny other people sovereignty. Walker emphasized the significance of continuing important work, even though the results might not always come quickly. “This idea of abiding, deciding and having confidence in what you’ve done has to include the understanding that you may not see the result tomorrow, you may not see it next week, you may not see See KEYNOTE, page 3
Library construction will resume in May By Elianna Spitzer editor
Construction on the Farber wing of the library will be halted until May 22, according to Interim University Librarian Matthew Sheehy. The ongoing construction in Farber is a result of climate-control issues within the building. Piping will be extended from Goldfarb to Farber to better con-
trol the temperature in Farber. A main pillar in the mezzanine has doubled in size to contain pipes running through it. “There were times when it was very cold, and some of the staff wore jackets and there were times when it was boiling hot, and we had to actually move staff out.” The library has remained open during the construction, though the mezzanine level of Farber has See CONSTRUCTION, page 2
Inside This Issue:
News: Misogyny dominates chess tournaments Sports: Patriots and Falcons face off Arts: Lively Lunar New Year celebration Features: Students share abroad stories
EDITORIAL: Increase diversity in journalism
chinese new year celebration Club Cantonese educates students on Lunar New Year festivities through jeopardy and food. See page 15.
‘4 Your Eyez Only’
Page 2 Page 7 Page 15 J. Cole’s newest album fails Page 11 to live up to expectations. Page 10 ARTS: PAGE 13
Track has a good run Athletes from womens and mens teams break records. SPORTS: PAGE 7
photo by katie decker-jacoby/the hoot
NEWS
2 The Brandeis Hoot
February 3, 2017
First woman to achieve Grandmaster title in chess visits Brandeis By Ryan Spencer and Abigail Gardener staff and editor
Five-time Olympic gold medalist and the first woman in history to achieve the Grandmaster title in chess, Susan Polgar spoke about her experience as a woman in the male-dominated sport of chess and her life as the descendent of Holocaust survivors to a room of about 75 people on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Throughout her career as a chess player, Polgar encountered many forms of harassment and prejudice due to being a woman, she said. It wasn’t that people didn’t want her to win because she was a woman, it was more that most just thought it wasn’t possible, she explained. Polgar’s grandparents spent time in Auschwitz and were among the few survivors of the Nazi concentration camp.
“I always remember that. I always tell myself every day how fortunate I am and I use it as motivation,” she told the audience, which was comprised mostly of Brandeis students and families with young children. Her first encounter with the game of chess came at home when she was four years old, she said, describing the encounter as “coincidence.” When explaining the game, which typically has pieces in the shapes of castles and knights on horseback, Polgar said that her father made it sound like a fairytale. Shortly thereafter she “fell in love with the beautiful combination of the game itself.” As a child, she practiced four to eight hours a day. She won her first tournament at the age of 4 and a half, and recalled having to sit on pillows or phone books to reach across the table. Her parents were very supportive of her newfound skill. “I was very fortunate that I had all of
the support from my parents who believed that, in chess, there are no boundaries, it does not matter if you’re a girl or a boy,” she explained. “I got that self-confidence from my parents.” Polgar encountered sexism very early on, at about age four, and realized quickly that chess was a male-dominated sport. Her father was made fun of for bringing his daughter to chess games with his friends. After a while, one of them agreed to play a game with her. Then she started to win some of the games, she said. It wasn’t that most people didn’t want a woman to be good at chess, it was just that most thought it wasn’t possible. Polgar cited hearing phrases such as a “woman’s brain is smaller.” Sometimes the opponents she beat tried to minimize her win, claiming that she “got lucky.” Polgar has studied many combinations and moves. Her secret is about objective assessment, and understanding that at each level
there are strengths and weaknesses, she said. A lot of people don’t analyze themselves properly and don’t end up working on their weaknesses. Being a great player takes a lot of practice and determination, Polgar noted. It involves psychology, fitness, endurance, motivation and handling pressure. Chess has grown more and more, according to Polgar. There are universities with chess pro-
grams, and about half a dozen with very serious chess programs that are comparable to football at other schools. Dozens of universities are offering scholarships for chess players, which can be motivation for younger players. There are more and more opportunities for teaching, coaching, organizing, commentating—just like other sports, Polgar said.
photo from chessdailynews.com
Bike desks offer alternative seating options in Farber CONSTRUCTION, from page 1
been blocked off. It reopened on Feb. 1. Major construction in that area is complete. However, work may continue above the ceiling tiles. Construction started as early as four in the morning, according to
Sheehy. The workers were notified of quiet areas and quiet hours. As of press time, Sheehy had not been notified of any student complaints about the construction. The project to improve the temperature control involved installing two new heating, ventilation and air conditioning units on top of the roof of Farber. On Jan. 5, a
photo by candace ng/the hoot
crane lifted the units, forcing the library to be closed throughout the day. Farber is not the only wing of the library to have undergone construction this academic year. The Goldfarb roof was replaced in a three-month-long project. The project began over the summer and continued into the fall semester of 2016. The construction was unavoidable, said Sheehy. Leaks formed in the roof, putting collections in danger. Librarians used plastic coverings and fans to prevent mold blooms in the books. “We tried very hard to mitigate any damage that might have happened from leaks that were becoming pretty regular in Goldfarb,” Sheehy said. Heating and cooling improvements and roof repair are just a few of the changes going on around the library. Three bike desks now reside on the first floor of Farber. The desks appear similar to excercise bikes in Gosman Athletic Center, but are coupled with larger flat surfaces to place books or laptops on. The decision to put bike desks in the library
was made by the Brandeis Undergraduate Library Council (BULC) and the cost was subtracted from the library operating budget. The council formed last semester and seats 10 undergraduate students. They have had three meetings so far. Students on the council were not voted into their position. Instead, they expressed interest and appealed to the librarians and Sheehy. “It’s been fantastic, a great group of students to work with,” Sheehy said. BULC is also working on other initiatives in the library. They reached out to the Student Union to use the Community Enhancement and Emergency Fund (CEEF) to replace water fountains. Any student or group on campus can apply for CEEF funding, which sponsors initiatives that have a campus-wide benefit and offer a long-term effect, according to the Student Union website. BULC hopes to introduce a town center to the area across from the printers in Goldfarb. This would add charging stations, seating and ledges for student to read and write on. The timing of
the project will depend on vendor availability, according to Sheehy. Council members are trying to implement new types of seating and standing desks. “We need to see how the space could be used better,” Sheehy said. “There’s a lot of things that we have on our wish list,” he said. However, budget and availability will determine what projects are implemented this semester. A “love your library” campaign may be a future project for BULC. The campaign would involve a student commitment to alerting library staff to food mess. “I’ve worked in a lot of libraries and the least successful ones are the ones that don’t allow food,” Sheehy said. However, it is difficult for facilities to clean up spills and waste if they have not been alerted to it. Sheehy hopes the future campaign may help reduce garbage in the library. Changes in the library are about “moving toward services that students and faculty need to do the work they do,” said Sheehy. Ideas for library changes can be directed to BULC or any librarian.
Task Force holds open forum to hear student and faculty opinions on gen-ed requirements
By Ryan Spencer staff
Students and faculty asked questions and provided input on the outlines for a new format for general education at Brandeis during an open forum on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The new format, which is still lacking specific details, divides general educations requirements into five broad categories: 21st-Century Changes and Challenges; Foundational Literacies; Schools of Thought; Health, Wellness and Life Skills; and Global
Citizenship. Students and faculty at the open forum shared a strong belief in the importance of language requirements at Brandeis with faculty often citing studies which link the study of languages to cognitive benefits. A task force comprised of seven professors, two students and three other university representatives has been working on revising the general education requirements since spring 2016 with the recognition “that our times and our culture have changed,” according to an email to the student body from Susan Birren, dean of Arts
and Sciences and a member of the task force. 21st-Century Changes and Challenges is envisioned as a large lecture class with up to 250 students which would break down periodically into smaller discussion groups of about 20 students, explained Birren and Elaine Wong, another member of the task force. Topics might be the opioid epidemic, immigration in a global world and climate change, according to the email from Birren. This class would not replace the University Writing Seminar which first-years take at Brandeis, according to the discus-
sion at the open forum. Faculty raised concerns about the large size of the 21st-Century Changes and Challenges class and how the size might impede students from building a relationship with their professor. Emily Thiem ’18, one of fewer than five undergraduates in attendance, suggested that the breakdown of the class into smaller discussion groups would be enough for students to build relationships with their professors. Faculty also voiced concerns about students not embracing the liberal arts education and focusing only on accumulating creden-
tials rather than, as Prof. Gordie Fellman (SOC) described, taking a class outside of their major because the class is “intrinsically interesting.” Thiem, a Health: Science, Society and Policy major, responded saying that as a science major general education requirements were often the only way she had time in her schedule to take classes outside of her major. University general education requirements have not been completely revised in over 20 years, according to the email from Birren.
February 3, 2017
IN THE SENATE: Jan. 29, 2017 •
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NEWS 3
The Brandeis Hoot
Executive officer reports: • Class of 2017 Senator Ryan Tracy and Vice President Paul Sindberg ’18 have been working on bystander training for club leaders. • On Feb. 12, Sindberg plans to request motion before Senate to put clubs that have not completed bystander training on probation. • Class of 2019 Senator Hannah Brown has been meeting with the Graduate Student Association to discuss setting up a permanent committee that will serve both undergraduate and graduate students. Appointment of committee chairs: • Sindberg nominated the following senators for appointment, and all nominations were passed by acclamation • Aaron Finkel ’20, COW-G • Christian Nuñez ’18, Social Justice and Diversity Committee • Charlotte Lang ’19, Health and Safety Committee Senate committee chair reports: • Class of 2019 Senator Kate Kesselman recommends Sodexo’s BITE App and mystery shopper program to give suggestions on food in the dining halls. • Brown is looking into getting more shuttles in the spring, beginning with arranging BranVans to airport for the upcoming midterm recess. • Senior Vice President of Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel was present to look into improving Brandeis’ image. • Flagel noted that alumni have a “weird disconnection” from Brandeis. They are close with each other and rave about their educational experiences but are not proud of their alma mater. Most schools have an average net promoter score in the low 50s, but Brandeis’ score is a 6. Senator reports: • Class of 2019 Senator Elijah Sinclair met with the Sustainability Committee to discuss placement of water fountains on campus. • Rosenthal Quad senator Julien Tremblay ’19 encouraged members of the Union to meet with Liebowitz to discuss ideas on how to improve Brandeis. - Candace Ng
Executive order creates anxiety for students and faculty EXECUTIVE, from page 1
ed by the Order, and the panel tried to address those directly affected as well as inform those who are not. “Our students and scholars from the seven countries listed in the Executive Order… are going about their studies, research, and teaching with the added anxiety of having their travel outside of the US restricted,” said Jodi Hanelt, director of the ISSO (International Students and Scholars Office), in an email to The Hoot. She listed additional difficulties for students who have graduated or are preparing to graduate in May: those who are waiting for work authorization (associated with an F-1 visa), are stuck because United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has stopped adjudicating their cases, she said. Those expected to graduate in May who are from the seven listed countries are “likely to experience delays in processing benefits to which they are entitled, namely travel and work permission,” according to Hanelt. Only seven countries are listed on the executive order, but anyone from any country who is concerned about their status should contact the ISSO, according to Hanelt. They can also refer to the PowerPoint shown during the panel that is posted on the ISSO’s website. Much of the panel revolved around students posing questions, often directed towards Cronin or Hanelt, asking for advice about how they should proceed in regards to their specific situation. Panelists agreed that students
who are unsure about their status should not travel outside the United States at this time. There is too much uncertainty about how the order could change, according to Cronin. “We want our students and scholars to carefully consider travel that is required and that which can be deferred,” said Hanelt in an email to The Hoot. “We encourage dialogue with anyone having doubts about travel, work permission, and continuing studies here in the U.S.” While the ISSO and the Brandeis community are working to keep the community updated as new information is released and to provide as much support as possible, it is still undecided whether or not Brandeis is considered a “sanctuary campus.” This is largely because the phrase has never been clearly defined. “There is actually not a consensus on what that term means, and some advocates for undocumented students and students themselves have even advised against using such language as it could draw unwanted attention,” said Mark Brimhall-Vargas, chief diversity officer, and Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment, in a joint email response to The Hoot. “In essence, while the term may make some people feel safer, it can also have the opposite effect with others who share undocumented status.” Brimhall-Vargas elaborated at the panel, saying that although the term sanctuary campus is problematic/unclear, Brandeis’ values are not. “We are going to protect, to the extent that we can, our most vulnerable popula-
tion…We are absolutely opposed to these actions that are being undertaken by the current administration,” he said. “We’re going to behave in a way that’s consistent with our values, we just have to figure out what that is.” Provost Lisa Lynch added that there are many in the community who have already asked what they can do to help and offered assistance. She is working with the Alumni Council to create a group alumni to work as pro bono immigration lawyers. “We’ve had parents of Brandeis students who have reached out to various offices who have offered up their homes and employment opportunities for students who may find themselves in the situation this summer where they cannot travel and they need housing and assistance,” she said. Hanelt emphasized the importance of support and a willingness to help during this time. “We don’t want anyone to feel alone. There has been an outpouring of support from the Brandeis community both locally and around the country and world. We want our international community to feel that embrace and know that we are all walking beside them with positive intentions and a commitment to caring and holistic support,” she said. Anyone who is concerned is encouraged “to use ISSO as a resource, as well as the Intercultural Center (ICC), Academic Services, Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, the Brandeis Counseling Center, and any other part of the university where people feel comfortable talking about their concerns,” said Hanelt.
