The Brandeis Hoot 02/06/2015

Volume 12 Number 4

www.brandeishoot.com

Community highlighted in heartfelt student testimonies

By Victoria Aronson Editor

Following a successful online campaign, the social media event #BrandeisIsOurHouse came to Brandeis again this week in a physical form on campus.

The event was organized by Kelsey Segaloff ’15, who, upset by the wave of negativity at on social media, conceived of the hashtag #BrandeisIsOurHouse to inspire a positivity campaign and foster a sense of community. In December of last year, over 700 participants took to social media to share their positive stories and experiences at Brandeis. This past Wednesday, Segaloff brought the online movement to life, hosting an event featuring student speakers and Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams.

“Brandeis is my house because when one of our own is hurt, we back them,” Segaloff said while opening the event. She also referenced the student community in

February 6, 2015

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

President steps down

By Dana Trismen Editor

#brandeisisourhouse Dean Adams and students share stories of finding a home at Brandeis

photos by sharon cai/the hoot

President Frederick M. Lawrence will step down as the president of Brandeis effective June 30, at which point Provost Lisa Lynch will become interim president. Lawrence, the eighth president of Brandeis, made this announcement on Jan. 30.

A message was sent out to Brandeis alumni the following day from President of the Brandeis Alumni Association Adam J. Rifkin ’97. “In his time on campus, President Lawrence helped Brandeis build a strong foundation for the future,” wrote Rifkin. “The University is on solid financial footing and our endowment recently reached an all-time high … [Lawrence] installed a proven and highly experienced senior leadership team,” Rifkin added.

See PRESIDENT, page 3

See HOUSE, page 3

Brandeis National Committee holds discussion for ’DEIS Impact

By Hannah Schuster Editor

At one of the first ’DEIS Impact events, the Brandeis National Committee (BNC) and other members of the Brandeis community discussed the state of workplace gender bias on Tuesday, Feb. 3 during “A Woman’s Place: An Intergenerational Discussion on Gender Inequality in the Workplace.”

Karishma Pradhan ’15, a BNC student representative, led the discussion. She began with her inspiration, the book “Lean In”

by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, which deals with gender bias.

“I thought it was a really interesting book because it made me aware of a lot of gender biases that I had faced in my life that I was unaware of before,” said Pradhan. She discussed portions of the book which she found compelling: the Impostor Syndrome—when one feels inadequate despite indications of success—and the quote, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

Pradhan listed several statistics to preface discussion. In the U.S., more women than men graduate from college, yet there are fewer women in leadership positions, and America is the only industrialized nation without a paid ma-

ternity leave program.

Pradhan began by asking for examples of gender bias. Beverly Cohen, a BNC member who worked for years in the business industry, stated that though she never experienced discrimination, she recognizes the problem and spoke of a friend who worked in a lab and only wore skirts.

“She wanted to let the men know women could handle a top executive position … That was one of her stands,” said Cohen.

Lucile Pearlson, a BNC member and longtime nurse, discussed the gender stereotypes of nursing but noted how the ratios have begun to change.

The conversation then turned to maternity leave policies and the balance many women try to establish between work and family. Daniel Terris, director for the International Center for Ethics, raised the issue of women who lose time in order to raise a family while men continue working.

“Is this a problem of un-family-friendly policies in the workplace? Is it a problem of not fully shared childrearing?” he asked.

Pradhan pulled the question “Can women have it all?” from Sandberg’s book. The participants discussed the idea that while some women, like SandSee INEQUALITY, page 4

alan khazei :

Alan Khazei delivers ’DEIS Impact keynote address

By Emily Belowich Editor

On Tuesday evening, Feb. 3, despite icy roads and snowfilled walkways, members of the Brandeis community gathered in Levin Ballroom to listen to social entrepreneur Alan Khazei deliver the keynote address of the fourth annual ’DEIS Impact week titled “Social Change Through Civic Engagement and Pragmatic Idealism.” The talk was co-sponsored by the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program in

Apackalypse News: BADASS debates Teach for America Page 2 Brandeis techie talent showcased Arts, Etc.: Film screening exposes bullying Page 5 in actor-free show in SCC theater Opinion: Eduroam network needs improvement Page 12 Arts: Page 9 Sports: Women’s basketball loses close game Page 11 Editorial: Lawrence leaves behind mixed legacy Page 10 Inside this issue:

photo by emma hanselman/the hoot

City Year Co-Founder calls on students to pursue passions

collaboration with the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Student Union.

Khazei, who was nominated as one of “America’s 25 Best Leaders” in the U.S. News & World Report from 2006, co-founded City Year with his college roommate, Michael Brown, in 1988.

City Year, which now operates in 20 U.S. cities, Johannesburg and London, is an “education-focused nonprofit organization that mobilizes idealistic young people

for a year of service in high-need schools,” according to its website.

Khazei is currently the CEO of Be The Change Inc., another organization that he began as a way to complete collective social justice impact work.

Khazei ran for U.S. senator twice in Massachusetts, and while his campaigns were unsuccessful, he claims he learned a great deal from that experience.

“I gained an incredible appreSee KEYNOTE, page 4

Automation troubles

Technology deteriorates relationships between students and Sodexo workers

Ops: Page 13

2 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

February 6, 2015

ED Talks inspire education with social justice

By Jess Linde Editor

Brandeis Professor Derron Wallace (AAAS/ED), Professor Emerita Jane Hale (AAAS/COML/ECS/ROMS) and Sujan Talukdar ’96 gave a series of miniature “TED talk-style presentations” on the role of social justice in the classroom Thursday, Feb. 5, as part of the ED Talks series. The event was organized as part of Brandeis’ ’DEIS Impact festival of social justice and the university’s education program and was designed by the department’s undergraduate department representatives (UDRs). After a short explanation of the event’s background from UDR Vinh Nguyen ’15, the panelists were each given a chance to speak following introductions from UDR Cynthia Jackson ’16. Each short talk provided the respective speaker’s background and ideas on social justice in the classroom, directed specifically toward students considering a career in education.

Hale went first, and detailed her experience working all over the world, often teaching English literature in French-speaking countries, with students from various backgrounds.

“Happily, it’s become somewhat of a common practice of teachers to select books and curricular materials that acknowledge the existence of different types of humanity and different experiences,” Hale said. “But what I think we need to look at more closely in our classroom is how the student’s experience in the classroom is an equal, if not more powerful model of how to respect, listen to, value, empathize with and celebrate the different experiences.”

She also stressed the importance of teachers having and nurturing relationships with their students and putting in the extra work to create an en-

vinh nguyen ‘15

vironment that encourages trust and cross-experience friendships. “On the first day, try to learn the names of everyone in your class,” Hale told the audience. “Even if you’re going to forget most of them the next day, try to learn their names, find out who your students are.”

Talukdar, who graduated from Brandeis in 1996 and was one of the first directors of the university’s Intercultural Center, focused on educational advocacy as social justice in

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

her talk. The daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants, Talukdar decided in her senior year to pursue a career in education. “My parents are the prototypical example of the American dream,” Talukdar said. “From as early as I can remember my parents emphasized the value of education, repeatedly driving home that it is the key to success.” Talukdar took this to heart but was concerned that her parents did not think that “people like ‘us’” were not meant to be educators. “South

Asians and people of color in general were not reflected in the American K-12 educational system,” Talukdar said. “They believed that I should follow a path where I would not be ‘the only one.’”

Talukdar nevertheless pursued her passion for education, being influenced largely by working at Brandeis with high school students unprepared for higher education. She noticed systematic problems with students of color—particularly African-Amer-

ican students—being labeled as underachievers and coming to believe it. Talukdar then committed herself to anti-racist education as a means of promoting opportunity, which she currently teaches postgraduate classes on to young educators. Talukdar is a coordinator for the METCO Program in Brookline, a position in which she helps students of color and/or less fortunate economic backgrounds attend and integrate well at public schools in Brookline.

Wallace, the final speaker, began his talk with a story of a child he had been working with in London who was murdered seemingly for no reason when buying food. Wallace, a sociologist of education and its relation to racial, gender and economic inequality and identity, then began what he called “three and a half of the toughest years of my life.” Incensed by the violence he was witnessing in the communities he studied, Wallace became a community organizer. “I realized that in order to produce change, institutions in communities must be made relevant,” Wallace said.

Through this work, he helped to create London’s CitySafe campaign, which seeks to establish relationships between children and shop owners in a neighborhood, and train said owners to offer refuge to children and teens fleeing violence. “If you seek to be relational, you will be radical,” Wallace said. “That’s because most of us don’t do it … we don’t move beyond our homes or our schools.” As a believer in social justice, Wallace believes in work that “agitates, provokes and demands attention until real change happens.” Following raucous applause from the audience, the panelists then asked each other short questions about their methods, and interacted with attendees over refreshments.

Debate society argues pros and cons of Teach For America as part of ’DEIS Impact

By Emily Smith staff

The Brandeis Academic Speech and Debate Society (BADASS) sponsored a ’DEIS Impact event on Saturday, Jan. 31, titled “AmeriCorps, Teach for America, City Year: Are They Actually Teaching America’s Students?” The event featured a debate with BADASS members Jordan Roth ’15, Sarah Margulies ’15, Brad Burns ’15 and Julia Karr ’17. Their discussion focused on the issues and controversies surrounding Teach for America (TFA) and its impacts on both the graduates who participate in the program and the schools in which they work.

“We chose to talk about TFA because it’s something that most Brandeis students are familiar with (in fact it’s one of Brandeis’ largest recruiters post-graduation) but not something that has really been questioned. As a school we care about social justice, but it’s important to continually examine whether or not the programs we dream about actually cause the type of change that’s intended,” Margulies wrote in an email to The Brandeis Hoot.

Roth began the debate by stating his side’s position that TFA does not work as well as it claims to and does not directly solve many problems that exist in urban education. He stated that TFA teachers are simply using the program as a chance to add to their resumes and are not truly invested in

education.

“Most of the people who join TFA are wealthy white kids who want to go on and do something else,” Roth claimed. “They aren’t likely to actually try to learn something about the community, or try to learn something about the systems of poverty that force people into these situations or try to change the way that it works.

Instead they are simply going to remain outside of the system and, you know, be this white savior.”

Roth argued that the issues TFA aims to address are not ones that can be solved simply through providing teachers. He asserted that education reform is bigger than what TFA can accomplish, saying, “It promotes the idea that an individual teacher has the ability to save everything rather than approaching the idea that society actually has to change. Instead, it should encourage TFA students to do something as a group to actually change.”

Roth’s argument was followed by a counter argument by Burns. He focused on the power of principals to choose whether or not to hire TFA teachers, explaining, “It’s not as if TFA gets to just force these teachers upon these urban school districts. TFA acts as a facilitator.”

Burns insisted that TFA teachers prove valuable to the schools they teach at and are not hired simply based on monetary concerns. He cited several statistics in his argument in favor of TFA. “80 percent of principals who hire TFA teachers want to hire more TFA teachers. These are the people in charge of the hiring de-

badass speaks

Jordan Roth ‘15 and Sarah Margulies ‘15 present their case

cisions who honestly are most likely to be biased toward traditional teachers.”

The event was part of ’DEIS Impact, a partnership between the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Student Union.

Both Burns and Karr are members of the ’DEIS Impact Core Committee.

BADASS’ debate was designed to engage students in the topic of education in underserved areas in connec-

tion to ’DEIS Impact’s keynote speaker, Alan Khazei. Khazei is the founder of City Year and CEO of Be The Change Inc. City Year is a non-profit based in Boston, which, similar to TFA, works with public schools in areas of high need.

After the debaters finished their arguments, the floor was opened to the audience. They were encouraged to voice their opinions on the subject or ask any questions that remained

photo by sharon cai/the hoot

unanswered.

