The Brandeis Hoot 01/16/2015

Volume 12 Number 1

www.thebrandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

Online controversy provokes intense debate

Rev. Walter Cuenin departs Brandeis on short notice

By Dana Trismen Editor

Rev. Walter Cuenin, the longtime Brandeis University Catholic chaplain and coordinator of the Multifaith Chaplaincy, has left Brandeis with little fanfare due to medical reasons.

“The Archdiocese has informed us that Fr. Walter Cuenin’s appointment at Brandeis has ended for health reasons. Out of respect for his privacy we have been asked to not comment further,” wrote Dean of Students Jamele Adams in a recent email to all Brandeis students. Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel responded similarly in an email to The Brandeis Hoot: “The university respects Walter’s privacy, so we will not comment further beyond hoping he is able to return to health.”

Father Cuenin was a popular figure on campus, well-known and beloved by students regardless of their faith. He received

his bachelor’s degree from Saint John’s Seminary in 1967 before studying at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a degree in sacred theology in 1969. From there, he was ordained as a priest in 1970. He has worked in many parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston and has taught theology.

“He is a smart and genuine person and one who demonstrates excellent leadership. In his masses, he always made sure to acknowledge and welcome any students, family or staff attending who were of other religions. I think he made a lot of close and irreplaceable connections with the Brandeis community,” said Matthew Chamberlain ’15, in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. Chamberlain stated that Cuenin inspired him to attend mass every Sunday.

Cuenin had recently gained the support of other students on campus by displaying a large gay pride flag in honor of LGBT History Month. He also lay a

January 16, 2015

By Victoria Aronson Editor

photo from internet source

pink cloth over the altar to show support during Breast Cancer Month. In an article by The Hoot from October 2014, Cuenin stated that there is “No point to come here and pray if you aren’t actually going to do something See CUENIN, page 2

In the wake of the controversy sparked by the tweets of student Khadijah Lynch ’16 published by Daniel Mael ’15 on Dec. 20 to conservative news website Truth Revolt over winter break, the safety of students and the nature of race relations on campus have surged to the forefront of campus discussions.

Lynch, who was attacked for her allegedly insensitive tweets following the December murders of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, was the target of multiple death threats and demands for expulsion. These comments stemmed from her fellow students, alumni and university parents, as well as external parties.

Mael’s article, which has garnered over 87,000 likes on Facebook alone, published tweets from Lynch’s personal Twitter

account, which included statements such as, “I have no sympathy for the NYPD officers who were murdered today.” The tweets have since been deleted, and Lynch’s account has been made private. Neither Lynch nor Mael responded to requests for comment.

Following the article’s publication, a public Facebook group titled “Expel Khadijah Lynch from Brandeis” was created with the intent of demanding Lynch’s expulsion from the university, although it has since been removed. The group, whose stated purpose was “to get this woman expelled from Brandeis and exposed for the racist that she is,” featured alumni and parents but was created by individuals not affiliated with Brandeis.

In light of the overwhelming harassment and threats See TWEETS, page 10

Sheila McMahon returns to position with Prevention Services

By Hannah Schuster Staff

Brandeis University’s Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Specialist Sheila McMahon returned to campus on Dec. 15, following a period spent on academic leave. McMahon departed in September in order to complete her dissertation with the Rutgers School of Social Work.

McMahon’s dissertation focused on sense of community among college students.

Working with other social work students, she analyzed the impact of an implicit curriculum—those elements which are not part of a class, but are part of a university’s culture and affect students.

“The implicit curriculum is the independent variable but then those factors get mediated by students’ sense of community and the questions for the dissertation is whether or not those factors of implicit curriculum and sense of community make students feel more empowered,” McMahon explained in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot.

She feels her research will translate to her work at Brandeis in terms of connecting the elements of the Brandeis implicit curriculum to the aspects of her office.

She also plans to examine

Inside this issue:

Brandeis’ sense of community and its mediating factors in conjunction with student empowerment.

During her time away from campus, McMahon believes that the university made very good progress in the area of sexual services and feels lucky to have great colleagues who were able to step in.

She cites Rani Neutil, who works with several prevention services on campus and is available for confidential discussions, and Lisa Hardej of Academic Services, who held office hours in the Office of Prevention Services during McMahon’s absence. “[Hardej] has a lot of positive relationships with students, and is a good listener, so I felt her work with students dropping in who needed support was really important,” said McMahon. Kristen Huang, recently hired in September, worked with the Rape Crisis Center.

McMahon also praises the students who have worked diligently on various projects, including Brandon Weintraub ’16 who has constructed the bystander training program, and the three students hired to organize the Rape Crisis Center, Victoria Jonas ’15, Sam Daniels ’16 and Ava Blustein ’15.

See MCMAHON, page 8

News: Survey underway around Usen Castle Page 2 Arts, Etc.: “Into the Woods” disappoints Page 7 Opinion: Midyear students need more support Page 13 Sports: Women’s basketball continues strong start Page 4 Editorial: Campus allies can be promoted more Page 10

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

senior midyear exhibition

Senior Fine Arts students display their artwork on campus. Read more in our Arts, Etc. section on page 16.

Social media campaign rallies community

By Jess Linde Editor

Brandeis students rallied around the university in an online campaign this winter break, using the hashtag “Brandeis Is Our House” to title positive stories about their experiences at the school. Kelsey Sagaloff ’15 started the campaign following social media reaction to an article written by Daniel Mael ’15, on Truth Revolt, a conservative news and commentary website.

Mael’s article published multiple tweets by Khadijah Lynch ’16, in which Lynch expressed “no

sympathy” for NYPD officers murdered on Dec. 20. The article caused an uproar online, both in reaction to Lynch’s statements, and what some students saw as incitement to bullying by Mael, resulting in threats of violence to both parties. Brandeis met harsh criticism at the hands of off-campus outlets, such as the conservative publication The Daily Caller.

Criticisms ranged from Lynch’s rhetoric to calling Brandeis a hotbed of “leftist indoctrination.”

Thus, the #BrandeisIsOurHouse campaign was conceived.

“A little before winter break, I met with [Senior Vice President

Union VP Resigns

Resting Period

News: Page 9

Ops: Page 12

Sofia Muhlmann informs community of decision to move on from Student Union in email

for Students and Enrollment] Andrew Flagel about social media, so social media campaigns were buzzing in my head,” Sagaloff told The Hoot in an email.

“I decided that to combat the anger online, people could just post [their] good memories of Brandeis.” Sagaloff also reached out to her friends and Brandeis student leaders for advice on how to refine the idea. The specific hashtag came after seeing a Facebook status by Ariel Chasen ’16 that quoted a speech given by Dean of Students Jamele Adams See OUR HOUSE, page 8

Students need time between moving back to campus and start of classes for spring semester

NEWS

January 16, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 2

Brandeis to hire new Catholic chaplain From CUENIN, page 1

in the world.” He stated that he hoped that with the displays, students would be reminded to do just that. “We have to bring our life to the world,” he added.

Cuenin also said that he took his role as a confidential resource on campus very seriously, and he hoped that more students would feel welcome to talk with him as a result of the displays.

Cuenin was also known for his annual trip to Rome, the city where he had studied and been ordained.

For years, students interested in Italy and the Catholic religion (regardless of their actual declared faith) were encouraged to attend, with Cuenin acting as tour guide.

Cuenin had been making arrangements and amassing a group to attend this year, before plans changed. In an email sent to students involved in this year’s Rome trip, Cuenin wrote, “I regret that I have to cancel the Rome trip due to medical issues.

I am just not up to doing it this year … I am in a clinic in Michigan for treatment. Prayers please and Happy New Year.”

Chamberlain was one of the students planning to attend the Rome trip this year.

“I was interested in the Rome trip mainly because I’ve never been to a foreign country outside of the continent, and it was an incredible opportunity to learn

about religion and the culture of Rome. I was most looking forward to the Italian food and the locations we were going to visit,” Chamberlain said. “When I found out it was canceled, I was certainly disappointed, but I was considerably more concerned for Father Cuenin’s well-being. I can only hope for his recovery at this point.”

As stated, Brandeis administration members have refused to comment on the exact circumstances of Cuenin’s illness and departure.

This is partly because (as Flagel stated): “Our Catholic chaplain role is an agreement between Brandeis and the Boston Diocese.” When contacted, Cuenin himself did not comment, simply saying: “I don’t think I can [respond to questions] as I am in a clinic in Michigan.”

When asked interview questions, Protestant Chaplain Matt Carriker provided a collective response from the chaplaincy team: “The Brandeis Multifaith Chaplaincy wishes Fr. Cuenin a return to full health. The Division of Student Life is actively engaged in efforts to ensure that the needs of the Catholic Community on campus are met. All of the chaplains are available to the student community for spiritual and pastoral support, through this difficult time and always.”

Brandeis has arranged for Cuenin’s responsibilities to be covered on campus. “As our Catholic Chaplain comes to us

photo from internet source

father cuenin

Here Cuenin (left) stands with Brandeis University President Frederick Lawerence (right).

from the Archdiocese of Boston, we are working with them and will be meeting with our Catholic parishioners, both students and greater community members, about a process for identifying a new Catholic Chaplain.

In the meantime, Sister Marie, who has long worked within our community, is assisting us in making sure Services are available this weekend,” wrote Adams in his email to the student body.

“We are continuing to work with

the Archdiocese to learn whom will cover Services henceforth.

In place of our regular Sunday evening Service in the Bethlehem Chapel, there will be transportation provided to attend Service in Newton.”

Usen Castle starts beginning stages of renovation processs

By Emily Smith Staff

Usen Castle and Schwartz Hall will be undergoing an engineering survey and renovations in an effort to modernize the two buildings. Vice President for Operations Jim Gray announced the school’s plans for the survey and renovations in an email to students in mid-December.

The Castle is the oldest building on the Brandeis campus, built in 1928 as part of Middlesex College of Medicine and Surgery and was later converted into student housing. As the oldest building, the Castle has experienced maintenance and structural issues over the years, issues that the university has been working to correct and prevent. The engineering survey being conducted on the Castle will look at the interior and exterior of the building as part of the renovations and renewals that the university is planning.

Campus Operations will be taking various precautions to ensure the safety of Brandeis students during the survey and renovations. Gray, in a campus-wide email, encouraged students to “please be aware that the study of the exterior, and the changes in weather, can pose a serious danger of falling debris, especially with a facility like the Castle.” He explained that the building will be roped off in order to protect students from any potential dangers that the construction and survey may pose. The roof of the Castle will remain off-limits for the duration of the survey and construction.

According to the Department of

Community Living, Usen Castle and Schwartz Hall house 120 students and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to residences, the Castle houses a pottery studio open for student use. The Castle was set to undergo repairs in 2012.