Activist speaks on role of identity in social change KEYNOTE, from page 1
in your lifetime, but standing up for the human good will manifest at some point and even if it does not, it certainly will not if you don’t do your part to make it so,” claimed Walker. “Actions made with the right intentions and requisite introspections will bear a lasting fruit.” Walker discussed the four no-
ble truths of Buddhism, which are centered on suffering as a constant state of habituation. Suffering can end, as people do not become attached to things that change and they learn how to handle change. We are constantly being bombarded by noise, ideas and pressure of thoughts. “The world is constantly vying for your mind, for your attention, for your most valued resources—your openness, your peace of mind,
your peace of thought. Everyone is trying to get you to believe what they want you to believe,” stated Walker. Understand that it is happening as opposed to letting it happen and understand that you can handle it. “Understand the cacophony,” she continued. “I haven’t read any of Walker’s works yet, but now I plan to,” noted Hannah Brown ’19. “Walker’s sense of humor and her soothing voice made an interesting combi-
Tune in to The Brandeis Hoot’s Facebook page every Sunday at 7 p.m. for a live stream of the Student Union Senate meeting Want to join the Hoot-SPAN operation? Contact eic@thebrandeishoot.com
nation, while all of her comments were on target. Walker made one comment about giving up that spoke to me; she said something along the lines of, when we give up, what do we have left? She left us with an empowering ‘Don’t give up,’ and I found myself fired up and ready to go after sadly losing a bit of hope over recent events.” In addition to being the author of several books, Walker is the
founder of the Third Wave Fund for Social Justice and has been featured in Time Magazine as one of the most influential leaders of her generation, according to her website. Walker’s talk was part of ’DEIS Impact, an annual weeklong festival of social justice, sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Brandeis University Student Union.
4 The Brandeis Hoot
OPINIONS
February 3, 2017
Tips to get you through the housing lottery By Michael Wang columnist
It’s a new year and with this new year is included your typical suite of new-year-comings: Another notch on the Gregorian calendar, a rotation of the Chinese zodiac (it’s the year of the fire chicken, for those of you who don’t know), an increase in inclement weather and the dreaded college Housing Lottery. Now, currently, I’m a senior in his last semester and will likely never have to go through the toil of the housing lottery ever again. , but as such, Nevertheless, I believe I’m in a position to impart what little wisdom I’ve managed to glean on this subject over the past four years onto those among us who might still consider themselves a bit green around the edges. In general, choosing one’s housing for next year ought to be a clean, simple process. But Even so, as most students will tell you, it’s too often a situation that can devolve into a mess of awkward miscommunication and hurt feelings. I don’t claim to be an expert at Dormitology, but I’ve found that there does seem to be a number of deviant behaviors and unsavory attitudes that people occasionally exhibit in the stress of uncertain housing. Here are a few methods by which people can avoid these unsavory behaviors. For one, a big thing I’ve seen around here, come housing lottery time, is the exacting nature by which students will attempt to secure themselves spots in the most desirable of Brandeis’ on-campus lodgings. It’s true how living in a
nice residence is pretty great and all; but I have, in the past, come across a number of rather extreme cases by which students would try getting themselves into the “best” dorms. I remember one instance in my first year wherein one of my friends was actually offered about a thousand dollars in exchange for his excellent, single-digit lottery number. It was a deal he accepted, but ultimately it ended up in him and his customer being busted for collusion and him commuting from home instead of living in the best sophomore housing available. Honestly, I’d have been tempted to act in a similar fashion, if only due to another rather staunch belief I have regarding this whole housing business. This belief is simply that the way to avoid any unnecessary drama or confusion during housing season is to realize that the novelty and comfort of living in, say, Ridgewood as an upperclassman or Village, as an underclassman, is something that doesn’t stick forever and is actually kind of ephemeral. I’m well aware this is likely the prevailing attitude among most college students no matter what school they’re attending; but in the obscuring bloodlust of the housing lottery, it’s something that I’ve occasionally seen subsumed by the competitive instincts of We Who Are So Highly Educated Friends. Personally, I’ve found myself happy occupying places that are free of bug infestations and are reasonably clean. From what I’ve heard of my friends, everyone else seems to also get used to where they live pretty quickly; whether that be a dulling of the
enthusiasm they have for living somewhere really, really nice, or a lessened distaste for whatever basement floor, insect-ridden, two-by-two-foot hovel they were forced to live in due to their lack of well-numbered friends and terrible luck with the lottery. Should you so happen to come across a well-numbered friend who’s willing to pull you (and two to four other people, if you’re talking about a suite) into their housing arrangement, though, you ought to think on what I personally consider to be the most important criterion of college housing overall. This criterion happens to be
the actual people one ultimately decides to live with. This is too often something students tends to overlook. It varies depending on the person, but I’ve seen romantic couples move in together and then break up, friends who have fallings out upon going through the ritual logistics of setting up next-year housing and people complaining of their current roommates and their inability to respect one another’s privacy. I don’t think I need to really elaborate on the potential shortcomings a hasty choice of roommates might introduce into a college kid’s life. If anything, don’t be choosy about the lodg-
ings; be choosy about the people you share them with. Overall, that’s what my advice to anyone currently nervous about the housing lottery. Shady deals can backfire, the glory or dishonor of resting your luggage in a certain residence’s halls isn’t permanent, and it’s typically a really good idea to figure out if you’re compatible living with your future roommates before you actually start living with them. You could also opt out of the housing lottery entirely and go off campus, but that takes arguably even more preparation, introduces more drama, is logistically harder and is a story for another time.
photo by karen caldwell/the hoot
Our society needs hate crime legislation By Katarina Weessies editor
On Jan. 29, Alexandre Bissonette walked into a Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center and opened fire. He killed six people and injured five. Twenty minutes after the shooting, Bissonette turned himself in to police. This was the most recent in a string of recent hate crimes encouraged by the rise of white nationalism.
The shooting occurred shortly after Trump banned citizens of several Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned Trump’s Muslim ban and shared photos of him welcoming refugees into the country on social media, white nationalism and Islamophobia are alive and well in Canada. In 2015, the country finally ended its on-and-off legal battle to prevent women from
photo from dailywire.com
wearing the niqab, an Islamic veil that covers the bottom half of the face, during their oath of citizenship. Canadian conservatives also proposed a government hotline for Canadians to report “barbaric cultural practices,” meant to portray Muslims as backward criminals. These political expressions of Islamophobia originate from the same xenophobic impulse as Bissonette’s crime. Moreover, as white nationalism continues to spread and strengthen, hate crimes like this will probably keep happening. Fortunately, Canada’s hate crime legislation has the power to stop, or at least slow down, the spread of violent hate crimes. Canadian hate crime laws are strong enough that Bissonette will likely be charged with a hate crime. This hate crime charge will mean that Bissonette’s crime will be analyzed and tried in a different category than other types of violent crime. It will affect the public perspective on the crime, ensuring that the general public knows that the crime was primarily motivated by prejudice. It will also expose Bissonette to the possibility of harsher penalties. Many people believe that hate crime legislation is unethical or unfair because it puts crimes with prejudiced motives in a far more severe category than other crimes. These people think that all violent crimes stem from a
form of hate, and therefore prejudice-fueled crimes should not receive special treatment. While this belief makes sense in theory, in practice, hate crimes function differently from other crimes. Most of the time, people commit violent crimes against people they know well, either a family member, a significant other or a close friend. These crimes usually stem from an economic motivation, a pattern of abuse or both. Since these types of crimes tend to be specific to the relationship between the criminal and victim, they do not necessarily encourage others to commit similar crimes. Hate crimes, on the other hand, absolutely encourage others to commit similar crimes. Bigots often feel prevented from expressing their hatred based on the fact that their bigotry is not socially acceptable. However, once someone commits a hate crime, all of the similarly prejudiced people who are aware of that crime suddenly feel much less alone in their bigotry. The hate crime, whether it be an act of violent terrorism or something less severe like offensive graffiti, makes the idea of committing a hate crime much more accessible to bigots. Punishing people who commit hate crimes more severely than people who commit other types of crimes discourages the spread of hate crimes, since it sends the message that prejudice-based
crimes are especially intolerable and societally unacceptable. Furthermore, the motivations of hate crimes are very different from those of other types of crime. These differences have to do largely with how we define the word “hate.” While both types of crimes might be motivated by some form of “hate,” hating someone because they have wronged you is completely different from hating someone because of their race or religion. This is not only because of the power of violent prejudice to spread like wildfire when it is expressed publicly, but also because bigotry, unlike personally motivated hatred, applies to a massive group of people. When someone commits a hate crime, they don’t exclusively hate the victim of that crime. They hate the entire identity group to which the victim belongs. This means that hate crimes have a much wider scope of influence than other types of crimes. Specific hate crime legislation is necessary to protect the safety of marginalized people. Bigotry encourages more bigotry, and in order to prevent hate crime from growing any more than it already has, it is important that the victims of hate crimes can see their aggressors be brought to justice in a way that fits the uniquely poisonous nature of their crime.