Margulies hopes that debate will inspire students to think critically about programs like TFA, acknowledging that many students are unaware of the issues these programs might create.

“The debate was a great start to a broader conversation, but it’s just that, a conversation,” Margulies said.

“We need more people to become engaged in the question so we can have an actual discourse about the subject.”

NEWS

February 6, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 3

President Lawrence to step down, leaves mixed legacy PRESIDENT, from page 1

Lawrence will return to Yale Law School in the capacity of a senior research scholar following his resignation. Before coming to Brandeis in 2011, Lawrence also served as dean and Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School. He is also the author of numerous books and publications surrounding the topic of civil rights crimes, including the book “Punishing Hate: Bias Crimes Under American Law.” In a recent press release, Brandeis Board of Trustees Chairman Perry M. Traquina stated that Lawrence “has worked tirelessly to move our university forward and has the results to show for it—including making significant progress in balancing the university’s budget, a record endowment, the fundraising of $225 million in gifts and a 35-percent increase in applications under his stewardship.”

In his office’s email to the Brandeis community, Lawrence said that teaching and educating Brandeis students made his presidency special. “Living near campus allowed us to spend meaningful time with so many members of the Brandeis family,” Lawrence said.

Many students who personally

interacted with Lawrence recall the time they spent with him fondly. Naomi DePina ’16, believes Lawrence made it a priority to interact with students. “He is an individual that truly cares about people,” DePina told The Brandeis Hoot. “I have had nothing but positive interactions with him.” She recalled many conversations with Lawrence about the state of the Student Union and cordial Shabbat dinners at Lawrence’s own home.

However, DePina admitted that overall campus attitudes about Lawrence may not be as positive as her own. “I feel that the student body has mixed feelings about his legacy,” she said. “Many people may say that he did not do enough on issues they were concerned about. In contrast, some students believe he was very invested in his work and he finished strong. What I hear primarily from my constituents is that they wish he worked on issues like sexual assault rather than the Rose Art Museum.”

These concerns have been echoed by activists in recent weeks. “Campus safety is not being prioritized as much as it should be,” Sam Daniels ’16 said at the time, in an interview with The Hoot on Sept. 11. DePina admitted in her interview with The Hoot this week, “The only thing I wished he worked more on is how to combat sexual assault on campus.”

Lawrence’s presidency has been plagued with multiple media scandals, including Brandeis’ controversial decisions to cut ties with the Palestinian university Al-Quds in November 2013 and rescind an offer to receive an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali in May 2014.

Multiple alumni point to what they view as Lawrence’s failure to uphold Brandeis’ social justice values in regards to the layoffs of long-time employees in June of 2014. During this past summer, the Brandeis mailroom transitioned in ownership from Canon to Xerox, and in the process, many beloved employees were let go. When combined, the years of service these particular employees had contributed totaled longer than Brandeis itself has been in existence. “No one [should] get fired when they’ve served for decades,” said Andrew Slack ’02. “Our quest for social justice will no longer be used as a prop. It must stand authentically as a pillar of a community and an institution that has transformed my life [and] the lives of countless people before and after me.” Slack also called for more transparency between students, the university president and the board of trustees. “We need serious changes at Brandeis,” he said.

Yet others on campus acknowledge that Lawrence’s job is in no way simple or easy. “I feel that he has had to make some very hard

photo from internet source

president lawrence

decisions,” said DePina. “One thing I will say is that he made many decisions based on students concerns and interests.”

Lynch will soon take over this difficult role on campus. “[I] was drawn to Brandeis by its core values, its pursuit of academic excellence and its history as a Jewish-founded nonsectarian university open to all,” she said. A former dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Lynch said that her current main role is to “promote

excellence in the university’s educational activities and research initiatives,” and this is something she plans to continue on a much larger scale in her upcoming role as interim president.

And while Lawrence is departing, he will not soon forget Brandeis and its students. “This is a special place and one that has left an indelible mark on Kathy and me,” Lawrence stated in his recent email. “My door remains open to you, and always will be.”

Students share stories of Brandeis HOUSE, from page 1

light of the tragic Boston Marathon bombings. Segaloff praised the diversity of opinions prevalent at Brandeis, jokingly saying the 75-percent chance of a debate erupting following a post on Overheard at Brandeis Facebook page. She also noted random acts of kindness by students such as Zachary Reid ’15, a community adviser who took it upon himself to shovel out the cars of residents during the recent snowstorm.

“Brandeis is my house because people go out of the way to make people smile,” Segaloff said.

Terrell Gilkey ’15 discussed the outpouring of support and love he received from the Brandeis community following the trag-

ic loss of loved ones. “I lost a couple of my brothers since I’ve been here,” he said, adding how he initially did not want to return to Brandeis. “I love you all, and I know you all love me. It feels really good to know people here have my back.”

Gilkey went on to recall a moment from two years ago that expresses the kindness of Brandeis students. Locked out of his room in the middle of December, wearing basketball shorts in the freezing cold, Gilkey was waiting for the Brandeis police to unlock his room when another student approached him.

Although she had never really spoken to him before, the student in question invited him to wait in the warmth of her dorm, later becoming one of his closest friends at Brandeis. “Brandeis

is my house because of you all,” Gilkey said.

Matthew Chernick ’16, chair of the student conduct board, followed, sharing how Brandeis has long been a part of his life before he ever became a student here. His first babysitter attended Brandeis, and he completed his first research project in high school using the Brandeis library, not knowing that he would later attend the institution as a student himself. He also praised the diversity of students as a strength. “That is why Brandeis is my house—because we are light,” Chernick said.

Rohan Narayanan ’15 shared a piece of slam poetry, acknowledging not only the beauty of Brandeis, but also the need to be aware of its flaws as well.

“Brandeis helped me discover

my loves: poetry, Ultimate Frisbee, hummus,” he said. Yet he was not afraid to address the existence of racism and bigotry on campus, and across the nation as a whole. “Silence in your voice is the greatest danger,” he said, concluding, “When Brandeis or the world asks you a question, you best be ready to answer.”

Jacob Altholz ’15 spoke of incredible support from the Brandeis community as well.

During his study abroad semester in Australia last spring, Altholz was on his way to play Ultimate Frisbee when he was rear ended by pickup truck. He woke up three weeks later from a coma at the hospital, with no recollection of what had occurred. “I can only imagine the call my parents got at 9 a.m., ‘Your son is in a coma halfway across the world,’”

he said. Over $10,000 was donated in an outpouring of support, including funds raised by members of the Brandeis community, to cover the travel costs of his parents and medical expenses.

Faced with a 13-hour facial reconstruction surgery, Altholz received letters of support, which he described as unbelievable.

“The reason I fell in love with Brandeis is the community,” he stated.

Johnny Bywater ’15, jokingly pointed to his failure to represent the typical Brandeis student.

Despite being an international, non-Jewish transfer student over six feet tall, Bywater expressed his absolute love for Brandeis and his sense of belonging.

“They’re different, they’re weird, they’re unique, and honestly it’s kind of fantastic,” he said.

VP Gray expresses gratitude for staff members after Juno

By Andrew Elmers Editor

With the arrival of Winter Storm Juno last Monday evening, the university had to make plans quickly to ensure the safety for students, faculty and staff on campus. Only able to maintain the bare necessities of campus operations, such as keeping roadways clear and serving food to students, the school was forced to close for two days after two feet of snow fell on the Boston area.

In an email to the Brandeis community last Tuesday eve-

ning detailing the closure, reference was made to the efforts of facilities, food service and campus safety staff. While faculty and non-essential staff were allowed to stay home because of the weather hazards, other staff members were still required to come into work in order to shovel walkways or serve meals in Sherman Hall. The email explained how these staff members had been working long hours, some overnight, to maintain proper campus safety and basic operations, and expressed gratitude.

As a result of the severe storm,

some staff was stuck on campus, unable to make it home even after their shifts had ended, with some facilities members sleeping in residence hall lounges Monday evening.

In a statement to The Hoot, Vice President of Campus Operations Jim Gray detailed the contingencies that were put in place for this storm to ensure the safety of both students and the staff members, as well as the additional personnel who were brought in to help, tasked with maintaining that safety.

The health and safety of facilities and operations workers was

a personal priority according to Gray. Staff members who could not make it home because of poor travel conditions were given use of private spaces in the Faculty Club lodge rooms and other unused residence hall rooms to sleep. They were also provided with meals and were encouraged to take breaks regularly. It was not surprising that some staff members took their break time to rest, as some students witnessed in the lounges, Gray said.

Staff members were rotated regularly to make sure no one was outside too long keeping campus roads and walkways

clear, Gray wrote.

He expressed his gratitude to the student population who were more than accommodating to the decrease in operations, and the campus staff members for their efforts.

While Gray was able to speak about the efforts put forth to keeping facilities and operations staff safe and comfortable, Sodexo, who is in charge of campus dining services, could not. Both Sodexo General Manager Shawn Monaghan and Senior Director of Operations Randi Kates-Peirce were contacted for comment, but did not respond by press time.

4 NEWS

INEQUALITY, from page 1

berg, have the privilege of sufficient leave benefits and of being able to afford childcare, there are many gaps in this country’s policies that prevent other women from achieving their goals. Providing an example, Pearlson illustrated how the hospital would not allow her to work part time so that she could balance work and family. She believes childcare must be improved.

Alicia Ball ’15 discussed an article she had read on American and international maternity leave policies stating, “I found it so fascinating that there are countries where it’s not optional, it’s required … [The article] was listing a few big name companies in

The Brandeis Hoot

February 6, 2015

Discussion held on gender inequality in the workplace for ’DEIS Impact

the U.S. that do provide the same benefits, but they’re the minority.”

At this point, Pradhan introduced a new question, asking the room how early gender biases become apparent. Jessica Basile, director of graduate student affairs and post-doctoral scholars began with the story of her nephew: “Anytime he laughed too high or giggled, the constant put down was, ‘You’re laughing like a girl.’” She explained that although her daughter could act girly or tomboy-ish, it is not socially acceptable for her son to act like a girl. She then told a story about a professor she had as a Brandeis graduate student.

The professor, she explained, did not have a lot of money and dressed her young son in a pink

baby suit from a thrift store. “She had so many people tell her that she was going to wreck her son’s gender identity,” said Basile.

Cohen asked whether such labeling was as prevalent today when “younger people are just so open,” and the room agreed the issue is still widespread. Cohen asked the group how to fight the issue, citing the platforms of celebrities and the press. Tamar Vogel, the BNC marketing & communications specialist discussed the impact of the media, citing the #LikeAGirl ad campaign, which confronts the stereotypes of running and fighting like girls.

Terris discussed the ad featuring Little League star Mo’ne Davis. He explained that despite her talents, she will never play

professional baseball because the MLB is limited to men. He cites tennis as a sport where the sexes have achieved equality in entertainment value and potential prizes, an example of equal pay for equal work as he sees it.

The group continued to muse on the role of men in the issue of gender inequality, noting gender roles in marriage are beginning to change. Cohen said she feels it is great to see men who “will let the women achieve their goals and are willing to stay home and be the child rearer.”

Pradhan mentioned the former president of Godiva, who spoke at Brandeis. As her career began to skyrocket, her husband became the primary caregiver for their children. Basile stated that men must be more involved in

the movement in order to combat stereotypes and biases, stating, “Feminism can no longer be just a woman’s movement.”

Participants discussed the progress of change, which appears slow but is certainly moving forward, particularly in the past few generations.

They agreed the danger is to believe we’ve arrived at true equality and agreed that society must continue to work for change.

“I deputize you all to be the change you want to see,” said Marci McPhee, associate director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. “We’re in this conversation because we care, this matters to us and we’re going to be that change.”