In October of 2011, Castle residents with broken windows had rooms reaching freezing temperatures. Castle residents frequently complain of inadequate or broken heating, as well other structural issues that come

with the building’s age. The Brandeis Hoot reported that in 2009, portions of the Castle roof collapsed after a rainstorm, damaging the property of Castle residents. The university has delayed many repair projects set to occur in 2008 and cut back on maintenance due to economic problems, causing the Castle to fall further into disrepair.

Usen Castle has served many different purposes over the years. As part of Middlesex College of Medi-

cine and Surgery, it housed lecture halls, administrative offices and labs.

For the survey, engineers and other survey team members may have to enter students’ rooms in the Castle.

In the event this is necessary, residents or Department of Community living staff members will accompany the survey team members into the students’ rooms.

It remains unclear exactly what types of repair work will be necessary after the survey is completed and how

the remainder of the construction will affect the students living in the Castle.

Gray wrote in an email to The Hoot that “we are in the process of studying the needs of the whole building.

Until we have a complete assessment, it is too soon to discuss the potential next steps.” Students with questions or concerns about the construction and engineering survey have been encouraged to contact Campus Operations for more information.

photo from internet source

January 16, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot

NEWS

3

Meditation offers healthy outlet for students

By Rachel Bossuk Staff

In May of 2014, the faculty, student and staff meditation series began as a routine way for Brandeis students to satisfy their interest in meditation alongside other members of the community. A few staff members who took an interest in the activity created the series and thought that others would appreciate the opportunity and would subsequently join. Taking place in the Peace Room in Usdan, this weekly event offers participants a different form of stress-relief.

Meditation is an ancient practice in which an individual trains his or her mind to be persuaded into a deeper mode of consciousness. It has been practiced as part of many different religious traditions and also as a form of self-regulation, because it is said to help a person develop compassion, increase energy and support relaxation. On a smaller scale, many of those who practice meditation do so in order to clear their minds of negative thoughts and their bodies of negative energy. Meditation can be

done in a variety of ways depending on the person’s specific preferences and beliefs.

David Wedaman, director of outreach at Brandeis and coordinator of the meditation series, said that they have adapted their approach to those attending.

“Most who’ve come so far have had experience meditating, so our current default program is what you might call ‘no-frills,’” he said.

Each session begins at 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday when those in attendance arrive, chat and get settled. After that, they have a 20-minute timed meditation during which no one speaks. At the end of the 20 minutes, some people leave, and those who choose to stay either talk about their experience that day, their meditative practices in general or sometimes extend their meditation for a few minutes longer. However, if they know they will have new people joining the meeting, they will begin with a short, guided session before the 20-minute sit so that all attendees know what to expect. In addition, according to Wedaman, “When someone expresses an interest in a particular kind of meditation, we try to accommodate

that.”

As Wedaman stated, he is not an expert in the research surrounding mediation. Yet he believes that the practice of reflection during mediation has evident positive effects, including lower levels of stress and anxiety.

“Speaking for myself, I think I am more relaxed and contented after I

meditate,” he said. “I think I’m more patient, I feel less rushed, I’m more aware of what is going on around me, I’m more aware of what’s on my own mind, and I’m more open to others.”

Meditation is a relatively common practice among college students, and many schools have guided meditation techniques on their websites.

Especially right after almost a month

away from school, practicing some form of meditation may help students re-adjust to a college schedule.

In comparison to other relaxing activities such as yoga, Wedaman says that meditation complements a variety of related activities. He notes that a person interested in several types of practices might try them all out and see which they prefer.

photo from internet source

Brandeis departments of Economics and Sociology ranked in the Top 10 majors on College Factual

By Emily Belowich Editor

In December, College Factual announced Brandeis as a top 10 school for students to get degrees in both economics and sociology. The website, which uses outcomes-based data to guide prospective students and families through the college process, believes that their rankings are stronger because the data is more objective than typical ranking sites. The methodology behind these rankings is based on a number of factors, including highest paid graduates, most popular programs, best value and most focused.

Economics Department Chair George Hall says that there is an added value of having the combination of a liberal arts education with a research university.

“Our students have the opportunity to take classes from a broad range of topics, but they can also participate in research opportunities on the side,” Hall said.

Hall also mentions that the International Business School puts students at a significant advantage because of the advanced coursework they can complete at the undergraduate level.

He says that by having the graduate school offer advanced courses such as “International Corporate Finance,” it actually strengthens the undergraduate department because they can provide course offerings in liberal arts topics such as “The Economics of the Middle East” and “Labor Economics.”

Students who graduate with an economics major go on to work at a variety of different places, such as small private start-ups, large financial firms and public service organizations, while many continue their education at the graduate level. He emphasizes that it is the strong analytical training and the ability to work with data that are the essential components to each and every economics course.

Hall acknowledges that many of the larger consulting firms do not have on-campus recruiting at

Brandeis because of the size of the school. However, he believes that the student body is at a greater advantage for being a smaller school because of the strong alumni network and connections.

“There’s a commitment from the alumni network here that doesn’t exist at other places,” he said. “One of the virtues of being at a place like Brandeis is that our alumni really look out for each other.”

Undergraduate Department Representative Peter Walton ’15 believes the economics major at Brandeis has been invaluable by providing “rational thinking models applicable to real-world situations.” He also notes that the skills he has acquired from the major will be particularly useful when searching for jobs after graduation.

“Excel has been the most important skill I have used in my internships,” he said.

“It’s such a deep software package with so many quirks that it can take a lot of time to learn, but it really pays off in the working world when you know it. In my internships, employers have emphasized how necessary these skills are, and learning it through applied cases in economics has given me an even greater understanding of the tool.”

Students and faculty from the sociology department also shared their insights on the major being named in the top 10.

Sydney Schweber ’15, a double major in sociology and computer science, believes the sociology major has helped her think about data analysis in a “less technical way and in a more behavioral way.” She participated in the JBS summer program, and she is now working on a database research project that incorporates the data she collected from her fieldwork this past summer.

“The JBS program was something that opened my eyes to the different ways data can be used to make an impact on people’s lives, and advance research in various industries,” she said. “We traveled to Jackson, Mississippi and interviewed people who

were active members of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and people who were students during desegregation … I’m trying to find a way to track down people who went to high school in Mississippi during desegregation through Facebook, and compare those profile pictures to the yearbook pictures in order to confirm their identity. Those confirmations will be how we can contact people now in order to interview them for the ongoing research about the Civil Rights era.”

Sociology Department Chair David Cunningham mentioned that the department has long benefited from students’ great enthusiasm toward their truly engaging work.

department chairs

“From collaborative research and field-based internships to on-theroad JBS programs and guided study of topics like empowerment and philanthropy, sociology provides opportunities for students to ensure that their efforts have real-world impact,” Cunningham said. “We also have always valued giving students room to innovate and pursue independent ideas. Looking around our own campus, these may not seem like entirely distinctive features, but they certainly set us apart from many other distinguished sociology departments around the country.”

Similar to the economics major, Cunningham also mentions that sociology graduates go on to work in a

George Hall on left and David Cunningham on right

wide range of fields.

“Our alumni have distinguished themselves in a huge range of fields— including law, education, public health and non-profit management,” he said.

“While they often benefit directly from experience with observational, interview, historical and statistical research techniques, equally important is their ability to apply the broader lenses and frameworks at the core of many of our courses to whatever challenges they face in their later careers.”

The reports were published in USA Today for the economics major on Dec. 5 and the sociology major on Dec. 27.

photo from internet source

SPORTS

4 The Brandeis Hoot

By Curtis Zunyu He

January 16, 2015

Women’s basketball dominates against Johnson and Wales

Staff

Carrying the momentum of the two-game winning streak and a 5-1 record, the women’s basketball team went back into action on Saturday, Dec. 6, dominating against Johnson & Wales University with a 73-56 win.

The Judges led the whole game, with 10 of 11 players seeing the court scoring points. Their record improved 6-1, their best start since the 2008-09 season, while Johnson & Wales fell to a 3-3 record.

“After advancing to a 6-1 record our team spirit is pretty good,” said Hannah Cain ’16 who scored 13 points and a game-high five steals in the victory. Confidence was flowing when the Judges came out with a quick start, a 10-0 run at the beginning of the game. The team’s top scorer Niki Laskaris ’16 was unstoppable with 11 early points in the first half with three of four from downtown.

Her high efficiency along with the intensity of defense coming from Cain ’16 boosted the team over Johnson & Wales for the first half, leading 34 to 23. Three of Cain’s five steals were achieved during the first 20 minutes.

“Defensively we always want to really pressure our opponents and make them uncomfortable. When all five of us are really pressuring the other team, then it forces them to make

A WIN BEFORE FINALS Heather Cain ‘16 participates in the 73-56 win over Johnson and Wales before the winter break.

difficult passes,” Cain commented.

She also shared some tips about her success in forcing the turnovers. “Our coaches have been emphasizing to play off intuition; they don’t want us second-guessing ourselves. So when I feel like I should jump a passing lane, I jump it.”

However, with the same amount of steals as the opponent, the Judges only managed to capitalize with eight points off Johnson & Wales’ turnovers, compared to 17 in the

opponent’s pocket. “A portion of our turnovers come from the pace of our game because we play a very up-tempo game … which I think comes down to us making poor decisions with passing” said Cain. “We put an emphasis on taking care of the ball during practice and that translates to games. We really focus on being strong with the ball and making good passes.” Cain’s statements shows the team’s positivity in dealing with this loophole on the offensive end.

photo from internet source

More positivity could be seen from the defensive end as the Judges out-rebounded the overall taller opponent with 42 boards to 35. And although 14 offensive rebounds were collected

by Johnson & Wales, only four second-chance points were snatched by the opponent under the pressure of the defense in the Judges’ paint. “No matter the height of our opponents, we’re expected to do the same thing— when a shot goes up, find a body, box out and drive them back,” said Cain.

Sydney Sodine ’17 was one of the best warriors that fulfilled this mission as she seized a game-high five offensive rebounds which earned more precious offensive chances for the team.

Center Olivia Shaw ’18 contributed 12 points with one three-pointer, showing her versatility. Six players in total were granted the chance to improve themselves through the match and hopefully their contribution to the team will add up with their experience in the future.

Hannah Cain stood for the team’s competitive intensity. “None of us ever really get too hung up on our record. Whether we win or lose we play the same way, practice the same way, carry ourselves the same way.”

As Cain and the team are looking to continue the winning momentum, she also shared her own expectation for the new season, “In the short term our goal is to get better each day … In the long run, our goal is to win every single game the rest of the season and to make the NCAA tournament.”