February 3, 2017
OPINONS 5
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A critique of Trump’s education policies By Amanda Ehrmann columnist
Donald Trump, like most politicians, speaks in code when it comes to education. He is easily able to identify problems but does not offer concrete solutions or suggest policy reforms. On his education policy platform he points out that America spends more money per student than any major country, but our students perform near the bottom of these countries. He fails to mention how the student performance is measured. He fails to mention that there are categories like the arts which our students access beyond other countries. In fact, he fails to mention arts program funding at all. My belief is that he avoids arts funding because it is an issue that splits Republicans and he does not want to distance their support. Trump’s main education policies are centered on cutting funding to the Department of Education, defeating the Common Core and promoting school choice. In a Fox News interview, Trump stated, “Common Core is a very bad thing. I think that it should be local education.” If local institutions or states were allowed to decide their own state standard, this would further the national divide. Many unfortunate situations could come from allowing states or institutions to make standards decisions. A southern state could decide that creationism is necessary to teach, and students whose familial views differ could be shunned and bullied. Students could be taught that homosexuality is a sin or that their sexual preferences are sinful, leading to a similar fate. According to the Texas Freedom Network Education Fund,
Texas bans teaching safe methods for gay sex to their students, and abstinence-plus sex education is rapidly spreading. This prevents students from practicing safe sex and could increase the risk of teen pregnancy and STDs, which, besides the obvious reasons to avoid, could ruin Trump’s plans of cutting abortion rates by making them illegal through a rise in underground abortions. We also need to ensure that school-taught skills are transferable throughout states. We need to ensure that a student growing up in Illinois is eligible to attend college or work in Florida. Our nation needs to work together rather than functionally separate into 50 smaller nations. In his book “The America We Deserve,” Trump announces that schools need to stop their focus on empowerment: “Some educators think being ‘judgmental’ is the worst of all sins. The problem is that life tends to judge—and harshly at that. There’s no room for error when you’re launching the space shuttle. Or mixing the concrete for the foundation of Trump Tower, for that matter.” However, children are not born into perfection. In fact, it took NASA engineers countless numbers of attempts to launch the first space shuttle. To me, schools do not ever reward negative work. Sure, teachers may be lenient about appraisal, but how do you expect children to be motivated if their creativity or other positive aspects of assignments are not rewarded? There are multiple steps that are essential to creating a coherent essay or solving a mathematical problem. If a student has a mastery of vocabulary, but their essay structure is lacking, or if they perform the arithmetic correctly, but misplace a decimal
pres. trump and betsy devos
point in the answer, teachers still need to acknowledge what they have done right, along with what they can improve. Pinpointing the strengths and weaknesses allows for student improvement; otherwise, the student may not know what to work on. Additionally, a little positive reinforcement, reminding students they are headed in the right direction, promotes the sense that a student is supported when faced with challenges, so that they will be driven to improve. School is a time for students to perfect necessary skills so that they can reach that professional level. Betsy DeVos, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Education, is also the chairwoman of the American Federation for Children, an organization whose goal is to assist parents in choosing the best schools for their children. While that seems to be an admirable
photo from commondreams.org
goal, DeVos promotes the private school sector over the public school sector. The idea that families should choose which school their child attends proves extremely problematic as it brings into question who has priority. Certainly families will lean toward schools with good resources, and teachers will congregate toward these schools, since they can provide better pay. Whichever leftover children will be stuck with unprepared teachers and a lack of resources. Similarly, promoting the private sector takes financially stable families out of the public tax realm. While they will still pay property taxes, they could move closer to a private school and have no motivation to donate to public schools, and children who cannot afford private schools will be left to suffer. There is no denying that education in the United States in not
ideal, but Obama has implemented the necessary steps forward during his time in office, such as requiring the inclusion of gender-neutral bathrooms in public schools or his race-based school discipline program, which aims to implement racial justice reforms to prevent schools from expelling and suspending Hispanic and black students at disproportionate rates. This program uplifts minority groups and ensures that students of color do not end up in prison unjustly at a young age. This is an issue because our prison system is extremely discriminatory, and it is more challenging for a person of color to overcome criminal records. Due to their racist and homophobic agendas, Trump and his cabinet picks will certainly attempt to reverse these steps, and these policies could signal a decline in equal opportunity in education.
Don’t give bigotry a voice By José Castellanos columnist
Political philosopher John Stuart Mill introduced the concept of the “marketplace of ideas” as a rationale for permitting freedom of expression. Mill believed that allowing an interchange of ideas akin to a marketplace was necessary for the development of a civil society with politically active citizens. Though Mill has long since passed, the idea has persisted, and many now believe that all, no matter how egregious their opinions, should have their voices heard.
victoria, tx
This is tied to the common misconception that freedom of speech is one’s ability to say whatever they wish, rather than a constitutional protection against governmental censorship. As a result, many have risen to the defense of the “alt-right,” saying that, though their opinions may be horribly offensive, they should still be heard as they are exercising their rights to political participation and their freedom of expression. However, allowing these voices in our political discourse is a dangerous thing, chiefly because this is an act of legitimization of genuinely problematic and bigoted opin-
Mosque that burned down on Saturday, Jan. 29.
ions. There is no denying that opinions should largely be respected and heard. However, opinions that openly call for the dehumanization of, discrimination against or the genocide of historically disenfranchised people should not be given equal placement in our political discourse, as they add nothing of substance to the present debates or dialogues. Rather, they detract from it, giving rise to problematic and hateful sentiments that have led to the injury, slander, abuse and deaths of countless innocent people. Just last week, a mosque in
photo from dailydot.com
the city of Victoria, TX, was burned in what is considered to be hate-fueled arson, and it can be reasonably said that, if it was indeed arson, the motivation for that action largely came from society’s legitimization of opinions of bigots such as Richard Spencer and Stephen Bannon. The sentiment that all opinions are valid and should be heard reasonably applies to respectful political discourse and collaborative efforts toward bettering the world around us. That sentiment is not, however, applicable to the belief that people of color or people who are not straight or cisgender are somehow subhuman. This is neither a call for mass censorship, nor for authoritarian monitoring of day-to-day conversations. This is a call to realize that many people who are now in power have genuinely concerning and disturbing opinions regarding historically disenfranchised people. Stephen Bannon was just named to the National Security Council in an executive order that downgraded the roles played by the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the director of national intelligence. Bannon has stated that he did not want his children attending school with Jewish children, has entertained anti-Muslim extremists on his radio show and has openly called for disenfranchising potential black voters. This man was taken to court over
domestic violence and believes that the Democratic Party unlawfully registered millions of undocumented immigrants to vote in the 2016 presidential election. He is legitimately terrifying, and a principal reason for his rise to power is the fact that his opinions were allowed to run rampant despite their content. As I stated in my article last week about the necessity of righteous violence, there is no more room for the mindset of allowing all voices, even problematic bigoted voices, to have equal standing in our political society. The rise of white nationalism and the neo-Nazi movement has shown that we, as a society, are rapidly moving to the authoritarian right on the political spectrum, something we must prevent. There is no more room for compromise, and there is no room for denial. The fact is that these voices are bigoted white noise that add nothing of substance to our political discourse. Rather, they detract from it and are dangerous because they directly attack millions of historically disenfranchised peoples over their absurd notions of racial superiority. To allow these voices to continue existing as they have is to give them legitimacy, and to give them legitimacy is to show an unacceptable amount of disregard to those who are going to be directly affected by what they advocate.
6 OPINIONS
The Brandeis Hoot
By Daniel Freedman columnist
The eyes of the world are upon Trump, and everyone condemns his actions—opposition is fierce among experts and the populace alike. Well, that is what the news would have you believe. If you are reading this article you are likely a liberal-leaning and politically motivated individual. I say this without much doubt due to the prevailing culture at Brandeis, but I would like to take this one step further. My first sentence did not evoke an immediate and visceral rejection of a falsehood for you. Yet it is very false, as only half of the U.S. disapproves of Trump thus far. The ideological split in this nation that gave rise to this election cycle did not exist in a vacuum. Both sides were polarized and indulged by media. The media we consume tells us: “Yes, the way you see the world is correct. Here are more stories affirming your world-view.” It is a cheap and vile form of self-affirmation, listening to the talking heads that confirm what we turned on the news to
February 3, 2017
The news you want to hear
hear. It can be quite cathartic to open a newspaper and find the condemnation that you expected spoon-fed back to you. All news has a slant and a bias, and when it aligns with our perspective, we do not object. When it comes time to find news we invariably end up with politically consistent sources. This is no accident, and it extends beyond the choice of a liberal news source. The majority of us are surrounded by the same left-leaning people and see stories from more politically syntonic sources. However, this is not just a liberal phenomenon. Conservative media finds conservative individuals, reaffirming their beliefs and shielding them to the realities and opposing positions. I challenge you to take a peek at a right-wing news affiliate and find your storyline presented. You will find stories decrying liberal media fallacies and tales of bitter Democrats trying to impede the progress of a newly minted Republican president. Where you say patriot, they will say traitor. This is not only an explanation for the rise of Trump, but also the persistent belief among his base
photo from aftvnews.com
that he really is the good guy in all of this. Imagine a world in which you have grown up blindfolded, as has everyone else around you. From childhood you were told the sky was blue, and all of the stories you heard affirmed this. Your friend, however, was told from infancy that the sky was red, and similarly everything they heard was
consistent with this notion. Now imagine these views of sky color are further deeply entrenched in your economic and moral perspective. When a person without a blindfold comes along and tells you both that the sky is blue, you might pridefully smile while your friend will write it off as an elitist detractor undeserving of trust. The allegory symbolically reveals
my political bias, but we already knew that: Your media is liberal. Protest all you want, you’ll reach only the ears of those that agree. A conservative media outlet will characterize your protest as a liberal tantrum devoid of cause. I am not saying to avoid protest on issues that matter; it has a place. But protest alone will not affect the change you wish to see.
Make Brandeis the school you want it to be; join the Union By Jacob Edelman special to the hoot
Why is it that so much of how Brandeis engages in “usual business” seems normal and good, while so much of it seems so strange and wasteful? Throughout the day, I am struck repeatedly by ways in which the university could fix any number of minor and sometimes major inconveniences and adjust its procedures to better suit the needs of its students, faculty and staff. This question was answered all the way back in the fall, when Brandeis held a number of meetings during which a consultant presented to viewers a financial portrait for our institution. Several weeks after the discussions surrounding the consultant’s findings, another consultant presented a picture of “perceptions of Brandeis,” elucidating the feelings showcased by groups and indi-
viduals about how they—we— feel about our institution. These feelings were felt by individuals before arriving, while here, after graduating and from numerous other perspectives. Any individual who went to the meetings would know that much of what both pictures seemed to indicate was that there are changes that need to be made, yet the resources with which we can make changes are difficult to come by. The world seems to run on money, and moreover, Brandeis’ world seems to run partially on “sweat equity,” which can loosely be described for us as extra and sustained effort put toward functionality and excellence. Sweat equity is visible across nearly every sector of Brandeis. Faculty members who keep additional hours and refuse to accept extra compensation for their labor. Staff who stay hard at work during employee shortages. Students who load up on five and a
half classes, participate in three clubs and study hard in the library dungeon until the intercoms announce that it is time to leave, getting too little sleep later that night. Many of these behaviors are written off as hallmarks of classic Brandeis behavior, but by the words of the original consultant who was brought in to examine and critique our university, this type of sweat equity is simply not sustainable over the long run. Overspending should not have been the norm in the past. Understaffing and overworking should not be the norm in the present. Wastefulness and non-sustainability cannot be the norm for the future. To best prepare our university and ourselves for the future, changes are needed and actions must be taken to allow our university to run leaner and more effectively than ever. Changes like those can start anywhere, at any
level, and any one of us can make an impact regardless of who we are in the community. Any person has the potential to make a positive impact on how Brandeis runs, and I encourage you to get involved if you feel passionately about making our community as good as it can be. As a member of the undergraduate Student Union, I have witnessed the power of one student to do meaningful things by taking part in the process. The results of any person with a thought of how to make a practical change in Brandeis’ functions, combined with empowerment, are very real. Physical improvements to campus and new services have been made via personal, team and committee initiatives on the Student Union. Adjustments in how courses are taught have been enacted after students voiced their opinions in open dialogues with academic heads. Brandeis itself came to an agreement to accel-
erate its commitment to racial justice and to hold itself to higher standards following the Ford Hall 2015 sit-in. Any institution such as Brandeis can be only as exceptional as the sum of its parts. Our people are uncommonly devoted to positive change. With that devotion, we can work to bring “the usual business” to a state of excellence. It’s on us to step up to make the changes we desire, it’s our responsibility to engage—personally and as a community—in the arenas of change and find solutions to dilemmas of sweat equity and waste. It should be our task to commit ourselves to working in preparation for the best future we can build; for the sake of our peers, our university and ourselves. If you have an idea of how to be involved but do not know where to begin, feel free to send me an email at edelmanj@brandeis.edu, and I will find what you need to get started. SUBMISSION POLICIES
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Write a letter to the editor to express your views on our writers opinions and see yourself featured in next weeks issue! Submit to eic@thebrandeishoot.com Have a piece you want published? Submit it to us at kweessie@ brandeis.edu
The Brandeis Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the community. Preference is given to current or former community members and The Hoot reserves the right to edit or reject submissions. The deadline for submitting letters is Wednesday at noon. Please submit letters to letters@thebrandeishoot.com along with your contact information. Letters should not exceed 500 words. The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.
UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS We welcome unsolicited submissions from members of the community sent by e-mail to eic@ thebrandeishoot.com. Please limit submissions to 800 words. All submissions are subject to editing.
GIVE A HOOT, JOIN THE HOOT! Writers, editors, photographers and graphic artists wanted to join The Brandeis Hoot, your weekly community newspaper. To learn more, send us an e-mail at join@ brandeishoot.com, or visit our website http://brandeishoot.com/join.