City Year co-founder speaks on social justice and civic engagement KEYNOTE, from page 1

ciation for what people are going through, especially for people who are struggling,” Khazei said in an exclusive interview with The Brandeis Hoot. “It’s an amazing privilege when you run for office, almost like having a passport or a permission slip to talk to anyone about anything.

What I didn’t expect was people would open up and tell their stories to a total stranger, just because I was running for office.”

Khazei’s talk began by highlighting his original connection to Brandeis. When he and Brown were first discussing the idea of City Year back in college, they approached the dean of the Heller School at that time to gain insight on social policy initiatives. Khazei said that is why he has such an appreciation for the school, and when he was invited to speak, he was more than excited to accept the invitation. He mentioned that he wished they had a ’DEIS Impact week when he was in college, and while he is enthralled with the idea, his two suggestions would be to spread the movement to other schools and to try to petition for students getting a full semester’s worth of credit for this social justice work.

His speech continued by thanking important members of the Brandeis community who have supported his efforts, including the late Eli Segal ’64, first CEO of the federal Corporation for National and Community Service (more commonly known as AmeriCorps) and Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton’s campaign in 1992. Segal was a mentor and close friend to Khazei who he claims, “completely changed my life.”

“Eli Segal was an extraordinary human being,” said Khazei. “He changed the world, and I know that Brandeis nurtured his own sense of social justice. I know that his spirit is the spirit of ’DEIS Impact. My message to you today is to take ’DEIS Impact and dedicate yourselves like Eli did to committing some of your time and energy to a world of more social justice.”

Khazei continued to speak about his time in college when

he and his friends would stay up late at night thinking, “Why is America the richest country in the world yet we have such deep poverty? Why is it that we struggle, even after all the advances of the Civil Rights Movement, with issues of race and class?” He said he and his roommate were “thunderstruck” and had to do something about this problem, so they started the City Year model as a way to show what national service could accomplish.

He said that everyone has a different inspiration, but for him, it was his parents who individually shaped his dream to make the world a better place. His father, a doctor, was an immigrant from Iran who came to America to escape dictatorship and explore freedom. He taught his son to fiercely love this country and to stick up for its ideals and values. His mother, a nurse, was a “classic Italian,” and she taught him to love people and that every person has a unique gift to give. He also says that his mom taught him “the extraordinary power of unconditional love.”

Khazei said that the turning point at City Year came for him in 2003 when overnight, without warning, there was an 80-percent budget cut to the AmeriCorps program. He claims this was a result of “partisan politics in Washington, Republicans and Democrats fighting over this great program and AmeriCorps becoming this great pond in the middle.” In a matter of hours, they began a national campaign and gathered 44 governors, 150 mayors and 250 university presidents to join together to take a stance in gathering the funding back for the program. They conducted a Citizens Hearing for over 100 hours and brought together citizens from all over the country to plead the case. Not only did they get their funding back, but they won an additional $100 million increase in funding for the entire program.

“That was an ‘aha’ moment for me,” Khazei said. “I learned a lot from that fight. I saw the power of collective action, of collective impact, of people working together to combine their assets.

That is why I ultimately decided to leave City Year and start Be The Change. I wanted to see if that strategy we had used defen-

photos by emma hanselman/the hoot

sively could work in an offensive way.”

Khazei closed his talk with his advice on what students should do if they feel inspired by making a difference. “If you have a burning passion, you should pursue it,” Khazei said. “Find a partner, and then, build your team.

There’s a lot riding on your generation, but I’m convinced you will be the best generation yet.

You have that energy. It has always been young people on the forefront of change.”

Tam Emerson, a City Year alumna and the director of the Segal Citizen Leadership Program, spoke first at the event, highlighting the success of the program, which serves as a “platform for citizen leadership, community building and leadership development for young people who advance change for the

common good.”

“In 2007, when the program was formed for Eli Segal, he passed as a citizen leader, the truest form of it, understanding what it looks like to really make a difference,” Emerson said. “We are absolutely blessed to bring together young leaders who care about the world.”

Andrew Flagel, senior vice president for students and enrollment, followed Emerson’s remarks calling ’DEIS Impact week a “distinctively set of Brandeisian events.”

“While many of our speakers on campus for ’DEIS Impact achieve great things, the keynote speakers really embody our ideals,” Flagel said. “They are not only incredibly successful, but they are changing the world for the better through their efforts.

And it’s hard to imagine anyone

better fitting for that profile than Alan Khazei.”

Flagel commended Khazei for his success with his book “Big Citizenship: How Pragmatic Idealism Can Bring Out the Best in America.” He recited one of his favorite parts from the book: “Big citizens are not the elected officials or the prominent leaders. They are regular, good-hearted people blessed with a loving heart and an open mind … At times of great crisis we often want to find that one great leader to bring us to a better day.

But what we need to recognize is that throughout our history, it has been the willingness of regular people looking at themselves and being committed to causes larger than themselves that has been the key to making progress.

At the end of the day, it is up to all of us.”

ARTS, ETC.

February 6, 2015

By Emma Kahn Staff

As part of ’DEIS Impact, Brandeis Arts, the Psychological Counseling Center and the Film, Television and Integrated Media Program presented the documentary film “Mentor.” Produced in 2014, the film tells the story of an average American town with a pattern of relentless harassment and bullying that led to multiple teen suicides. Ironically, the town sports the motto, “It’s better in Mentor.” The film reveals how a wholesome American town can devastate its youth through prolific ignorance, bullying and terror. It showcases two of the victims’ families who search for justice through lawsuits, although the authorities choose to dismiss the nature and cause of these horrific tragedies.

Filmmaker Alix Lambert chose Mentor, Ohio, not because the town stands alone as an isolated case of severe bullying, but because it represents the fight against all forms of bullying across America and highlights the institutional ignorance amidst such events. “I made a trailer halfway through filming and that alone sparked hostile emails and tweets,” Lambert told The Boston Globe. “I also got emails from kids who were being bullied, so the problem hasn’t gone away.”

The film has generated much criticism and apprehension regarding the topic, further highlighting the work that must be done to combat bullying and teen suicides. Remarking on this, Lambert noted in the interview with The Globe, “Three days ago I got an email suggesting that I kill myself. I find that ironic, people bullying someone online for making a film about bullying in their town.”

Members of the Brandeis Community are urged to take part in the positivity associated with the film and raise awareness and understanding

It’s not better in Mentor

of the severity of the issue. Following the film screening, a discussion will take place featuring filmmaker Alix Lambert, bullying expert Dorothy L. Espelage, Ph.D., Meral Tunador, Brandeis program coordinator for sexuality and gender diversity, and will be moderated by Joy Von Steiger, clinical director of the Brandeis Psychological Counseling Center.

Espelage, professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has expertise in bullying prevention and teen violence, having researched the subject for 22 years. In concurrence with claims made by Lambert, Espelage mentions the increasing difficulty in accessing time in the schools with students and the issues that rest with the faculty members who defend their authority over these students.

Although Mentor, Ohio may seem far away from the issues we face at Brandeis, Espelage notes that “college

is it better in mentor?

campuses include youth who come from communities like Mentor, so they can be very similar if climate issues are not addressed.”

Espelage focuses her attention on assisting youth while working against the mental illness stigma that turns them away from seeking help. She believes that a film such as “Mentor” will cause its audience to reflect upon their high school and college experiences and identify what may be or may have been bullying or sexual harassment. Espelage urges our community to “connect with one another, reach out to isolated kids, [and] do not participate in this [behavior].”

Unlike the settings prevalent in Lambert’s documentary and Espelage’s research, the Brandeis Psychological Counseling Center strives to provide students with a comforting and protective environment. Joy von Steiger, clinical director of the PCC, jumped at the opportunity to show

the film “Mentor” in collaboration with the Arts Department. “I was very excited about the opportunity,” said von Steiger. “While ‘Mentor’ is a stunning portrait of community dysfunction, all communities can benefit from the lessons of Mentor.” The team of panelists involved strives to engage the Brandeis community in ways which Mentor, Ohio as a whole seems to have been incapable.

Brandeis’ Psychological Counseling Center seeks to acknowledge the ways in which all individuals, whether youth or adult, suffer not only from the effects of bullying and harassment but also from the alienation of the mental health stigma. Brandeis students are urged to complete a survey that will soon be published on the PCC Facebook page, so that more can be understood about how to reduce the barriers to reaching out for help. “The more we talk with each other about how we all experience

The Brandeis Hoot 5

the world in different ways, the more we can come to see ourselves as falling on a continuum rather than being sane or crazy. Here at the counseling center, we are working very hard this semester to be more present in the community to try to normalize the experience of having a connection to a therapist.”

While not all Brandeis students are faced with the issues addressed and confronted by the film, it is the responsibility of the entire community to foster a safe and healthy environment for every individual. The ways in which the whole Brandeis community can work to help its members will be evaluated and discussed during this film showing and panel discussion.

“It’s Not Better in Mentor: Bullying, Suicide and Denial in an All American Town” will occur on Friday, Feb. 6 in the Wasserman Cinematheque at the Sachar International Center of the International Business School.

photo from internet source

Lambert’s film explains why it’s not.

‘American Beauty/American Psycho’: another success for Fall Out Boy

By Jessica Chow

Special to the Hoot

“You will remember me./ Remember me for centuries.” The catchy hook in the chorus of Fall Out Boy’s hit single “Centuries” pertains to the band and the ever-increasing success of their new album “American Beauty/American Psycho.” Fall Out Boy has done nothing but succeed in the past two years following their fiveyear hiatus. Their latest album, released Jan. 16, is still the number-one selling album in the alternative genre on iTunes and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 200. The album is the band’s third number-one album, selling 192,000 copies within a week of being released. It’s not hard to see why this album is still dominating the charts.

“American Beauty” is a new sound for the band. As someone who fell in love with Fall Out Boy’s older music, I wasn’t sure what to expect from “American Beauty” I’d heard “Centuries” and “Immortals” several times, and they were both extremely promising. After giving the album a listen all the way through, I mean it when I say that Fall Out Boy has done it again.

Every song has its own unique sound, but as different as they are from each

other, they all work together to form a great album. What I found most appealing about the album is that each song sounds so different, so you really have no clue what to expect when listening. I honestly believe that there’s a song on this album will appeal to everyone.

Personally, my favorite songs off the album are “Centuries,” “Immortals,” “Fourth of July” and “Records.”

“Centuries” was released first in October 2014 as a single off of the album and continues to dominate the radio stations and the charts. For me, “Centuries” was promising for the album; it bears a certain similarity to the band’s punk-rock roots. The guitars, the beat, the lyrics, everything about “Centuries” make it an amazing song.

I find it to be a self-empowering song, but I’ll let you listen to it and interpret it how you want. With absolute certainty, I am willing to boldly say that the success of “American Beauty” was largely due to the fact that “Centuries” was the first single to be released. Had it been any other song off the album, “American Beauty” would not be nearly as successful as it is and continues to be.

“Immortals” is the second single from the album and was the theme song in Disney’s new movie, “Big Hero 6.” Now, to be quite honest, I’m not sure what genre of music “Im-

mortals” falls under, but it sounds like a mix between punk-rock due to the instruments. However, the beat is very obviously synthesized, so in that respect it can be thought to be more electronic. This is one of the songs from “American Beauty” that deviates from the band’s punk-rock sound of the early 2000s. I don’t think it’s a bad thing for them to be experimenting and exploring different genres of music; I like “Immortals” because it’s so

remember me

different.