The women’s basketball team went 2-3 over the break with wins against Gordon and Endicott. The men’s basketball team went 5-2 over the break, improving their record to 6-6 on the season. The men’s team finished the break with wins over Tufts, Amherst, Roger Williams, Curry and NYU. Both teams are back in action this Friday at Carnegie Mellon, with the women tipping off at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m..

Fencing faces tough opponents at Brandeis Invitational

By Sarah Jousset Editor

The Brandeis men’s and women’s fencing teams participated in the Brandeis Invitational on Dec. 7 in Gosman Athletic Center, where the Judges captured five wins in nine matches. Brandeis swept both Yale and Johns Hopkins, with the women beating Yale by a score of 14-13 and Johns Hopkins 19-8, while the men beat Yale 17-10 and Johns Hopkins 15-12. The victory against Yale was the first for the men’s team since 2007.

Both teams were swept by St. Johns.

However, the women defeated the Air Force Academy, 17-10, but the men lost, 16-11. The women were also defeated by Cornell, 18-9.

In the match against Yale, Yale took saber, while Brandeis won in foil.

However, the two teams were tied in epee, 3-3, when Rosa Zhang ’16 and Gwen Mowell ’16 earned wins to secure the win over Yale, both going 2-1 in the match. Caroline Mattos ’16, foil, was the only Judge to go 3-0 against Yale, but Emilia Dwyer ’16 and Boots Xue ’16 each went 2-1 in foil. Ashley Jean ’17 clinched two wins in saber. The women swept all three weapons against Johns Hopkins, with a 7-2 victory in saber and foil and a 5-4 win in epee. Both Jean and Xue went 3-0 in foil for the Judges. The women beat the Air Force Academy with a 9-0 sweep, led by the epee squad. Mowell and Liz Feller ’18 each went 3-0 in epee, while Jean and Jaclyn Hammond ’17 went 2-1 in saber to help them win 5-4.

Mattos commented on the success

tough competition

Brandeis men’s and women’s team rally together before December sevenths competition at home.

of the women’s team at the Invitational, “The team did a decent job at the Invitational. Those teams were tough, but I felt like we held our own for the most part. However, there’s always room for improvement.”

The men’s team dominated against Yale, sweeping them in all three weapons. The Judges secured a 7-2 win in saber, while wins in foil and epee amounted to 5-4. Adam Mandel ’15 and Jess Ochs-Willard ’15 went 3-0 for saber. Noah Berman ’15 and Guillermo Narvaez ’18 each went 2-1 in foil, while a win in his final bout

from Ethan Levy ’15, led the Judges to victory in foil. Brandeis secured the win in epee with 2-1 records from Justin Kwon ’16 and Hunter Stusnick ’18. In the match against Johns Hopkins, the men won 7-2 in saber and foil, but lost 8-1 in epee. Mandel went 3-0 in saber, while Len Grazian ’17 went 3-0 in foil.

In the men’s loss against the Air Force academy, the final foil score was 5-4. However, Mandel went 3-0 in saber, in a close loss of 5-4. In the match against St. John’s, women’s foil and men’s saber got the closest to a win

for Brandeis. However, both fell 5-4.

Brandeis men’s and women’s fencing will compete in the Western Invitational this weekend, Jan. 17 at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Both teams will face the Air Force Academy again, as well as Stanford, Cal Tech, UCSD and Northwestern.

“We’ve been training hard not only with fencing practice but also conditioning since the last tournament, so hopefully we’ll have more stamina since we’ll need it due to the increased altitude … We’re all motivated to do well, and hopefully we can use that to

photo from internet source

win crucial bouts,” Mattos commented about this weekend’s competition.

For the men’s team, the pressure is on as Brandeis will face Air Force again after losing at home.

Stusnick commented on the competition this weekend against the Air Force academy saying, “The men’s team has performed well in the past two meets; however, we are striving to improve on our results, namely against Air Force, who beat us at the Brandeis Invitational. It was a close meet then, and we have been training hard.”

FEATURES

5 The Brandeis Hoot

January 16, 2015

Brandeis senior cheers as member of Rev Girls

By Marian Siljeholm Staff

Like many students at Brandeis, Jennifer Swain’s ’15 precious free time is divided between obligations that demand nearly as much commitment and time as academics. Swain spends her time outside of the classroom as a member of the New England Revolution soccer team’s Rev Girls.

Far more than a soccer cheer squad, this all-female promotional team makes appearances at charitable venues as well as promotional and business events throughout the greater Boston area and in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Despite being born in California, Swain considers herself a New Englander after spending the majority of her childhood in Massachusetts and attending school in Concord, MA. She joined the Rev Girls after many years playing as a right forward in soccer and visiting Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, throughout her childhood.

The process for becoming a member of this team is competitive and based as much, if not more so, on soccer knowledge than on cheering skills and experience. After rounds of resume review, candidates must go through formal interview processes at Gillette Stadium. Finalists advanced to rounds of Revolution-based questions designed to test candi-

dates’ knowledge of the team, including trivia questions and even facial recognition tests of Revolution players, as well as question and answer sections. The girls are also tested in varying social situations, as interaction with fans is a central part of being on the team.

According to the Revolution Club homepage, the Rev Girls provide more than a roster of uniformed faces.

The website states, “The Rev Girls perform various roles at nonprofit events, including providing assistance with fundraising efforts, added value and presence for promotional events and an outgoing dimension of soccer and sports knowledge.” This, according to Swain, is the most rewarding part of being on the team. “I love the fans and the feeling of being at the games … but the charity events are absolutely amazing,” she said.

Swain came to Brandeis in 2013, after two years at the University of Rochester where she was an active member of the cheerleading team. On a whim, the then-junior decided to try out for the Revolution Cheerleading team, given her new proximity to Foxborough. She became an official member last February.

The team is comprised of 22 women in their 20s, some college students and others college graduates, and all united by a love of sports. With so many differing lifestyles and ages present on the team, Swain admits conflicting schedules are often problematic. Still, the Rev Girls manage to

practice every other week. They also participate in multiple events per month during the season, which runs from March to December, depending on how the soccer team performs in regular season and playoff games.

Swain chose to transfer to Brandeis in order to be closer to home. According to Swain, the smaller classes and proximity to Boston made Brandeis the best choice for this Concord native.

Despite what she admits to be marginally sub-par food and lack of availability of campus parking

facilities for commuter students, Swain has never regretted her decision. Since arriving almost two years ago, she has thoroughly enjoyed the sense of community that Brandeis’ smaller student body size offers. As Swain put it, “I like going into classes and knowing people and having one-on-one time with professors who seem invested in their students.”

Despite changing schools, Swain’s academic focus has remained the same: politics. Following her switch to Brandeis, she has since added a history

REV GIRLS: Team photo of the New England Rev Girls Cheerleading squad

JENNIFER SWAIN ‘15: Swain shares moment with horse.

TEAMMATES: Swaim poses with her fellow cheerleaders.

minor to her political science major. Outside of academics and cheer, Swain also competes on the Brandeis equestrian team. When not traveling to events as part of the Revolution’s busy seasonal schedule, the senior waitresses at Bertucci’s in Waltham and does promotional work for Miller Light and Bacardi beverage companies.

Looking to the future, Swain hopes to stay at Brandeis to earn her master’s degree in teaching so that she can teach social sciences for middle and high school students.

photos courtesy jennifer swain

DRESSED UP: Photo portrait of Swaim.

ARTS, ETC.

January 16, 2015

ARTS 6

Brandeis theater kicks off Spring 2015 season

By Emma Khan Staff

As a new semester begins, the Brandeis community prepares for students of all experience levels and all interests to join in on Brandeis’ creative and eclectic performances.

This semester, students can expect a large variety of shows and numerous ways to participate in the Brandeis Theater Company.

On Jan. 30, the semester will kick off with “Two Dance Stories,” a soulful dance and movement piece created by director Susan Dibble and her ensemble. According to the BTC website, “Inspired by the poetry of W.H. Auden, one piece illustrates how people are propelled into movement through the rhythms and sounds of time, and asks what happens when the ticking hands of the clock stop.

The other piece revolves around a small shop that hatches a plan to heal people through the ghost costumes it creates.”

Next, the BTC presents “The Way of Water,” a play highlighting the aftermath of the BP Oil Spill in the lives of individuals living in the Gulf of Mexico following the disaster. This piece seeks to highlight the lasting effects of an event whose features in national and international headlines do not measure its severity. This play, directed by OBIE Award-winning playwright Caridad Svich, will run from March 12 to March 15.

On April 21 through April 26, the Senior Festival will showcase the work of select seniors as they prepare for graduation. Each year varies as the students present their own compositions, act in a variety of shows and exhibit their many other talents.

Finally, the semester will wrap up with “A Night on the Clowns,” an event filled with music, magic and comedy performed by famous comedians, magicians and other entertainers who have performed in shows worldwide, even having appeared in

the famous Cirque du Soleil. This semester’s shows are sure to captivate a wide audience, as each show is entirely distinct from the next.

However, the BTC invites students to do more than just watch.

Alyssa Avis, management assistant, recommends two entry-level classes for students interested in taking a theater class, who may not have any theater experience yet. Both THA 21B and THA 177B are entry-level courses that teach the fundamentals of theater, the former being an acting-based course and the latter being an introduction to the backstage elements of theater production. These courses present the perfect opportunity for new or returning students to become involved. Whether students have acted before or not, or are looking to help build the magic backstage, a new semester is the perfect time to get started.

For students who have experience in theater or have taken the beginning courses, there are also advanced courses being offered. The courses consist of playwriting, lighting design and set design. THA 175A is The Art of Scenography II: Scenic Design and Invention for Performance. In addition, this semester will offer THA 185A, which teaches advanced lighting design, and THA 185B, which teaches advanced playwriting and dramatic structure. If students are interested in getting more information on these courses or are looking to enroll, they may contact the instructor for permission.

The Brandeis theater program involves students not only through their skills on stage or backstage, but also by incorporating other skills, for example, through dance, scenic design and directing positions. Although the shows have been cast for this upcoming semester, Avis recommends students wishing to be involved this semester to enroll in THA 30A, Theater Practicum. “You’ll get the chance to crew a show and experience the practical aspects of theater production,”

hello, spring

Brandeis theater will offer exciting new shows for the campus community.

she said. To keep informed about auditions, performances, workshops, and other special events, students may follow Brandeis Department of Theater Arts on Facebook, where upcoming season announcements, audition information and updates of theater productions as well as information about alumni achievements are posted.

Though the BTC alone offers an overwhelming number of ways to participate this semester, there are many other opportunities to be involved with performance arts on campus. Students may look to student-led groups for a capella, sketch comedy and improv comedy performances, either to participate as audience members or to get up on stage.