CONNECT phone • (781) 330-0051 online • thebrandeishoot.com twitter • twitter.com/thebrandeishoot facebook • facebook.com/ thebrandeishoot
SPORTS
February 3, 2017
The Brandeis Hoot 7
Track team sets records at BU and Tufts
By Shea Decker-Jacoby staff
Last weekend, the Brandeis women’s and men’s track teams competed in the Terrier Classic at Boston University and at Tufts University. Many athletes from both teams had record-breaking performances. At BU on Friday, Jan. 27, Emily Bryson ’19 set a new school record for the mile run with a time
of 4:52.18, breaking the previous record of 4:54.82 set by Grayce Selig ’11. Bryson’s time is the topranked performance in Division III this season by 1.5 seconds and the fastest record time for the mile in the University Athletic Association (UAA) by five seconds. Competing against Division I, Bryson placed 13th at the meet. Doyin Ogundiran ’19 earned a personal best time in the 800-meter with a time of 2:19.14, making
it the fastest in the UAA and 40th fastest in Division III times. Irie Gourde ’17 won two heats in the 400-meter at BU. He recorded the fastest time in the UAA and 11th best in Division III, finishing at 48.98 seconds. Gourde also earned a time of 22.27 seconds in the 200-meter dash, recording the second-best time in the UAA and 34th in Division III. Mitchell Hutton ’18 ran a new personal best in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:50.36, giv-
ing him the number one seat in the UAA and 13th in Division III. Liam Garvey ’18 also set a personal record in the 5K run with a time of 15:50.41. While competing at Tufts on Saturday, Jan. 28, Jack Allan ’20 placed fourth in his collegiate debut in the heptathlon with a score of 4,181, placing him 29th in Division III. Allan ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.79 seconds and jumped 1.84 meters, earning him second place in both individual
photos courtesy adam beckwith
More from last week:
• Men’s fencing went 5-0 on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Northeastern Fencing Conference Meet. The team defeated Vassar, Dartmouth, Tufts, Brown and Boston College. Women’s fencing also competed and finished 4-1. The team defeated Vassar, Dartmouth, Tufts and Brown, but fell to Boston College. • Men’s swimming and diving outswam Clark University with a score of 188-96, while women’s swimming and diving lost to Clark 117-165.
Feb. 3-10: • Friday, Feb. 3, men’s and women’s basketball play conference opponent Emory University at home. The men play at 8 p.m., and the women play at 6 p.m. • Saturday, Feb. 4, women’s tennis plays Bryant University at home. They start at 5:30 p.m. Men’s and women’s indoor track race in the Tufts Cupid Invitational at Tufts. • Sunday, Feb. 5, men’s and women’s basketball play conference opponent Rochester. The men are scheduled to play at 12:00 p.m., and the women at 2:00 p.m. Men’s and women’s fencing travel to MIT to compete in the Eric Sollee Invitational. • Wednesday, Feb. 8-10, men’s and women’s Swimming go to Chicago to compete in the UAA Championship. • Friday, Feb. 10, men’s and women’s indoor track go to BU to compete in the Valentine’s Invitational. Men’s and women’s basketball play an away game against Carnegie Mellon.
events during the heptathlon, and earning him his best scores of 793 points and 661 points, respectively, that went toward his composite score. Churchill Perry ’20 won the triple jump with a personal best of 13.86 meters. Perry won the event by 2.5 inches to earn first in the UAA and 25th in Division III. For the women, Jessie Moore ’18 and Kayla Kurland-Davis ’20 each set new personal records in the 200-meter dash. Moore won her heat with a time of 27.46 seconds, earning 10th overall, while Kurland-Davis finished in 27.88 seconds, taking 15th overall and second in her heat. Moore, also on the varsity volleyball team, competed in her first meet on the track team. “This is my first time ever doing track or really any individual sport. I grew up only playing team sports, so to be able to push myself and hold myself accountable has been very self empowering,” the two-sport athlete said. This year, she has gotten to know her second team well, and she appreciates her fellow runners for their support and talent. “Our team has so many incredible athletes who inspire me everyday in practice to be better. Joining track has been one of my best decisions in college,” she said. The Judges hit the track again Sunday, Feb. 4 at Tufts and then are back at Boston University for the Valentine’s Invitational on Feb. 10 and 11.
Patriots and Falcons face off on Super Bowl LI stage By Kevin Costa staff
The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons will battle on the biggest stage in pro sports: the Super Bowl. Houston will host the game on Sunday, Feb. 5 in front of a sold-out crowd and an estimated 100 million TV viewers. In anticipation for the big game, the Patriots are three-point favorites, according to Bleacher Report. Head Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady are no strangers to this stage. This will be the duo’s seventh Super Bowl appearance. A victory this Sunday would secure Belichick’s and Brady’s fifth title, the most ever for anyone in their respective positions. Already the two hold many postseason records. According to the NFL, Belichick has 25 playoff wins, the most of any head coach. Brady has the most completions (164), passing yards (1,605) and passing touchdowns (13) in the Super Bowl, ESPN reports. Of course, the rest of the New England squad can hold its own. The team boasted the top-scoring defense, allowing an average 15.6 points per game, according to ESPN. Running back LeGarrette Blount led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns and produced a 1,000-plus yard season. New England has been dominant, having not trailed an opponent since Week 12 against the Jets, reports the NFL. However, the Falcons look to give the Patriots a run for their money and can hardly be called underdogs. Atlanta’s offense led the league in scoring, averaging 39 points per game. Explosive
from the get-go, Atlanta’s offense has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in eight straight games, according to ESPN. Matt Ryan, who heads the Atlanta offense, has played outstandingly all year long. The likely MVP has posted a career-high 4,944 passing yards and 38 touchdown passes this regular season, says the NFL. Ryan has also thrown seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions this postseason. He will be carrying a lot of momentum into Sunday’s game with the help of Julio Jones, Ryan’s top receiver. Jones has averaged 110 receiving yards throughout five postseason games. Even the Falcon’s defense has improved, despite allowing 25.4 points per game, ESPN says. In
their last eight games, however, the Atlanta defense has allowed 20.5 points per game and has nearly doubled their forced turnovers, wrote The Boston Globe. Both teams have found success this year despite early setbacks. The Patriots had to start the first four games without Tom Brady and lost their star tight end, Rob Gronkowski, to a season-ending injury. The Falcons looked shaky in preseason and during a 4-3 season start. Nonetheless, at the end of a grueling season, these are the last two teams standing. Football fans across the nation look forward to an exciting, winner-takes-all game that is sure to come down to the wire.
photo from latimes.com
8 SPORTS
The Brandeis Hoot
By Jordan Brodie
Club gymnastics: ‘Come flip with us!’
staff
The Brandeis club gymnastics team is one of Brandeis’ many club sports that is constantly growing and succeeding. With more participants this year than ever before, the team appears to be moving forward. The team competes in events judged by officials from the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs. The gymnastics team practices three times a week off campus at Exxcel Gymnastics in Needham. Because practices every week are open, there is no set number of participants, but the team has had as many as 40 people show up for practices. Of these, about 15 or so members show up consistently. Typically, practices begin with the team working on general skills, and then the gymnasts split up to work on individual skills. “That’s a really cool aspect of the sport, which is that it is a team sport as well as an individual sport,” Gianna Petrillo ’19 explained. “You focus on your own personal improvement but there is constant support from the group, with more advanced members and coaches always eager to help out.” Petrillo is the team’s public re-
lations coordinator and works under captains Caleb Dafilou ’17 and Hannah DeRoche ’19. Because anyone is able to try out, the gymnasts have a vast range of skill levels and abilities. While some are learning how to do flips this year, others such as Petrillo and the other captains have been practicing gymnastics since they were young. “I really missed [gymnastics] and wanted to pick it back up again in col-
lege. And now it is super exciting because I can do more skills than I ever could before,” Petrillo said. When asked about her experience joining the club gymnastics team, Petrillo explained, “The team was incredibly friendly and welcoming when I was new.” She went on to say that anyone is capable of learning how to successfully flip with enough time and practice.
The team’s gymnasts have had much success in competition, events for which include floor, vault, uneven bars, parallel bars, high bars and balance beam. Each event has a unique set of criteria that the judges score. Though they differ by event, the criteria typically involve having straight arms and legs, showing proper body positions, pointing toes, difficulty of skills and proper landings.
February 3, 2017
Many members of the team have succeeded in competition, but most notable is DeRoche, who is the current national champion on floor from the Level 8 club gymnastics national competition in 2016. The club gymnastics team is always looking for new members. At the activities fair at the start of each semester, they market the club with the team’s tagline: “Come flip with us!”
photos courtesy gianna petrillo
Basketball teams fall to conference opponents
By David Aizenberg special to the hoot
The men’s basketball team fell to Rochester 67-56, while the women’s team fell to Rochester 75-58 on Saturday, Jan. 29. The men’s team started slowly on Rochester’s turf, falling behind a quick 8-0. The Judges quickly rebounded from the deficit and took the lead 20-19 at the 7:05 mark in the first half following a Samuel Dowden ’17 layup. A strong first half featured a strong rebounding performance (15)
from the Judges. The free-throw line also proved to be a major factor for the Judges, who shot 85.7 percent from the free-throw line. A strong push by the Rochester Yellowjackets in the second half was met with a valiant effort by the Judges. With the first bucket of the second half coming at the 18:16 mark, the Judges led 3937 with 12:48 remaining in the game. The Yellowjackets made their push with 11 minutes remaining by going on a 14-0 run until the 7:18 mark in the half. Latye Workman ’18 ended the Yellowjacket run with a jump
shot at seven-minute mark in the second half. Rochester held onto their lead despite an 8-0 run by the Judges to close out the game. Jacob Wittig ’19 and Sam BorstSmith ’17 had strong showings for the Yellowjackets with both players pouring in 11 points in the second half. Workman and Jordan Cooper ’18 led the way for the Judges. Workman scored a team-high 14 points in 20 minutes of play with Cooper adding 10 points and five rebounds in 28 minutes. After a slow start, Robinson Vilmont ’17 continued to be a steady force for
Brandeis. Vilmont scored all nine of his points in the second half while adding three steals and five rebounds. At home, the Brandeis women’s team fell in a tough battle. Playing against a Rochester team that had only lost four times all season, the Judges struggled to match the offensive firepower of the Yellowjackets. An offensive struggle through the first two quarters for the Judges was too much to overcome despite a strong second half. The Yellowjackets came out shooting in the first quarter, knocking down nine of their first
photos from brandeisjudges.com
18 attempts leading to a 25-point quarter. A rough first half did not discourage the Judges as they fired back with a 24-point third quarter. With a pair of free throws from Noel Hodges ’18 at the 7:41 mark in the third, the deficit had been cut to nine. A three-pointer to end the third quarter followed by a three-pointer to open up the fourth quarter by Rochester proved to be too much for the Judges to overcome. The Brandeis team was led by Hodges and Maria Jackson ’17, who had strong offensive showings. Jackson had a steady stat line of 11 points, one block, two steals and three rebounds. Sydney Sodine ’17 continued playing stellar basketball, adding seven points and five rebounds for the Judges. With these losses, the Brandeis men’s team fell to 6-11, while the women’s team stayed above .500, boasting a winning record of 108. Both teams play Emory University on Friday, Feb. 3. The women play at 6 p.m. and the men play at 8 p.m. at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.