And that’s just the thing. The unique sound of each song contributes to the overall sound of the album to create something new. I really like the diversity that this album has to offer to listeners. In a way, it’s a historic album for the band. They’re changing their sound and they’re making it work for them. From pop to punkrock to alternative, “American Beauty” has it all. As someone who listens

Fall Out Boy’s newest album is their latest post-hiatus success.

to a little bit of every genre of music, it’s extremely hard to find an entire album that appeals to me. Usually, I like a couple songs, but this is one of the few recent albums I actually like enough to want to buy the whole album. While I can’t say that I love every single song on “American Beauty/ American Psycho,” I do like the album as a whole enough to listen to it several times, and I can’t wait to hear what they create next.

photo from internet source

ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot 6

February 6, 2015

John Carpenter tells musical story with ‘Lost Themes’

By Jess Linde Editor

Despite being both a film nerd and a music nerd, I have never been a particular follower of movie soundtracks.

I know the famous and great ones, but besides Prince’s “Purple Rain” album and Daft Punk’s “Tron: Legacy” score, I don’t own any, and I’m not really interested in buying more. It was for this reason that I was excited when I first heard about John Carpenter’s debut album “Lost Themes,” released this week.

Carpenter is a 67-year-old filmmaker, and one of my favorite cult directors. As a director, Carpenter is known for his independently made high-concept horror and science fiction, including the original “Halloween,” the great “They Live” and “Escape From New York.” He isn’t “mainstream” per se, but his influence can be found all over, from “The Purge” to “Kill Bill.”

What many people do not know about Carpenter’s work is that he also did nearly all the music for his best films. The dissonant synthesizers and

By Clayre Benzadon

photo from internet source

drum beats that run throughout “Halloween” and others are as much a part of the movies as the stories and imagery. A Carpenter movie just isn’t the same without a Carpenter score, but “Lost Themes” definitely proves that if he wanted to, Carpenter could have a career in music. Like his best scores, the songs on “Lost Themes” are dark and atmospheric, with signature riffs rooted in very ’70s/’80s synths and rhythms.

Beginning with the one-two punch of “Vortex” and “Obsidian,” the album

sets its tone and sound immediately: old-school Carpenter instrumentals made by the man himself, just made without a movie to go along with it.

The beats are great, the instruments are varied and well looped together, and the songs progress and change as they go along. This is true for all of the album’s nine songs, from the alienlike “Fallen” to the guitar driven “Domain,” to “Mystery,” which sounds left off of the soundtrack to “Halloween.”

But despite the retro nature of Carpenter and the feel of the album, any

of his songs can definitely be in a modern movie. I felt like I was walking through a scene from the movie “Drive” listening to “Abyss,” and “Wraith” contains parallels to Daft Punk’s work on “Tron: Legacy,” in a very good way. I recommend listening to “Lost Themes” mixed into some early Daft Punk or a Chromatics album, because Carpenter’s influence is obviously there, yet his current work fits remarkably well with modern interpretations of those influences.

Overall, “Lost Themes” is exactly

what I thought it would be: Carpenter flexing his musical chops in a non-visual medium that showcases him as a master of mood. It’s not a movie, obviously, but still, the songs feel like they are telling a story. Beyond that, “Lost Themes” is a really solid electronic album that makes you feel pretty cool when you’re walking around listening to it. My point is, I love John Carpenter’s movies, and I really liked his album. Whether or not you are a fan, I think “Lost Themes” is a good listen for most anybody.

The Charlatans commemorate founding member with new album

Staff

To make peace with the death of founding member Jon Brookes, English indie band The Charlatans released their new album, “Modern Nature,” in late January. Their songs are classified as hauntingly intense songs that contain the same overtones and tones as The Beatles.

Their new album includes songs such as “Talk in Tones,” “So Oh,” “Come Home Baby,” “Keep Enough” and “In The Tall Grass Emilie.”

A lot of the songs have guitar riffs and lyrics that reflect the struggles that the band has experienced over the course of their life as a band. Brookes recently passed away from brain cancer, and a couple of years before that, keyboardist Rob Collins was arrested and charged with armed robbery and left the band. Through the echoing sounds of sad ’70s soul grooves, the band demonstrates the sadness they face.

The album’s cover art also reflects this feeling of loss and melancholy.

The four band members are not close; rather, they are spaced out in their own areas, walking around with their heads down on some beach, with the sunset in the distance and waves rolling through the sound of their music.

Their hair is unkempt, and it seems as if they didn’t make much of an effort to dress in anything special.

The songs’ lyrics try to create a balance between happiness and the mourning the band feels regarding Brookes’ death. “Talking in Tones” is a metaphor for them picking up the phone to answer Brookes’ call from heaven: “I never liked the fact/ and I don’t like to moan/ I thought we had a pact/ We’re talking in tones.”

The band is upset at Brookes’ sudden death and do not know how to respond when they “pick up Brookes’ call.” Toward the end, however, they write: “I feel strengthened by your presence” commemorating Brookes’

omnipresent existence, living through his powerful soul.

“Come Home Baby” is another song in memorial to Brookes: “Just when you’re thinkin’ things over/ […] and all your friends seem disappointed,/ To see the sun going down/ and when the sweetness you’re saving/ Is all the sweetness you doubt/ I’m coming home.” This refers again to the sudden nature of Brookes’ passing and their disappointment.

“The sun going down” is a metaphor for Brookes’ slow, progressive illness that gets worse and worse every day, until it finally sets. “I’m Coming Home” is a way for the band members to say that they are able to finally connect to Brookes up in heaven.

Another part of the lyrics provides an even more vivid description: “I found you soaking in liquid/ I found you there in your robe,/ Ain’t no hands big enough to save us,/ I got the vibe, I’m coming home./ I see you close up your windows,/ I see you burn down your throne.” The progressive nature of the cancer invading Brookes’ body is cleverly and concisely written through this part of the song, with images of “soaking,” “liquid” and “robe” all combined to create an even more dramatic effect to the song. “I see you

photo from internet source

close up your windows” and “I see you burn down your throne” symbolizes Brooke’s final surrender to the illness, allowing himself finally go home to Heaven.

“Let The Good Times Be Never Ending,” “I Need You To Know,” “Trouble Understanding” and “Lot To Say” are other song titles that re-

flect the band’s desire to stay close to Brooke. They want to revive his memory through the “good times never ending,” and there is a lot that the band still needs to say to him, as his death was something they had “trouble understanding.”

Overall, the band’s new album is mostly a commemoration of Brookes.

A Walk in the Park By Katherine Selector

Even though the songs are beautiful, groovy and contain light tunes, the songs are actually the band’s way of trying to cope with their feeling of Brookes’ death. Through the songs’ metaphors, imagery and intense guitar melodies, his remembrance is clearly expressed throughout the album.

February 6, 2015

ARTS 7

The Brandeis Hoot

‘Boyhood’: a touching and incredible tale

By Ethan Saal

Special to the Hoot

It was just another pleasantly warm summer day in New York City as I walked back from the subway to my apartment. On the subway, it occurred to me that I had an unexpected free night in New York. With no desire to go see a show on Broadway or an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I decided that I wanted to see a “Boyhood” with my closest childhood friend. Before the movie began, we talked about how we were ready to experience a blast from the past. We started talking about all of our childhood memories, such as our

first kiss, our biggest troublemaker moment and our most embarrassing moments. It was nice to bring back old memories.

“Boyhood” is unique in that it was filmed over the course of 12 years, and the intimacy that Richard Linklater, the writer/director of “Boyhood,” relays to his audience is amazing.

There has never been a film that has felt so relatable to me. I have talked with various people about the film, and we all agree that men enjoyed the film much more than women did. Moments such as the camping trip Mason Jr. (Ellar Coltrane) goes on with his father (Ethan Hawke) is something almost every boy would

dream of doing with their father. On their camping trip, they bond over music, talk about “Star Wars” and discuss girls. During this scene, I could not restrain myself from smiling and feeling a warm sensation of familiarity. Furthermore, these are the types of moments that I dreamed of the most as a child. Because audience members can live vicariously through Mason Jr., Mason Sr. felt like as much of a father to me as he did to Mason Jr. Many scenes made the audience laugh out loud together and nod their heads in agreement with what Mason Jr. was experiencing. I saw that many of the viewers simultaneously frowned, smirked and laughed throughout the

12 years in the making Critically acclaimed “Boyhood” has won the hearts of its audience members.

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

photo from internet source

Puritan & Company

1166 Cambridge St., Cambridge If you’re a Sunday brunch lover, you will love Puritan & Company, which offers good food and good drinks. Puritan offers house-baked pastries (Boston cream donut, dulce de leche & coconut danish, bacon & gruyere pinwheels), unique main courses (sourdough griddle cakes, broccolini and cheddar scramble, summer squash and kale quiche are just some customer favorites), and gloriously creative liquid creations (“Church” is a combination of gin, aperol and lemon while “Thaw in the Straw” consists of bourbon, lemon, ginger and honey.)

Seoul Soulongtang

1245 Commonwealth Ave, Boston In Boston, we have three months of warm weather and then nine months of bitter winter. Places like Seoul Soulongtang make these winters a lot less unbearable Seolleongtang is a traditional ox bone soup from Seoul and is usually served with noodles, spring onions, beef, and rice. It’s perfect for cold days; seolleongtang is simple but satisfying.

Flour Bakery + Café

1595 Washington St., Boston It’s extremely hard to find truly delicious chocolate chip cookies, but the bakery’s fans swear by everything in the shop. Joanne Chang makes impressive chocolate chip cookies. She uses bread flour and luxurious Tcho semisweet and milk chocolate - some may think that these ingredients are pretentious, but Chang knows what she’s doing. It has been a long time since I last had such a gooey cookie that is a harmonious and heavenly combination of chewy and crunchy.

By Michelle Kim Editor

photos from internet source

like that classical “cool” dad who still had not found himself, which is why the mother divorced him. As time goes by, though, he becomes more loving and caring. There is nothing more soothing to see than a dad being a true dad.

Olivia (Patricia Arquette), Mason Jr.’s mother, also proves to be an incredibly compassionate figure when Mason Jr. leaves for college. This moment in the movie is one of the most difficult ones for the audience to watch, especially for mothers who have dealt with their own children leaving the house. In most families, mothers generally have extremely strong connections with their children and commit significant time to taking care of them. Personally, my mother was the one who raised me when my dad was at work every day.

She knows everything about me.

When Mason Jr., the last of the children in the house, leaves, his mother realizes that she has to start focusing on her own life and that it is finally time to let her children go. This is something that every parent experiences. Again, this allows all types of audiences to be able to relate. Life goes on though, and we all get older and face new challenges every day.

Now the mother has to accept that and start anew.

“Boyhood” is not action packed. It is not a thriller. It is not a romance. It is not all that complicated. Rather, it is a simple yet beautifully crafted story of a kid named Mason growing up.

There is no flash or flair, just love and care. Somebody once told me, “It is those who appreciate the small things in life who live the longest and happiest lives.” “Boyhood” is comprised of all those small things that all of us usually just look past, and it makes an inspiring attempt to open our eyes to those little intricacies of life.

Surviving Sodexo: NDNG—No Dairy, No Gluten

Saray Restaurant

1098 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston Three words: cheese filo sticks. I can eat 30 of these. I have eaten 30 of these in one sitting. Good Turkish food is hard to find, so Saray was a very exciting discovery for me. Although I have yet to eat a real entree here, their kebabs are heavenly. Saray is conveniently located next to Babcock T stop, which makes it an ideal place to go to when exploring Boston.

film. To be part of a crowd in which everyone felt like they were all on the same page was an extremely unique experience. I walked into that theater not knowing anyone, but as I got up from my seat at the end, I felt as if I had shared a special moment with all of them. Once the movie ended, I sat in complete amazement of how the director touched upon my life so accurately. I had felt the same emotions as Mason Jr. had in different circumstances. After seeing the audience’s reactions, it’s safe to say that this seemed to apply to everyone else.