With such incredible opportunities available this semester, whether it be a sketch comedy show in Chum’s Coffeehouse or a Brandeis Theater Company production, Brandeis students are invited to participate in a wide variety of performances.

New classes to spice up your (academic) life Looking for new classes to add to your schedule? Here are some new classes to sign up for this semester during add/drop period.

PHIL 152A—Doing Right and Thinking Right: Normativity in Ethics and Epistemology Taught by visiting professor Jeremy Fantl, this course will involve discussing moral and epistemic relativism, whether we have control over our beliefs, the possibility of practical reasons for believing, potential ethical constraints on belief and what intellectual rationality amounts to.

CLAS 137B—Portraiture in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome If you are interested in learning about ancient cultures, Jacquelyn Williamson will be teaching a course on Egyptian and Mesopotamian portraiture in the context ofportrait traditions of the Greco-Roman world. Students will also explore the impact of Egypt and Mesopotamia on art in Ancient Greece and Rome.

ENG 20A — Bollywood: Popular Film, Genre, and Society This course, taught by Ulka Anjaria, will introduce Bollywood with an examination of some of the most Bollywood films. Spanning from the 1950s until today, topics include song and dance, love and sex, stardom, religion and others.

ENG 53B — Poetics of Plague Writing Jodie Austin wrote her dissertation on the plague and its impact on early modern literature in England. Poetics of Plague Writing is based upon her own dissertation research. “I wanted to teach it in order to expand further upon my research in addition to seeing what students themselves think about the topic,” she said. The class will look at the origins of the plague narrative in early modern literature. Interestingly, students will also look at representations of plague in contemporary literature and popular media, including video games.

photo from internet source

Expiration Date By Linjie Xu

January 16, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS

7

‘I Wish’ I liked ‘Into the Woods’

By Lisa Petrie Staff

Over the break, I went to see a film that had been a point of frustration for me since the first trailer was released. As a fan of Sondheim and self-proclaimed musical theater geek, I bristled at the idea of watching a Disney-produced version of one of my favorite anti-Disney musicals, “Into the Woods.” However, I’m also a Disney fan and shamelessly love Anna Kendrick, so I fought back my misgivings and went into the movie theater with dreading hopefulness.

To put it simply, I was not at all impressed.

I would take my review with a grain of salt, however, as I am a person who enjoys seeing theater for its purpose as a form of social and political commentary in addition to its ability to entertain and amuse. If you are a theater person who mainly enjoys the actual theater (i.e. singing and dancing) or merely think the trailer was interesting, then you will not be disappointed by this movie.

Kendrick and Emily Blunt absolutely dazzle in their performances as Cinderella and the baker’s wife, respectively. However, none of the other celebrities really caught my attention. Meryl Streep’s portrayal of the witch was unfortunately stripped of all of its emotional power by Disney’s unfortunate cuts, James Corden was endearingly goofy as the baker, but did not leave a lasting impression, and Johnny Depp felt out of place, seemingly stuck in one of Tim Burton’s films.

Another problem I had with the movie was that the actors who played Little Red Riding Hood and Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk” were too young. A big part of the musical is the sexual exploration of Jack and Red Riding Hood as they approach young adulthood. The two teenagers have their first sexual experiences, Red with the wolf and Jack with the female giant. Both experiences are bittersweet, because they have learned and grown from them, but they also miss the blissful ignorance of childhood. Casting these two characters as young kids that look about 10 or 11 loses that meaning, and the theme of learning “things … that you never knew before” that change your life both for the better, and the worse, gets destroyed in the process.

The lack of the reprise of “Agony” and the death of Rapunzel was also a huge disappointment. “Agony” was performed well by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen as brothers who fight each other for who feels more agony in the face of an unattainable woman. The true power of this song however comes through in its reprise, when the young princes meet again after having married Rapunzel and Cinderella, and admit that they have found new unattainable women to pine for—Snow White and Sleeping

Beauty. This reprise shows the underlying failure of the “Prince Charming” model of “true love.” These young princes love their princesses because they are out of reach—stuck in eternal sleep, in artificial death, in a tower or always fleeing—not for their actual personalities or intelligence. Ultimately, these young men would not be happy with the young women they have “won” because they have been taught to value the chase and not the actual person. In the end, Cinderella’s prince cheats on her with the baker’s wife, which Disney does show in the movie, and Rapunzel’s prince abandons her to die at the hands of the giant.

The death of Rapunzel brings up another important point about the witch. In Sondheim’s version, the witch dwells in a world of gray, not black and white, and her role is not clearly the villain. In Disney’s version, the witch is vain and hateful and wants to keep her daughter from a man who clearly loves her and wants to protect her. During her final scene, she sings “The Last Midnight” and it sounds like the angry villain blaming the good people for her failure. However, in Sondheim’s version, her last songs “Lament” and “Midnight” are the final musings of a woman deemed evil whose actions are really no worse than the “good” townspeople. Streep would have nailed the original character of the witch, bringing the power and emotion of a character misunderstood throughout time with her skills.

Disney stripped this opportunity from her and she remains a whiny, evil, typical villain who dies like all villains at the end of the movie.

The real tragedy of this movie however, is how it was stripped of its message by Disney’s cuts, which bordered on censoring. The basic idea behind “Into the Woods” is that the main characters all wish for better lives, but once they have these socalled “happy endings,” they realize that they still want more. Sondheim achieves this by ending the first act with all of the characters’ happy endings. Then, during the first song of the second act the audience learns that the baker and his wife, Cinderella and Jack and his mother have been living their happy endings for a few months.

They begin a sort of reprise of the first song, “I Wish,” illuminating that none of the characters are entirely satisfied with their original wishes. Although they have all achieved their “happy ending,” none of them are actually happy. However, none of this occurs in the film version, and the intermission and reprise are skipped, going immediately to the entrance of the angry female giant coming back to avenge the death of her husband. The idea of a happy ending is the lifeblood of Disney, so the fact that this movie coincidentally loses this theme in its cuts is a little suspicious. In the film version, the entrance of the female giant seems to destroy everyone’s happy endings, which in Sondheim’s version never existed, because his characters

No More Classes By Katherine Selector

problematic adaptation

Fans of the original Broadway show wil be greatly disappointed.

were never satisfied with their lives.

Another related point that angered all Sondheim fans is that Disney cut out the role of the baker’s father as the narrator. The narrator provided a lens for the audience to see the musical the way Sondheim intended, and removing this character from the film left the audience stranded. The narrator criticizes the characters and interjects his own opinions toward the end, changing the structure of the fairy tale into a moldable object that can be interpreted and changed by the audience, as Sondheim intended. His song with his son, the baker, is also cut, in which he explains that

the father always has the role of abandoning his children or dying or messing everything up in a fairy tale, but that the baker doesn’t have to follow that path. This prompts the baker to change the shape of the story, and teaches the audience that we can do the same. Fairy tales and every other type of information or story or film that comes our way does not have to be passively received, it can be challenged and changed and interpreted.

That Disney loses this lesson in crafting a film version of the musical is a tragedy but not unexpected. As children, we were fed Disney versions of everything, meant to be taken at face

photo from internet source

value and left that way, and it is ironic and sad that Disney was able to turn “Into the Woods” into the same thing that it tries to warn against.

Other problems arise in this film version of Sondheim’s famous musical, but these few are what ultimately destroy the powerful message Sondheim and Lapine laboriously infused in “Into the Woods.” If you loved the stage version of this play, do not see the film version, you will be disappointed. Otherwise, go to enjoy the beautiful score and excellent acting abilities of Kendrick in this watered-down, Disney-fied version of a musical classic.

January 18, 2013

ARTS 1

The Brandeis Hoot

Lucy Kim awarded Boston Artadia Award

By Sabrina Pond Staff

Lucy Kim, a faculty member who teaches various fine arts classes at Brandeis, including Introduction to Drawing and Beginning Painting and Printmaking, has recently been awarded the highly esteemed Boston Artadia Award.

Kim was named one of 10 finalists a while back, a feat in and of itself, only later to be selected as one of three winners. The award guarantees a $12,000 unrestricted grant that she can use for all of her artistic endeavors. As one of the 10 finalists, Kim discovered another perk: she got a studio visit with Christopher Bedford (director of the Rose Art Museum), Bartholomew Ryan (assistant curator of the Walker Art Center) and Gretchen Wagner (artistic director and chief curator of the Oklahoma Contemporary), three renowned curators.

Having previously experimented with all different forms of art as an undergraduate at the Rhode Island School of Design and graduate student for Yale University, Kim consequently has developed her skills to masterfully paint, draw, sculpt and make prints.

She has had the chance to express herself through many different media and explained, “Though I work primarily in painting and sculpture, I’ve also worked with photography, installation, printmaking and video.” Her voracious interest in all things art related make her a force to be reckoned with,

By Jess Linde

for there seems to be no limit to her talent.

Kim submitted a portfolio for the Artadia award with some of her more recent work, which she described as “paintings [that] combine

arcadia award

mold-making and casting with oil painting.” The resulting work is the outcome of “several years of material and conceptual experimentation.”

Her skills are admirable in that she is comfortable testing her boundaries

Lucy Kim was awarded one of the most highly regarded Bostonian arts awards

and going to great lengths to improve her work. Usually drawing her inspiration from her life experiences, “It is a way to engage my own subjectivity and also to keep things relevant and specific,” Kim said. Sculpting as an art

photo from internet source

form requires the direct manipulation of objects that inadvertently binds the artist with the clay but also fosters a connection artist’s surroundings. She incorporates “the world of imagery that is meant to elicit desire, mostly from advertising.”

As far as the grant goes, Kim intends to use the award to pay for her studio rent and materials she requires for her first solo show in New York City. Considering the great cost of her art materials, the artist mentioned that “the timing couldn’t have been better” for her show at Lisa Cooley Gallery. For some it appears that there truly is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—and Kim just happened to stumble upon it in all her artistic travels, a paintbrush in hand and paint on the tip of her nose.

When asked about the progression of her artwork through her extensive career, she mentioned it was hard to tell where the art was headed for early in its conception. At the time she didn’t think of her artwork in terms of progression while working on each piece: “It was all problem solving in the moment, and making a new decision based on the previous one.” Kim found herself focusing on the minute to make each piece unique, memorable and a firm representation of herself. Given her years of experience in the field, she admits that she creates art differently now than when she was first studying it: “Over the years, I have learned to prioritize and edit. It still starts out messy. The messy part is critical.”

‘Selma’: a must-see film of great importance

Editor

Full, immediate disclosure: I cannot promise that this review will be utterly free of any white cisgender male privilege that I carry around with me because of my race and gender identity. As anyone will tell you, there is no way to completely leave these behind without ending in a position where I’d simply be pretending that such things did not exist. What I can promise is a trying lack of whitesplaining “Selma,” a film about a story that a lot of white people these days like to use as an excuse to ignore issues like systematic racism. “Selma” is about the people who accomplished amazing things in the chronicled events, and who they accomplished them for. And it is incredibly successful in doing so.