WEEK IN PHOTOS
February 3, 2017
The Brandeis Hoot 9
photo by katie decker-jacoby/the hoot
The group made cupcakes with Ferrero Rocher truffles inside of them. cupcake obsession club
new year celebrations
Year of the Rooster.
photo by katie decker-jacoby/the hoot
construction zone
Students of Japanese 20B, 40B and 105B decorated cards in honor of the
Fences went up around the Castle this week.
photo by sarah terrazano/the hoot
student art outside of goldman-schwartz
photo by mia edelstein/the hoot
photo by katie decker-jacoby/the hoot
Your photos could be here! See something interesting on campus or relevant to Brandeis? Submit it to eic@thebrandeishoot. com. freedom of speech Students express their thoughts on current events on a canvas in Goldman-Schwartz Fine Arts Studio.
photo by katie decker-jacoby/the hoot
EDITORIALS
10 The Brandeis Hoot
“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.” Editors-in-Chief Mia Edelstein Julie Landy Senior Copy Editor Sarah Terrazano News Editors Abigail Gardener Elianna Spitzer Arts Editors Katie Decker-Jacoby Emma Kahn Opinions Editor Katarina Weessies Features Editor Charlotte Aaron Deputy Features Editor Polina Potochevska Sports Editor Zach Cihlar Photo Editor Karen Caldwell Layout Editor Lisa Petrie Deputy Layout Editor Candace Ng Editors-at-Large Matt Kowalyk Sarah Jousset Allison Plotnik Sabrina Pond Hannah Schuster Zach Phil Schwartz Emily Sorkin Smith
Volume 14 • Issue 2 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma
STAFF
Faria Afreen, Emily Altkorn, Sharon Cai, José Castellanos, Elizabeth Cayouette-Gluckman, Anindita Chanda, Shea Decker-Jacoby, Gabriel del Carmen, Jacob Edelman, Andrew Elmers, Daniel Freedman, Ally Gelber, Ari Givner, Max Gould, Emma Gutman, Sophia He, Alana Hodson, Daniel Kang, Adam Lamper, Samantha Lauring, Monique J Menezes, Santiago Montoya, Faiyaz Rahman, Caroline Rourke, Ryan Spencer, Lily Wageman, Michael Wang
MISSION As the weekly community student newspaper of Brandeis University, The Brandeis Hoot aims to provide our readers with a reliable, accurate and unbiased source of news and information. Produced entirely by students, The Hoot serves a readership of 6,000 with in-depth news, relevant commentary, sports and coverage of cultural events. Recognizing that better journalism leads to better policy, The Brandeis Hoot is dedicated to the principles of investigative reporting and news analysis. Our mission is to give every community member a voice.
SUBMISSION POLICIES The Brandeis Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the community. Preference is given to current or former community members and The Hoot reserves the right to edit or reject submissions. The deadline for submitting letters is Wednesday at noon. Please submit letters to letters@thebrandeishoot.com along with your contact information. Letters should not exceed 500 words. The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.
CONNECT phone • (781) 330-0051 e-mail • eic@thebrandeishoot.com online • brandeishoot.com twitter • twitter.com/thebrandeishoot facebook • facebook.com/thebrandeishoot
ADVERTISE Advertising in The Brandeis Hoot helps spread your message to our readers across the Brandeis campus, in the Waltham community and beyond through our website. All campus organizations receive a 25-percent discount off our regular prices. We also design basic ads for campus organizations free of charge. To reserve your space in the paper, contact us by phone at (781) 3300051 or by e-mail at ads@thebrandeishoot.com.
GIVE A HOOT, JOIN THE HOOT! Writers, editors, photographers and graphic artists wanted to join The Brandeis Hoot, your weekly community newspaper. To learn more, send us an e-mail at join@thebrandeishoot.com, or visit our website http://brandeishoot.com/join.
UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS We welcome unsolicited submissions from members of the community sent by e-mail to eic@thebrandeishoot.com. Please limit submissions to 800 words. All submissions are subject to editing.
February 3, 2017
What journalism gets wrong: a whitewashed industry
R
egardless of political orientation, we can all agree that the news outlets feeding us our information are flawed. Journalism in the United States has consistently failed to serve the interests and needs of readers, and this trend is not new. Not only does modern journalism stray further and further from representing the true diversity of opinions and putting to use credible sources and facts, but the industry as a whole is severely lacking in diversity in its writers, staff and editorial boards. While complaints frequently circulate about mainstream media dumbing itself down or publishing false news, we also need to look more closely at what factors might be making this situation worse. We need to acknowledge a gross lack of diversity in journalism and its dangerous consequences. Perhaps the perfect example of this dates back to 2005, when reporters flocked to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and reported less on what they saw and more on what they perceived; consequently, horror stories of “looters” and “burglars” turned into a reality of persecution, violence and murder as vig-
By Mia Edelstein, Emily Altkorn and Caroline Rourke
ilantes saw the newsreels and took to the streets with a vengeance. While it is easy to diminish these reporters as dramatic or seeking an enticing headline, it is more important to look at the ways in which their experiences as privileged individuals distorted their ability to critically reflect on the scene that unfolded. Though the aftermath of Katrina surely represents an extreme case, diversity of opinion, experience and outlook are crucial to any news outlet. How can news outlets serve their readers with a nuanced depiction of events if each journalist they employ sees the world the same way? We at The Brandeis Hoot have to rectify these same issues. We don’t want all of our writers to look at the Brandeis experience in the same way, and yet we continually attract writers of similar backgrounds and of similar mentalities. Brandeis lacks much diversity in its student body, and while The Hoot’s demographic largely parallels the Brandeis demographic, we strive to do better. To serve as the voice of an entire community, we cannot allow our editorial board and staff to underrepresent any of Brandeis’ student body, faculty and staff.
To rectify this persistent trend of underrepresentation, we are taking several important strides within the present Hoot staff that we hope will open a much-needed dialogue, allow for constructive criticism and tackle important obstacles to increasing the diversity of our staff and most importantly, of the content we produce. We are curating a syllabus for all staff to read exploring race and journalism, similar to the Charleston Syllabus devised in the wake of the attack on a black Charleston church in June 2015. We hope to form a committee to read through a sample of past editions of The Hoot and address issues that may arise, especially focusing on articles we have written that relate to political, cultural or racial discussions on and around campus. Beginning this issue, we are running sidebars in Arts and Features that highlight various students on campus without the time commitment of writing a full article. We hope through this initiative to involve more people in the newspaper who otherwise might not find The Hoot accessible. Journalism is an industry closed off to people without certain privileges, and we at The Hoot do not want to perpetuate this trend.
Scientist for a Day
editor and staff
ACROSS 1. Cry loudly 4. “You’ve got mail” company 7. Brave collie 13. Australian emu 14. What runs a car + jewelry 16. Long-haired rabbit 18. D.C. baseball team, for short 19. Party staple 20. Your fave. social study + study 22. Pale brown 24. National animal welfare org. 25. Albums (abbr.) 26. Score in football (abbr.) 27. Cleric in Provence 30. El Prado, por ejemplo 33. Helpdesk (abbr.) 35. Flies high 37. Alphabet starters 39. File format 42. What Olivia Newton-John wants you to get + where you dissect frogs 46. Phillipa of “Hamilton” 47. Runner Usain 48. “Be the best you ___” 49. Pixar film 51. Outkast song 54. Not bad 55. Peach state (abbr.) 57. Chinese philosophical principle 59. Free stuff at events (abbr.) 61. Site of a movie nightmare (abbr.) 63. “___ a very important date” 68. Scottish no 49. Tilikum species 71. Cameras from Rochester, N.Y. 72. Type of produce + 10 a.m. G-zang 75. Ohio b-ball player 76. In awe 77. One of seven deadly 78. Scholarship founded in ’68 DOWN 1. Former Iranian monarch 2. Prefix with -potent 3. Critters
4. What you’ll be after you graduate 5. Authentic street cred. 6. If repeated, frozen dumpling brand 7. Allow 8. Famous fabler 9. Above jr. 10. Religious Indian 11. Non-reactive 13. Encouraged, with “on” 14. Greek god of love 15. What a horse says 17. Them 21. Big 10 enemy of UMich 23. Crime show series (abbr.) 25. Positions in a gene 27. Egyptian slitherers 28. ___-chic 29. Louisiana marshy outlet 31. High in sodium 32. Decrease 34. Where a rey sits 36. Bro or sis
38. ENT, e.g. 40. Nigerian language 41. “Serial” season one defendant 43. Type of salmon 44. India pale ___ 45. Fell behind 50. Disorder caused by trauma 52. French fashion brand 53. Come alive 55. Type of salami 56. Morning enemy 58. Make amends 60. Part of everything 62. Huge 63. Campus free-printing locale 64. Not PCs 66. To Trump, alternative 66. Fine 67. Invite request 70. Purge 73. Phoenix state (abbr.) 74. Greeting
February 3, 2017
FEATURES
The Brandeis Hoot 11
Brandeis students back from abroad
Returning from London: switching from acting to academia By Zach Cihlar editor
Sara Kenney ’18 just spent her fall semester studying abroad in London through the British Drama Academy (BADA) program offered at Sarah Lawrence College. She attended the London Theatre Program, a semester-long program “designed for dedicated students who are passionate about their work and serious about acting,” according to BADA’s website. Kenney, a Theater Arts major and a Medieval and Renaissance Studies minor, is the only Brandeis student to have attended BADA last semester. She has been a performer, theater assistant and props designer for various shows at Brandeis. Kenney continued her passion for theater by studying and acting in London, where she took classes relating to Shakespeare and modern physical theater, among other topics. She spent 40 hours per week in classes, where she learned how to rehearse scenes and received “constructive and sometimes painful
criticism,” she said. British professors taught all the BADA courses to classrooms filled entirely with American students abroad. Her favorite moment of her abroad experience, she said, was establishing a close friendship with a classmate through their collaboration on art and various scenes. The two became scene partners for a portion of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew,” in which they entertained their peers and professors with a complete, choreographed incorporation of stage combat alongside their lines. Their shared experience extended to other projects as well, but Kenney noted specifically that having a “friend I could trust and come up with fun ideas with” was the “highlight of my semester.” Kenney recounted another project the two worked together on. They played a scene where an invisible person or thing entered the room and joined into the dialogue. The point of the activity is that “the audience has to guess what it is based on the context clues you’re giving and how you’re
talking to them,” she explained. According to Kenney, the academics at BADA varied greatly from those offered at Brandeis and other liberal arts colleges, which posed a challenge to her re-acclimation process on her return to Brandeis this semester. At Brandeis, “there’s a sense of having actually finished your work, where at BADA it just felt continuous,” she noted. She contrasted the coursework in terms of written assignments. At BADA, she completed two written papers throughout the semester, whereas this semester she will be writing about four papers for each individual class. “Going from acting training to academia,” was especially difficult, she said, because the mindset and thinking process is much different. Returning to Brandeis required time, but the entire experience “was worth it.” “I missed Brandeis the entire time I was gone,” she said. On her FaceTime calls with friends, she constantly checked up on department shows, the Undergraduate Theater Collective and other
Gwen Fraser makes most of Union experience By Leah Samantha Chanen special to the hoot
Starting in student government as a Ziv senator her junior year, later than most students, Gwen Fraser ’17 decided she wanted to return to the Student Union for the fun meetings and great community, as well as the opportunities to do amazing work on campus. Now, she is one of the class of 2017 senators. “I wanted to help out the community and still be part of it in some kind of way, and after that I really liked it,” Fraser said. As one of the elected senators of her senior class, she has capitalized on the opportunities to “help out the community,” especially on the front of the mental health of Brandeis students. This year, Fraser worked with the Health and Safety Subcommittee in a partnership with the Jed Foundation to help promote mental health issues at Brandeis and prevent suicide. The Jed Foundation works for the general health and well-being
of college students. In its partnership with the Brandeis Union Health and Safety Subcommittee, the aim is “just really making sure that students are genuinely happy and can seek the help that they need,” Fraser said. The subcommittee met with representatives from the Jed Foundation to create a strategic plan that is being implemented this semester. Fraser was proud to work on this project and it was “so cool to even be in the room when that conversation was happening … It’s fun to work in a hands-on way and really explicitly and actively be working toward mental health goals,” she said. This subcommittee, in its efforts to have an increasing presence on campus, played an integral role in mid-year orientation through multiple presentations and reminders about how students can access the myriad mental health resources on campus. Fraser’s only regret in her Student Union career is that this initiative to focus on student mental health had not been started sooner to help students in years
photo courtesy gwen fraser
past, she explained. The students have been pushing for changes on campus, but it was not until after several students committed suicide during the past two years that the administration pushed for mental health reform with the students, she continued. Her position in the Student Union allows her to help the community in a huge way, such as being a member of the Health and Safety Subcommittee, but also in smaller ways to help make students’ lives easier, such as the graduation process. As a Senior Week coordinator last year, Fraser knows there are many steps to finishing the last semester of Brandeis that can be confusing or intimidating, but she is hoping to make an informational guide so that her class has a smooth transition out of Brandeis. “As a result of getting questions from last year’s seniors, I got a bunch of answers that I think would be obviously beneficial if they were spread to this year’s class,” she said. The guide will answer questions that most people would not even think to ask. For example, in order to graduate from the university, students must apply for graduation through their Sage account—a hurdle most students are not aware of. Other questions include what to do with your old mail key post graduation or how to order a cap and gown. Fraser’s job in the Student Union could be laid back, just going to the meetings and voting on proposals. However, she and her co-senator, Ryan Tracy, have worked hard this year to help the community in big ways. She has taken on this high-energy job with a mission: “to help out the community and still be part of it in some kind of way.”
photo courtesy sara kenney
Theater Arts events that occurred while she was abroad. Outside of academics, Kenney had to readjust to campus living once again. She took an opportunity to visit Brandeis before the students on campus ended the fall semester. From Dec. 12-15, Kenney spent time re-learning the Brandeis lingo and catching up on aspects of campus life that changed while she was away. “I actually had a friend just walk me around the campus and tell me
what’s changed, what’s been different,” Kenney said. Along with a campus tour, she also “mourned the Castle’s passing,” peeked in at the Admissions building, where she works as a tour guide, ordered Einstein’s, took a trip to the dining halls and visited Spingold Theater. Despite the difficulty she may have had on her return from an acting-intensive abroad courseload, Kenney acknowledged that the experience was fulfilling and worth it.