The transformation of the father is also one of the most gratifying parts of the movie. In the beginning, he seems

By Charlotte Aaron Staff

One great aspect of Sodexo is that students can always count on the availability of bread, cereal, pizza, bagels and a variety of ice cream. Yet, for dairy and gluten free Maya Vasser ’16 and other students like her, Sodexo does not always have the same reliability. “It’s not that hard, but my options are very slim,” Vasser said. Gluten free for four years and just recently dairy free, Vasser does her best to diminish effects of her autoimmune disorder.

While her advice to any student in her situation is to go to Whole Foods, she cannot help but miss the luxury of just being able to grab a slice of pizza, and she often finds herself at the salad bar in Lower Usdan preparing a nutritious salad.

This week, for all the gluten and dairy free students at Brandeis, I would like to feature Vasser’s “NDNG” salad. The salad, light enough to be eaten on the side, but with the addition of chicken large enough to be a main course, will re-nourish your body on the coldest of winter days.

Ingredients spinach cucumbers tomatoes onions peppers chickpeas cranberries balsamic vinegar chicken from allergen room (optional)

Recipe Get a large bowl or plate and head directly to the salad bar. Fill the plate with spinach and add cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers and chickpeas. Vasser explained that it is important to have a significant amount of spinach, because it’s the base but to use only a few onions, as they taste best in small portions. If in Usdan, go to the allergen room and put chicken on top of salad. Depending on the day

in Sherman, gluten-free chicken may be available. Cut the chicken and add it to the salad. Return to the salad bar and drizzle balsamic vinegar over the salad. There should be enough vinegar to have some leftover on the bottom of the plate after you finish the salad.

While there are an infinite amount of salad combinations available, the NDNG will please both the taste buds and leave any gluten or dairy free student in good shape.

NDNG Vasser survives in Sodexo with her salad.

photo by charlotte aaron/the hoot

8 The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES

February 6, 2015

Seniors David Altman and Brad Burns form a BADASS team

By Jacob Edelman Editor

Neither David Altman ’15 nor Brad Burns ’15 participated in debate activities during high school.

However, years after leaving their respective hometowns of Newton and Beverly, MA, they have become staples of the Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society, also known affectionately by its acronym BADASS. Having both served as BADASS presidents, they are no strangers to the team. BADASS is currently the top debate team in the country, and is one of the only top-tier debate teams that doesn’t require tryouts. Both Altman and Burns rose from novice to the presidency along different paths.

“I saw a flyer on my hall, for a debate demo round. I attended and thought it was really enjoyable. The people were great, and I remember that the debate was very interesting. I liked the team, I was debating most weekends, and I served on the E-board in my first year. I wanted to continue doing that and moving up, and I ended up winning an uncontested election for president at the end of January of my sophomore year,” Altman said.

Burns, recalling his own rise, said, “I spent three years being really involved on the team, and while I ultimately loved it, I thought it could offer me and the university a lot more. Honestly, I was really interested in getting debate members more involved

in the campus community. People don’t necessarily know the team, so that was something I wanted to change. I desired to get people more involved in debate events and to get debaters more involved in campus events.”

Altman and Burns are both also highly involved in encouraging debate at the high school level. “There’s this great organization called the Boston Debate League (BDL), which is an urban debate league for primarily low-income [students] serving middle and high schools. During my freshman year, I went as a volunteer judge to a tournament. I got progressively more involved, and soon a man named Avi Bernstein-Nahar from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (BOLLI) approached the team and helped to put together a Brandeis hosted tournament for the BDL,” Altman explained.

“David’s more involved than I am, but for the past two years we’ve put on the BDL event here on campus and it’s been very successful. It’s been great to be able to bring the students here, give them a tour of the university and let them know that a great school like Brandeis is truly within their reach,” Burns added, who is the director of operations for the Brandeis Mentors for Urban Debate.

Recently, Altman and Burns attended and competed at the 2015 World Universities Debating Championship. This year’s tournament was hosted in Malaysia, having previously been hosted in

countries such as India, Germany, the Philippines and Botswana.

More than 400 teams of two come together for the tournament, conducted in English, to debate it out and eventually crown the best university debate team in the world. “We debated everything from family dynamics, to whether the U.S. government should cut internet access to Syria, to whether individuals should take moral enhancement drugs and should the medical technology come to exist,” Altman said.

This year Brandeis was ranked 69th, placing ahead of other U.S. teams such as Brown and Columbia. The University of Sydney was declared world champion after the final rounds of elimination.

Brandeis has sent teams the past few years. “[Brad and I] had a

NEWS

good team dynamic. We’re pretty laid back as debaters, and we have similar perspectives,” Altman said. “We’ve known each other since freshman year on the debate team, and we debate a few times a year, although when we started, we were just utter dorks.”

Altman says that he is very pleased with BADASS, noting that there exists a good balance of interests held among a very friendly group of people that also work to teach one another. He also commented that he is thankful for the generous funding the university provides, which helps facilitate the team’s ability to fully compete.

Burns attributes much of the team’s success to the extent at which older members of the team help newer members learn the ropes of debate. He also stated

photo courtesy david altman/the hoot

that he is thankful that the culture of BADASS has changed over time, noting, “People don’t feel that debate is the only thing they have to do on campus.”

As for the future, Altman jokingly suggested a career as debate emperor, but more seriously indicates a desire for being involved in public sector work, combining academic legal pursuits with real world interests. “I still need to pass volleyball to graduate, though.”

Burns plans to pursue graduate school and further his study of Chinese history, hoping to go into academia, remarking, “The funny thing is that when you want to go to academia, you’ve got to be open to go anywhere that’ll offer you a job. My future is very open in that respect.”

BIEI celebrates diverse experiences

By Charlotte Aaron Editor

On the evening of Jan. 30, students gathered in Chum’s Coffee House to attend the third annual “Dream Monologues—Moments of Transition,” a ’DEIS Impact event hosted

by Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative.

In past years, Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative (BIEI) was a group of students who worked with the administration to assure all undocumented Brandeis students would have the same experience at Brandeis as any other students. Additionally, they would assist students whose documents were not submitted on time and help ensure they could continue taking courses without any problems.

Since last year, Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative has grown and now has a large presence on campus as an active club. “We are working toward immigration education, immigration awareness, and we are hoping to be a lot more active with breaking down stereotypes of what it means to be an immigrant,” said BIEI Events Coordinator Marian Gardner ’18. Although only a first-year, she is not only an important member on the BIEI E-board, but also played an important role in planning the Dream Monologues.

The Dream Monologues is a collection of student performers who speak, sing and dance about anything related to immigration or “feeling displaced,” as described in the

’DEIS Impact pamphlet. The event served to give students on campus a new perspective on immigration and help them understand other students’ struggles as well as provide a place for students to express their feelings.

“I think a lot of the people that spoke up there, did a poem or singing or dance, I don’t think they have too many opportunities to express that part of their struggle—the struggle with identity, and so I think [the event] provide[d] a platform for that,” said Gardner.

The So Unique Step Team took the stage for the first act of the Dream Monologues. They performed an advanced step routine and handed the floor off to MC Keith Jones ’15, who introduced all of the performers before their acts. “The Dream Monologues event is such an important space for people to share their stories, and So Unique wanted to be a part of that experience,” said Stephanie Weinstein ’17, a member of So Unique. “Stepping is a way for us to express ourselves, and we can only hope we put a good beat down to start off the important opportunity for people to share their experiences,” Weinstein continued.

The following performances ranged from a solo dance by Stephanie Ramos ’15 with a Frank Ocean remix to poetry by first-year Herlyne Das and many others. The poetry was both light and humorous, such as “Nerd Sex” by Alina Pokhrel ’15 and others were serious and thought-provoking. “Why has my life already

been planned for me?” Das asked in one of her poems. She continued to speak about what it means to be a black woman. Das concluded her poem with the following statement: “As a black woman, I am human.”

In an emotional poem by Chinyere Brown ’17, she said, “I speak English, but do not speak the same language they speak here.”

A total of 12 performers took the stage over the course of the evening.

Refreshments were available in the back of the room, and about 70 students were in attendance. “I loved it!

It was incredibly inspiring and impassioned. I felt honored that I could be there for such an intense and truthful experience,” said Lexi Ouellette ’18. “Everybody was so good. I was really, really impressed,” said Gardner. “It takes a lot of courage to go up there and speak so openly about your struggles, so I think the honesty part of it was really successful.

And it seemed like the audience was very receptive and took something away from it and learned something,” Gardner continued.

Looking forward, Gardner can not wait to plan next year’s Dream Monologues. She hopes to add an even larger variety of performers and reach out to more students about coming to the event. To learn more about Brandeis Immigration Education Initiative, students can attend a meeting. “We are definitely looking for members if anyone is interested in joining,” said Gardner. The group meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the SSSP Lab in Usdan.

dream monologues

photos by andrew elmers/the hoot

ARTS, ETC.

February 6, 2015

By Michelle Kim

The Brandeis Hoot 9

Brandeis choreographer speaks about ‘Legally Blonde’

Editor

This March, Hillel Theater Group will be presenting “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” which is based off of the film starring Reese Witherspoon.

As with any musical, there will be exciting dance numbers. Lisa Petrie ’17, a choreographer for the Brandeis production and staff member for The Brandeis Hoot, gave some insight.

Brandeis Hoot: What do you love about “Legally Blonde?”

Lisa Petrie: I think “Legally Blonde” is such a great show because it’s not only fun, but it also has such a great message. The main character is someone who is judged for her appearance, but is able to prove to everyone that she is a lot more than she seems. I think this is an amazing message for people of all ages, but especially for girls, that you can do and be whatever you want. The other great thing about this musical is that Elle starts off trying to win the guy, but then realizes that what’s really important is

strike a pose

Petrie is a choreographer for the highly anticipated production of “Legally Blonde.”

succeeding for herself. This is an entirely new concept in relation to older musicals, and I think that’s a great change.

BH: What is your personal dance background?

LP: My personal dance background is pretty extensive, my mom put me in baby ballet classes when I was three,

and I’ve been hooked ever since! I’ve been taking ballet and tap since then, then I added on jazz, modern and contemporary. I also had small experiences with pointe and hip-hop, but those never really clicked with me. As for musical theater, I’ve been in productions since second grade.

BH: What has the choreography

Behind-the-scenes talent in the spotlight with ‘Tech Show’

By Sabrina Pond Staff

At any artistic performance, there are people in the stage light—those who are in public view, the main attraction of the show—and the techies, or those who make the show to happen. These people are never seen beyond the stage curtains, but they decorate the show, give it a touch of flair and make a finished piece that can be applauded. To recognize those people who are not typically seen, Brandeis Ensemble Theater and Brandeis Players presented “Apackalypse: The Tech Show,” a performance that was the result of the collaboration of the techies of the Undergraduate Theatre Collective in the SCC theater Jan. 30 and 31.

Although it may initially come off as a shock, there were no actors.

Those who were directly involved in the performance wore skin-tight black suits so as to blend in with the background, and that was completely purposeful. For the first time in a long time, the main players in a production were not humans. The protagonists were a backpack and a flower, and the storyline followed their adventures through the landscape.

Before the start of the show an announcer explained that this collaborative piece had been in the making for two weeks, and that many laughs were had over that short time. Thereafter she asked us, as an audience, to have our own laughs and enjoy the show not as a serious, philosophical creation, but as an interesting and fun artistic creation. Over the course of the performance, many laughs were shared among the crowd, especially when a camel, played by two techies, made its way into the audience and commenced kissing spectators.

The show showcased the greatest talents of the techies, who were crafty and ambitious in their understanding of sound, lighting and props. Though the main action of the collaboration

came off as silly and repetitive (one techie, dressed in one of the black body suits, waved the backpack in the air throughout the entire performance to simulate a backpack being blown by the wind), it was nonetheless stunning how well the techies knew how to use the surrounding elements to their advantage. With the smallest set changes, the setting completely changed.