The film is, of course, about Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s organizing of massive demonstrations for African-American voting rights in Alabama in 1965.

King’s request for federal intervention in Alabama had just been rebuked by Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), so he and his closest allies go to the deep South in order to fight the racist policies of Alabama’s then-governor George Wallace (Tim Roth). At the same time, King must deal with marital strife between him and Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo), pressure from LBJ to be more diplomatic and racist violence against him and his supporters. This leads to the planning and execution of the Selma marches, destined to become one of the defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement.

One thing that I will not say about “Selma” is that it is a “great American movie.” Doing so only continues the tradition of appropriating African-American pain and erasing related self-determinate action very common in American culture. That said, “Selma” is still a great and important film, one that educates and honors the emotional and human cost of King’s

work (another side note: I am not attempting to gain liberal brownie points. If I didn’t like this film I would say so). There are multiple scenes of King simply sitting in front of a television, alone, watching marchers be assaulted by Alabama police, and knowing that his choices are partly to blame for the blood being spilled.

In one of the film’s most haunting scenes, King consoles the grandfather of a slain activist while promising victory in their cause. King understands that he cannot fully atone for the death, especially when he will soon

compelling and dynamic

court media attention for the movement.

Nearly every moment of “Selma” is laden with heavy emotion, stress and fear, yet it is not a melancholy movie.

It is a serious one about serious things, but newcomer Ava DuVernay’s accomplished, subtle direction balances this with moments of humor and sweetness to lighten the mood when necessary. The film is also supported by an amazing cast, including an Oscar-worthy performance from Oyelowo as King, which is an interpretation rather than an imitation. Ejogo is also amaz-

The film has been critically praised since its release.

ing as the supportive but concerned Coretta Scott King. Great supporting parts from Wendell Pierce, Lorraine Toussaint and Wilkinson round out the film with their performances.

Once again, I find myself without much else to say. “Selma” is dramatic, impeccably acted, very well directed, beautiful looking and as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. If nothing else, it is a harsh reminder to people who forget the weight of Civil Rights activists’ experiences simply because it took place so long ago. In a world where people are increasingly connected yet

often choose to forget the complexities of the past, “Selma” is a movie that should be seen. It makes devils out of some but refuses any pedestals or shallow adulation of history. Rather, it tells an incredible story in an incredibly powerful way, and presents the ugliness of American history as it was and is. Before his tragic death, Roger Ebert often championed films like “Selma” as necessary stories that deserved to be seen. I cannot speak for the dead, but I would say Ebert would do the same for “Selma,” and rightly so. It’s a great movie, so go see it.

photo from internet source

NEWS

January 16, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 9

Resignation of Student Union Vice President

By Hannah Stewart Staff

On Jan. 11, the entire Brandeis student body received an email from Sofía Mühlmann ’16, stating that she was resigning from her post as the Student Union Vice President. Mühlmann began her journey at Brandeis as a first year and earned the title of “Mayor of Sherman” within her first week. Mühlmann is known for being charismatic, and she possesses the highly coveted ability to remember everyone that she meets as more than just a name and a face.

In the fall of her sophomore year, three students approached Mühlmann and asked her to run for the position of president of the Student Union.

Initially planning on running for senator for her class, two weeks before the election, she was approached once more and asked to run for “something more.”As Mühlmann ex-

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plains, “One of my friends sat down with me and we decided that running for vice president would make the most sense because … I’m very good at mediating, very good at facilitating and very aware of my environment.”

Even after declaring her intention to run, she never once asked any student to vote for her, yet people still came up to her, informing Mühlmann that they were going to vote for her.

While not having any experience with the Student Union, Mühlmann had experience advocating for students and dealing with administrators through her work as a community advisor.

“Student Union is supposed to be this forum for students to run like a government and represent their fellow students,” according to Mühlmann.

“Every meeting I would always bring back the point that we are here to represent our peers, and we are here to be a voice for our peers, and photo from internet source

I would always remind them of the purpose of why we would meet. Because I think if we lose sight of that purpose, then we’re not helping ourselves and we’re not helping others …

So, that’s part of my job, to run these meetings and to kind of empower the people around me.”

This empowerment-of-others mindset is an integral part of Mühlmann’s everyday personality, so she was appalled when she sat in on a Senate meeting the semester before her campaign.

She refused to tolerate the hostility, yelling and disrespect in the room, and made it her personal mission to create a new environment for these meetings.

“I thought, how deeply terrible is this, that people who we pick to represent us are coming and having these meetings and there’s so much disrespect going on.”

“That was horrible for me to see because I don’t think that that’s a conducive way to act at all … This is a place where we would need to be respectful of each other’s opinions and every single person has the right to say what they want to say but please do so in a way that’s respectful.”

Mühlmann strove to change the dynamic of these meetings.

One senator even commented that they now felt safe to express their own views, and enjoyed coming to meetings. However, after a semester, something changed.

As Mühlmann describes it, “There came a point in time … something was like, ‘Sofía, Sofía, hello?’… and the little voice said, ‘I think it time’s for you to resign.’”

Her decision to resign had nothing to do with her ability to perform her duties.

It was more of a matter of it no longer having the same meaning or purpose to her anymore.

“In this world, regardless of any rules that are written or unwritten, it is our job to be aware of what it is that we want and need in our own lives, but also to be aware that people are here to help other people.”

“Running these Senate meetings, going to E-Board meetings was no longer conducive for me. It no longer served a purpose in my life … saying no to this position has allowed me to see my community in a way … that is so much brighter … and it feels great,” she said.

The choosing of the new vice president of the Student Union will be held during the upcoming mid-year elections.

EDITORIALS

10 The Brandeis Hoot

Allies enhance Brandeis experience

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editor-in-Chief Dana Trismen Andrew Elmers

Senior Managing Editor Victoria Aronson Managing Editor Theresa Gaffney News Editors Emily Belowich Jess Linde Arts Editor Michelle Kim Sports Editor Sarah Jousset Senior Copy Editors Mia Edelstein Julie Landy Copy Editor Allison Plotnik Senior Layout Editor Sasha Ruiz Graphics Editor Linjie Xu Website Editors Zak Kolar Andrew Parks Zach Phil Schwartz

Volume 12 • Issue 1 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

January 16, 2015

T

his week’s edition of The Brandeis Hoot features two news articles about two different trusted campus allies, one leaving his duties on campus and the other returning.

As most of the Brandeis community knows by now, Father Walter Cuenin will no longer serve as Brandeis’ Catholic chaplain due to health reasons, and Sheila McMahon will be resuming her duties as a sexual assault specialist following her absence last semester. This editorial board laments the loss of Father Cuenin, who was instrumental in establishing the current chaplaincy system on campus, as well as a long-beloved counselor and ally for LGBT students. From his eccentric socks to his serving as a judge in the Brandeis drag show, Cuenin’s dedication to the Brandeis community will not be forgotten, and this board wishes him good health in the future.

This board also happily welcomes McMahon back to Brandeis, as her work in reforming Brandeis’ responses to sexual violence on campus has been a key part of the university’s achievements in this area over the past year. As we have argued many times, sexual assault must

be combated in order to truly uphold Brandeis’ values and its community, and student activists must be supported. McMahon is an essential part of this battle, and an ally to activists and survivors. Looking toward the future, this board believes that Brandeis should continue to invest in students through on-campus allies.

The incoming rape crisis center for example, must be staffed by professionals as well as student volunteers.

Having individuals on campus whom students can trust and speak to confidentially can be essential for people who need someone to talk to but do not necessarily have access to professional counseling or something similar.

Both Cuenin and McMahon have helped hundreds of students (especially since McMahon will hopefully be at Brandeis for years to come), and now that Cuenin is leaving campus, we must not forget what made him so beloved.

The university should promote such figures as on-campus resources for students who need someone to speak with, even if they just need someone who will listen to their problems.

This is particularly urgent in light of student criticisms, including ones published by The Hoot, of Brandeis’ system of mental health services. This board recognizes that progress takes time but also believes that easily accessible individuals have and will continue to help. The Hoot board hopes that Brandeis will not forget the services of Father Cuenin in the future, and continue to provide students access to similar people.

If Brandeis truly seeks to nurture its students and make them feel safe, these professionals must be found on campus and must be promoted to students by the administration.

Brandeis students are autonomous individuals, but in the frenzy of homework, classes and social problems, some people may feel overwhelmed.

Knowing that there is someone whose door is always open and is always willing to talk could be the difference that transforms someone’s experience at Brandeis from negative to positive, something all members of the community deserve.

Students clash over tweets

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF

Charlotte Aaron, Clayre Benzadon, Ethan Berceli, Rachel Bossuk, Robin Briendel, Sharon Cai, Karen Caldwell, Shikha Chandarana, Curtis Zunyu He, Kevin Healey, 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, Ludi Yang 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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To learn more, send us an e-mail at join@thebrandeishoot.com, or visit our website http://thebrandeishoot.com/join.

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

TWEETS, from page 1

stemming from external parties, as particularly evidenced on the public Facebook page, a multitude of Brandeis students expressed their solidarity with Lynch. Using the hashtag #IStandWithKhadijah, students affirmed their support of Lynch and her right to free speech, while encouraging the protection of the student body from non-affiliated parties. A similar hashtag, #IStandWithMael, was created in response to similar threats made toward him, both violent and threats perceived to be repressing Mael’s free speech.

As reported in a statement released by Chad Williams, chair of the African and Afro-American Studies Department, Lynch willingly offered her resignation from the position of undergraduate departmental representative.

“The comments of Ms. Lynch, made through her own personal Twitter account, do not reflect the views of AAAS as a department,” wrote Williams.

Williams’ letter also addressed the threats made to Lynch’s physical safety. “The comments expressed by Ms. Lynch in no way excuse those made in response to her tweets, many of which

have been horrifically racist, sexist, Islamophobic and threatening physical violence,” Williams said. “These appalling comments should be resoundingly condemned with even greater passion.”

In an email sent to the Brandeis community on Dec. 22, signed by President of the Student Union Sneha Walia ’15, Chief of Staff Flora Wang ’15, Senior Representative to the Board of Trustees Mohamed Sidique ’15 and Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Grady Ward ’16, the need to uphold the safety of the student body and the right to free speech were affirmed to be of utmost priority.

“Whether we agree or disagree with the opinions recently voiced by our peer, we will fight to the end of our days here to protect her right to say them without being threatened physically or harassed by calls for her expulsion,” an official statement from the Student Union wrote.