Memorable Moments Abroad Biking in circles
Isabella Stork ’18
location: maastricht, netherlands
“One time that was really cool when I was visiting Lisbon in Portugal, and my friend and I were sitting around this monument, and we saw this really, really old man getting on a bike. It was a circular path around the monument, and he just started … biking around, and he was going so fast, and he had the biggest smile on his face. It was just like he was
having a great time and everything was perfect with the world. Random people would come up to him and give him high fives, and it was just adorable. … It was really cool to see a whole bunch of different people just having a really fun time that you wouldn’t think of coming together. Like, this really old man, at least in his 70s, was riding the bike, and this young guy with really long dreadlocks was just like, ‘Yeah!’ I think it just made everyone really happy and look at the bright side of things and the little things in life.”
Viewing Møns Klint
Sharon Cai ’18
location: copenhagen, denmark
“My favorite experience was going to this place called Møns Klint. In English it’s called The Cliff of Møns. It’s this place that was a two- or three-hour drive from Copenhagen. Basically it’s like what we would think of as a national park … My host dad and my host mom actually took my friend and I there ... We were originally planning on going to a different Danish city to visit a cathedral, but instead my host
parents surprised us with this spontaneous trip down to the cliffs ... Once we climbed down there, it’s like 400 or 500 steps down the cliffs to get to the beach area, but it’s super pretty … I lived with a Danish father and ... my host mom was Thai and then the daughter that lived at home was 24 years old … I had an atypical family since it was not all ethnically Danish. At the time I was really looking forward to visiting that [Møns Klint], I just felt bad about asking to drive so far, and they volunteered to do it, so it was awesome.”
Stand-up comedy
Anna Craven ’18
location: chicago, united states
“I was sitting at Second City in Chicago [a comedy studies program attended by well-known comedians such as Tina Fey, Steve Carell and Amy Poehler] … and one of your assignments for His-
tory of Comedy is to do a 10-minute stand-up set in front of the whole program, which was so intimidating because all your teachers are there. But then it was just such a supportive environment, and it was my first time really doing stand-up, and it made me absolutely fall in love with it.”
12 FEATURES
The Brandeis Hoot
Happiest place on Earth
By Ally Gelber staff
When Anna Stern ’18 was deciding where to go for her study abroad trip, she wanted to travel somewhere where she had no connection to the language, culture or people in order to fully immerse herself in an entirely new, unexpected experience. Essentially, Anna wanted someplace entirely “random,” and she decided upon Copenhagen, Denmark, the capital of the happiest country in the world. “What intrigued me to go to Copenhagen is how random it was,” said Stern. “I had barely even heard of it until I found out about friends from Brandeis who went abroad there.” Copenhagen is a particularly popular study abroad destination at Brandeis, and the program offers two courses of an intensive summer program that combines money, banking and economics while immersing the students in the exciting daily lifestyle of the Danes. Stern went into the program with the vague impression she would come back from the trip feeling changed in some way, but she didn’t realize that it would teach her how to be a functioning person in the world outside of the Brandeis campus. “Going abroad was like ‘How to Be a Person 101.’ They literally throw you into the city and say ‘go.’ I’m from Los Angeles, so I don’t know how to use public transportation, and that’s all I did in Copenhagen,” said Stern.
“I thought that my experience would just be about the places that I traveled to but I didn’t know that I would learn how to grow up and mature into an adult.” Going abroad teaches students valuable life skills, such as how to live on your own for the first time in an unfamiliar environment and surroundings. Anna learned how to spend time alone and how to be okay with going out and exploring the city, even if she wasn’t accompanied by friends. She even traveled to Paris alone without knowing French! “I learned that I can spend time alone. I lived in a single surrounded by Danes on my hall. What they don’t tell you before going on study abroad is that not all of the moments are going to be filled with friends, it’s okay to not do what everyone else is doing. I made the city my own,” said Stern. Before heading to Copenhagen, Stern addressed the fact that the trip was not only about schooling in a different environment, but an entirely new daily lifestyle, completely different than one she had lived in before. “On a typical day, I would take the bus to school in the center of the city and learn about all sorts of cool things from human trafficking to global migration and, of course, Danish,” says Stern. The program is designed to focus on economic theory and foreign policy, especially in Scandinavia. The hours between classes are filled with cultural exploration and the freedom to explore every part of the city. “After class, I
February 3, 2017
photo from theculturetrip.com
would go to all the various delicious cafes in the area and sample all the delicious food. At night, I would go to the market and pick up ingredients to make dinner. On the weekends, I would travel to different countries and even bike around Copenhagen to explore my own city,” said Stern. Studying abroad can be intimidating, especially if college itself is an extremely overwhelming lifestyle change. For many students, including Anna, it can be an incredible experience filled with the exciting opportunity to see another part of the world while learning to adapt to living in the real world on your own. “I highly recommend study abroad because I now realize how much support you have in college. Not that I didn’t have any support
system abroad, but I realize now how much I value Brandeis and the community,” said Stern. The cultural dissimilarities between Boston and Copenhagen were astounding to Anna as she explored the city and its history more every day. “The best part of being abroad, besides the food, was the fact that I was living inside a history book. Although Boston was around during the Revolutionary War, there are parts of Europe that still look the same as they did hundreds of years ago. Every day I would pass old churches with gigantic steeples and walk through narrow cobblestone streets. I now consider a part of Scandinavia to be my home, and I think that is something that I will always keep in my heart,” said Stern.
For Anna, one of the most important lessons she learned from the program, besides the vast supply of new knowledge on the economy and foreign policy, was a lesson in life. Confronting the fear, the overwhelming newness of an unfamiliar environment and learning how to be comfortable on her own, she figured these all out along the way. She highly recommends studying abroad as an added bonus to maturing during college. “By studying abroad, I opened up myself to a brand new culture and interacted with people that I definitely wouldn’t have met if I was at Brandeis. I also think that studying abroad just makes you a wiser, deeper person. I thoroughly enjoyed my classes as they were rivaled to any Brandeis class!”
Putting a culture to the Chinese language By Blake Linzer staff
Eric Goldberg ’18, a varsity tennis-playing Jewish junior from New York, embarked last fall for Shanghai, China, for a semester of study abroad. He knew that he wanted to study abroad in China, having studied Chinese since the seventh grade. His experience in Shanghai was one of exploration, education, language development and cultural discovery. The language barrier is very different for a Chinese student studying in America compared to an American studying in China; an American can be reasonably assured that most people in China will speak at least some English, whereas a Chinese student studying in America can be almost certain no one speaks any variant of Chinese. When Goldberg went to China and spoke pretty fluent Chinese, however, he was instantly a celebrity. Goldberg noted how residents of Shanghai were amazed that he could speak Chinese, so amazed that they wanted a picture with him. On the other hand, he noted how an Asian-American student also on the program was judged more harshly by the people of Shanghai because of the student’s background. The language expectations were much higher for this student and judgment was passed when it was revealed that the student did not speak as fluently as expected. Goldberg lived in regular dorms along with domestic Chinese students during his visit. Cultural
curiosities, Goldberg noted, existed even in his dorm room. For example, his roommate spoke fluent English. This is a contrast to the American dorm experience, where a Chinese international student would most likely not have a roommate in America who speaks fluent Chinese. While English is used around the world and taught to young children, the United States does not prioritize foreign language education. Additionally, Goldberg recounted another more amusing cultural difference that he noticed in his dorm. His roommate went to take a shower, but instead of taking a large towel, the roommate grabbed a little hand towel. Perhaps this is a trivial cultural difference, but it is still interesting to see how differences of culture can exist even on the smallest scales. Shanghai is an urban center. But just because the bright lights of China shine the same as the bright lights in New York does not mean that the human experience of living in Shanghai is the same as the human experience of living in New York. There were some resemblances. Goldberg noted that he could eat virtually whatever he wanted, meaning, for example, that Chipotle burrito bowls are available both in Shanghai and on Main Street, Waltham. But Goldberg did not go to China to eat Italian food or Chipotle. He noted how the cost of food, of a decent meal, drastically differed where he was as compared to the United States: A meal for $3 in China could get one into a nice sit-down restaurant that would require $50 in New York.
In addition to these obvious cultural differences, Goldberg and I spoke about the generational differences that he noticed in China. His roommate, approximately the same age as him, walked around in Western Style high-top basketball shoes. His parents, however, and many of the older people, acted more traditionally and were more aligned with traditional Chinese attributes. Goldberg explained how, because of technology and the increasingly globalized world, the generation coming into and having just entered adulthood is the first generation to live in a truly open China. Culturally, Goldberg’s experience was very enriching and enlightening. However, he was able to find some continuity while in China. Being a practicing Jew, he was happy that Shanghai has a moderate Jewish population, many of whom immigrated into the country during the early 20th
century. He recalled going to a beautiful synagogue to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Although cultural enrichment and exploration is undoubtedly a reason in and of itself to want to go abroad, Goldberg also reflected on some of his other experiences in Shanghai. He took three classes: an intensive, immersive Chinese class, an economics class about Chinese economics and an internship-based course exploring issues in the Chinese workplace. Goldberg reflected on how he was disappointed about his professors not offering a more Chinese-centric perspective, having been associated with the West. When asked if he noticed any antipathy toward the west in his Chinese studies, Goldberg reflected that he could not recall any, perhaps a good sign for an American living in China for several months. In addition to improving his
language skills simply by speaking a lot in Chinese, Goldberg also noted that, living and speaking in China, he learned some more about the subtleties of how the language is used in practice. According to him, he became familiar with Chinese slang, a real and very vibrant part of any language. And of course, having lived in China for several months Goldberg experienced some of China’s natural beauties. For example, he recalled a trip he made over a seven-hour train ride to go to the “Yellow Mountain,” where one reaches a “sea of clouds,” literally becoming even with a cloud layer. He recalled how his laptop is flooded with pictures attesting to China’s natural beauty. Studying abroad was the opportunity of a lifetime for Goldberg, allowing him to become immersed culturally, educationally and geographically in the culture of a language he had been learning for years.