As an audience member there was no question as to where the backpack had ended up, and it was all because of small, purposeful adjustments.

Going from the West, to a beach, to the ocean floor and finally space, the techies were creative in executing scene changes without closing the curtain. When the backpack made it to the ocean floor the techies flipped one prop piece, which had the look of the ocean floor on its bottom side. The texture was porous and spongy looking, just like the corals found deep in the ocean. Another techie let down a different prop from the ceiling, a fixture with green streamers hanging from it. Although simplistic, it was extremely reminiscent of seaweed, and really added to believability of the setting. All that, coupled with the

lighting and sound, really set the right tone for the scene.

In this case the techies also used calm background sounds that were unmistakably that of the deep echoing of the sweet sea. The backpack and turtle puppeteers were then able to move their respective objects in slow motion, as if the puppets were being carried by a current.

This meant that at times the techies moved the turtles or backpack in sudden, jerky movements, as the current controlled their path more than anything else. The UTC tried to make the movements of their props as credible as possible and had an absolute blast in the process, all the while letting the audience in on the laughter.

The Tech Show was meant to recognize the tech crew as a crucial asset to the making of a performance.

They may not always be appreciated for their unbelievable talents and contributions, but their efforts are necessary and usually fundamental to the creation of a truly remarkable show. The techies should never be forgotten or dismissed for their work, but they won’t let that happen regardless.

tech talent Students showcased their tech abilities.

photo by sabrina pond/the hoot

photo by emma hanselman/the hoot

process for this show been like?

LP: So far, we haven’t done a ton of choreography, but Mikah [Atkind ’16] and I work really well together, so it’s been really great so far. We choreographed a couple pieces for auditions, and they came together really quickly, and everyone loved them, so I’m really hoping it continues in that

vein.

BH: What is your favorite dance number from “Legally Blonde?”

LP: My favorite dance numbers are probably “Whipped Into Shape” and “Bend and Snap.” “Whipped Into Shape” is a really cool aerobic, jump roping piece, and I just think it’s so fun. It’s going to exhaust everyone in it though! The “Bend and Snap” is so iconic; that will probably be one of the audience’s favorites. The cast already loves doing the “Bend and Snap.”

BH: What else about the show are you excited for?

LP: I’m so excited to do all the choreography for “Legally Blonde.” I was a member of the Greek Chorus in my senior year of high school so being on the production staff for this musical is a dream come true. Working with the cast is so amazing, the production staff is so talented and fun, and this musical is just so entertaining, I can’t wait for it all to come together.

BH: Can people still audition?

LP: Unfortunately we are already pretty far in rehearsals so people can’t still audition. But, if you want to join in on the fun, tickets are on sale for March 26, 28 and 29.

42 By Linjie Xu

EDITORIALS

10 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

President should consult student opinion

Editor-in-Chief Dana Trismen Andrew Elmers

Senior Managing Editor Victoria Aronson Managing Editors Theresa Gaffney News Editors Emily Belowich Jess Linde Arts Editor Michelle Kim Sports Editor Sarah Jousset Deputy Opinions Editor Kevin Healey Deputy News Editors Charlotte Aaron Hannah Schuster Deputy Features Editor Jacob Edelman Senior Copy Editors Mia Edelstein Julie Landy Copy Editor Allison Plotnik Senior Layout Editor Sasha Ruiz Deputy Layout Editor Ludi Yang Graphics Editor Linjie Xu Website Editors Zak Kolar Zach Phil Schwartz

Volume 12 • Issue 4 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF

Clayre Benzadon, Ethan Berceli, Rachel Bossuk, Robin Briendel, Sharon Cai, Karen Caldwell, Shikha Chandarana, Curtis Zunyu He, Emma Kahn, Shayna Korol, Joe Lanoie, Nabi Menai, Monique J Menezes, Joon Park, Lisa Petrie, Sabrina Pond, Emily Scharf, Hannah Schuster, Marian Siljeholm, Eliana Sinoff, Emily Smith, Hannah Stewart, Joe Vigil, Michael Wang, Sophia Warren MISSION As the weekly community student newspaper of Brandeis University, The Brandeis Hoot aims to provide our readers with a reliable, accurate and unbiased source of news and information.

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

SUBMISSION POLICIES

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

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

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

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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 6, 2015

T

his past Friday, Jan. 30, Brandeis President Frederick M. Lawrence announced that he will resign from the university at the end of this academic year. After five years in the position, Lawrence leaves behind a mixed legacy. He inherited a series of problems, which he strove to combat, while also coming under constant fire.

When Lawrence took office, the university was experiencing serious financial trouble as a result of Bernie Madoff ’s Ponzi scheme and the 2008 recession.

Lawrence’s predecessor, Jehuda Reinharz, attempted to close and sell off works from the Rose Art Museum, which resulted in massive on-campus resistance.

The university is now thriving again financially. Lawrence noted in his email to the Brandeis community that the university’s endowment “has grown to its highest point ever.”

He also successfully re-opened and revitalized the Rose Art Museum, securing new exhibits

and hiring new board members. Considering where he started from, Lawrence has made commendable strides in improving the university during his relatively brief tenure. There are, however, issues which the editorial board feels Lawrence mishandled.

During Lawrence’s tenure, the university came under investigation for Title IX violations, and in response to the sexual assault protesters at the “Light of Reason” protest in September, Lawrence remarked, “We’re not here to protect you. We’re here to prepare you for the real world.” Students activists reacted harshly to the comments.

In an Oct. 9 editorial, The Brandeis Hoot criticized Lawrence’s decision to cut ties with Al-Quds University, stating that “Brandeis missed an opportunity to move forward by instantly judging the response from the Al-Quds administration, rather than seeking direct dialogue with the university.” We also felt he mishandled the controversy surrounding

Ayaan Hirsi Ali by failing to look close enough at Ali’s background before making the decision to award the honorary degree.

In a new university president, the editorial board would like to see a president who makes a larger effort to listen to student concerns. We would like the new president to improve transparency in regard to board of trustees meetings, but also take student feedback into account when making decisions that affect students.

Recently, several major and sudden decisions have been made, including the introduction of mandatory meal plans, a change that upset many students.

In the Oct. 9 editorial, The Hoot implored the university to listen to students recounting experiences at Al-Quds and their desire to reinstate the partnership. Moving forward, we would like to see more students involved in decision making as well as more information circulating throughout the entire Brandeis community.

SPORTS

February 6, 2015

SPORTS 11

Judges fall to Yellow Jackets

By Sarah Jousset editor

Sunday, Feb. 1 was not the Judges’ day as the men’s basketball team took on the University of Rochester in a University Athletic Association match up. Despite a packed house in Gosman, the pumped crowd couldn’t help the Judges make their shots, as they suffered a 78-50 loss to the Yellow Jackets.

Rochester pulled away early in the first half to put away the Judges at home on Sunday. The Judges fell to 7-11 on the season while the University of Rochester improved to 7-11.

The Judges played the Yellow Jackets close in the first few minutes, trail-

ing by one point after a lay-up by Connor Arnold ’15. However, the Judges’ defense couldn’t match up to the Yellow Jackets’ offense, as Rochester went on a 14-point run, which led to a score of 48-15 at the half.

The Yellow Jackets hit over 72 percent from the field to crush the Judges.

Jared Seltzer and Mack Montague led the way for the University of Rochester with a combined 35 points, while shooting 9-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc. Seltzer contributed 19 points to the Yellow Jackets win, while Montague added 16. Tyler Seidman joined his teammates in double-digits with 11 points, after coming in off the bench. Seltzer and Dylan Peretz each had five rebounds, while three Yellow Jackets each contributed four assists.

In the second half, the Yellow Jackets added 39 points to their lead.

Brandeis tried to fight back with a 18-6 run, cutting the deficit to 75-50 with fewer than three minutes remaining in the game. However, the University of Rochester scored the last three points of the game, bringing the final score to 78-50.

Brandeis was led by Tim Reale ’17 and Jordan Cooper ’18, each scoring nine points in the tough loss. KJ Baptiste ’18 and Samuel Dowden ’17 helped, as each brought down six rebounds. Arnold and Cooper topped off the stats for the Judges with two assists apiece.

The Judges face off against rival Emory on the road this Friday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. photo by sarah jousset/the hoot

Women give up close game to Rochester

By Curtis Zunyu He Staff

After ending their three-game skid with a convincing victory against Emory, the Brandeis women’s basketball team sought to extend their momentum further into the University Athletic Association conference with their game against the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets last Sunday, Feb. 1, as well. However, despite the Judges’ impressive effort throughout the game, it was the Yellow Jackets that turned out to be the survivor of this brutal combat with a final score of 62-61.

Guard Niki Laskaris ’16 had a gamehigh 17 points and a pair of backto-back clutch three-pointers, while the Yellow Jackets’ Alexandra Leslie carried the University of Rochester with 16 points and the game-winning free throw. After this loss, the Judges dropped to 10-8 and 2-5 within the UAA conference.

Despite the loss, the execution of the

Judges’ offense was highly efficient, giving the team chances both inside and outside the paint. Paris Hodges ’17, coming off the bench, stepped up from outside with three fast and clean jump shots, while starting forward Maria Jackson ’17 was the weapon inside with three offensive rebounds among the taller players from Rochester. Facing a distinct height disadvantage, it was fairly impressive that the Judges did a better job at rebounding with 20 rebounds to 19 for Rochester. “Rebounding is huge in winning a game because in close games, it all comes down to opportunities; we want to increase our opportunities by getting offensive rebounds,” said Heather Cain ’16.

The Judges went seven for 10 from the free throw line, while only two free throws were attempted by the Yellow Jackets. As Hannah Cain states, “They’re a half-court team … so we wanted a fast-paced game to get them out of their comfort zone.” It was clear that the Judges successfully put the

taller opponent onto a faster track and out of position so that fouls had to be given to stop the Judges’ attacks towards the rim.

Defensively, the Judges’ starters did a superb job, allowing three of the Yellow Jackets’ starters no baskets, which might have been the main reason for the Judges’ early seven to five lead. The team’s top stealer Hannah Cain ’15 snatched the ball from the opponent three times in the first half, and her effective defense also led to the team’s success on a few fast breaks which corresponded perfectly to the fastpaced energy of the game. However, the Judges seemed reluctant to completely close out to the Yellow Jackets’ shooters outside to disturb their shots.

But fortunately, Hannah Cain’s beautiful buzzer beating layup helped the Judges to finish the first 20 minutes with a 28 to 27 lead.

However, in the second half, the Yellow Jackets suddenly burst with their three pointers as they hit 6 out of 11 attempts, which easily turned the

momentum around. “Defensively, we could have done a better job of getting out to their shooters. Once a couple of 3’s have been made, shooters gain a ton of confidence which only helps players shoot better after that. They made big shots, which gave their team a lot of confidence and energy, which only helps teams play better,” said Heather Cain.

The Judges continued to play aggressively and attacked inside which gained them 12 points from 13 free throw attempts. The Judges maintained their faith and energy despite the Yellow Jackets’ outstanding offense. “I think our offense was pretty good down the stretch. I thought we did a good job of recognizing what the defense was giving us” said Heather Cain. She herself stepped up with 7 clutch points including a huge three pointer. “I guess I didn’t think too much of that shot alone, but more so on the momentum and energy we could gain from it.” The momentum remained for the Judges as everyone

was fighting for the offensive rebounds when the shots were missed down the stretch instead of giving up the possessions. And it was Maria Jackson who snatched a precious offensive rebound and assisted Niki Laskaris to finish her back-to-back three pointers and to tie the game. Unfortunately, the Judges missed the last shot.