On Dec. 29, President Frederick M. Lawrence iterated a similar need to ensure student safety in an email addressed to the Brandeis Community. “We will defend the free expression rights of all students in this debate,” Lawrence wrote. “I [also] join those who have con-

demned any lack of sympathy with these officers and with those who mourn their murder.”

Lawrence further announced his support of student efforts to transition the heated conversation away from social media and toward respectful, face-to-face dialogue.

In an interview with The Brandeis Hoot, Walia revealed, “The Facebook page was horrifying,” but elaborated on a positive note by stating, “I think this campus was really good at rallying around the idea that students shouldn’t be attacked by external forces.”

Addressing the potential implications of using social media, she stated, “Everyone has a responsibility to exercise their personal judgment on social media. It is not my job or anyone else’s to censor it.”

Walia also stressed her hope that in the future, students will be more inclined toward respectful debate and dialogue.

“I hope our community feels pervasive enough that people feel comfortable having those conversations with peers,” Walia said. “I appreciate that our campus community will hopefully empower students to address one another personally and respectfully when an issue arises.”

NEWS

January 16, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Online campaign engages both students and admin. members See OUR HOUSE, from page 1

to students about Brandeis being “our house.”

Brandeis Is Our House was met with much support from the Brandeis administration, according to Sagaloff. The event itself was shared by faculty members including Andrew Flagel, Director of Academic Integrity Erika Lamarre and Associate Dean Stephanie Grimes. This was en-

couraging, as it promoted the event inside the boundaries of Brandeis’ campus. This was of particular meaning to Sagaloff, who has been a community advisor for three years. “I want to emphasize that Brandeis is a family,” Sagaloff said. “To see outside people talking about my family in a way that was so insulting was really emotionally harmful to myself as well as others.” Making the title of the event a hashtag made it easier to track

McMahon returns from academic leave

See OUR HOUSE, from page 1

posts.

Response to the campaign was overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of posts detailing positive experiences that students credited to their attendance at Brandeis. “I was reading them with tears in my eyes,” Sagaloff said. “I was beyond honored by reading people’s’ stories, what they overcame and how the Brandeis community helped them. It was beautiful.”

Now that spring semester has

Staff

photo from internet source

McMahon returns to campus ready to tackle new challenges. sheila mcmahon

pus.

This semester, McMahon will begin to work with the new Title IX officer the university is hiring. She will also focus on the continuing bystander training program.

Evelyn Milford ’16 will be working with her office in order to advance the program.

Additionally this semester, McMahon has high hopes for advancing the campus climate survey.

She has participated in the process of drafting the survey.

“I think [the survey] is a really important opportunity for us to get feedback in a very sort of systematic way from students about their experiences on campus,” she said.

Students are excited by McMahon’s return.

In an email to The Hoot, Jonas wrote, “Sheila’s return to Brandeis means only great things for the Office of Prevention Services and the development of the Rape Crisis Center. We’re lucky to be establishing the Center with the help and guidance of many dedicated professionals, and Sheila is one of them.

Daniels is likewise thrilled and said “Since [McMahon] started at Brandeis, she’s formed relationships with survivors and activists alike.”

“She’s perceived as trustworthy and a true advocate, which makes her instrumental in the success of the RCC … Because Sheila’s a familiar face involved, I think people will feel more comfortable about the Rape Crisis Center.”

photo from internet source

Adam’s previous speech inspired the name behind the campaign. jamele adams

’DEIS Impact to educate on true meaning of social justice

By Charlotte Aaron

“I think the students who have been hired are a huge part of feeling like the Rape Crisis Center is going to flourish,” said McMahon of their efforts.

McMahon remained involved in campus activity while on leave, primarily through phone conversations.

She kept in close contact with Weintraub, ensuring he had the help and resources necessary to build the bystander training program.

McMahon also kept tabs on the development of the university’s new Rape Crisis Center. Glad she can now communicate and work with colleagues and students in person, McMahon said, “It’s helpful to be able to be back on campus and both be able to help facilitate things moving along and support the work that’s already being done.”

McMahon explained that though she enjoyed the process of her finishing her dissertation, she is very excited to have returned to Brandeis and enthusiastic about possibilities for this semester.

“I really enjoy working with students. I really miss being able to have the benefit of that interaction,” said McMahon, who feels she learns much from the students she works with and enjoys “being able to support students and seeing how they develop and grow and change.”

McMahon has many projects planned for the upcoming semester, including an open house event in February, which will be an opportunity to highlight both the Office of Prevention Services and the Rape Crisis Center.

She will also be involved in the process of hiring and training student advocates to staff the Rape Crisis Center.

“We’re looking forward to having this open house, particularly for students on campus to be able to check out the Rape Crisis Center and meet the students who are on the staff there and kind of get a sense of the place,” said McMahon noting she hopes the event will introduce students to the service as well as allow her and her colleagues to acquire feedback concerning student needs in terms of the center.

Along with students and other staff members, McMahon will continue efforts to discern the best structure for the RCC. She notes she does not wish to duplicate services already in place, such as 6-Talk, and values coordination and communication between sexual services on cam-

started, Sagaloff is planning on continuing the event on campus.

“It’s time to get away from the slacktivism and into campus!” she said. This Thursday, Sagaloff posted in the #BrandeisIsOurHouse Facebook event that the SCC will soon be home to printouts of stories from the online event, as well as an opportunity for students to write new ones and have them posted on campus. A specific date has not yet been announced.

Friday, Jan. 30 marks the start of Brandeis’ annual ’DEIS Impact, a week-long festival celebrating social justice. Brandeis students, faculty, administrators and members of the Waltham community will frequent free discussions, presentations, exhibits and performances throughout the week. Brandeis, a university that prides itself on its social justice ideals, hopes to inspire students to not only learn about social justice within the Brandeis community, but around the world.

Founded four years ago on the basis of truly understanding “social justice,” ’DEIS Impact has grown immensely from the initial five Core Committee students (or rather, ’DEIS Impacters) and four members of the Steering Committee. This year, over 27 students and 32 faculty members have been involved in organizing the festival. ’DEIS Impact is hosted by the Student Union, the International Center for Ethics and the Brandeis community, with help from the Louis D. Brandeis Legacy Fund for Social Justice.

As Sneha Walia ’15, president of Student Union and member of the Steering Committee, explains, “It’s a really amazing way for all parts of campus to get involved in one another, but also involved in social justice, because it’s almost entirely Brandeis community member-run events.”

Starting in September, ’DEIS Impacters connected with club leaders, academic departments and religious groups about holding ’DEIS Impact events. They encouraged groups to propose as many events as possible and assisted in their coordination.

“They’re the power behind ’DEIS Impact,” said Marci McPhee,

associate director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life at Brandeis University, as well as a member of the Steering Committee, explained. “It’s been thrilling to see the hardworking undergraduate ’DEIS Impacters reaching out into the community.”

McPhee has been a leader in ’DEIS Impact since its founding in 2011. As associate director of the Ethics Center, she helps bring the keynote speaker to campus, as well as coordinate, package and publicize other events that are being held.

This year, Alan Khazei, cofounder of City Year and founder of Be The Change Inc., is the keynote speaker. He is also the author of “Big Citizenship: How Pragmatic Idealism Can Bring Out the Best in America.” In regards to Khazei, Walia said, “The intersection between service and social justice is really interesting and compelling … and I think he [Khazei] can drive home and reinforce a lot of values of, ‘OK, you learn all these things, now go enact them. Give up yourself in service.’” Walia also noted that, “because Khazei is so closely affiliated with the Siegel Fellowship, a robust program at Brandeis, it’s another compelling reason to have him.” The speech

will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Levin Ballroom, Usdan Student Center.

In addition to the keynote speaker, Walia is especially looking forward to Brandeis Unites in Service, a three-day series of service projects put on by the Student Union. “This year we are spending three days at the Prospect Hill Center, before Prospect Hill was supposed to open!”

Over the course of the three days, volunteers will work with the children at Prospect Hill to create crafts, read and partake in other fun activities.

While all events have been scheduled, ’DEIS Impacters are still busy distributing flyers, posters and booklets. Throughout the festival, ’DEIS Impacters will wear their ’DEIS Impact sweatshirts, guide people to events and assure all event organizers have the things they need.

The schedule for all festival events can be found in booklets around campus in addition to the ’DEIS Impact online site. As McPhee said, “We’re thrilled that clubs, individual students and departments all come together during this week to think about what social justice means from the point of view of their discipline, their passion, their interest.” photos from internet source

‘deis impact Above, President Fred Lawrence speaks at a previous ‘DEIS Impact event, below, a promotional sign showcases Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis.

OPINIONS

January 16, 2015

Eliana’s Advice

Help with odors

By Eliana Sinoff Staff

Dear Eliana, When I got back to my room after the break, I discovered an unsettling smell. Imagine the corresponding smell to an absolutely terrible audition, and that’s what I have to try to sleep in. I figured I left some food somewhere that had gone bad, but after looking everywhere in my room, I couldn’t find anything responsible for the odor. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve doused my room in Febreze and cleaned everything, but the room just unbearably stinks. I’m sure I’ll eventually get used to it, but there has to be a reason behind the smell that should be fixed, but I’m a little embarrassed about talking to my CA. Should I ignore the smell or tell the whole world about my odor problem?

-Stinky Dear Stinky, First, let me say that I am sorry to hear about your odor issue. There could be multiple reasons for the smell: Maybe someone next door to you is the source, or your room has always smelled, and you got used to it, until you went away for break. At this point, if you can’t find something in your room that’s causing the smell, you should just talk your CA about it. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It could be something wrong with the building or pipes, so you could be doing everyone a favor. In the meantime I suppose you should keep up with your Febreze routine.

-Eliana Dear Eliana, I’m shopping a lot of classes right now—like 10—since it is the shopping period. I don’t have any actual requirements left to fill, so I just sort of want to take stuff that’s interesting to me. But my issue is that with all these classes to shop, I’ve found myself running all over campus to try to get to every class like it’s Disney World. And what winds up happening is that I get lost trying to find the classroom or am just so tired from the trek that I can’t pay attention in the class.

Now I know when I make my final decisions on what classes to take, it’ll be a lot easier to get between classes. But I’m not able to learn anything about these classes since I’m so out-of-breath (and out-of-shape) when in the classroom, so I don’t know if they’re actually good or not. Is there anyway I can get the basics of a class without having to get to the classroom? Or do I just have to continue running around in circles?

-Running Dear Running, The shopping period can be a stressful time.