photo from johnhopkins.edu
ARTS
February 3, 2017
The Brandeis Hoot 13
J. Cole’s newest album defines disappointment
By Jonah Koslofsky special to the hoot
One week before the release of his highly anticipated follow up to “2014 Forest Hills Drive,” J Cole released the track “False Profits.” The song was all right but turned heads with multiple shots taken at fellow rappers, including a whole verse dedicated to dissing the one and only Kanye West. Cole accuses Kanye of “falling apart,” surrounding himself with yes-men and becoming a far cry from the genius he used to be. This meant one thing to me as a fan of both rappers: Cole’s new album had to be fantastic. That’s the only way he could justify such blatant disrespect for West, who released
the impressive, if divisive, “Life of Pablo” back in February. As far as I was concerned, Kanye had already proven he still has it, and now it was Cole’s turn to do the same. Unfortunately, he failed. Not only is “4 Your Eyez Only” a morose and whiney album, it’s awful in comparison to Cole’s prior outing. The album seems to follow the life of one of Cole’s now-deceased friends, with Cole telling his story to the daughter of said friend. However, that doesn’t exactly add up in the context of songs like “Neighbors,” “Deja-Vu” and “Foldin Clothes,” which all seem to be deeply rooted in Cole’s perspective. This is further (over) complicated by the fact that Cole has recently become a father him-
photo from saintheron.com
self, leading to a muddled narrative that obscures both stories. I can get invested in either one of these stories on their own, but when these distinct viewpoints are Frankensteined together on a relatively short album, neither is done justice. So if this does not work on a thematic or narrative level, how does it do on a track-by-track basis? Well, after a boring and morbid intro, “Immortal” commits to the perspective of Cole’s friend and is actually pretty compelling. It is far from a bad song, and the beat hits hard. But from there we enter “Deja Vu,” which tells the story of Cole meeting his wife for the first time. We’ve heard Cole tell a personal, romantic story before on the track “Wet Dreamz,” which told the story of Cole losing his virginity, back on “2014 Forest Hills Drive.” While “Wet Dreamz” saw Cole at his most vulnerable and had the listener hanging on every word, “Deja Vu” is so cliche and run of the mill that it completely failed to hold my attention (he rhymes “ya” with “ya” five times in the first verse). On its own, “Deja Vu” isn’t the end of the world. The problem is that we know Cole can do better. And he does indeed do better on the album’s standout track, “Neighbors.” Cole kills it here, explaining his experience of trying to adjust to life in a wealthy white neighborhood. The lyrics are incredible, illustrating the misperceptions that Cole deals with on a daily basis as a black man in a racist country. Furthermore, it’s the only time the somewhat muted and morose aesthetic that Cole
photo from genius.com
is going for on the album really pays off. But all the momentum and power that “Neighbors” builds is immediately lost on the next track, “Foldin Clothes.” And my god, this song is awful. I mean, really, really bad. On the chorus, between yelps of “hey, hey,” Cole posits the truly profound idea that “I want to do the right thing, [because it] feels so much better than the wrong thing.” Really. Later, he rhymes the words almond milk with … almond milk. I’m pretty sure that when you Google the word lame, a link to “Foldin Clothes” is the top result. I admire that J. Cole purposefully set the bar high for himself, but it’s tough to dispute that he
does not live up to his own standards. Tracks like “Immortal” and “Neighbors” give us a glimpse at what Cole can do on a good day, but the incoherence of the narrative ultimately dooms the project in my eyes. It is easily the most forgettable hip hop album of 2016, and I cannot recommend it. There is a complete lack of fun on this record, which is not an inherently bad thing, but when the album fails to be either fun or resonate, I don’t think it is worth your time. I would say, give the superior “2014 Forest Hills Drive” a listen, or maybe Kendrick Lamar’s “Section 80.” Both of those albums do exactly what “4 Your Eyez Only” is trying to accomplish and leave the listener thinking. “4 Your Eyez Only” just made me sleepy.
Box office hit ‘Split’ creeps and crawls By Brianna Cummings staff
If you are looking for a film that will freak out and entertain you, look no further than “Split.” The story is set in Philadelphia and revolves around three friends, Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula), with the story mainly seen through the eyes of Casey. While Casey’s friends are bubbly and seem like typical teenage girls, Casey is more reserved and is characterized as someone who thinks deeply before she acts. The girls are kidnapped by a random man (James McAvoy) and wake up in a confined windowless room, with only two beds and a bathroom. This setup helps the audience experience the claustrophobia that the characters are feeling. Marcia and Claire are terrified while Casey remains calm and reasons that they should not act rashly. She believes they should wait for the opportunity to escape instead. Casey’s rational demeanor seems strange to the audience and makes us more curious about her character and why she behaves this way. One of the film’s most interesting characters is Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley), who studies Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Despite warnings from colleagues and neighbors, Dr.
Fletcher shows great compassion toward her patients, whom she sees as remarkable and misunderstood. She takes it upon herself to let the world know how great people with DID are. Her compassion makes her character likable, especially when we are used to seeing people who work with the mentally ill as cruel, like Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” One of her patients is Kevin Wendell Crumb, who has 23 personalities. It is revealed to the audience that one of Kevin’s more dangerous personalities, Dennis, is the man who kidnapped the three teens. McAvoy’s performance as Kevin is complex and admirable because he plays multiple characters disguised as one man. Some of Kevin’s dominant personalities beside Dennis are Patricia, a motherly figure who cooks for the girls, and Hedwig, a nine-yearold boy, whom Casey befriends and who serves as comic relief in the film. One scene where Hedwig starts dancing to Kanye West, was so funny that it was almost easy to forget that this is a horror movie. Throughout the rest of the movie, Casey, her friends and Dr. Fletcher try to piece information together to find out how to survive amid Kevin and his multiple personalities. At the end of the film, characters in a diner are discussing the incident that has occurred with Kevin. Someone likens Kevin to a man in a wheelchair and another
man (Bruce Willis) tells the person that the wheelchair-bound man’s name is “Mr. Glass.” This a reference to M. Night Shyamalan’s film “Unbreakable” (2000), with Willis reprising his role as David Dunn, the protagonist. Shyamalan revealed that he originally planned to include the character of Kevin in “Unbreakable” but was ultimately unable to do it. When asked about a sequel to “Split,” Shyamalan responded, “I hope so. The answer is yes.” Shyamalan would be remiss not to make a follow-up film: “Split” is a huge hit. Since its release on Jan. 20, the film has grossed $104 million dollars worldwide, 12 twelve times its $9 million budget. “Split” has also been number one at the box office for two weeks. Although the film seems amazing, not all reception of it has been positive. The fact that it is a horror film with the plot revolving around a man with DID has led many to feel like the film stigmatizes mental health disorders. “Films like this are going to reinforce a false stereotypical notion that people living with complex mental illnesses are inherently dangerous and violent,” said a representative from SANE, an Australian mental health charity. Some audience members felt like Kevin’s transformation into “The Beast” was unrealistic and took away from the movie. “At first, the movie was realistic, but the end seemed like a science fiction movie,” said Yaneth Martinez
’20, who saw the movie during its opening weekend. Despite its issues with stigmatizing a mental illness, “Split” is a thrilling film. In addition to its original and unique plot, the film has amazing cinematography. The
shots are innovative and add to the film’s suspense and eeriness. If you like films that cannot escape your thoughts and leave you wondering what you just watched, then you will certainly enjoy “Split.”
photo from impawards.com
14 ARTS
The Brandeis Hoot
February 3, 2017
24-hour video game marathon for NAMI surpasses fundraising goal
By Emma Kahn editor
“I’m telling you guys, next year, 48 hours,” joked Riely Allen ’18. “No,” his suitemates quickly replied in unison, still reeling from the tiring endeavor of the day before. The marathon began at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28 and continued through 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29. The donations they collected all went to NAMI Mercer, one branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a cause near and dear to one student in particular, Andrew Agress ’17. Agress, along with suitemates Allen, Raphael Stigliano ’18, Ellie McKnight ’18, James Formigli ’18 and Sara Kenney ’18 carefully organized the marathon, even posting their full schedule online for any potential viewers. While some only dabble in video games and others are die-hard gamers, they all inspired viewers to donate as they put on quite a show. Anyone with the URL was able to see a live video and audio stream of the common room of
Ziv as the students played video games and led other miscellaneous activities throughout the 24-hour schedule. Every hundred-dollar benchmark came with an added incentive to donate in the form of random challenges by various members of the marathon. These challenges included a rather unconventional makeup tutorial by McKnight and Kenney, a meal of powdered hamburger for Allen, a lip sync battle between Agress and Stigliano and a highly anticipated performance coming soon in the SCC, which some never would have agreed to, except that their donation goal of $500 seemed entirely unattainable. “We only agreed to some of those because we didn’t think we’d reach the goal … and we never even considered that we’d surpass our goal,” Agress said. In the end, the marathon went on to raise $802 over the course of 13 days, raised by 36 donors. They received $210 before the stream began, raised roughly $500 during their livestream and finally raised nearly $100 after the fact. The majority of donations came from college students, both
surprising and inspiring to the “NERDS for NAMI.” In addition to family and other adults, it was largely Brandeis students and alumni who pitched in for the cause, only one factor demonstrating the marathon’s huge success. The group never would have expected so many students to donate and were touched to see their peers take interest in the cause. Throughout the marathon, streamed live on the video platform Twitch, the gamers could read comments by viewers in real time as well as check how many viewers they had at any given moment. On average, they saw roughly 10 or 20 viewers at a time, and even at 6 a.m. they had four viewers tune in. By the end of the 24 hours, they had received 560 views, far more than anticipated. Kenney noted that it was mostly friends and family watching, but there were also some strangers too, which brought added excitement to the event. Those who donated to the cause not only got to see the livestream of video games, but they could also participate in some of the
photos by katie decker-jacoby/the hoot
HOOT SCOOPS:
marathon as well. The group took a poll on Facebook to allow their supporters to choose what video games would be played. Additionally, each donor who contributed at least $10 could participate in one video game at the Ziv itself. McKnight hosted a “Rocket League” tournament, where players controlled cars that drive around a soccer field. The group chose “Rocket League” for an open event because of its simplicity and because it appeals to those who are not familiar with playing video games. “It’s a groovy game,” said McKnight. “At one point my car had a construction hat. I also got to drive a pizza delivery car,” she added. More intense video games also proved thrilling to the NERDS. Allen, for example, cites “Dishonored II” as his favorite game. Although Agress described it as a game of stealth, Allen boasted, “I killed 32 people in the first level.” Agress, who had never played “Fallout” before, tried his hand at the game during the marathon, and got a kick out of visiting Brandeis campus as well as Boston Commons, despite being attacked by a radioactive swan. Another game which the group enjoyed was “Until Dawn,” which they thoughtfully scheduled to play literally until dawn. A horror game, “Until Dawn” allows players to select certain preferences that inform the progress of the game. Stigliano noted that a highlight of the marathon was when they chose “crows” several times as their biggest fear. Thus, when the game asks, “Zombies or crows?” or “Gore or crows?” they continued to select crow and watched the birds multiply as the game went on. Overall, the group played 11 games, all with their own exciting moments and resulting inside jokes. Each of them is looking for-
Do you play video games?
“No, I don’t know. I just don’t find them fun. I used to play as a teenager, but as I got older, it just wasn’t as enticing.”
“I used to play ‘Tekken’ with my brother when I was younger. It’s a Japanese game where you pick a character and fight against the other person.”
“Yes, I’d say during college I play two or three hours per week. Lately I’ve been playing a lot of ‘Overwatch.’”
“No, I don’t play video games—I’d rather do something more physical.”
–Ek Kheng Chung ’20
–Leey Shiaan How ’18
–Vince Lauffer ’18
–Francina Martinez ’18
ward to repeating the marathon again next year. Agress came up with the idea over one year ago after his mother passed away. He was inspired by her longstanding commitment to the organization NAMI and knew he wanted to do something special in her name. The idea to organize a video game marathon came after the idea to give back to NAMI. “I wanted to help a group that was close to her, in a way that was special to me,” explained Agress. Although he wasn’t sure who would be willing to play video games with him for a full 24 hours, after moving into Ziv with his suitemates he had found the group he needed. They were thrilled with the prospect, and the planning was quickly underway. Given the ease with which they conducted the marathon, their careful planning and their huge success in raising funds, it is surprising that this was the first event of its kind; no one in the group had ever participated in a video game marathon. Although Agress will be graduating this semester, the group hopes to arrange marathons in the future, and would even consider donating to a different charity each time. “It was great doing what I love with people that I love to be around,” remarked Allen. “I wasn’t even a huge part of the marathon, and still it was a bonding experience for me,” said McKnight. The recording of their full marathon is still on Twitch, and the group hopes to save some of the highlights to remember the best moments of the event. A brilliant idea and a tremendous success, the marathon “NERDS for NAMI” combined a fun hobby with an important cause, and hopefully has established a new tradition moving forward.