According to Heather Cain, “The loss was definitely tough … It is a little disappointing that we didn’t come out with the win, but I don’t think it has lessened the team’s spirit considering the game could have gone either way.”

The Judges will face Emory University and the Rochester Yellow Jackets again on Friday at 6pm and Sunday at 2 pm, respectively, as the guest team.

“We play the same 2 teams this weekend so we are confident with the upcoming games because we are more aware of their strengths and what we need to do to stop them. We are getting better and better each week, and I am confident for the second half of the UAA schedule,” said Heather Cain.

OPINIONS

12 The Brandeis Hoot

February 6, 2015

Univ. needs to phase out Brandeis Open network, improve eduroam

By Zach Phil Schwartz Editor

On a daily basis, Brandeis students normally have a lot to deal with: studying, working, eating and sleeping. With all that we go through, we shouldn’t have to worry about our Internet access, which for some has been looping in and out of connectivity. For others, this problem is compounded with previous computer history and a quickness to connect to the now obsolete Brandeis Open network. The time has come to pull the plug on the outdated network.

Last year, Brandeis made the switch over to the new eduroam network system. It is supposed to be faster and is already a standard at other colleges. For example, my phone was able to connect to an eduroam hotspot at Middlebury College last week thanks to Brandeis’ use of the system. It has the potential to be very helpful, but that potential is restrained by problems with connectivity here. Recently, for some students, connectivity to the Wi-Fi network has been spotty, causing unnecessary headaches for students who actually need to use the network.

I can’t pretend to know why the network is doing that, but I can tell you that for some, especially those students who have connected to Brandeis Open in the past, the headaches get worse.

Computers have a tendency to remember past networks, so students who have used the older Brandeis Open network in the past end up connecting to that

older, obsolete system once the current eduroam network starts to freak out. It goes on to add insult to injury when the welcome page to Brandeis Open urges students to switch over to eduroam. Thanks, Brandeis, but I was trying to do that anyway.

“But Zach,” one might say, “can’t we just get our computers to forget the Brandeis Open network?” Well that should work, but that old network finds its way back onto our computer screens. During one of the eduroam disconnection/reconnection fiascos, my computer just so happened to take a liking to Brandeis Open—a network that I had never before joined.

Now, my computer likes to connect to that system whenever eduroam likes to stop working.

It’s unavoidable, outdated and needs to be ejected from our WiFi network lists.

Today, the purpose of the Brandeis Open network is chiefly for Wi-Fi-ready systems that don’t have the capacity reserved for computers to sign into the Brandeis servers with UNet IDs and passwords: video game consoles, Wi-Fi ready televisions, et cetera. It also serves as a network for older devices and media players, according to the LTS welcome page.

At a university where Ethernet LAN has more or less been outlawed, Wi-Fi is a student’s only access to the Internet, and LTS should be able to provide a working eduroam system that is able to sustain long-term connections for everyone on this campus. Obviously, this isn’t

photo by linjie xu/the hoot

the case, which is why resources from the outdated network need to be reallocated to the eduroam system. If the university can totally discontinue Brandeis Open and restribute its resources, it’s possible that we can be able to have a better eduroam that allows Brandeis students to access the internet at top capacity.

We are left, however, with the

problem of the other Brandeis networks, Brandeis Guest and Brandeis Secure. These two can be consolidated with Brandeis Open into a newer, independent for guests and non-computer Wi-Fi enabled devices. In this way, there can be fewer networks to connect to, leading to a consolidated system that would cost less to maintain. This system

should require little oversight with a basic coffee shop-like login system that would require fewer resources. With this setup guests can easily access Wi-Fi while on campus without hindering students.

Eduroam, Brandeis’ new WiSee EDUROAM, page 15

Eliana’s Advice: Handling Valentine’s Day and the diseased

By Eliana Sinoff Staff

Dear Eliana, Valentine’s Day is coming up and there’s this guy in my anthropology lecture that I kinda sorta like, and I thought it might be nice to get him something for Valentine’s Day. I know we’re not handing out cards in kindergarten anymore, but I can still be romantic. Is there anyway I can go about doing this without completely creeping him out? I want him to notice me, but I don’t want to scare him away. How do I tell him how I feel without leaving myself completely vulnerable to being crushed?

-Pounding Heart Dear Pounding Heart, It’s adorable that you want to make a romantic gesture, but I would be very careful in this situation. The first factor you want to consider is how well you know this guy. Is he a friend, someone you speak to occasionally, or is he just the cute guy in your class that you daydream about, but have never met before? If you are friends, you can get him a small gift or a card that lets him know you want to take things to the next level. If he is an acquaintance, you can send him a flirty little something or other so that he gets the message that you’re interested. If you don’t know him at all, there is not really a good way I can think of to send him something without it seeming really creepy. In that case, he might not know who you are, so sending him something out of the

photos from internet source

blue will come across as a tad stalker-ish. The above is just my opinion, so definitely make your own judgment about what is appropriate. If you are worried about getting crushed, I would keep whatever you do on the small side. That way, it’s more low risk if he doesn’t feel the same way.

I hope this helps. Happy early Valentine’s Day! -Eliana Dear Eliana, Both of my roommates came down with the flu. How do I deal with this safely?

-Sick Room in Shapiro Dear Sick Room in Shapiro, The flu is the worst, and as you probably already know, you should avoid it. First thing first, I hope you got your flu shot this year, because that helps a lot. If you haven’t had it yet, you can go to the Health Center or certain drug stores to get that done. Next, make sure you are washing your hands and sanitizing your room as much as possible. Also, avoid touching your roommates at all costs.

If you are feeling super paranoid, you can also see if a healthy friend will let you stay with them until the danger

passes. At the same time, you can be a good person by bringing your roommates soup and medicine.

Stay healthy!

-Eliana Dear Eliana, I’m in a lot of groups on campus, and that means I tend to be rather busy. Things go all right for a while, but I inevitably end up forgetting something important I need to do.

How can I keep track of all my commitments?

-Overbooked Dear Overbooked, There are so many fun extracurricular activities at Brandeis that it is easy to get involved in all of them without realizing you don’t have the time. One option is to drop something. The sad reality is that there are only so many hours in the day, and aside from extracurriculars, there are also classes to worry about. If you are having a hard time keeping track of everything you have to do, the best thing for you right now might be to take a break from one of your groups.

If all of your groups are extremely important to you, you can take on a less active role by just being a member rather than a leader with lots of re-

sponsibility. Another part of it is just being organized. Get a planner and write down everything you need to do so you don’t miss anything. Make schedules for yourself so you can stay on top of things.

Go get things done!

-Eliana Dear Eliana, After last week’s double snow day, I never took the time to clean off my car, and now the snow and ice has compacted on top of it to create an impenetrable force field. I’ve been using the BranVan to get back and forth to campus, but I’m going to need to be able to get in my car in order to head back home for the break, and I don’t think its going to thaw anytime soon.

What’s the best way to chip away at the ice? I can’t even open the backdoor to get the scraper. Can I just set fire to the car?

-Frozen Dear Frozen, I really don’t know much about cars, but from what I’ve heard, setting fire to the car might chip the paint a bit. To answer your other question, I searched on Google “how to get ice off a car” and got some tips that I will share with you. The first web-

site said that you should smack the hood of your car with your hand (not a hammer or piece of wood) to break up a thin layer of ice. It also said to start the car and turn on the heater and defrosters so things can melt, but keep an eye on it so your engine doesn’t overheat. You can also pour winter windshield washer fluid on the windows to melt the ice. Some other suggestions I came across were using an old credit card to scrape ice and some other homemade concoctions that will melt the ice. I hope these help! I also highly suggest checking out Google yourself, because people have a lot of ideas and I’m afraid of telling you something wrong.

-Eliana Dear Readers, If you can’t already tell, this is an advice column, and I’m here to help you with any questions that you might have! If you want more exciting questions, send them in, and I will do my best to answer them.

Whether it’s relationships, social problems or just life in general—send them here. I can’t wait to start hearing about everyone’s problems (how often do you hear people say that? Oh yeah, never). Send questions to Elianasadvice@gmail.com.

Thanks! -Eliana

February 6, 2015

OPINIONS 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Maximizing efficiency, minimizing employee dignity

By Jake Greenburg Special to the Hoot

On Nov. 21, 1910, Louis Brandeis popularized a revolutionary economic theory called scientific management. This theory argued for businesses to focus on raising their efficiency to lower their production costs and in turn increase their total revenue.

Scientific management has been hallowed by many economists and business leaders and has been applied to almost every industry since its formation. Unfortunately, as I endeavored to place an order at Brandeis University’s own Louis’ Deli, I saw how this innovative economic theory had been horribly corrupted.

After reading Frederick Winslow Taylor’s “Shop Management” Brandeis suggested “improving business methods” in a way that lowered management costs and raised wages. As explained in Oscar Kraines book, “Brandeis’ Philosophy of Scientific Management,” Brandeis believed better business methods meant improving the firms “themselves” by limiting “reckless expansion,” which would “narrow down the margin of economic safety.” By increasing their efficiency, most companies could lower their costs of production, charge the same prices and still gain more revenue. Through his research, Brandeis promoted the idea that revenue gains can be best achieved through maximizing economic efficiency.

However, the idea of managing economic efficiency has be-

come more owner-oriented since Brandeis’ promotion of scientific management. It has transformed into automation of tasks through technology and deskilling of labor among the lowest paid employees in any given industry. Both of these practices allow business owners to reap the economic benefits of the modified management system and have been applied to the retail, public service and even food industries.

The adulteration of scientific management was the source of my discomfort as I entered Louis’ Deli and attempted to order food.

As a first-year student, I was initially excited about all of the food choices offered at the deli. I also thought that the touch-screen devices in Upper Usdan were signs of Brandeis University’s modernity. However, this excitement quickly diminished after I asked an employee, “What’s your most popular item?”

Unfortunately, when I asked the deli employee this question, along with other inquiries like, “What toppings go well with a brisket sandwich?” and “Should I get this sandwich pressed?” I was repeatedly left with a confused stare and no direct answer. The worker clearly wanted to help, as evidenced by the fact that he led me towards to the touch-screen module to demonstrate how to pick from the food choices. However, I sensed that the employee had little understanding of what he was serving, and that he was put into this position because technology came before him in handling serSee SERVICE, page 15

photo by katherine selector/the hoot

Dean’s list not a marker of success

By Andrew Elmers Editor

Everyone likes to be acknowledged for their accomplishments.

It makes you feel good. Not to go on a cliched rant, but nowadays, awards are handed out a lot more liberally than before. That isn’t necessarily a problem when a seven-year-old gets a ribbon for showing up to every Little League practice. That’s for a child, and at that age they are nowhere close to being mature enough to understand the lack of significance that comes with this handout. They just like being handed something nice.

But at every stage in life, there are awards that are handed out, and the older you get, the more respect comes with receiving something of that sort. Adults aren’t looking to get a ribbon for showing up to work every day, but when they are selected as top salesperson, that actually means something. The same is true for those in college. While the most important types of awards are those that come along with money, like a scholarship, others recognize great sacrifices or achievements. Yet the one award or achievement that has oversaturated the college landscape is the classic dean’s list.

Used to highlight Brandeis students who have recorded at least a 3.50 GPA for the semester, the dean’s list is a completely superfluous accomplishment. Nothing is required to make it beyond having a certain GPA, so it would simply be easier to just post someone’s GPA instead of giving them

a haughty status. Yes, it is easier to mention that you have made the dean’s list all four years of college in conversation, and it’s a nice addition to a resume, but people don’t need to be bragging to begin with. Simply graduating from Brandeis should be enough to let a potential employer know that you are somewhat intelligent.

In my experience, it is not necessarily students who get caught up about making the dean’s list or not. Most students are just happy to pass a class, which basically means getting at least a B, and are excited when they get an A. No one goes around actually thinking that making the dean’s list matters, except for parents.