All the classes sound so interesting and you have to eventually limit yourself four or five. If you’re having trouble getting from class to class, there are some other options. You could try just going to a couple of classes a day and try different ones each day. If you have friends in any of the classes you could also ask them about the classes. However, if neither of those options sounds appealing, you might have to start weeding out classes now based on other factors. Also, if you can hold out a little longer, it will probably get easier over the next few days as you learn where See ADVICE, page 14

photo from internet source

The Brandeis Hoot 12

Univ. needs to provide more time to reacclimate to student life

By Andrew Elmers Editor

As the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, and the calendar moved from December into January, I realized that I had to be back at college in less than two weeks. Feeling like I only got home a week prior, I was certainly not looking forward to having to head back to school so soon. Feelings of regret sprung up as I realized that I shouldn’t have slept in as much instead of doing something productive, or maybe I should have slept as much as I could have in preparation of not being able to during school.

Yet it wasn’t the fact that the winter break was a measly three weeks that dawned on me as I was heading back to campus on Sunday night. Instead, I felt overwhelmed by the prospect of moving back into my room and then having class 12 hours later. I didn’t feel all that prepared for it and would have liked some time to settle myself back into campus. I had to get used to waking up at 7 a.m. again and not having a fridge stocked with food I didn’t pay for. The time between when residence halls open and classes begin is simply not enough to get back into the swing of things on campus.

It’s not that I didn’t get enough time at home; after a few days I had already grown tired of my family. But having to get back to school, unpack and then prepare for classes the next day is just stressful, and photo by katherine selector/the hoot

See SCHEDULE, page 15

By Joe Lanoie

Give student vacationers a much-needed break

Staff

Vacation. A rarity for college students, the vacation lasts for three or so weeks between fall and spring semesters and three months over the summer. After college, the prolonged vacation becomes even rarer than a $3 bill or even finding Santa on Christmas Eve. It is supposed to be a time to recharge, relax and binge watch shows one would never usually watch due to sheer boredom. Unless you are a senior working on a college thesis, in which case I send my sincere condolences, students do not need to do academic work on the break.

Shortly after the new year, I received an email from a professor. It was not my advisor, so I wondered why this person wanted to talk to me. It was a professor for a class taught this semester, assigning work to be done for the first day of class.

Although I fortunately had the ability to immediately unenroll from the class—a benefit of being a second-semester senior done with his majors and minors—this email led to a puzzling thought: Why do professors do this? Why do they treat the vacation for students as two extra weeks of class time? What are the effects of doing this at a school where shopping periods last longer than a zombie killing spree on “The Walking Dead”?

The benefit is that most of the soliciting emails for classwork happen after Christmas; vacation is seen as Christmas and class prep time. Despite the fact that Christmas lasts until Epiphany on Jan. 5, society sees the stretch after the holiday as Valentine’s Day prep time. Assuming our professors don’t care about our love lives, this can’t be the case. So why do professors assign homework over vacation like we are in high school? The shopping period is why.

Shopping periods, or that glorious system to bail out of that boring stats class

photo from internet source

you realized you didn’t need to take, are insanely hard on professors. For us students, it’s brilliant. For professors, less so. Imagine you are a mailman for an apartment building and you have 30 mailslots to stuff mail in. Now, imagine three or four tenants left and the landlord is being lazy. So you also assume laziness and stuff the extra mail into the next few slots. The amount of

mail is the same, but the mail distribution is unequal to what it should be. Shopping periods are hard on professors, because it is morally disheartening to professors when class lists go from 50, to 45, to 40, to 30, to 20 and finally to 10. When people ex See VACATION, page 14

January 16, 2015

OPINIONS 13

The Brandeis Hoot

Freedom of speech should be protected

By Zachary Schwartz Editor

We live in a troubled time, there’s no doubt about that. We find ourselves the targets of terror, a terror the United States and other nations have been facing for a few decades now. The most recent attacks on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and the ensuing terror spree that followed, along with the recent cyberattacks on Sony all have one thing in common: These vicious strikes are aimed at our civil liberties.

For the North Korean government to be so afraid of the movie “The Interview” as to direct cyberattacks against the film’s studio means the regime feels threatened by a raunchy-at-best Seth Rogen comedy. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was surprisingly good for what it was, but it wasn’t worth the North Korean response. The cyberattacks that the FBI says were orchestrated by the regime were not just aimed at Sony; rather they were aimed at our rights to freedom of expression. The attacks were initially successful, too, as they crippled Sony and forced the company to pull the movie—thereby forcing an American movie not to be shown. From across the world, freedom of speech was silenced.

In the United States, we are allowed under our guaranteed liberties the rights to satirize, which gives us all access to The Onion, “The Daily Show,” “South Park” and “Family Guy” that we want without all the frivolous lawsuits involved.

We’re allowed to say things and do things as a freedom of expression if it falls under satire without the threat of retaliation. In France, as in much of the developed world, the citizens tend to reserve the same rights.

Charlie Hebdo was targeted in the recent rash of terror plaguing France. The attacks were based in retaliation for satirical depictions of See SPEECH, page 15 photo by linjie xu/the hoot

Work to do on midyear integration

By Kevin Healey Staff

As we stream back to Brandeis this winter, happy with memories of home, life is breathed back into our lovely campus. For almost a month now, Brandeis students have been enjoying family meals, fun vacations or simply the relaxation of having nothing to prepare for or worry about.

Well, most of us. The beginning of second semester brings with it not just a new set of classes but fresh faces as well, as the midyear class of 2018 settles into their new rooms, new friendships and new life as college students. The shock of any radical lifestyle change, from marriage to divorce to death, can often be stressful, and the beginning of college is no exception. For too many midyears, however, it seems the transition can be unusually challenging.

Students beginning college face many anxieties and fears, from succeeding in classes to paying back their student loans.

These fears are universal and not easily remedied by the university. The main source of anxiety for most students, however, is social. High school isn’t exactly known for properly preparing students for new social situations. Especially in the transition to college, when most students say goodbye to most of their longtime friends and find themselves alone, social anxiety can be overwhelming. Not every student enjoyed Orientation as much as I did, but the main reason for placing students into days of social activities is to force the building of friend groups and social relationships between new students. Its hectic schedule and endless activities prevent students from sitting in their rooms alone and lets them meet new people who are just as uncomfortable as they are.

Midyear Orientation helps students adapt to college life as well, but it’s far less effective than fall Orientation. For one thing, there are far fewer midyears than first-year

photo from internet source

students admitted for the fall, which limits midyears’ to make acquaintances. The majority of their class has already had one semester of college, and for a new student unsure of whether or not they fit in and anxious about college life, knowing that you’re behind only heightens those fears.

Most of your peers already have, friends, groups and connections but you are just starting out.

By doing nothing to bridge this divide and make midyears feel more connected to our community, we do them a massive disservice. College becomes much more difficult without a solid support system, and being cut off socially from the majority of your class makes building that system harder.

This isn’t to say that midyears can’t or don’t befriend other students, just that the deck is stacked against them. We should be providing the support every Brandeis student needs to thrive, not just those who happened to start in the fall.

So what do we do? Beyond simply advising our other first-year students to appreciate midyears and beyond the unfortunately

few events we currently sponsor to help our midyears make connections, there is so much more we can do to help our students succeed. One of the largest fears faced by midyears is going into strange residence halls to spend time with new friends— when everyone in the hall has been there for months, it’s pretty easy to feel intimidated. If we were to hold events in the first-year residence halls, ranging from barbeques to parties to game nights, students would be much more likely to want to participate. In addition, holding these events in either Massell or North will make more first-years attend and allow midyears to truly feel welcome.

There is nothing harder than feeling left out, even if that feeling is solely in our heads and not in reality. Here at Brandeis, I’ve been lucky enough to find a community that is truly welcoming and accepting of all people. But when that community fails to make every effort to include all of its members, we need to take notice. It wouldn’t be hard to include midyear students more in our events and celebrations, but it’s a step we all need to take.

Dress to succeed

By Monique J Menezes Staff

Imagine yourself in a professional outfit: collared shirt, slacks and blazer. Now imagine you’re at a room full of other college students dressed like that, say at a career and internship fair. Employers stand behind a table, and they know exactly why all these young adults are dressed so well.

They know what they have come for, a job or an internship. On the other side, young hopefuls, like you or me, intend to walk up to these people, make a good impression and then proceed to hand them a resume.

Ideally, for these efforts, we are offered a position.

However, it is a little difficult to make a friendly connection or impress these potential employers because they know exactly what we’re doing. Not to mention that everyone else in the room is trying to do the same exact thing. It’s intimidating. Everyone is dressed so nicely and, of course, they act so confident. Truthfully, most of them are just as nervous as the next person. The world of job hunting is competitive enough without us obsessing over the others’ qualifications. The key is to put our best foot forward, and act like we’re the right person for the job.

The job fair is only one source of anxiety for people this age, however. Walking into the fair itself, we are suddenly immersed in a room of the professionally dressed. But for many, this environment will become a norm once we are employed. The days of wearing jeans will be behind us as more suits take up room in our closets. Every morning, we will put on a collared shirt, slacks or a blazer. It won’t be an outfit we wear to make a good impression, but what we wear because it’s the dress code at work.

That single concept of going to work every day is one that frightens more than a fair share of college students. Up to this point in life, all we have known is school.

School is all that we have ever known for the 20-odd years we have existed. A career, what hopefully comes after college, is a scary thing because it is an unknown thing.

Nevertheless, the majority of our lives will be spent in the workforce. We go to school for all these years so that we have found something that will keep us content for the next 40 years. Hopefully. A number of people know exactly what they want to do and they have since a young age, but a much larger number of people struggle to find themselves, hoping their four years at institutions like Brandeis will help them figure it out.

College is a place and time in an individual’s life where they transition from teen into an adult. That’s what society expects, at least. Even so, college does give us an opportunity to explore our interests. We take classes in a variety of fields and get exposed to new ideas. Life plans aren’t spoon-fed, but a place like Brandeis gives us the experiences we need to figure it out or at least start to figure it out.

Career fairs may awaken usually latent fears of what will we do after college. However, these thoughts of “what will I be when I grow up” have always been there. The genuinely scary part is that now, we are reaching a point in our lives where it is all real and not a possibility in the distant future.

The most we can hope for is that the suits we may eventually wear are comfortable and the ties around our necks don’t start to feel like nooses, and that we find something that not only provides a paycheck but makes us happy. Career and internship fairs are great opportunities for anyone.

They are venues where any individual can possibly make contact with a potential employer. So yes, it may be nerve-wracking, out of the way and, for all we know, a catastrophic experience. But we should always try. We don’t know what can happen from attending a career or internship fair.

14 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

January 16, 2015

Dear Eliana offers advice on student issues ADVICE, from page 12

and get into a routine. You might just have to get creative.

-Eliana Dear Eliana, I met this girl on Tinder when I was home over break, but we went our separate ways when I had to head back to school. Now I’m worried that she’s just going to swipe right for some other guy and completely forget about me. I have her phone number, so maybe I could try to strike up a conversation over text, but I don’t want to bother her, especially if I don’t really know what she’s been up to. Should I just take a chance and see if she responds? I’d really like to get to know her, but I don’t want to scare her away, though.

-Tinderino Dear Tinderino, It’s sweet that you’re giving this girl her space, but that doesn’t mean you have to ignore her. If things were going well, she’ll be happy to hear from you. She’s probably going through the same dilemma, and it could be helpful for you to make the first move.

You don’t have to text her constantly, but remind her that you’re out there and say hi. She is more likely to find another guy if you don’t contact her at all. Definitely text her, but keep it light until you have a better feel about her feelings toward you.

-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. Send questions to dlianasadvice@gmail.com. Thanks!

-Eliana photo from internet source

Professors need to respect student vacations VACATION, from page 12

of the emotional toll and the extensive coursework needed to be perience rejection on this scale, covered, professors need to treat they either harden their hearts or shopping period as the two weeks take it personally. Older profes- of class it actually is. So while the sors harden their ears against it; students benefit, it is dead time to younger professors don’t. Because professors.

To gain and make the time valuable for class work, professors push back into vacation time by assigning work. This does three things. First, it weeds out those seriously considering the class from those who are not. By assigning

the work, it makes students think: “I’m being graded on this. I should do it.” Those who do will lead into the second reason: Classes are held to their full potential from the beginning. Professors don’t treat classes in the first two weeks

photo from internet source

as advertising; they assume all are there for them … I mean, the attractive academic material, ranging from Disney films to trash to social justice saccharine hippie feed. The third reason it is done is to keep their classes going. Classes that have fewer than four students cannot function by the Registrar’s standards, due to lack of funding at a school where tuition that pays for classrooms is the highest in Massachusetts.

In assigning work before the semester, professors get the brighteyed and bushy-tailed students excited and get disenchanted kids who actually wanted to go to class before making a choice.

In all seriousness, even with the shopping period, classes need to realize vacation time is vacation time. We need to relax and say stupid things to our family members. The shopping period needs to be shortened so that professors do not have to push work into vacation to ensure high class standards.

As students, we do not understand how rare these vacations are and how soon we will lose them.

Do not do academic work during winter vacation. The only work you should be doing during break is choosing classes for the next semester. After you’ve ordered the books or got your schedule updated in SAGE, go enjoy yourself.

After this, it’s work for 40 years.

Enjoy it while you can.

January 16, 2015

OPINIONS15

The Brandeis Hoot

Violence should not limit speech SPEECH, from page 13

the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the vicious attacks, which clearly were meant to silence Charlie Hebdo. These attacks are attempting to suppress our universal right to the freedom of expression, similar to the aims of “The Interview” cyberattack. These are unacceptable strikes on our liberties and we cannot afford to let ourselves be silenced by them.

To let an external, foreign force tell us what we can and cannot say in our own nation is beyond intolerable.

It is in essence telling the aggressors that they are able to interfere in our domestic affairs successfully. It is to give in without a fight. I refer to this fight not as a physical one, but as one of defiance. Initially, Sony pulled the film from theaters out of fear of attacks on civilians, which were probably baseless (especially given that the supposed North Korean affiliated aggressors were very far away).

This development essentially told the cyberattackers that they could silence us from saying things they didn’t agree with. No matter how stupid and offensive the movie might’ve been, it is still an example of free speech: the exercising of our (more specifically Seth Rogen’s) freedom of expression.

In the end, Sony did end up releasing the film as an act of defiance against its attackers, telling them that they cannot compromise American rights simply because they didn’t agree with the content.

The same situation exists with the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Terrorists bent on retaliation stormed into the office and massacred 12 people, all because they were so upset over what was put into a newspaper—a satirical one no less. This is not a proportionate response, and the newspaper’s

photo from internet source

response—that is, the continuation of the paper and thereby the writers’ rights to free speech—is the righteous thing to do.

Free expression should be universally guaranteed to everybody, whether it is raunchy movie producers or satirical newspaper editors. Everyone has a right to have and express their own opinions, whether they upset

somebody else or not. Violence and threats of violence are not justifiable responses to disagreeable expressions of free speech. People should be free to express themselves free of any looming threat of retaliation.

There are, of course, limitations. To threaten and to harm the lives of others is not an example of exercising free expression. Expressing one’s beliefs

peacefully and doing so violently is not the same thing, and the difference must be noted. Peaceful expression should be encouraged. Charlie Hebdo should be allowed to keep satirizing, and the movie industry should be allowed to continue to release stupid comedies.

To threaten or hurt others in response to others’ peaceful opinions

is fundamentally wrong. When we put controversial opinions out in the open, we should always expect disagreement, but we shouldn’t have to fear for our lives when we do so to a point in which we must decide whether it is even worth it to speak our minds. If we get to that point, we will have truly been robbed of our basic liberties.

Extra time to settle back in good for students SCHEDULE, from page 12

this process doesn’t have to be this stressful. Walking to class this past Monday felt odd. I had just gotten back to school, yet I had to get right back to class. It is petty, I admit, but I would have liked more time to get more in sync with Brandeis and get refocused on academics.

It isn’t like there is simply no time in the calendar to give students a day or two to get reacquainted with the campus. The simplest solution would be to open dorms on the Saturday before the semester begins instead of Sunday. Students would then have time to readjust and to make preparations, such as purchasing supplies and books and finding out where their classes are held.

Affording students some sort of resting period during which they can transition from living at home to living at school would make the start of the semester go a lot smoother for everyone involved.

Students would feel more relaxed in terms of heading to class and professors wouldn’t have to worry about students overstressing about the start of classes. Students could have a better idea of what they need for a class so that they don’t show up unprepared, or just be more calm after getting a day

off, giving a dedicated resting period just makes too much sense not to do it.

I visited a friend from back home at his school over the break, and his school constructs their schedule a little bit differently.

First of all, they hold final exams for the fall semester after the winter break, which seems like a terrible idea for the sake of being able to pass, and something I do not endorse. After moving back to school a few days after New Year’s, students are given a full reading week to study for their

finals. What follows is the actual two-week final exam period, and then a few days off before the start of spring semester classes.

With every student back on campus a week before anything is actually due, it allows everyone to get back into the mindset needed to wake up on time and head to class instead of thinking it’s all right to keep hitting snooze. Even without the time used for studying and final exams, this other school still allows students a few days to settle in before classes begin.

And numerous other schools give

this period to students before the spring semester starts, usually utilizing the three-day weekend as the break before classes start.

For the fall semester, returning students are allowed to move back onto campus two days before the start of classes, so why isn’t the same schedule used for the spring? Of course, students have to be given time to move into their dorms, but there are students moving on and off campus all the time. Students coming back from studying abroad in the fall have to still move all of their stuff back

photo from internet source

into their room, so it isn’t expected that every single student gets back to school with just a suitcase.

Besides, with the large amount of international students, Brandeis should offer more time for people to get back in the area, instead of just opening residence halls fewer than 24 hours before classes start.

We don’t need a longer winter break, just a chance to dust off the cobwebs and remind ourselves that we are college students and not simply a giant pair of sweatpants sitting on the couch.

January 16, 2015

By Clayre Benzadon

ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot 16

Senior Midyear Exhibition stars talented senior artists

Staff

From Dec. 10 until Jan. 12, Brandeis hosted the Senior Midyear Exhibition in the Dreitzer Gallery, which included a wide variety of pieces created by many talented senior artists.

Rachel Weissman worked with many toys and commercialized objects in her works, creating very unique, overwhelming and playful pieces. One of her works involved a Monopoly board covered in beads and wooden blocks. Below the board is a compartment attached, with beads and random items clumped together inside each block, almost like a composition set up in “I Spy.” Another one of her pieces involved a lot of popular brands and items.

For instance, a huge “Razzles” pillow was placed over the very left lower corner of the canvas. In the center and toward the right hand side of the piece were two Crayola crayons, one yellow and the other blue. In between the crayons was an infant’s toy, with Mickey Mouse characters designed inside each differently shaped button.

Finally hidden under all the pink toys (which are reminiscent of Barbie accessories) is a subliminal message: a McDonald’s logo recognizable even through all the tumult.

Even though Weissman’s compositions seems very disorganized and sprawled out, they all had the same scattered toys and board games underneath: paper planes, a racquet, a toy horse, a mouse, chess pieces, a mini basketball net and many oth-

er items that had been shrunk from their original sizes. Question marks are traced with marbles around an air hockey board (also smaller than its usual size), asking us to find the connection between the billiards game, the bowling pins and other small signs, smiley face stickers and a figurine of Woody from “Toy Story.”

Therefore, the works as a whole seem to be challenging the viewer to try to figure out what is actually going on in every single detail and toy and game that makes our heads go dizzy with curiosity.

Linjie Xu’s (Graphics Editor for The Brandeis Hoot) work also focused on commercialization, but more clearly criticized the technological revolution

that plagues society. The inclusion of a knight in modern society is an anachronism that is quite hilarious, as the painting demonstrates how ill equipped the men are in their armor as they struggle to use a computer or phone. The titles are also ironic, with names such as “Apothecary,” “Should’ve taken Public Transport” and “Victory.”

This wasn’t the only theme that was exhibited in the gallery however. There was a lot more diversity, ranging from very picturesque Rococo-style pieces, as with the depictions of young women portrayed walking together in pastel-colored dresses and club outfits, to more abstract Pollockesque and Keith Haring-like compositions.

Yifan He created a metaphoric representation of “Broken Hands.”

A beautifully saddening depiction of palms practically surrendering as blood poured out from them, an image that can be interpreted in many different ways. Yifan wasn’t limited to painting only abstract pieces though.

She also drew brightly colored realistic portraits and landscapes.

Another terrifyingly haunting piece was Laura Weil’s tribute to Donald Maiden Jr., a black eight-year-old who was shot in the mouth by 46-year-old white man Brian Cloninger. Deniz Dincer’s penny-covered bust also seemed to honor African heritage and culture.

Less serious, but similarly scary

contrasting colors

photo by marian siljeholm /the hoot

is another piece called “SpringFest.”

Depicting three people in banana suits, with mischief and evil in their eyes, the festivalgoers look like they are going to raid the place and cause trouble throughout the festival. The dark blue-grayish shadows covering the whole scene is what really make the painting so dreary and foreboding. The item in one of the guy’s hands looks as though he is carrying a weapon, ready to fire, but a closer glance reveals something as harmless as a pom-pom.

Hopefully everyone got a chance to see at least some of the pieces before the gallery closed because the unique works really have become a source of inspiration for many.

The exhibition featured Brandeis seniors.