“Yes, but only with someone else in the room. I’ll play ‘FIFA’ or ‘NBA 2K’ with a friend next to me. I like social games, or else I get sucked in.” –Maddox Kay ’19
February 3, 2017
ARTS 15
The Brandeis Hoot
Club Cantonese welcomes all to exuberant Chinese New Year celebration
By Katie Decker-Jacoby editor
Cantonese Club rang in the new year with Jeopardy, food and much laughter on Saturday, Jan. 28 in the Intercultural Center. No, this was not the kind of event where people could grab plates of free food and sneak out the back. Club Cantonese taught everyone about the Lunar New Year, served delicious traditional Chinese treats and created an inclusive environment from the get-go. Most of all, this event instilled a sense of community within anyone who attended. Club Cantonese had so much to offer that it was impossible to leave. This year was the club’s first time hosting the event, and their strong efforts shined through and most certainly paid off. Since it is the year of the rooster, the club’s E-board started off the night with an animated video of the year’s animal. This silly clip instantly established an easygoing ambience in the room, making newcomers feel welcomed. The board members subsequently touched upon the background behind Chinese New Year, which is also referred to as
Lunar New Year and Spring Festival. Each Chinese New Year begins on a different day because of the Chinese lunisolar calendar. For that reason, the holiday could start some time in January or February, but always ends on the 15th day of the first month in the lunar calendar. Saturday, Jan. 28 marked the beginning of Chinese New Year in 2017. The long holiday always ends with the Lantern Festival. Beautiful, bright red lanterns fill the night sky, accompanied by parades, fireworks, food and other festivities. Although there were no dazzling fireworks or wild lion dances, 50 students from all different backgrounds filled the room with eager smiles. The highlight of the night was Club Cantonese’s special version of Jeopardy. The club customized this traditional trivia game to fit with the holiday. Each of the four teams took on the identity of a vegetable as their group mascot. Teams could answer trivia questions from five categories: food, traditions, superstition, trivia and rooster trivia. Some questions were easy, like, “What do parents usually give to their children on Chinese New Years?” One of the teams cor-
rectly answered red envelopes. Another question, “What sound does a rooster make?” received a comical imitation of a rooster with a squawking noise. Others questions were more challenging, like “Recite the 12 zodiac signs in order.” However, most debated was a true-or-false question about whether roosters can fly. While the first team to buzz answered false, the answer was actually true. The questions ranged from common sense to something completely unheard of, but Club Cantonese created the game so that anyone could participate. In order to answer a question, team representatives had to sit at the front of the room and race against each other to reach a paper cup. Whichever representative snatched the cup from the table first was allowed to answer the question before the other teams. The more stationary people who just wanted to relax were able to sit on couches and discuss their team’s answers. While trivia game participants had to think hard to produce responses, Club Cantonese co-president Jennifer Wu ’18 admitted that she had to do a lot of research to generate those 25 questions. There are clearly several unique
ways to ring in the new lunar year. A common practice that anyone can enjoy is food. Club Cantonese ordered a few traditional Chinese treats for everyone to try. The club served fried rice, spring rolls, Daikon cake and steamed New Year cake. The fried rice contained vegetables and meat, while the spring rolls were vegetarian. Daikon cake translates to turnip cake, and the steamed New Year cake was a gelatinous, yellow rice cake. Club Cantonese also prepared milk tea on their own. Event-goers clearly enjoyed the classic Chinese dishes, since a line formed immediately after Wu announced that people could help themselves to second servings. Although all of these traditional Chinese New Year delicacies tasted incredible, the sense of community stood out the most. There was a great turnout with a variety of ethnicities present in the room. The attendees who were not of Chinese descent listened to the E-board’s opening presentation with open ears and actively participated in Jeopardy. Wu talked about how she celebrates Chinese New Year when she goes back home. She enjoys going to Chinatown in New York to watch the lion dance perfor-
mance. Wu competed in the United East Athletics Association (UEAA) to participate in the lion dance when she was younger. She enjoys eating out at dim sum restaurants with her family as well. Last year at Brandeis, Wu and her East Quad hallmates celebrated the holiday with Chinese takeout, which brought back fond memories for Wu. Back home, Jamie Soohoo ’18 usually spends New Year’s Eve with her family at her grandma’s house. Her family then eats a big meal on the day of Chinese New Year. Similar to Wu, Soohoo orders Chinese takeout when she celebrates the Lunar New Year on campus. Likewise, Chi Duong ’18 visits her grandparents’ house or stays in her own house when she celebrates Chinese New Year at home. Duong’s family goes to the temple after midnight because once the clock strikes 12, it is the start of the new year. However, this year Club Cantonese wanted to throw a celebration for anyone who was stuck on campus or for anyone who wanted to experience Lunar New Year for the first time. Honestly, what better way to celebrate the new year with old friends, new friends, tasty food and Jeopardy?
photos by katie decker-jacoby/the hoot
Prof. Wong’s recent work links art, history, culture By Sanin Dosa staff
Art history Prof. Aida Yuen Wong researches historical sources and the development of artistic trends to make cross-cultural connections among countries in the Asian continent and beyond. Wong is not only an art history professor, but also the chair of
photo from brandeis.edu
the Department of Fine Arts at Brandeis. This semester, she is teaching an Experiential Learning course, Tuvalu to the World: An Echo Art Project along with Art of the Ming Dynasty. Some of her recent awards and honors include being the area editor for the Grove Encyclopedia of Asian Art and Architecture on the subject of China from 1400, the curator of the Tuvalu National Pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale and the recipient of the American Council of Learned Societies American Research in the Humanities in China Fellowship. Wong’s areas of interest include painting, calligraphy, institutional history and historiography. Her scholarly research has been published in North America, Europe and Asia. Her most recent project is a volume that she is co-editing, titled “Fashion, Identity, and Power in Modern Asia.” In this volume, she makes correlations between fashion trends and cultural and political reorientation in various Asian countries, includ-
ing China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and India. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, official and ceremonial uniforms in particular were a direct manifestation of the countries’ modernization and complex political orientations. “In 1913, Yuan Shikai had been made President of the new Republic of China after a series of political reforms. Yet he emulated the Qing state ritual of visiting the Temple of Heaven near the Forbidden City. This was a highly symbolic act that anticipated his plan to revive the monarchy with himself on the throne. For this ceremony, a special set of archaized garbs were designed for himself, the ranked officials, and the ritual assistants,” Wong said. In a talk at New York’s Korea Cultural Service in 2014, Wong explained how in the late 19th century, a Korean diplomatic attaché named Yu Gil-jun came to the United States and donated his wardrobe to the Peabody Museum in Salem, MA. He was among the first Koreans to cut off his topknot and don Western-style
dress. Upon returning to Korea, he played a key role in cultural and political reforms. “Fashion, Identity, and Power in Modern Asia,” is under contract with Palgrave Macmillan and will be available next year, she said. Some of Prof. Wong’s other publications include “Parting the Mists: Discovering Japan and the Rise of National-Style Painting in Modern China,” “Visualizing Beauty: Gender and Ideology in Modern East Asia,” and “The Other Kang Youwei: Calligrapher, Art Activist and Aesthetic Reformer in Modern China.” In “Parting the Mists,” Wong sheds light on Japan’s role in the creation of national-style painting in early-20th-century China. National-style painting, also known as “Guohua,” is a form of brush paintings on silk and paper. It is often misunderstood as a purely native invention in modern China, she said. The book discusses notable artists of national-style painting, their transition to modernism and their relationship with Japan,
where they found ideas to create this art form that became a mainstream in China. “Visualizing Beauty,” an anthology edited by Professor Wong, looks at the intersection of feminine ideals and subjectivity, as well as the advancement of commerce, modernity and colonialism in China, Japan and Korea during the early 20th century. Sources examined included fashion design magazines, newspaper illustrations and paintings of women, all of which conveyed concepts of beauty and female identities. Wong has begun research on traditionalist ink painting in Taiwan and Hong Kong and its use during the Cold War and colonial eras, she said. She prefers to study various countries and connect threads of cross-cultural thinking because it allows one to see influences and ideas circulating around different zones. According to Wong, this cannot be seen when looking at history from a single-nation perspective and during a single time period.
ARTS
16 The Brandeis Hoot
February 3, 2017
‘The Assignment’ plot insensitive, an injustice to trans community
By Atticus Ranck special to the hoot
“The Assignment” is a movie starring Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver. Rodriguez is a cisgender woman playing hitman Frank Kitchen, a cisgender man who unknowingly undergoes surgery to become a woman. Frank Kitchen’s involuntarily gender confirmation surgery is performed by The Doctor, played by Weaver. The movie is about Frank seeking revenge for the surgery. In the trailer for the film set to be released later this year, The Doctor states her reason for the operation as “wanting to cause Frank Kitchen enormous psychic pain.” Frank is not transgender, so indeed it would be psychologically difficult to be in a body that is not his. When Frank wakes up and realizes he is in a female body, he screams in shock, “No!” Actually being trans is a form of psychic pain in many ways. Many trans people feel they are in bodies that don’t belong to them. The film takes the real pain of trans people and demeans it. Forty-one percent of trans-identified individuals attempt suicide, according to Vocativ. When this film uses a cis man to portray the “psychic pain” of being transgender, it takes the very real and damaging pain of being trans away from trans people. It turns our reality into entertainment. In the trailer, Frank re-introduces himself to a woman in his new body. We can imply from the scene that Frank knew this woman while he was in his male body. We then see a small clip where the two of them have had sex and the woman (currently unnamed) says, “I’m still trying to figure you out.” Frank responds, “I haven’t made enough trouble for you?” Many trans people are rejected by family, friends and partners. If our significant others do stick around, we sometimes feel we are a burden on them for causing them to experience discrimination on our behalf. In fact, according to the 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, if a transgender person lost their job due to bias, 28 percent of partners of trans people also experienced job discrimination. So when Frank asks if he’s made enough trouble for her, what he’s really saying is, “My life has made
photo from bbci.co.uk
photos from imdb.com
your life harder. You don’t have to stick around.” And Frank isn’t even trans. He’s just a character who has unwillingly undergone a sex change. In the trailer, we see Frank undergo anesthesia and then wake up later in a bed in a small, dirty room with his face wrapped in bandages. He unwraps his face and looks at his body to reveal that his sex is now female. This is not how it works. Undergoing a physical and medical transition to emerge as one’s self-identified gender is a process that often takes years and multiple surgeries. Physically transitioning from male to female often requires Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), doses of estrogen to feminize Frank’s secondary sexual characteristics, such as raising the pitch of his voice, softening his body hair, decreasing his sex drive, among others. Some of the surgeries Frank would have had to
undergo include a tracheal shave, facial feminization, breast augmentation, buttock augmentation and genital surgery. It is simply not realistic that Frank would be put under anaesthesia as a male and wake up female. This gives the wrong notion to the audience that changing sexes is easy. In reality, trans people usually first see a therapist, who diagnoses them with gender dysphoria. With their mental health diagnosis in hand, they see an endocrinologist who prescribes them HRT. In addition, they will decide if surgery is right for them to feel at home in their bodies. This usually happens over the course of years. Keep in mind, some people who identify as trans may want HRT and surgeries, but never receive them or put them off for years due to financial hardships, unwilling or incapable doctors in their areas and a lack of competent and affordable health insur-
ance. To portray that a person can wake up in a different body after one surgery is erroneous and demoralizing to trans people who have to regularly remind themselves of their worth and their validity in the bodies they currently possess. Finally, this movie sees being trans as a punishment. In the trailer, The Doctor says, “This operation’s your reminder of the terrible thing you did.” The audience doesn’t know what terrible thing Frank did, but it is irrelevant. Being trans is not a punishment; it is an identity. There are many terrible things transpiring in the world right now, and this movie is nowhere near at the top of the list of horrors. Why write about this silly movie when there are legal U.S. residents who cannot return to their families? Yet in times of horror, many people turn to entertainment to allow them to escape
the daily torments, if only for a few hours. If it is accurate to say pop culture reflects our society, then our society sees being trans as a punishment of psychic pain. It is my duty as an out trans person and advocate for gender and sexual minorities to speak out when I see injustice. I cannot let this movie slide by without speaking out against it, even though there are discriminatory executive orders being signed almost daily. One wrong is not worth more than another. I would like to end this article with a call to action, or rather, inaction. Do not see this movie. Do not give money to a business that actively demeans and demoralizes the struggles of real trans people. Being trans is a beautiful identity, one that ought to be celebrated instead of only mourned every Nov. 20 during Trans Day of Remembrance.