Parents are more than allowed to feel proud of their children for doing well in college. They’re the ones who are either paying for it to begin with or have made other great sacrifices to get their children there. But some parents, just like those driving around with “Hamilton Middle School Honors Student” bumper stickers, become obsessed with the accomplishments of their children, and the dean’s list only feeds their addiction.

I work at the front desk of Academic Services, and a parent called in recently wondering when her daughter’s dean’s list letter was going to arrive. I had no idea how to answer her question or where to direct her, because I’ve never given a thought about making sure I’ve received a dean’s list letter even though I’ve made the list in the past, and I wanted to save her the embarrassment of someone making a lot more than

photo from internet source

the minimum wage tell her that she’s crazy. This mother was adamant, however, that she eventually receive the letter certifying that her daughter made the dean’s list, although her daughter had probably already told her what her GPA for the semester was. Or the daughter could have completely lied to her mother, said that she had made the dean’s list when really she failed all her classes, and that would just wind up being an even more interesting scenario.

Nevertheless, I suspect this mother wanted the physical letter just to prove to some neighbor or in-law that her daughter is doing well. Living vicariously through your children is a great plan to avoid that mid-life crisis, so I can’t really blame her. I see it all the time when I’m at home. In the local paper, there’s always announcements as to who made the

dean’s list, and it is usually for the same people. While I’m sure there a lot more people from my town who make the dean’s list at their respective schools that those that are announced, it is simply a result of a certain breed of parents who absolutely must share their child’s accomplishments to the world.

I would like to say that my parents aren’t like this, but I can’t.

Over the last winter break, after I found out all my grades and shared them with my parents, my father asked me if I made the dean’s list. I told him I probably didn’t, but that it really doesn’t matter due to the reasons stated above. Instead, what matters is finding a job. Making the dean’s list all eight semesters of college does not put food on the table or a roof over your head.

So for those parents who are

looking for something to brag about, wait until your child can support themselves fully, because that’s when you’ve finished your job as a parent. All of that responsibility of raising a child is gone after they’re able to feed and house themselves without having to look to their parents for support.

The university should do away with the dean’s list and instead provide a list of those graduates who have jobs. That should be the ultimate goal we aim for as students, and should be what makes our parents proud, not a somewhat arbitrary calculation of how much effort was put into a class.

They can even still call it the dean’s list, just reassure students that the real point of going to college is to get a job. Unless there aren’t any graduates who have secured a job, which would just be horrifying.

14 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

February 6, 2015

Counseling center should focus on thesis stress

photo from internet source

By Joe Lanoie Staff

You will be seeing less of my column in The Hoot. No, it’s not due to resignation, nor editorial censorship. I will be here less due to the issue of prioritizing my time. I am a senior, and because I hate myself and want to contribute to academia, I am doing a thesis about American Catholicism and the Second Vatican Council, known as Vatican II. Hopefully, I will finish it and do

well. It is at this point I am getting crushed for time and emotionally stressed. Over the year, the emails I have received from the school about working on my thesis mainly concerned academic citation and research assistance. Preventing plagiarism, improper citations and research needs are important, but there has not been a single email about mental and emotional issue help.

Neither Academic Services nor the Psychological Counseling Center (PCC) has a support group for thesis and senior essay students. The PCC helps those

transitioning to Brandeis, coping with stress and loss, international students, meditation, social skills and sexual assault victims, all of which Academic Services advertises. Thesis and senior essay students undergo both academic and personal stresses while writing these works. Psychological groups concerning theses and senior essays should be created to cater to the mental needs of our senior community undergoing this monumental task.

Thesis students suffer emotional problems brought about by taking the task, including

the constant comparison to other seniors. Every moment adds stress and anxiety to their lives.

Some do not wish to burden their friends and family, me included, with the added stress to their lives regardless of origin, including my thesis. More likely than not, I bottle it up until I cry explosively, leading to homesickness, loneliness, depression and other issues. The PCC deals with all these issues, but not specifically when they are caused by theses. The only mental assistance the PCC has is in this realm is individual: one-on-one therapy. Individual visits help a lot, but it still only makes me focus on myself and my insecurities. With anxiety, I compare myself to the ideal that I hold in my heart and see in others. This leads to a self-perpetuating cycle of despair and sloth, following the path of insecure sadness.

By sponsoring a thesis student support group, the university would let seniors collaborate and know they are not alone in this struggle. It could happen in the PCC and would be open to all majors. Meeting biweekly, it would let those undergoing the thesis or senior essay talk about personal insecurities. Dealing with a missed deadline is mental torture, but seeing another miss a deadline allows comforting another with their own experience and elicits feelings of relief.

Having an arena in which to rant to others about the emotional roller coasters without fear of burden or disclosing would be beneficial. What is said in that room stays there. Peer discussion lets the person know they are not alone. Personally, I feel so alone in this. I missed a deadline and

everyone else is ahead of me. I’m behind and lost. Everyone else has it together and is moving full steam ahead. My advisor can only do so much to quell my academic fears, but my emotional fears run 24/7. Attending a support group run by the PCC would show me that everything I said applies to others as well, but actually make me feel it. There is a difference between knowing and feeling. I know that the Earth changes between seasons, but I only feel it on a nice spring day with snow melting. Senior thesis students need emotional help, and this would provide it. For a university that claims it to be run on the merits of social justice, they seem to ignore this.

Forming a PCC-sponsored therapy group for thesis and senior essay writers would show that the school cares about the experiences seniors feel and face.

Theses are the constant babies of our senior year lives; when we are focused on them, we feel as though our efforts are not enough. Every moment spent away from them shames oneself into thinking on them. Having other classes, doing work for them becomes guilt-filled as it is a moment I am not working on the thesis. As the weeks to come pass, I know I’ll get more and more of the thesis done, but a discussion with others going through the same emotions I am would be beneficial. Emotional support is something that is lacking on campus, even among friends. So to quote Richard Nixon, let me make this perfectly clear to my friends, allies and acquaintances: If you see me on campus, give me a hug. For the rest of the semester, I’ll need it.

Technology assistance could be more accessible

By Kevin Healey Editor

I’m not much of a technology person. I mean, I’m not the kind of person who has to search out each key on the keyboard in order to type, and I never use AltaVista in an attempt to find my email account. I’ve never shoved a floppy disk into my CD drive, but I can’t tell you what HTML stands for. That being said, when my computer flashes warning messages that there is some kind of issue with my firewall or system settings or network availability, I never exactly know how to solve it.

I assume, based on the popularity of the Library Help Desk, that I’m not alone in my skill set.

In fact, based on the number of people I regularly see at the desk it wouldn’t surprise me if every Brandeis student uses their services at least once over their academic career. Knowing just how important and how well used the help desk is, one would expect their functioning to be well planned and effective. Unfortunately, that’s not entirely so.

To illustrate, let me tell you about my last visit to the desk. I had been having issues connecting to the wireless network and I wasn’t sure exactly what the problem was. I approached the counter and asked if someone could help me. The man told me

to wait there, and I proceeded to spend 15 minutes waiting for someone to help me. I could see people going into and out of the office, but none would come over to me or make eye contact. Eventually, a woman came over and asked me what was wrong. I told her I couldn’t connect to the network, and she asked me for my laptop. When I gave it to her, she stared at me and inquired, “Don’t you carry around a case?” I had always used the laptop compartment of my backpack, and I didn’t realize it was a problem.

However, the way she asked me that question, as if any reasonable person would know that I was doing something obviously wrong, completely robbed me of my confidence.

In the end, I never learned what was wrong with my laptop.

After a while, the woman handed it back to me and told me the issue was fixed, but didn’t say how.

If I ever experience that problem again, I’ll have no way of addressing it or solving it short of going back to the desk.

My visit to the help desk revealed a number of basic problems with the status quo. Firstly, I never actually learned the answer to my problem. It may be the stated purpose of the help desk to solve computer issues, but the best way to solve common problems over the long term is to teach people how to solve their problems. Most computer issues

aren’t caused by some freak occurrence on a laptop, but a user making some error, from going to virus-prone websites to drinking coffee in bed while writing a paper. Educating people about what they did well and might need to work on could really help the help desk improve its operations.

Similarly, the help desk would work a lot better if it could better engage its customers. Forcing people to wait long periods of time and then making them feel ignorant about their issues isn’t an effective way to help people fix their technology issues. In fact, this type of customer service is more likely to make people uncomfortable going to the

help desk in the future. As is, I’m certainly unwilling to head to the help desk if I think I can figure the problem out on my own.

This is a real problem for accessibility on campus. Everyone comes into Brandeis with different technological skills. Some people are simply more attuned to how computers work, some went to high schools with expensive computer labs, and some people never had the opportunity to work on a home computer, or didn’t get the latest technology.

One’s wealth or socioeconomic class shouldn’t affect their ability to succeed here, but if we have no way to bridge the digital divide, that’s exactly the consequence.

Every day, my professor posts

an article or reading to LATTE. I have worked in a newspaper doing layout, edited and watched videos for debate and browsed the web to find the latest Super Bowl Left Shark memes. In short, I use technology everyday simply to survive on campus. Access to technology is key on our campus, and we need to level the playing field in any way possible to ensure that success.

All in all, we need to guarantee that our help desk really helps our people. We shouldn’t be divided by our past, nor should we be united by the terrible service we experience when our laptops break. Our help desk might be broken, but with a little reform it could be back on track.

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February 6, 2015

OPINIONS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Sodexo must balance efficiency and customer service SERVICE, from page 12

vice. From my experience at Louis’ Deli and other Sodexo locations, I have found productive efficiency to be especially demeaning to workers and frustrating to customers. These practices are contradictory to Brandeis’ original vision of scientific management.

Specifically, Brandeis argued, “The greater productivity of la-

bor must … [be] attainable under conditions consistent with … the enjoyment of work, and the development of with individual.” Therefore, positions should improve the individual’s knowledge or ability in a specific industry, and must be intrinsically rewarding to the worker, something that cannot be achieved through awkward interactions behind paper order forms and touch-screen devices.

In order to alleviate this problem, I encourage companies like Sodexo, and other service providers, to give their employees extra responsibility and knowledge over the services that they are providing. At Louis’ Deli specifically, this means taking away the touch screen entirely, and possibly requiring the employees to read a deli cookbook, as part of their pre-work training (I personally

recommend “The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook” by Sharon Lebewohl an Rena Bulkin). I also suggest that companies like Sodexo require their employees to shift their positions periodically so that they gain a wider array of experience and face less monotony from their work. This process will increase employees’ knowledge in the industry, give them more dignity and generally improve their

relationship with the customers they serve.

At the end of the day, it would be great to be able to go to Louis’ Deli and have a genuine conversation with one of the employees about the deli’s sandwiches. This amended application of scientific management is a small step towards social justice, which Brandeis aspired for and can be achieved here at Brandeis University.

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Brandeis Open shuts out network users

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EDUROAM, from page 12

connectivity issues. Regardless Fi network meant to provide of their cause, allocating more easier and faster Internet access resources to LTS to rectify the for students, is faced with several issues from the relatively unused

Brandeis Open network should help in this situation. Phasing out the Brandeis Open and Brandeis Guest networks and creating a

new network can help with connectivity issues and still have two distinct usable and working networks. In this day and age and at

a school where Wi-Fi is the only source of Internet access, this is a situation that needs fixing, and it needs fixing now.

16 The Brandeis Hoot

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

SUNSET Winter evening at the Usdan Student Center

PATH Students make their way through snow

ICICLES Water freezes on the roof of Usdan

BRIGHT Sun glares over campus

February 6, 2015

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

photo by karen caldwelli/the hoot

SNOW North Quad is covered in snow

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot