The Brandeis Hoot 03/27/2015

Volume 12 Number 9

www.brandeishoot.com

March 27, 2015

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

BZA and SEA collaborate to discuss Peeping Toms return to East environmental challenges in the Middle East

By Andrew Elmers Editor

By Hannah Schuster editor

Two speakers from the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies visited Brandeis Monday, March 23 for the Brandeis Zionist Alliance (BZA) and Students for Environmental Action collaboration event “Cooperation through the Environment.”

Daniel Shek, former Israeli ambassador to France and chair of the public council for the Arava Institute and Clive Lipchin, director of the Institute’s Center for Transboundary Water Management discussed environmental challenges that the Middle East is facing.

The Arava Institute, an academic institution located on Kibbutz Ketura in southern Israel, allows students from around the world to examine pressing environmental issues in the Middle East. The Institute is partnered with the Jewish National Fund (JNF), which works with the In-

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

discussion Two speakers from the Arava

Institute for Environmental Studies visited the Brandeis campus this week.

stitute on fundraising and various projects and aided in organizing Monday’s event.

BZA President Tzlil Levy ’17 and SEA Vice President Jay Feinstein ’17 gave introductions.

Feinstein discussed SEA’s initiatives to promote sustainability on campus and Levy introduced the event. Student Union President Sneha Walia ’15 also spoke, discussing her experiences on a JNF mission for non-Jewish student leaders to Israel whereupon she visited several JNF sustainability projects.

Shek discussed the layered peacebuilding process. The first, crucial layer, according to Shek, is the “government-to-government element of official talks … driven by political will to try and overcome a conflict.” Drawing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he stressed that this process is difficult and agreements are always subject to change.

Shek then introduced the layer of “people-to-people processes,” conversations between inSee ENVIRONMENT, page 2

Last week, two separate reports of a Peeping Tom were made

by East Quad residents to Public Safety. The first report was made on Wednesday, March 18, in the afternoon, by a student in Pomerantz detailing a “past Peeping Tom incident,” as stated in the weekly Brandeis Police media log. A second report was filed Friday, March 20, in the morning around 9:30 a.m., by a student in Hassenfeld reporting that “she was watched by an unidentified person while taking a shower.”

In a statement sent to The Brandeis Hoot, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan shared that “the incident that occurred the evening of Tuesday, March 17 was reported to my staff on Wednesday, March 18.” Referring to the incident that occurred in Pomerantz, “The reporting party indicated that it appeared that someone was looking through the shower curtain,” Callahan stated. In regards to the incident from March 20, “The student re-

porting the incident didn’t see the person, so it is not possible to determine this person’s identity or gender. We appreciate the student’s vigilance for reporting what she saw.”

East Quad Community Development Coordinator Vincent Scarfo supported Callahan’s statement, adding, “The student saw someone crouching down and peeking into the shower through space between the curtain and the shower wall,” in an email to The Hoot. “The resident sent an email to her CA the next morning, March 18. The Department of Community Living (DCL) forwarded information about the incident to Brandeis Police, and they interviewed the student on March 18,” Scarfo added.

Additionally, a source (who stated he wished to remain anonymous) shared with The Hoot that he witnessed a suspicious character pacing a hallway in Pomerantz on Thursday night of last week.

“I was coming back up to Pom See PEEPING TOM, page 2

Mayor of Waltham speaks at WSRC

By Emily Smith Editor

Mayor of Waltham Jeanette McCarthy spoke to the scholars of the Women’s Studies Research Center (WSRC) Tuesday afternoon, March 24 at an event called “Tea, Cookies and Conversation with Waltham Mayor Jeanette McCarthy.” In attendance were scholars from the WSRC, representatives from the Waltham Committee and other community members. McCarthy, who has been mayor of Waltham since 2004 and a resident of the city her entire life, answered questions from WSRC Director Shulamit Reinharz Ph.D. ’77 and from the audience.

Rebecca Groner ’17 was one of the first to speak at the event.

As a member of the WSRC’s Waltham Committee, Groner worked to organize and publicize the event. “The ultimate goal was to connect Brandeis to Waltham by introducing the WSRC and Brandeis community to the mayor, who is a very interesting and inspiring woman … I think it’s important for us, as students, to be more aware of what is going on right across the street from Brandeis and to stay engaged with the Waltham community,” Groner write in an email to The Brandeis Hoot.

Once Reinharz and other

Inside this issue:

scholars had introduced themselves to the mayor, McCarthy began to answer questions. She started by describing her life growing up in Waltham. She told the audience that she was a very shy child. Her family lived in various locations in Waltham, including a housing project for the families of veterans. McCarthy’s father, a World War II veteran, went to Boston University under the G.I. Bill, and her mother left school early to provide for her siblings. McCarthy went on to graduate Magna Cum Laude from Boston College with a B.S. in Biology, acquire an M.S. from Northeastern, and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.

McCarthy worked as an attorney in a private practice for many years before working for the city of Waltham.

McCarthy’s love of learning and education was evident throughout her talk. “I was what they called a ‘school-baby.’ I loved school … I was the first class in Waltham High School, of girls, to have physics in high school,” she explained. She said that her parents tried to encourage her to be less shy, and she first began to come out of her comfort zone while working one of her first jobs, as a production supervisor for an electronics See MAYOR, page 2

News: Facilities worker, Rivera passes away Arts, Etc.: ‘Liquid Latex’ celebrates 15 years Opinions: Admin. should host town-halls Features: Dining halls hold special food events Editorial: Admin. must listen moving forward

Page 11 Page 6 Page 12 Page 9 Page 10

photos by karen caldwell/the hoot

pepose award

Stanford neuroscience William Newsome received the award this year.

Bisexual activist speaks on campus, discusses minority stress

By Emily Smith editor

Bisexual activist Robyn Ochs spoke at the Brandeis Queer Resource Center (QRC) in Usdan this Thursday evening, March 26 at a workshop hosted by Triskelion and the QRC. The event explored the meaning of bisexuality and the challenges faced by people who identify as bisexual.

Ochs focused in her talk on minority stress, which is the stress that members of stigmatized minority groups experience, and

student space

Students deserve more control over student-run resources and spaces on campus.

Opinions: Page 13

the impact of negative stereotypes on the bisexual community.

Ochs asked students to broaden their definition of bisexuality and be more accepting.

The workshop began by asking the students in attendance to list stereotypes they had heard about people who identify as bisexual. Among the things brought up were the concepts that people who identify as bisexual are confused, greedy and unable to be monogamous. Ochs explained that these stereotypes discourage people from coming out of bisex-

ual, fearing that people will respond negatively.

Ochs addressed the misconception that many people come out as bisexual as a stepping-stone to coming out as gay or lesbian, an idea she finds harmful to the bisexual community. “People call themselves bisexual because it’s easy, because they don’t have the strength or the commitment to come out as gay and lesbian because that’s just too hard and bi is easy so they just come out as See QRC, page 10

‘legally blonde’

boasts stellar cast

The Hillel Theater group puts on ‘Legally Blonde’ in SCC theater.

Arts, Etc.: Page 16

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

March 27 , 2015

Mayor McCarthy visits the Brandeis campus From MAYOR, page 1

company.

She said that her supervisory position, where she was in charge of 75 employees, was “the best thing that ever happened to me … I learned something that is something I never could have learned in school, there are all types of people in the world.”

McCarthy experienced firsthand the difficulties of being a woman in local politics.

“There is a good old boys network, yes … You could always run for school committee, but you weren’t allowed to go for Council,” she said.

“They [men] could get elect-

ed, really, because of the population. It’s not that they didn’t want them, it’s that you could reach them.”

She, along with other female politicians in Waltham, was eventually able to overcome these prejudices and work for her hometown.

Before being elected as the mayor of Waltham, she served six years on the Waltham School Committee and two years as a councilor-at-large.

She also spent seven years working as a city solicitor for Waltham.

McCarthy spent a portion of the discussion focusing on the improving relationship between photos courtesy rebecca groner

Speakers discuss envi. problems From ENVIRONMENT, page 1

dividuals or entities on all side of conflict. He believes these discussions promote valuable communication between those often considered enemies. “You can find areas of common interest. It tends to alter in your mind the way you consider the whole big picture. It’s much easier to hate a stereotype than to hate an actual person,” said Shek.

He laments, however, that in the absence of official negotiations, “people-to-people” negotiations have faltered. At this point, Shek described the Institute, its role in continuing discussion through programs and research and its regional approach to problem solving.“One of the favorite slogans of environmental groups is to say that nature has no borders, but usually it’s just a slogan,” said Shek, however he believes the Institute goes further, seeking to include people from many nations in its work. Shek praised the collaborative nature of the Institute’s programs, with students living together, working in study groups and going on field trips. Shek cites Arava as “living proof that people from these countries and from this area can find a way to coexist and be productive in a respectful way.”

Lipchin focused his talk on water sanitation and transboundary water management. He explained that these issues are a major part of Israeli-Palestinian debate, though simultaneously the water sector provides an example of productive cooperation.

“What we do at the Institute is promote sustainable regional water management solutions for the benefit of everybody in the region,” said Lipchin. “We feel that’s the best way to manage the scarce water resources of our region, but also if we can solve the water crisis … it can also provide a foundation to promote

the larger sort of … peace agreement.” These discussions build trust, Lipchin explained.

Currently the Arava Institute is working to address sewage and wastewater management as it flows from the West Bank toward the Mediterranean Sea, including a project with JNF in the Besor-Hebron Sheva stream.

Lipchin illustrated the gravity of the situation through data and photographs of a heavily polluted stream, contaminated with industrial sewage and slurry from stone cutting. He discussed several barriers impeding improvements. Lipchin stated Israel’s capacity to manage sewage or reuse wastewater for irrigation is far greater than Palestine’s. He explained the difficulty of organizing cleanup when sewage travels from Palestine to Israel, due to the lack of communication, and illustrated problems that arise due to territory fragmentation in the West Bank which would force Israeli and Palestinian governments to engage in order to establish a wastewater treatment plant. With Arava, Lipchin is currently pursuing a watershed based approach, where political borders are less important than hydrological borders, allowing one to address “one ecological system.” Lipchin stated that one must then encourage everyone who is part of the pollution problem to become part of the solution. He illustrated specific projects the Institute is engaged in, including an effort to make water quality data readily available by placing sensors in water sources to transmit data to a website.“Having data empowers you. It gives you the ability to try to see what’s going on,” said Lipchin. On Sunday, Lipchin will be featured in the CNN broadcast “Is the Dead Sea Dying?”

Monday’s event was co-sponsored by Hillel at Brandeis, BIPAC and the Brandeis Chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi.

Brandeis and the Waltham Community.

One factor at play in this continuing improvement is the presence of the Waltham Group, which gives students the opportunity to work directly with the residents of Waltham and serve the community.

Waltham Group programs are the most popular community service programs on campus, serving a variety of different community needs.

According to their website, hundreds of Brandeis students volunteer their time through the Waltham Group every year.

In Groner’s speech at the beginning of the event, she explained why commitment to community service is so important to her, and why she finds McCarthy so inspiring.

“We make the most of our time at Brandeis by getting excited about service and getting out into Waltham.

Mayor McCarthy exemplifies the importance of giving back to your community,” Groner said.

“Let us stay inspired by Mayor McCarthy so we, too, can truly seize opportunities to lose ourselves in the service of others.”

Peeping Tom problems continue in East Quad despite safety precautions From PEEPING TOM, page 1

6 on what must have been last Thursday and he was just awkwardly pacing back and forth in the hall.

Then he went down the stairs a little bit and looked out one of the windows from which you can only see the other windows,” the source recalled.

“I was kinda skeeved so I went down to see what he was doing and he was just walking awkwardly on Pom 5. I thought he was lost or something, and it’s possible he was, but I was a little sketched out.” The source stated he did not report what he saw to the East Community Development Coordinator.

These reports come a year after a series of Peeping Tom incidents that occurred in East last year. According to a Hoot article from Jan. 31, 2014, three separate reports were made, two in December 2013 and one in January 2014, of an invasion of privacy in the bathrooms. After alerting the community to be on the lookout, it was eventually decided to keep the bathroom doors locked in all of East to prevent further invasions of privacy. Students now have to use their room keys in order to unlock the bathroom door and get inside.

This precaution has continued into the current year.

Yet these measures have not been fully followed by the community.

“Unfortunately, the Community Advisors regularly have to remove door props from the bathroom doors. This defeats this very important security feature,” Scarfo shared in his email.

photo from internet source

He said that there was no real evidence of any tampering with the locks on the bathroom door where the incident occurred, but could not determine if the door was locked or not.

East residents have noticed this problem as well.

“On my floor, the doors don’t close all the way, and you have to push them close. Students get lazy, so the doors stay open,” a female resident, who wished to stay anonymous, shared with The Hoot.

“I know at least where I’m at, we’ve put tape over the lock on the guys room so we don’t need our keys to open it,” the anonymous source who saw a suspicious character shared as well.

“We have asked residents, both in an email and at a group meeting, to be extra vigilant in clos-

ing doors and not letting people they don’t know into the hall. We also reminded them to report any suspicious behavior to DCL and Brandeis Police,” Scarfo stated, in regards to what students are being asked to do.

“DCL is currently working with Brandeis Police and Facilities to review physical safety measures, and to enhance them if shortcomings are identified.

These physical measures act as a deterrent and protect the privacy of our residents. The East Quad Staff is also working with the Office of Prevention Services to address the issue from a community perspective. We hope to create a community of active bystanders who will speak up and report incidents when they see instances of sexual harassment and violations of privacy.”

March 27, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot

NEWS

3

Research suggests that elite college degrees are not advantageous for black graduates in the job market

By Emily Belowich editor

For many years, politicians and educators have regarded education as “the great equalizer,” a system that breaks down racial, ethnic and other inequities that create an imbalance in society.

But a new paper, published in the journal “Social Forces” and released to “Inside Higher Ed” on March 6, suggests that black graduates from elite institutions do only as well in getting a job after graduation as white candidates do from less-selective institutions.

The research was based on the results of an experiment conducted by S. Michael Gaddis, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar in Health Policy Research at the University of Michigan. The study showed that while a college degree from an elite university enhances all students’ chances of finding a decently-paid job, the degree of ease with which those jobs are obtained is not equal among black and white students, even when the institution is as elite as an Ivy League school. The results showed that a white candidate with a degree from a highly selective university receives an employer response for every six resumes he or she submits,

while a black candidate receives a response for every eight. Additionally, white candidates from less-selective universities should expect to get a response for every nine resumes he or she submits, while black students from schools of the same caliber need to submit 15. Professor Chad Williams, chair of the AAAS Department, says that he is not surprised to hear about this new research.

“A lot of studies clearly demonstrate that they’re [African-Americans] at a distinct advantage,” Williams said. “This inequality gap is just manifesting signs of a larger issue in American society, specifically with post-baccalaureate employment.”

The experiment, conducted by Gaddis, created more than 1,000 fake job applicants and applied to jobs online using names that “were likely to signal to potential employers what their races were.” Black male applicants had names such as Jalen, Lamar and Daquan; black female applicants had names such as Nia, Ebony and Shanice; white female applicants had names such as Aubrey, Erica and Lesley; and white male applicants had names such as Caleb, Charlie and Ronny.

The fictional applicants graduated from either highly selective institutions, such as Harvard University, Stanford University

and Duke University, or less selective state universities, such as the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of California, Riverside. All of these applicants had similar grade point averages, but the results showed differing response rates for black and white applicants across both types of universities.

While white job applicants with a degree from an elite school had the highest response rate at 18 percent, black candidates with a college degree from an elite university had a response rate of 13 percent, and white candidates who held a degree from a less-selective university followed at a near 12 percent.

Black candidates with a degree from a less-selective institution had the lowest response rate of less than 7 percent. Professor Mike Coiner (ECON), whose expertise is in the economics of higher education, mentions that this study was done several years ago. It similarly used fake resumes with “black” and “white” names that were equally attractive to an employer, but the “black” names resumes had a significantly smaller response rate than the “white” names resumes.

“This new study would seem to indicate that, regardless of one’s race, it does help to go to that

selective college because you get a higher response rate,” Coiner said. That being said, Gaddis attests to the fact that his study illuminates that racial gaps still exist in selecting candidates from both types of institutions.

“Most people would expect that if you could overcome social disadvantages and make it to Harvard against all odds, you’d be pretty set no matter what, but this experiment finds that there are still gaps,” said Gaddis in the “Inside Higher Ed” March 6 article. “Once you get out, you still have to deal with other human beings who have preconceived notions and misguided stereotypes about why you were able to go to this college.” Williams says that it is critical to bring awareness to this issue, not only at the university level, but also at the employer level. “It’s necessary for universities to be aware of these discrepancies,” Williams said.

“We need to institute various programs to bring about more vigorous attention and pressure, and we need to hold employers accountable as well.”

The study results showed black graduates from elite institutions had not only a response rate similar to that of white graduates from less-selective schools, but the employers who responded to black candidates were offering jobs that were less prestigious

and had salaries that were on average $3,000 less than white candidates’ salaries.

Williams believes that Brandeis’ core values illustrate the notion that the school has an obligation to do what it can to bring more awareness to this issue in myriad ways. “It’s not just in the message we send in our classes; it’s in the support we give to student organizations, and it’s also about decisions and partnerships we make,” Williams said.

He suggests one way to go about doing this is analyzing the school’s hiring process.

“Brandeis needs to look at its hiring practices and ensure that staff members are receiving equitable wages,” Williams said. “The university needs to make sure that in an effort to cut costs, the school isn’t engaging in practices that are questionable.”

Gaddis mentioned that a company can only be so welcoming to a candidate if he or she can get their foot in the door for an interview.

“It’s quite possible that these differences are not suggesting that employers are going about trying not to hire black applicants, but there is something going on this lower level,” Gaddis said. “I hope that maybe this research will make people stop and think about what processes we are using when hiring.”

Palestinian postdoctoral fellow speaks on Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Albert Reiss

special to the hoot

This Tuesday night, March 24 in the Lown Auditorium, the Brandeis community heard from Dr. Sa’ed Adel Atshan, a Palestinian postdoctoral fellow from the Watson Institute at Brown University. The talk was titled “Heroes and Hope: Nonviolence and Resilience in Israel/Palestine.”

Atshan spoke about the forms of peaceful protest that Palestinians have used to condemn “Israeli occupation” as well as the hardships that Palestinians face because of the ongoing conflict. A large portion of the lecture was Atshan profiling both Israelis and Palestinians alike who have been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause through nonviolence.

Following the lecture, Atshan led a Q&A session. Students for Justice in Palestine sponsored the talk.

Atshan is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Brown University.

In addition to his academic responsibilities, Atshan has worked for the U.N. and the government of Dubai as well as Al-Qaws, an organization promoting gay rights in the Palestinian Authority and other Arab states. He grew up in Ramallah, a historically Christian Palestinian town, and attended a Quaker school in Palestine.

To start off the lecture, Atshan pointed to the “settlement policies” of Israel that he takes issue with. He points out that hundreds of Palestinian villages, through these policies, “have been depopulated.”

This occupation issue is not only partisan to the Palestinian side. Atshan talked about the

story of Yonatan Shapira, a former pilot in the Israeli Air Force.

Shapira was a well-regarded pilot in the Air Force until he felt that he could no longer be “a part of the occupying forces.” Thus, Shapira left the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and co-founded Combatants for Peace. Combatants for Peace brings Palestinian and Israeli soldiers together in solidarity for a peaceful solution to their respective nations’ problems.

Atshan also mentioned Bruno Hussar, founder of Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam. This organization helps bring attention to what Atshan characterized as a “segregation between the [Israeli and Palestinian] communities.” Atshan pointed out the fact that Palestinians and Israelis have separate housing and separate schools. According to him, the Palestinian schools tend to be “much underfunded” as compared to their Israeli counterparts. One of the supporters of the Palestinian cause mentioned was Sahar Vardi. Vardi is the daughter of the former deputy chief of Mossad, an Israeli intelligence agency. Before she was supposed to go into the army, Sahar saw what she perceived to be injustices done to the Palestinians by the Israelis. After this, she subsequently became a conscientious objector to military conscription and decided not to enlist. Currently, she works with young Jewish Israelis to be conscientious objectors.

Atshan went on to mention the difficulties of daily Palestinian life imposed by the “occupation” by the Israelis. He pointed out that “according to the U.N., [there are] over 500 impedi-

ments to movement.” Many of these impediments are based on Israeli checkpoints which are found throughout the Palestinian Authority. According to Atshan, “Palestinian women have died giving birth at checkpoints … and some checkpoints are like a cage.” In addition, “Israeli and Palestinian people have different roads to live on.” Atshan mentioned how in the Palestinian Authority, there are separate lanes for Israeli and Palestinian drivers.

Another point that came up was the fact that Israel has constructed a wall in the “occupied West Bank” which is “illegal under international law.”

Atshan said that Israelis use that wall for preventing suicide bombers from crossing the border. However, he pointed out that this argument does not hold up because the wall goes through the neighborhood. These walls create huge logistical problems for people who need to go to work.

Atshan characterizes Palestinians as the “indigenous people” of the land. However he said “they cannot travel freely or marry freely.” Because of what Atshan describes as “two populations governed by two different laws,” he sees the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as being similar to the apartheid policies from South Africa. Atshan also mentioned how Israel is the “only country in the world to try children before a military court” with a “99-percent conviction rate.”

Following this lecture, Atshan fielded questions from the audience. When asked about whether Hamas would be eradicated in

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

israeli-palestinian conflict

Speaker gives lecture titled “Heroes and Hope: Nonviolence and Resilience in Israel/Palestine.”

the future, Atshan began to talk about the organization’s beginnings.

He compared the U.S.’s funding of the mujahadeen in Afghanistan to the IDF security services helping to start Hamas. Atshan described that some Palestinians “support the armed resistance” and may feel “that the secular PLO has failed.” However, Atshan does not support Hamas and talked about how Hamas has disregarded international law and targeted civilians. He sees a “future for Hamas to moderate” and for its “popularity to diminish.”

Atshan cited a U.N. study that

said that by 2020, “the Gaza Strip will be uninhabitable” as an example of what is “causing people to radicalize and join Hamas.”

When asked about the national solution he supports, Atshan talked about a “binational state” solution.

He talked about how he would prefer a Jewish homeland to a Jewish state. He talked about how “Zionism is colonialism” and how the Israelis have left Palestinians “crumbs” of land.

Specifically, Atshan advocates for a “binational secular democratic state with no institutionalized privileges.”

SPORTS

4 The Brandeis Hoot

March 27, 2015

Softball looks to a better season after tough conference play

By Curtis Zunyu He Staff

After a year of waiting, a brand new season for the Brandeis women’s softball team began on Feb. 22 as the Judges welcomed the new season with a dominating victory over Mount Ida with a score of 15-0. However, the Judges couldn’t keep up the energy as they lost seven out of 10 games during last week’s UAA conference match marathon.

The strong performance against Mount Ida couldn’t be carried over into UAA conference play, “(At Mount Ida) We were just so excited to start playing games that we came out with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

It was a great way to start the season … [In conference play] it’s definitely a different level of competition where each team has to bring their A game every day,” said third baseman Madison Sullivan ’16.

Sullivan has been a core part of the softball program, earning All-New England third team in May of 2014.

“I think each season playing college softball has made me a better player overall just by gaining more experience,” said Sullivan. This season she has already hit a home run against Case Western University and Sullivan is looking forward to helping the team in their pursuit of NCAAs. “You have to keep in mind the overall goal you are working toward, which is getting better to help your team make NCAAs.” But as a junior, Sullivan has experienced many more obstacles than the tough start in UAA conference this season. “The toughest part is definite-

ly the mental aspect of the game. It’s a game, and failure constantly reminds you how imperfect you are. It can be tough to stay confident and move on to the next game,” said Sullivan.

The Judges’ discouraging start to the season in UAA play hasn’t crushed their spirits. “I absolutely think we can do better,” said Sullivan.

After a .500 season last year, the Judg-

uaa conference

es are looking to surprise their competitors. “I did not think last year’s season was a valid indication about the talent we had, and I think that makes it that more exciting to prove everyone wrong this year. Focus and effort are going to be the most important factors in having success.

When we are playing our best as a team we can compete with anyone

out there.”

With a less than ideal performance at the UAAs, the Judges aren’t discouraged and look toward a successful rest of the season after keeping the score against teams like Emory, who beat the Judges in conference play 5-4. “I knew this team would be dangerous and be able to compete with any team out there. We gained

some solid freshmen and everyone has another year of experience to add to the team. We are all very positive about what we can do this season,” stated Sullivan.

The Judges will play their first games since the UAA tournament Wednesday, April 1, in a double header road matchup against Wellesley at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

photo from internet source

Madi Hunter ’17 takes at bat in game during 2015 UAA conference play in March

Women’s Ultimate participates in NJ tournament

By Sarah Jousset Editor

This past weekend, Banshee, the women’s Ultimate Frisbee club team participated in the Spring Awakening tournament in New Jersey.

While the team participates in

tournaments in the fall, the team’s competitive season really kicks off in the spring, with tournaments scheduled every weekend. This tournament was one of the few not held locally.

The tournament, which was supposed to be held in Saratoga Springs, New York, was moved to New Jersey

due to weather conditions. However, the conditions were not entirely favorable for the team in New Jersey, either, with cold temperatures and wind that caused the frisbee to have a mind of its own. These tough conditions hurt Banshee in their first day as the team lost all four games, falling

to Bentley, Brown, Ottawa University and Boston University. Banshee struggled on offense, struggling to throw around defenders, as well as work the disc up the field and into the end zone to score.

After not scoring more than five points in any game on Saturday, the

photo courtesy clara nice/the hoot

team stepped up their game, delivering on offense and defense in the four games played on Sunday. Banshee started the day off with a close, 9-8, loss against SUNY Albany. The tight game and strong offensive delivery translated into success for the rest of the day. The team crushed the University of Vermont in their second game of the day with a score of 13-2.

The same flow did not carry over into the third game against the University of Rochester. However, Banshee bounced back in its final game of the tournament, a rematch against local rival Boston University. Brandeis won this game 10-9.

“I am really proud of how Banshee played this weekend. One of our team goals was to grind through tough, long points and come out with the score. Our defense was extremely on point and ultimately allowed us to beat BU at the end of the day on Sunday,” said captain Clara Nice ’15.

The team will travel to Maryland this weekend for another tournament, where they will look to improve their offense. “The team’s greatest challenge right now is remaining disciplined near the endzone. We do an excellent job of working the disc up the field but we are often not able to convert that flow into points,” Nice said. The goals for this weekend are focused on perfecting their offense as they look toward preparing for the college series in April. However, the team is optimistic.

“This is definitely the best Banshee has been since I have been at Brandeis. We have incredible team depth and some really great coaches and I think all that will pay off,” Nice said.

ARTS, ETC.

March 27, 2015

‘The Salvation’ is simple but fun

By Jess Linde Editor

In “The Salvation,” a peaceful Danish immigrant (Mads Mikkelsen) turns out to be more dangerous than he seems, wreaking bloody revenge in the American West after being wronged. It is a cliche plot for an action movie (see “Death Wish,” “Taken,” “John Wick”), but not so much for a Western, particularly the spaghetti Westerns “The Salvation” owes much to. Director Kristian Levring copies big landscape shots, character archetypes and even title fonts straight out of films like “Death Rides a Horse” and the original “Django,” but has a plot rarely seen in the genre.

There are no long scenes of horseback riding, no dramatic trumpet swells, duels or prostitutes with hearts of gold, just grit, guns and growly voices. It’s an interesting idea, and one that proves mostly entertaining.

The film opens in 1871 in the American West seven years after Denmark’s defeat in the second Schleswig War. Jon (Mikkelsen) and his brother (Mikael Persbrandt) are former Danish soldiers just trying to live peacefully on the frontier. Jon’s wife and young son arrive to live with them, but are viciously assaulted and murdered on the stagecoach trip to Jon’s farm. Jon eventually catches up to the criminals and kills them, just in time to bury his loved ones. While in the midst of his grieving, Jon finds out that he unknowingly killed the brother of ruthless killer Delarue (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who has been hired to drive the

other settlers off their oil-rich land.

After the corrupt local government sells Jon out, he barely escapes alive and sets out to settle the score.

True to its standard action movie plot, “The Salvation” is a film dedicated to making its characters interesting. It has to be; nobody wants to watch a boring protagonist wander around for 90 minutes. The script is also incredibly thin, and characters get barely a minute of backstory when they talk at all. Luckily, the protagonist is Mikkelsen, a great actor with great screen presence. Morgan is also good as the villain, and Eva Green’s turn as a mute woman planning her own revenge against the bad guys adds a good layer to the story and tone.

Speaking of tone, the movie banks a little too much on grit for a story with so little depth. Besides one or two dark jokes, “The Salvation” is completely humorless, which makes it a bit of a trying experience. The film is also a bit too quick to have its female characters sexually assaulted, and even though Green is the secondary protagonist, she is often just a

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Bagel Debacle By Linjie Xu

prop to make the villain look meaner.

The shootouts are well-shot and fun to watch once they get started, but in comparison to “Django Unchained” or 2010’s “True Grit,” they are lacking. In the hands of a filmmaker with a better sense of character and fun, “The Salvation” could have been a great popcorn flick. As it is, it is a perfectly okay way to see Mikkelsen be really cool for a while, which is just fine with me.

photo from internet source

Author Katherine Heiny gives hilarious, touching reading on campus

By Dana Trismen Editor

When Professor Stephen McCauley (ENG), associate director of the Brandeis Creative Writing Program, first introduced author Katherine Heiny, he said that within reading just a few sentences of her prose, he fell in love with her writing and with the voices of her characters. “You just want to read along for the sheer pleasure of being in her company,” he stated. Heiny, who held a reading and

katherine heiny

discussion on campus on Thursday, March 26 has become somewhat of a sensation this winter with her debut book of short stories titled “Single, Carefree and Mellow.” The book has received extensive praise, along the lines of McCauley’s statement, and Heiny has also had numerous stories published in major publications such as The New Yorker, Seventeen and more. However, what came across most clearly at Heiny’s reading is this fact: Heiny is a real, relatable and terribly funny person.

Author gives reading in Pearlman Hall

She is the kind of person who isn’t afraid to poke fun at herself, saying “every eight days I write a sentence … that is my normal level of productivity.” She recalled attempting to write a full, finished story in just 10 days, saying she fed her children only McDonald’s and allowed them to watch some inappropriate movie, joking that it was, of course, basically the best week of her children’s lives. She prefaced the statement that “usually characters come to me with their names already” by warning that yeah, maybe

photo by andrew elmers/the hoot

it sounded like she belonged in some kind of special home. While she reported feeling happy about most of the critics’ reviews for “Single, Carefree and Mellow,” she also argued that literary reviews are like “hearing people talk about you at your funeral.”

Heiny’s presence as an entertaining speaker is only outmatched by her writing. She has the kind of easy flowing prose that is the envy of so many writers, and just like she herself is charismatic and accessible, so are her characters. For the reading, she chose to present a story titled “The Rhett Butlers.” It is about a teenager having a relationship with her teacher. Before reading it out loud, Heiny discussed the inspiration behind the story. She reported having just watched a lot of “Teen Mom,” the hit reality television show, and said the series taught her that “nobody in the history of the world has ever been able to tell a teenager anything.” She also dubbed this story her favorite one, despite the fact that it was the last addition to her collection.

The story begins: “You always thinking of him as Mr. Eagleton, even after you start sleeping with him. You always call him that, too.” Heiny then describes the tale of a teenager who, in her naivete, comes to view Mr. Eagleton (her history teacher) as a disappointing boyfriend (instead of any kind of sexual predator). Many of the instances in the story are incredibly relatable, others laugh-out-loud funny. Heiny is remarkably in tune with the thoughts that many women have.

For example, in the story, the narrator states that telling secrets to her best friend Macy is a given, because Macy is “less like a person and more like your frontal lobe.”

Heiny mentioned that many people have asked her if this story is autobiographical, to which she replies “my answer is I didn’t have nearly as good grades as the narrator.” She also stated that many of the events in the story did actually occur, but perhaps not in the same context as presented in the short story.

Heiny is known for writing in the second-person point of view, which she utilizes very well in “The Rhett Brothers.” When asked about this point of view choice during the question and answer session, she stated, “I needed a certain distance from the narrator,” and “I wanted her to be an every teenager kind of character.”

The question-and-answer session revealed more information about Heiny and her writing process. “One of my bad habits as a writer is to say, oh it’s all in my head, give me two hours and I’ll write it all down... but it never works out like that,” she said. Heiny was also asked about the time The New Yorker accepted one of her short stories This a huge accomplishment considering she was still in graduate school at the time. She divulged that when The New Yorker editor called her, she actually at first pretended to be somebody else, not herself, because she feared it was her landlord calling about the rent.

Heiny made an impression on the Brandeis campus, both for her writing prowess and amusing public speaking. “My stories are sort of short on plot and long on personal crises,” she said, which is correct yet endearing.

Reading about flawed people is fascinating, because we as members of the human race are all flawed. Heiny knows how to tap into this, and create beautiful prose in the process.

6 Arts, Etc.

The Brandeis Hoot

March 27, 2015

A 15-Year Tradition: ‘Liquid Latex’

By Jessica Chow Staff

As a first-year, there are many campus activities and events that I’ve been looking forward to attending, especially the annual “Liquid Latex” show. I remember visiting campus as a high school student and having several Brandeisians mention the “Liquid Latex” show as one of the biggest campus traditions. This year, Brandeis celebrated 15 years of “Liquid Latex” on Tuesday, March 24, and I had the pleasure of being able to attend the event (and now I can cross “see ‘Liquid Latex’” off my Brandeis bucket list). “Liquid Latex” is something truly unique and engaging; I’ve never experienced anything quite like it before.

From the art to the performances to the performers, everything about the show was entrancing. I loved it because of all the interesting aspects of art, design and performance that were brought together.

I want to start off by commending all of the wonderful performers, brilliant choreographers and the talented artists and designers. To all of the amazing performers, thank you for having the strength, courage and confidence to appear in the show. I can’t imagine that it is easy to be so exposed and open on stage. I truly admire your self-confidence. Let’s also not forget about the artists who did an absolutely brilliant job painting the performers.

The artwork was breathtaking. Last, but certainly not least, the choreographers for each piece did an amazing

photo from internet source

job, especially for those pieces that told a story.

Of the 13 pieces, the ones that stuck out the most to me were the “Nickelodeon” runway, the “World’s Wonders” runway and the “Seven Deadly Sins.” What stood out the most to me about each of these pieces was the intricacy of the artwork and designs on all of the performers. The “Nickelodeon” runway was a great throwback to ’90s Nick’ with performers representing the characters of some of the most popular Nickelodeon TV shows of the 1990s, such as “CatDog,” “The Amanda Show,” “Hey Arnold!,” “Rocket Power,” “All That,” “Legends of the Hidden Temple” and “The Wild Thornberrys.” The designs on the performers were extremely well done.

Another standout piece was the

“World’s Wonders” runway walk, with seven models depicting the Seven Wonders of the World. I thought that this specific piece was really well thought out, from the theme to the art. It was unique because it sort of allows the audience to travel the world to see the Seven Wonders of the World. It honestly felt like you were transported to the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Each model took you somewhere new in the world.

I also really liked this piece because of the artwork. I have to commend the designer for this piece because the models looked stunning. Even from my seat in the audience near the back, I was still able to see how the artist took the time to consider how they wanted the full picture to appear on the model. The artist played off of the

model’s body in creating depth and shadowing in each latex costume. I also really appreciated that for this piece, the picture covered the whole body and was not confined to just one spot.

For me, the highlight of the show was the piece following the intermission, “Seven Deadly Sins.” I loved everything about this piece: the music, the choreography and the latex designs. I liked that each of the seven deadly sins had choreography that was specific to the sin they represented.

The music for this piece also matched each of the sins perfectly. For this performance, the designers painted the name of the sin on the back of the models, which helpful for identifying each sin.

While the performances were fan-

tastic, I think that the most important thing about Liquid Latex is its implicit message to the audience about body image and self-awareness. Bodies of all sizes, shapes, colors, races and genders were represented in the show.

The performers, unknowingly (or perhaps knowingly), presented the audience with the message of embracing your body.

As I said before, I truly admire each and every performer for having the confidence to express themselves so openly in front of so many people.

“Liquid Latex” is a one-of-a-kind event that contributes to the unique community on campus. Congratulations, “Liquid Latex,” on 15 wonderful years. I hope that there will be many more as this tradition lives on and thrives in the future!

Earl Sweatshirt releases surprise album

By Emma Kahn Staff

Earl Sweatshirt surprised fans by releasing an album last week titled “I Don’t Like Sh*t, I Don’t Go Outside.”

Sweatshirt’s new album has a low-energy feel with dense lyrics and dark beats. This album speaks to his older style and reflects the classic Sweatshirt that his tried and true fans have come to expect.

Sweatshirt does best with his quiet demeanor and lyrically powerful verses, sporting alternative beats and a fresh and honest background.

This new album brings back the Earl Sweatshirt of old, and the one we love.

He has cut the theatrics and the accessories, letting his message stand alone and speak for itself. Fans and reviewers of “I Don’t Like Sh*t, I Don’t Go Outside” repeat the same phrase: He’s doing “more with less.”

Those of us who have been listening to Sweatshirt for years hear his common theme reverberating in this new album—we fear time passing, and we don’t want to grow up at all. We don’t like going outside. We are tired. We are humble. We are outcasts. This expression of realistic fears and worries places him next to his listeners and makes a community out of his music. Even the title of his album speaks bluntly and avoids any flashy or alluring tricks; Sweatshirt simply wants to extend his ideas to those of us who won’t grow up, and who don’t want to conform to what we see outside.

One of this album’s best tracks, “Grown Ups feat. Dash,” provides us with his classic aesthetic—fear and uncertainty for what’s new. For those of us who have been listening Sweatshirt all along, he has provided us with a new and improved sequel. This album feels like a more genuine version of Sweatshirt’s very first mixtape. For

those who are new to Sweatshirt’s aesthetic, this album sums him up. In an interview with Caitlin Carter of NPR, Sweatshirt said, “I feel like this is my first album. This is the first thing that I’ve said that I fully stand behind, like the good and the bad of it. Because it’s just—I’ve never been this transparent with myself or with music. I’ve never been behind myself this much.”

The first track on the album, “Huey,” sets the tone for the entire album. Although it begins with a lighter feel, you can hear the honest, unembellished tone. It has none of the added effects of typical radio rap. From the start, you can hear that Sweatshirt is

back with his typical style. He is “jotting down quick” the idea for the song, as he can’t focus with the grief he feels about his grandmother and the drugs in his system. He acknowledges that “critics pretend to get it.” The track is short, and before much time we transition into the pith of the album.

“Grown Ups” has a trap-style beat backing it, with a slow verse to match.

His verses talk about his home life and his unsteady faith in God. The chorus begins with the phrase “Don’t know where I’m going/ Don’t know where I been.” The song mimics the feeling of confusion, anger and resentment that Earl is trying to express. His feature

with Dash adds a forceful dynamic to the album.

“Grief ” is one of his most honest and vulnerable songs. It weaves the story of his grief and how he tries to cope with the difficulties in his life.

In his verses, he twists his words poetically, with lines such as “I don’t act hard/ I’m a hard act to follow.”

His entire persona shows in this track, asking to be evaluated at face value. The slow, relaxed feel gives off a carefree vibe and is entirely unapologetic.

Sweatshirt’s album may not have the extra effects which go into music nowadays, but his message is certainly

photo from internet source

stronger for it. His last album “Doris” simply didn’t reflect his true style.

Sweatshirt admits that it lacked sincerity compared to this new album.

In the midst of a death in the family, recovering from drug addiction and pushing through on his music despite conflicts with hip hop collective Odd Future, Sweatshirt has come through with one of his best albums yet, breaking through today’s typical hip hop content and aesthetic and creating an authentic product.

Kendrick Lamar’s new album “To Pimp a Butterfly” has generated enormous hype, and has been deemed a game-changer, a masterpiece and revolutionary. New albums emerging are under pressure to pioneer a new genre or begin a radical new movement in the music industry. Despite all these pressures to “innovate,” Sweatshirt has remained true to his style and has worked to reflect his authenticity.

Sweatshirt’s new album is a refreshing departure from hip hop’s current avant-garde obsession. He often expresses his hatred for modern journalism and modern reviews of new music, which mimic a “book report” style, thoughtlessly praising any new music that gets produced by any big name.

“I Don’t Like Sh*t, I Don’t Go Outside” has received an underwhelming amount of attention and support.

This album, unlike many albums released without warning in the last few years, does not rely on the “surprise factor” for its success. Instead, this album is purely content, letting Sweatshirt’s genuine and low-key style shine through. Despite his shaky relationship with Odd Future, Sweatshirt has produced a great work that will reflect well on the entire group. This album is a must-listen for anyone who cherishes old style rap and a genuine message.

March 27, 2015

ARTS , ETC.7

The Brandeis Hoot

‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ shines

By Sabrina Pond Staff

Brandeis University’s Tympanium Euphorium presented “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” an obscure off-Broadway and eventual Broadway play originally directed in a workshopped format by Rebecca Feldman and Michael Unger, at the SCC theater last week. Though it may not be a particularly well-known play, that doesn’t alter its profound message or the production’s uniqueness, which can only be described as an altogether mind-blowing combination of genres.

Between March 19 and March 22, the play was performed a total of five times, and without a doubt each performance was slightly different—and I’m not just saying that. Members from the audience of each showing signed up to be an improvised part of the performance, having never had any exposure to the play.

To dispel any uncertainty, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is about a bunch of kids and their struggle to win the county’s spelling bee. They’re all pretty smart, and they share the will and the determination to win, but the unfortunate truth is that only one can win. They come from different backgrounds and want to win for various reasons, but in the end the golden cup is all that really matters; after all, in the eyes of a 12-year-old, a spelling bee might as well be the Olympics. There is no greater victory in life.

A few words from the director, Sarah Hines, really eloquently sum up and articulate the play in a powerful way: “These characters are so vulnerable and authentic, and I believe there is an endless amount we can learn from them. Children do not apologize for being themselves, but as we grow up we begin to do just that. The kids in this play are not ‘normal’ in any sense of the word. They are odd and bizarre, but in the world of this play that is

barfee takes the bee

Musical teaches audience about friendship and how to deal with unfortunate erections

something to be celebrated.”

The transformation from college student to adolescent was disconcerting, but only because of the precision with which the actors portrayed their child counterparts. It was practically imperceptible that the actors were college students until one honed in on all the little things, like David Getz’s ’15 atypical tallness for someone his character’s age. Even so, perceiving these little inconsistencies required real effort on the audience’s part, which just goes to show how well the actors portrayed the behavior and mindset of an adolescent.

With an across-the-board gifted cast, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” was not lacking in any way as far as acting ability goes. Jenna Kahane ’15, who played Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, was excellent in her portrayal of the youngest spelling bee contestant, known for her strong political opinions and progressiveness. Furthermore, her ability to master a lisp was particularly impressive. Getz should also be celebrated for his performance as William Barfée, a character

whose name none of the characters in the play could pronounce correctly.

Getz’s rendering of adolescence and all its faults—an obnoxiousness and inability to sympathize with others— was a perfect exemplification of kids at that age.

Rodrigo Garcia Granados’ ’18 rendition of Leaf Coneybear was particularly notable. His character was the most extreme of the group, and his portrayal was more than spot on. Leaf Coneybear is that kid who makes his own clothes, is constantly fiddling with his own hair and finds pride in wearing the essentials, which for him, means sporting a cape. Garcia Granados’ commitment to the part and beyond accurate portrayal of a 12-year-old boy—in all his vulnerability and immaturity—was impeccable. His acting skills really blossomed in this role and, to be honest, it was his character out of the six kids that took center stage. I have absolutely no problem saying that he was the flame on the firework, the firework being the play itself.

Dennis Hermida ’17 played a hilarious Mitch Mahoney. He hammed up his one-liners and dramatic reactions,

photo courtesy becca myers/the hoot

Peachy Reception By Katherine Selector

photo from internet source

photo by sasha ruiz/the hoot

getting huge laughs from the audience.

As Marcy Park, Jessie Eichinger ’17 was perfectly stone-faced except for when she displayed tremendous vulnerability during “I Speak Six Languages.” Becca Meyers ’18 (Olive Ostrovsky) was very good at playing a preteen who radiated loneliness until she connects with William.

Gabi Nail ’18 played Rona Lisa Peretti in such a way that she wasn’t stuck dwelling on the past but rather remembered it fondly. Nail hit the soulful nostalgia in the opening song with her beautiful voice.

Jason Haberman ’15 (Vice Principal Panch) delivered very funny ad-libbed lines without breaking character. Because the student originally cast to play Chip Tolentino had to drop out because of vocal nodes, Brian Haungs ’15 joined the cast only weeks before the show went up. Haungs did a fantastic job considering how little time he had to workshop his character.

If you missed “The 25th Annual

Putnam County Spelling Bee” because you envisioned that “Legally Blonde” was the better alternative, you must have underestimated just how wonderful the performance was. With varied elements like improvisation, comedy, musicality and, I might even go as far as to say, allegory, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” exceeded any and all expectations by a long shot. Though it may have been questionable at first, it quickly developed into something more heartwarming than a simple play about a meaningless spelling bee. Although I can’t say for sure why it was so easy to invest in this play, it might have something to do with the fact that the characters are easy to relate to. The characters’ experiences represent an aspect of our lives that can be easily lost because of the rapid pace of our everyday lives.

Those experiences come back in a barrage of memory, unearthed at last, and all because of one unknown play very properly titled “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

HOOT SCOOPS

8 The Brandeis Hoot

March 27, 2015

PCC steps up to accommodate students’ needs

By Emily Smith Editor

Brandeis’ Psychological Counseling Center (PCC) is a vital part of the Brandeis community, a place where students, faculty and staff can go to receive counseling and address any mental health concerns they may have. The PCC has been undergoing changes and restructuring since the beginning of the academic year.

Staff members have been working to combat stress among students, a concern that the recent suicides at MIT have shed more light on.

In order to ensure that the needs of students are being met, the PCC is conducting a survey and holding workshops and other events. However, being able to adequately meet the demands of the students it serves remains a long process for the PCC. The PCC has been focusing their efforts on stress and anxiety in the student population, providing a variety of workshops and events that aim to reduce stress or educate students on healthy ways to deal with stress. Dr. Joy Von Steiger, senior associate director and clinical director of the PCC spoke about the center’s efforts in an email to The Brandeis Hoot: “We are quite concerned

about the level of stress that Brandeis students experience and how the university is helping to support students in their academic endeavors.” She said that the center is working to reduce students’ feelings of isolation as they deal with stress, anxiety and depression. To address student concerns, the PCC also provides individual therapy and group therapy sessions with counselors.

Student stress levels have long been a topic of concern, but colleges and mental health professionals are increasingly worried following the recent suicides of students at MIT. In March alone, two students at MIT committed suicide, totaling four students throughout the course of this year. These events have shocked the MIT community and the communities at colleges around the country, and caused the PCC to place even greater importance on its stress-busting events. “We are very disturbed whenever we hear about a suicide on a neighboring campus and understand that it is difficult for everyone, students, staff and faculty, when we hear in the news that a young person or faculty member has taken their life,” Von Steiger told The Hoot. They recently held a “Pizza and Puppies” event, where therapy dogs and students could

interact to provide relaxation and comfort to students during midterms.

The center has created a new event called “Healing HeArts” to allow students “an opportunity to share with the community the diverse expressions of growth, change and mental health/illness and will help to reduce the stigma of mental health care and the range of the human emotional experience,” according to Von Steiger. It allows students to present, through various media of art, their thoughts on the meaning of mental health. Von Steiger told The Hoot that she hopes it will become an annual event.

Many new “wellness workshops” are being offered to the community. The workshops are held at the PCC or other on-campus sites and can be tailored to the needs of a particular group.

They range in topic from “Safety with Drugs and Alcohol” to “Racism in the Classroom.” In addition to the workshops, the PCC offers group therapy sessions, most of which are held weekly. In total, the PCC offers 17 groups and 12 workshops. Some of these workshops require that students meet with a counselor prior to joining.

The PCC is working hard to meet the changing needs of Brandeis students, ensuring that

people find services that fit their needs. The PCC has already made some changes to its programming and overall system this year in order to better serve its students.

“We are creatively engaging in a process of discerning how to address the needs of as many students as possible with a wide range of services.” Von Steiger said. “We have met with student groups, met with staff and faculty from across the campus and are in the process of designing a survey that we hope students will respond to that will help us to address the needs of students as they see them.”

One student, who asked that his name not be printed, has gone to the PCC since the beginning of the year and feels that the changes are beneficial. He told The Hoot, “When I first called the PCC, it was during their management reassignment at the beginning of the year. For that reason, it took two weeks [for them to see me] from the beginning of the semester.” However, he expressed a sense that this is not a typical experience. He explained that despite the initial waiting period, his overall experience has been very positive, saying, “I would not be able to have done so well at college so far without their help”.

Though the PCC has made a

significant amount of progress over the course of the year, there is still room for improvement.

Students generally have to wait about a week from their initial visit until they can have their first session. Students can change counselors if they feel that unhappy with the match, though some find that process awkward or uncomfortable. Other students have complained about the tight time constraints therapists place on sessions. The PCC provides every student with 12 free sessions per year, but after that, students must pay for one-on-one counseling sessions. Psychiatric visits, however, are billed starting from the first visit. This can be a problem for students who require meeting with a psychiatrist or need more than the initial 12 sessions, but for whatever reason are unable to afford the expense.

According to the PCC’s website, around 20 percent of Brandeis students use the center every academic year. The PCC is located in the Mailman building, adjacent to Public Safety and the Health Center.

The PCC, in conjunction with Newton-Wellesley Hospital, is available 24 hours a day for emergency services. Their emergency services send an officer from Public Safety as well as BEMCo.

THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS

DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE

THINKING ABOUT SUMMER ALREADY?

SO ARE WE!

At Delaware Valley College, summer doesn’t mean a break from school.

It’s the best time to get ahead or caught up! We make it easy for visiting college students to make the most of their summer.

purple louis Relay for Life to happen this Saturday at Gosman

SUMMER COURSES START MAY 18 photos by sharon cai/the hoot

photos by andrew elmers/the hoot

- Online and on campus - Accelerated and full term - Credits are easily transferable * No application fee required for visiting students And because DelVal becomes Delaware Valley University on April 8 - we are celebrating our university status with $48 less per credit on all summer courses!

For more information visit us on the web at delval.edu/summer-collegenews

Contact us at cps@delval.edu or 215.489.4848

DELAWARE VALLEY COLLEGE | 700 E. Butler Ave. Doylestown, PA 18901 tba improv

Rebecca Groner ’17 and TBA performs at Chum’s coffehouse

FEATURES

March 27, 2015

The Brandeis Hoot 9

Campus dining active with exciting events

By Jacob Edelman Editor

One may have noticed recently that the campus dining services, run by Sodexo, have been holding a number of flavorful events in the dining halls.

Whether it’s been the banana split party in Lower Usdan, the Candyland Day dinner in Sherman, international theme nights or the intercollegiate cook-off staked between the chefs of Brandeis, Bentley and Babson, any student taking advantage of on-campus dining has surely noticed the events taking place.

Shawn Monaghan is the general manager of food service at Brandeis, and he excitedly presided over the cook-off in Lower. Sodexo runs the food services at the three “B” schools (Brandeis, Bentley and Babson) and decided to hold a friendly competition between the chefs of each institution. The representatives of each college cooked their dishes based on some of the culinary delights of different countries.

The chefs of Babson represented Australia, and made moo shoo Australia lamb and tofu buns. The chefs of Bentley represented India and served up vegetarian and chicken panini with chickpea puree, cucumber, onion, green pepper and cheese, enclosed in naan, seasoned with masala and green chutney. The chefs of Brandeis represented Switzerland, and prepared Swiss fondue with crusty breads, fresh pretzels with mustard sauce, veal geschnetzeltes (German for “sliced meat Zurich style”), oven roasted potatoes and apple strudel. Though all were quite tasty, my personal favorite was the chicken panini.

After sampling, students submitted votes their favorite dishes. The chefs held the same event at Babson the following week. “What we’ll end up doing is taking the recipes and the response[s] from the students, and we’ll incorporate that into our menu as we go forward,” Monaghan said.

David LaFleur is the district executive chef responsible for systems and standards at Brandeis. From the

North Shore town of Danvers, he’s been here since Sodexo was awarded the Brandeis account approximately a year and a half ago. Thinking about what got him into cooking, LaFleur said, “I had developed a creative culinary passion working as an off-premise catering chef and wanted to learn about how to bring that culinary experience to guests at events such as weddings and holiday parties.”

LaFleur was the presenting executive chef at the cook-off. He enjoys showing off international tastes in his cooking, as it reflects the diversity of both the student body and the staff.

He said that it was a team effort to get the event together, but that it has been held for the past four years, last year being at Lasell. At that event, Brandeis won the award for the most creative display.

He hopes to be able to focus increasingly on preparing student choices, hence the increasing democratization of some campus dining services and events, such as voting for student favorites in the cook-off. “We will be focusing on students bringing their favorites to us, and we will make their recipes for the whole community.”

In the near future, there will be some student chef cook-offs, guest chefs and continued themed marketing programs for dining. When asked about what his optimal five-year vision for Brandeis dining would be, LaFleur replied, “All food prepared in the front and not in the back of the house, so that a lot of the food production is done on display in front of the customers.”

LaFleur acknowledges that Brandeis could improve by bringing some of the cooking action forward so that diners can observe the preparation process. He also looks forward to the dining hall renovations that are going to take place soon.

As for the next fun event, the dining team is very enthusiastic about the upcoming Harry Potter-themed “Great Feast” that will be held during dinner in both Lower Usdan and Sherman on March 31, ebulliently styling the event with the phrase, “Oh yes. It’s happening.” chefs from the three schools prepare their dishes

photos by jacob edelman/the hoot

This week in Features photos:

photos by marian siljeholm/the hoot

reflections Photos from the 250th anniversary of the Stamp Act: A

Revolutionary Exhibit and Performance on March 24

photos by sharon cai/the hoot

EDITORIALS

10 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-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 Opinions Editor Kevin Healey Features Editor Jacob Edelman Deputy News Editors Charlotte Aaron Hannah Schuster Deputy Hoot Scoops Editor Emily Smith Senior Copy Editors Mia Edelstein Julie Landy Copy Editor Allison Plotnik Senior Layout Editor Sasha Ruiz Deputy Layout Editor Ludi Yang Graphics Editor Linjie Xu Website Editors Zak Kolar Zach Phil Schwartz

Volume 12 • Issue 9 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF

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

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March 27, 2015

Admin.’s reversal admits mistakes

L

ast week, the study body was in uproar over two decisions by the administration.

They announced the reorganization of Chum’s Coffeehouse and the closing of the Women’s Resource Center (WRC). Students were appropriately furious at the lack of communication between administrators and students, and felt blindsided by these major decisions. Chum’s employees and the clubs utilizing the WRC—the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) and Students Talking About Relationships (STAR)—released statements, and students took to social media to voice their concerns. In an editorial from last week, The Brandeis Hoot stated, “The administration’s choice to make such dramatic changes, without any apparent communication with the Student Union, only strengthens the opinion of students that the university represents them in rhetoric only.”

Following the backlash and meetings between student leaders and administrators, Brandeis rolled back the changes and apologized to students, which is a good decision on the administration’s part and much appreci-

ated. In an email to students, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Activities Stephanie Grimes stated that currently the WRC is not closing or moving. She apologized for the “miscommunication” she feels gave students “the incorrect impression that the WRC was expendable.” Grimes took full responsibility for the events and offered “an earnest apology.” Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel also announced that Chum’s employees will remain paid while not working and that most student employees will be rehired once Chum’s resumes normal operations.

Unfortunately, it should not take such intense a backlash to get through to administrators, but the administration should be commended for recognizing that they acted impetuously and inappropriately. They are attempting to improve communication regarding these issues, though the administration has made these promises before without much actually happening. Grimes stated in her email that she will be working with the Student Union to examine how to best use group space. This

type of communication is vital, and Grime’s interactions with student leaders should be productive in opening up discussions between students and administrators. The administration’s decision to reverse drastic decisions hopefully signifies a genuine understanding of their mistakes and a genuine recognition that students deserve a voice.

If the situation regarding the WRC and Chum’s have helped the administration to learn, they should not forget these events moving forward when dealing with vital student groups.

An improved understanding of the consequences of ignoring student voices should allow the administration to act with foresight in the future. Conversations like those Grimes has promised must continue. The administration’s lack of opacity is a major issue, and although understanding their mistakes is a positive step, they certainly have farther to go. Universities have a duty to their students and the Brandeis administration must comprehend this fact and work to ensure nothing of this sort happens again.

’Deis Talks showcases learning experiences

By Jess Linde Editor

Brandeis’ Education for Students by Students (ESS) hosted their annual ’Deis Talks events in the Admissions Atrium Thursday, March 26 a series of 10- to 15-minute presentations by members of the Brandeis community designed after TED Talks. As always, this year’s event featured a wide range of topics, though the theme of education and exploring future opportunities was featured in several speeches.

The event was followed with refreshments and mingling, and was co-sponsored by Brandeis’ experiential learning program.

Emily Eng ’14 opened the event with “Do I Wear a Tux or a Gown? Conducting an Orchestra as a Woman.” Eng described her lifelong love of classical music and being inspired to conduct by her middle school band teacher, and how she initially did not know what to wear as a female conductor: a suit, like men, or a dress. She was shocked to learn that only one of the country’s 22 highest-budgeted orchestras was conducted by a woman. While researching the issue on her own, Eng read multiple articles where musical professionals cited extremely sexist reasons for the lack of gender diversity. Undeterred, Eng continued to advocate for herself as a conductor and currently works as the assistant conductor of the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra. She concluded her talk by asking the audience if they believed music had a gender, and asking them to guess the gender of the composers of different pieces of music. Of the three examples, only one was male.

Second came Professor Dan Perlman (BIOL), who asked the audience to consider how they think of learning, specifically how long it lasts. Using the metaphor of a spider’s web—which is beautiful, as well as very strong and malleable—Perlman advocated a slower, more experiential approach to learning, rather than relying on knowledge banking. “What if we think about learning as mountain peaks, rather

than a layered brick wall?” Perlman said. “What if learning depends on flashes of insight?” Perlman encouraged students to focus on what they considered “peak experiences,” or learning experiences that drove them to explore a field or subject further. He concluded by telling the audience not to worry about the future and to follow what they love.

Flora Wang’s ’15 speech centered on the way students schedule their time, and how to improve it. Wang, a double major who holds “a smorgasbord of campus leadership positions,” described her experience being overwhelmed in her day-to-day life trying to fit everything in, and recommended that people make small, realistic steps forward toward a goal. She also advised that people be unafraid to drop activities that take up too much time or aversely affect one’s mental health with stress.

In the most topically serious talk of the night, Imogen Rosenbluth ’17 discussed her experience as a survivor of a prolonged eating disorder and her work to help people struggling with similar conditions. Rosenbluth spoke about the misconception that eating disorders are something people can just “get over,” citing the little-known fact that there are 10 clinically recognized eating disorders and the destructive cycles they create. While describing the damaging effects of eating disorders, Rosenbluth also offered hope. Currently, she works as a volunteer counselor with the National Eating Disorder Association. “I am proud of myself, and I deserve to be,” she said, adding that being “healthy” is a subjective topic depending on specific body type, and that intense diet and exercise do not work for everyone.

After a short intermission, the program restarted with Amelia Katan ’15, who discussed her experience researching the way international law and local concepts of justice interact with one another. Following an inspiring semester in the Netherlands at the International Criminal Court, Katan admitted she declared herself an expert on the conflict with the Lords Resistance Army in Uganda. However following a visit to

Uganda she learned about local conceptions of justice, including desires for reconciliation of child soldiers, despite their crimes. “Books build assumptions, and travel challenges assumptions,” Katan said. “Both are needed to really learn.”

Next came Eduardo Beltrame, a Brazilian exchange student and science enthusiast who discovered a love for 3D Printing at Brandeis.

Currently the president of the Deis 3D club, Beltrame began printing models of molecules and atoms for fun, and recently has begun to use them in collaboration with Professor Daniel Krummel (BCHM), who uses the models in his classes. Explaining the function of each molecule, Beltrame expressed his belief that 3D printed models, which are very accurate to the tiny compounds, can be a step forward in helping people have a more hands-on understanding of the subject.

Arun Sundaram ’15 followed, and discussed his love of videogames as a storytelling form.

Going through several highly acclaimed recent games such as “BioShock Infinite” and “The Last of Us,” Sundaram described what makes videogames’ interactive medium unique for portraying a deep and emotional story. Examples included the complex choices and moral quandaries available in recent games, and he expressed his confidence that games will only continue to evolve.

The final speaker was Joel Abrams ’64, who recently retired after serving 26 years as the president and CEO of the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, a local Community Health Center. Abrams described being brought up on the Jewish concept of “Tikkun Olam,” or healing the world, and leaving law school to work at a community health center in Boston in the 1970s. During his tenure at the Dorchester House, Abrams helped the center provide many progressive health care services to local communities. In his final remarks, Abrams advised the audience, specifically students, to not worry about what to do with their lives now, and to not focus on others’ expectations.

Ochs speaks about bisexuality at QRC

QRC, from page 1

bi,” Ochs said. “And to that kind of statement I say, on what planet, on what planet is that easy.”

To explain people’s negative opinion of bisexuality, Ochs used a four-point theory. She argued that bisexuality is stigmatized because it is not easily identifiable, because people have not received an education that includes bisexuality, because people often see sexuality in binary, and because American culture is very contradictory in regards to sex and sexuality. She argued that educating people about the complexities of sexuality is critical.

An article in last week’s issue reporting a lecture on Holocaust remembrance in Austria misstated several facts concerning the “Naming Memorial.” The article incorrectly stated that

“We have a perverse relationship to the erotic” Ochs argued. “I think we are so weird about sex and sexuality and all our messages about it contradict each other all the time.” This contradiction can be very dehumanizing for bisexuals, who are often viewed only in terms of sex and not as complex humans, according to Ochs.

Ochs also spoke about the idea of minority stress, something which people who identify as bisexual frequently experience. Minority stress, according to Ochs, is quantifiable, and is higher in bisexuals for many reasons. Among these reasons is the fact that bisexuals are often stigmatized not only by the straight community but

Correction

91,000 victims’ names were projected on the walls of the Austrian National Library at Hofburg Palace, but 91,780 names were projected on the walls of the Austrian National Library

by the gay community as well, leaving a feeling of homelessness.

As a bisexual activist, Ochs has spoken at college campuses, conferences, and on television.

She helped to found the Boston Bisexuality Network, and serves on the Board of Directors for MassEquality. Ochs received the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucuses Lifetime Achievement Award for advocacy.

Ochs ended the workshop by encouraging audience members to be accepting of all sexualities, and to recognize the limitation brought by labels.

at Josefsplatz. The article also failed to mention that, by listing names together but differentiated by group, the design avoided a hierarchical presentation.

NEWS

March 27, 2015

By Charlotte Aaron and Talia Franks Editor and staff

Tuesday night, March 24, the Brandeis community gathered in Wasserman Cinematheque to view a screening of “Brave Miss World” and listen to Linor Abargil, Miss World 1998, speak after the film.

“Brave Miss World” is a documentary centering around Abargil, who survived a brutal assault and rape by her travel agent, only to be crowned Miss World six weeks later. Abargil used her fame as Miss World as a starting point to become a vocal activist against sexual violence. She created a website through which rape survivors can speak about their experiences and their struggles with coping. Millions of people have published their stories and spoken out through this forum. The overarching theme of the documentary and her speech was that having conversations about sexual assault helps the survivor heal and gain the strength to speak out.

Interspersed throughout the film are

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Miss World 1998 discusses sexual assault

clips of survivors who spoke about their personal experiences. One of the women admitted that she did not want to tell her mother that someone had drugged and raped her at a party because that was “every mother’s worst nightmare.”

Following the screening, Abargil spoke for a few minutes about why she works to spread awareness about sexual assault. She told the audience that the women who gave her their stories inspired her to make the film.

“The main reason I did this film is to make women and men speak out,” she said. “Rape is so isolating, because even if you tell people what happened, they are afraid to mention it, so you are surrounded by silence,” said Abargil.

Not only has Abargil used talking about her experience as a way to heal, but she also hopes that other women will be able to do the same.

Throughout the documentary and during her talk, Abargil stressed how few people speak about rape, and that without speaking, there is no healing. Ignoring the experience, accord-

ing to Abargil, causes it grows bigger and bigger “like a tumor,” and it will never go away until it “eats you alive.”

She says that talking about it leaves a scar, but scars can heal over.

During the question-and-answer session following the screening, an audience member asked Abargil how to prevent sexual violence, and she answered, “Raise your kids not to rape.” Deviating from the traditional stance which offers advice on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of sexual assault, Abargil instead shifted the responsibility to those committing these crimes. She emphasized that children should be taught not to rape and should raised to be non-violent and to have respect for others. An additional audience member asked Abargil how she viewed God’s role in her tragic stories, to which Abargil answered that one of the first responses she got after telling her story was that everything happens for a reason. For a long time, she had struggled with the question of, “How can you tell me what happened to me is good?” Now, however, she has

come to the realization that people are only put through things that they can handle.

When asked if she ever felt guilty for reporting her rapist, Abargil replied that at no point did she ever feel sympathetic. She emphasized the importance of turning in rapists for both peace of mind and to prevent future women from being assaulted by the same man. While this in theory sounds good, Alex Shapiro ’18, did not agree with everything Abargil said. “I appreciate the fact she empowers women to share their stories and spread awareness … however, I don’t like how she acted as though victims of rape who do not handle it in the same way that she did are somehow wrong. I don’t believe every victim would get the same satisfaction from throwing their perpetrator in jail, and I also don’t think it’s fair to put the responsibility on victims to make sure their perpetrators don’t rape again.”

Although there was some controversy regarding all of Abargil’s beliefs, the documentary looks past the act

of rape and examines how Abargil managed to move past the assault and through life—a moving story. “I find her message inspirational.

It touches upon a topic that is of concern to our campus, and she delivers a very positive message,” said Alice Kelikian, director of the Film, Television and Interactive Media Program, and the woman responsible for bringing Abargil to campus. In an interview after the screening, Kelikian said she found Abargil “articulate, sardonic and moving” and “passionate about her cause.”

The event was funded by funded by the Edie and Lew Wasserman Fund; the Film, Television and Interactive Media Program; the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies; and the Office of Prevention Services.

Sheila McMahon, Brandeis’ sexual assault services and prevention specialist, as well as students from the Rape Crisis Center attended the screening to provide support for any students, as did Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel.

Student Union Election Results

Facilities employee Rivera passes away at age 57

By Victoria Aronson Editor

Ricardo Rivera, a former facilities employee who was with Brandeis for 34 years, passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the young age of 57. Over two weeks later, the Brandeis community was notified of his passing in an email sent by the Office of Communications.

According to the email, which was sent on March 12, Rivera, who was originally born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, was an “avid Red Sox fan” and enjoyed spending time with his family. Rivera is survived by his wife Olga, his six children, his sisters, his eight

grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Dennis Finn, Jr., a fellow facilities employee and supervisor of grounds and vehicles, worked alongside Rivera for almost 10 years. “He was a great employee,” Finn stated, noting Rivera’s dedication to the job and to the needs of the Brandeis community.

Not yet accustomed to Rivera’s absence, Finn revealed, “We still talk about him, we still joke about him as if Richie was here.”

According to Finn, Rivera initially started working at Brandeis for the custodial department as a groundsperson, but through his persever-

ance succeeded in obtaining a commercial driver’s license, enabling him to operate front-end loaders.

“I really admired him for that—he stuck with it. At the time he must have been in his early 50s,” Finn stated.

In the wake of the recent heavy snowstorms, the facilities staff has been critical to the Brandeis community by orchestrating snow removal and ensuring that paths on campus remain safe for students.

As a supervisor, Finn shared one of the most difficult aspects of his job: calling staff in the middle of the night, often incidentally waking their wives and families as result, to aid in the snow removal. Although it was

not mandatory for staff to report to Brandeis in such circumstances, Finn stated “Richie always made it, no problem. He took a lot of pride in his work.”

Over the years, Finn developed a personal relationship with Rivera, bonding as they shared their stories about their families and children.

When Finn was training Rivera for his CDL license, Rivera’s son was just beginning college. “He had a lot of hopes for his son; he was anxious for him … I could tell he was a really dedicated father,” Finn shared.

In the midst of the snow removal operations, Finn recalled that Rivera’s death came as a shock to the staff,

stating, “We knew he wasn’t doing well, he was ill. We didn’t know it had reached that point—I’m not sure anyone did.”

Despite being in mourning, facilities workers still met the demands of the record-breaking snowfall, working tirelessly to ensure the continued operation of the university.

“The month of February was kind of a nightmarish world for all of us.

Everyone realized we had to keep going,” Finn said.

“We’re really going to miss him. It was really tragic, he was still fairly young. He was looking forward to retirement and spending time with his family,” Finn shared.

Farmer’s Club inspired to open garden

By Hannah Stewart Editor

Officially chartered on March 1, the Farmer’s Club is one of Brandeis’ newest student organizations. Inspired

by Professor Laura Goldin’s (AMST/ ENVS/HSSP) class Greening the Ivory Tower: Improving Environmental Sustainability of Brandeis and Community, the club is the result of two group projects which explored the benefits of having a “green roof ” and farmers’ markets.

According to the club’s president Jay Feinstein ’17, “This was a really instrumental incubation space for the project idea. There were so many different projects that started here …

after the semester ended, we decided to combine our initiatives together to form a club.”

As Annie Fortnow ’17, the club’s off-campus manager, elaborated about the club’s development, “After watching ‘Growing Cities,’ which was about urban agriculture and the future of farming in cities, we decided that we wanted to create a smaller version of that on the Brandeis campus.”

The club plans on constructing raised-bed farms, which are to be constructed solely out of milk crates, on the rooftop of Gerstenzang. The most recent plan lays out the creation of approximately 1,000 to 2,000 square feet of growing space.

Feinstein explained the decision

to use Gerstenzang as the site of the farm: “We talked to Daniel Feldman [vice president for planning at Brandeis] … Our original space was the Shapiro Science Center, but then we realized that it did not have a railing and that the railing would cost $70,000.”

“It’s also a really big space,” continued Fortnow, “So if we want to expand in the future, it is definitely a space that will be able to do that.”

Although the club is still applying for funding, they have already developed several ideas as to what they plan on growing. “We’re starting off with greens and tomatoes, really anything that can be grown in a milk crate,” Feinstein said. “Anything people want to buy from a farmers’ market, or

anything that people want to eat, or anything the dining hall wants to buy from us, that’s what we’re growing, whatever’s in demand.” Eben Holderness ’18 is the farm manager and will use his experience to advise on what types of plants should and should not be grown.

The Farmer’s Club also has two upcoming events open to the Brandeis student body and the greater Waltham area. On Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Gosman parking lot, the club hopes to host their first farmers’ market.

When asked about his goals for the farmers’ market, Feinstein asserted, “We hope for people to get excited about sustainable agriculture and to get excited about local vendors com-

ing to the school, building a greater community. We have entertainment, a cappella groups, all these different student groups involved. We have all these outside organizations getting involved, so I guess building with the Brandeis community and beyond on and off campus.”

According to the most recent count, 265 Brandeis students have RSVP’d as attending on the Facebook event.

On April 19, the Farmer’s Club will be giving away clay pots with herb seeds to current Brandeis students at ’Deis Day. Students will be able to decorate and customize their own pots as well as learn more about the club’s plans for the farm and Brandeis community.

12 The Brandeis Hoot

OPINIONS

March 27, 2015

Greater autonomy for student resources needed

By Joe Lanoie Staff

Writing a thesis doesn’t give you a lot of time for anything else, and I’ve missed out. Now that I’ve caught up, however, I heard about two issues on campus that violate ideals both near and dear to my heart: religious expression and student autonomy. Having previously written about the rights of religious freedom and expression, I espoused Dharmic students’ struggles to find a space as a sign of “the innate religious tensions that happen at Brandeis as well as the lack of religious knowledge and understanding on campus.”

My pleas expressed a desire for them to find a place to worship on campus. Apparently, the idea was more widespread than I thought, and the university opened a Dharmic prayer center in the SCC. Or at least attempted to.

The problems of student space resurrected itself when the space to be used for the Dharmic prayer space was taken from Students Talking About Resources (STAR) and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA), who occupied the former Women’s Resource Center, attempting to displace those two groups. Similarly, due to renovations or an outright firing (depending on who you ask), the popular student cafe Chum’s was closed without student consent. Both displaced groups have taken to social media claiming their issues were the result of oppressive ideals that show the university does not care about “social justice.” The displacement of all three groups, whether they be political, supportive or just social, does not justify the methods

they underwent. It does not mean that the Dharmic prayer center must be scrapped to placify those who would rather keep a status quo and the Dharmic community in limbo. All four groups need a space, and Brandeis remains unwillinging to distribute space equally to them. Our campus, in its efforts to highlight student roles in clubs, does not desire student-run spaces, because despite the student presence, campus administration lacks trust in them.

Brandeis does not like the concept of student space in general, preferring administration oversight. Spaces for clubs on campus are rare: other than the Hillel and Christian lounges, the places on campus that are club-specific are rare. Even in those aforementioned places, Chaplaincy figures are present. Other than Chum’s, I cannot think of any student run area on campus that remains free of Brandeisian governmental oversight in one way or form. The rooms in the SCC and Usdan are subject to those buildings’ regulations. Places in dorms are subject to the Department of Community Living. Clubs such as STAR and FMLA are subject to Student Activities and the Student Union.

Every club space and club is regulated by the Student Union or another Brandeis governmental department, restricting access to supplies or what one can do.

While putting on an event earlier in the year for a club I run, I had to get three signatures and visit four departments to get approval for the event. I received it less than six hours before said event was held, even though I started three months in advance. My de See SPACE, page 14

photo by linjie xu/the hoot

Admin. should keep open dialogue with students

By Jacob Edelman Editor

When was the last time you high fived an administrator? For me it was yesterday. I walked out of the SCC and saw President Lawrence going past. I jogged over, held out my hand for a high five (because why not?) and he awkwardly grabbed it exclaiming, “Good to see you!”

Good to see me. It must be, considering that the last time we saw each other was during Orientation. Truthfully, it doesn’t bother me tremendously that I don’t high five our president with regularity.

I mean, I enjoy a high five as much as any other Brandeisian, but I can get them from my friends virtually whenever I want. I’m sure he’s got a lot of other trustees, heads of state, potential donors and other dignitaries higher up on his high five list than a simple first-year like myself. I’ve never really felt an express need to high five him; I did so yesterday on a whim, and it was completely by chance. It was the first time I had seen him personally in months. What I do care about is when I might actually need to high five the president.

Analogy aside, what is important to me is being able to get in touch with my administrators now and again and knowing that they have some of awareness of me, knowing that they’re at least somewhat cognizant of me, my

concerns, my feelings, my interests.

Too often is it said that the university has made an important, impactful decision based on me, but what does making a decision “based on me” even mean? Is it based on what I would enjoy? On what the university thinks would be best for my education? Or is it just what will make best financial sense for the university? I have no idea, and that’s actually a little demoralizing. It’s upsetting because there is no way that the university can make the best decisions for me when they don’t know who I am beyond the statistics. This should be fixed.

Earlier in the year, a couple of open-discussion events were held.

One was on race, during the Mi-

chael Brown and Eric Garner developments. The other was a town hall on free speech, and it was held just a few weeks ago.

Administrators presided at each, and students were given a platform from which to speak their minds and have their voices heard in person by fellow students and university executives.

Although the discussions were productive, they never continued, and the meeting format was never applied to other issues.

What I propose is this: Hold regular student discussions during which a rotating group or panel of administrators could hear student voices directly from the source.

It would be a town hall-style discussion with interested students and faculty, focused on whatever

concerns the participants raise.

The issues may be at the center of campus attention, or they may be subjects that go unnoticed and under-appreciated. The administrators would hear what we have to say, and we would hear the story from their point of views too— in public.

After all, I know it’s an impossibly tall order to ask for every student to be able to meet with top administrators to the point that they know each of us by name.

Our university is the size of a town, and there’s not enough time in the day for everyone to always be heard all the time. That is a fact, and it is immutable.

Yet there can be steps taken to better open the ears and eyes of the administrators at the top to

the thoughts and feelings of the students at the bottom.

Maybe that way they would truly know how we feel when there’s an action taken against Chum’s, or when the meal plans are changed for the following year without warning.

Maybe that way we would understand why a specific decision was made, or for what reasons specific campus operations change or stay the same.

Maybe starting a steady, ongoing open mic dialogue between the administration and the students would be a good thing.

Maybe we wouldn’t have to wait for one side to anger the other for voices to get heard. Maybe, for the sake of high fives all around, it’s worth it.

photo from internet source

March 27, 2015

OPINIONS13

The Brandeis Hoot

Campus card system could use a redesign

By Zach Phil Schwartz Editor

Campus cards: You can’t really get anywhere at Brandeis without one. They’re the keys to most residence halls, debit cards for WhoCash and golden tickets to all of dining services. They make make laundry and library borrowing possible and are supposed to make campus life much easier. Yet there are so many things left to be desired when it comes to these pieces of plastic, especially when it comes to building access.

A main concern with campus cards among students is how easily they are to lose. Chances are you or a friend of yours has lost a campus card in the past and had to pay the price for a new one. The process can be long and grueling, especially if the card is lost during the weekend, when the card office isn’t open. In the interim, access to dining halls and campus buildings can be equally tough, and if you don’t have a lot of friends (and a cell phone to call for help) you’ll be spending your weekend outside.

Another large problem with the cards is that they are not always as reliable as we tend to think they are. I previously mentioned that cards are the keys to most residence halls. The big exclusion is

the Castle, where anyone who wishes to enter either needs a key or someone to show them in. This would be an understandable limitation if the entirety of the Castle’s rooms were the kind that are only accessible from the outside, but this is not the case. Students without Castle or universal keys are unable to access this residence hall in castle like they can with every other residence hall on campus. In all fairness, there are not many situations in which it would be necessary for a non-resident to have to access the Castle which wouldn’t involve people who already live there who could help them in. However, let’s assume that you need to access the Castle to help out your sick, bedridden friend. Your bedridden friend cannot let you in, so you will need to wait on someone else to enter before you’re able to help. The lack of card readers on the Castle’s main doors creates, frankly, an unnecessary impediment to those who may actually need to enter.

Even if card readers are installed outside the Castle, however, problems may still ensue. The current Software House card readers installed around campus might be built to last, but eventually exposure to the outdoors, especially during harsh winters like the one we are emerging from, will get

to them. For example, one of the readers outside Massell’s Shapiro residence hall froze more than once, denying students access to the hall. Given that the cCstle doors are no more sheltered from the elements, the chances for reader freezing are very real.

If students are to have access to every residence hall on campus, it stands to reason that they should have access to the Castle.

So if nothing else is done with campus cards, the very least the

university could do would be to distribute universal keys. These do exist on a smaller scale for students who, due to religious observances, cannot swipe their cards at certain times. However, these are also inefficient, and it stands to reason the university wouldn’t want to distribute these keys on a large scale due to the risk of them falling into malintentioned hands.

In fact, with prior security issues in East, the university would be foolish to hand out more easily

photo from internet source

ost keys.

What the university should do to rectify the problems of the less-than-reliable campus cards would not be a huge step up from what they already have. I believe that replacing the cards and the card readers has the capacity to kill two birds with one stone. A better option for both accessibility and reliability would be to replace the entire card swipe system See CARDS, page 15

Administrators should stay reserved on social media

By Andrew Elmers Editor

Ever since we became friends with Tom, or perhaps since Mark Zuckerberg screwed his friends out of millions of dollars, or we got our first retweet, social media and networks have been a major part of our lives. And it goes beyond the connections we make and keep between friends old and new, as every major—and most minor—businesses, institutions and agencies all have some sort of social media presence. Be it on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram (or oddly enough Snapchat), it is impossible to stay away from some sort of advertisement or post aimed to sell you something—either an actual product, an article or an idea.

Social media has become so intertwined with marketing and public relations that an entire profession has emerged out of the need to make sure large corporations are always on top of what is said about them online.

Professionals who take these jobs seriously are vigilant about proofreading and making sure nothing disparaging is put online through an official account. However, when people without the proper training or foresight post things on social media, it can be embarrassing for both the person who posted it and the institution at large.

Brandeis has all of the social media platforms covered, with most departments and student groups having their own accounts. Problems arise, however, when administrators or other people in higher level positions make posts from their personal accounts speaking on behalf of the university. While it is nice to feel like students have access to administrators through multiple avenues, when it comes time to make a formal statement, replying to someone’s tweet is

simply not the way to go about doing that. Social media is really useful for promoting events, but when it moves past that, it just becomes irritating.

Scroll through Senior Vice President of Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel’s Twitter (@ deanflagel), and you get a good

sample of both quality social media posts and others that simply are annoying. There are a good amount of posts notifying his followers about events around campus and other news to be aware of.

Then there are a large amount of retweets of basically anything that mentions the official Brandeis

Twitter handle, causing one to wonder when he has the time to go searching through Twitter mentions and find all of these posts to go ahead and retweet.

With the Class of 2019 receiving their acceptance letters over the past week, a number of high school students across the coun-

photo from internet source

try have been tweeting and posting about their excitement over getting in. These have then been followed up by Flagel replying to the tweet with a somewhat corny one-liner. Most of these tweets don’t even mention the of See SOCIAL, page 15

14 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

March 27, 2015

From The Hoot archives: Unite stakeholders

By Kevin Healey Editor

“We founded The Hoot because we believe that what Brandeis needs is a community newspaper. A newspaper written about, by and for members of the Brandeis campus … We shall be neither intimidated by controversy, but neither shall we sink to the level of merely titillating our readership, our mission is to inform, to bring meaningful content into readers’ lives.

We are here for our readers, not our resumes.”

-The Hoot Editorial Board, January 14, 2004.

This week, I had the honor of becoming office manager for The Brandeis Hoot and warden of The Hoot archives. I know I’m not normal, but the chance to sort through, organize and preserve our old editions really excites me. In the 100+ editions of The Hoot currently in the archives, there is the collective history of the campus I love, from the exciting to the mundane. I watch over pieces about love, death and intrigue along with tax law, faculty meeting minutes and reviews of restaurants that closed years ago. For some, these collections of our past are boring, and for others interesting if ultimately useless relics of a bygone time. I believe, however, that they can be more than that.

We are university students, and as much as we might love Brandeis it’s only our home for a mere four years.

In that time we will build deep friendships (and perhaps rivalries), and come to believe we know everything about this place, but it’s ultimately just not enough time. Few students here today know Brandeis didn’t accept midyears until 2003 and had no business majors until 2009, but these historical facts still influence the way the university functions today. Those who don’t know the story of the courageous students who captured Ford Hall in 1969 could never understand the workings of the AAAS Department today. And without a knowledge of our university’s budget crisis of 2008, we would never understand why they guard our financial safety so stringently today.

There is a power in educating ourselves about the past, because it is the lens that shapes the present. Many of the problems we face, as individuals, a university and a society, are not new but instead lingering, some stretching back to our founding in 1948. We can never understand how the university

works with Sodexo without knowledge of the previous contract with Aramark, nor could we ever truly find a way to tackle these issues. It is only through the history that we learn what could (or couldn’t) be a tool to tackle our problems.

To that end, I decided to use my new position to provide that history, both for my own personal engagement and for the health of our student community. Each week, I plan to highlight an important story from The Hoot archives and explain its relevance to our student discourse today. In doing so, I hope I can lend a unique perspective on the issues of our day grounded in the insights of the past students who passed through this little stretch of Waltham.

I thought it only proper to begin this column with another first, the first issue of The Hoot published Jan. 14, 2004. The U.S. had only just begun its nine-year venture in Iraq, George W. Bush was president and Fred Lawrence wasn’t yet a campus name.

Against this backdrop, a group of students angry at the lack of participation they felt on campus decided to take a daring step and make their voices heard. Instead of relying on social media (at the time, Myspace) to connect

with students, they decided to create a community newspaper, one that would be “about, by and for members of the Brandeis campus.” Instead of simply reporting events, they made a commitment to report the news to provide real information to every interested party at our university. This commitment to diverse opinions is valuable, and has done a lot to improve our campus as a whole.

It’s easy to fall into cynicism and to assume that nothing we as students, faculty, staff or alumni can do will make a difference when facing a multimillion dollar private university, but when united, our commitment to the truth has made our voices heard.

When former President Jehuda Reinharz tried to sell the Rose Art collection in 2009, students protested the loss of our artistic heritage and the arbitrary decision of the administration to close a valuable part of our campus. Instead of organizing alone, however, students reached out to others. Working with the museum staff, art enthusiasts and donors, we were able to block the proposed closing, and under the guidance of President Lawrence, the museum opened again in 2011.

This story may be the most prom-

inent reversal of university policy in recent memory, but the truth is that every day students make small changes for the good of our campus.

In 2004, Ridgewood hadn’t yet been constructed and our housing problem was acute. Due to technical errors, anyone could vote in Student Union elections and they were generally seen as rigged. On March 21, 2006, the university ran out of funding entirely for course-related activities. Even if we don’t appreciate it, we have made advances from some of our problems of the past.

Still, as much progress as we’ve made as a university in these last 11 years, there are still battles to fight and to win. Recent actions by this administration, even over the past few weeks, show us that student voices can still be ignored. After all, it is easier to avoid the student body than to work with them, and from the arbitrary decision to close Chum’s to DCL failing to provide adequate and accommodating housing on campus, we’re all hurting.

Despite all the campus protests, organizing, social media blitzes and angry discussions, the administration often doesn’t change, and probably won’t if we don’t do more.

When Chum’s closed, we should

photo by kevin healey/the hoot

have reached out to the alumni who look back fondly on their nights spent there. When students thought the Women’s Resource Center was closing, they should have reached out to the WGS professors who could advocate with them. If we want the university to divest from fossil fuels, we should unite with graduate students studying sustainability at the Heller School. We become so trapped in our bubbles we forget that we are not just undergraduates but pieces of a larger Brandeis community.

The original editorial board wrote, “We do not hope to accomplish the production of a newspaper alone. We want your help. If you are someone who has expressed some of the sentiment described above, perhaps you too can seize this opportunity.”

There is a reason that The Hoot has invested so much in being a community newspaper. It is because our beliefs can only be realized through the power of our community. Eleven years ago, it set out to unite us behind a common vision of where we wanted to go. Since then, through our successes and failures, our campus has improved by that vision. If we want to make things better, we ought to truly take their creed to heart.

Campus spaces important for club functions SPACE, from page 12

lay was due to a bureaucratic system which decides who succeeds and who fails based on their own biases, marking each club irrationally.

This oversight devalues the student aspects of the club and space, making the space less special. I know it sounds cliche, but people are two-faced: they act differently around superiors and peers.

Concerning Chum’s, no more events are being scheduled and the events being held there must be done with non-student supervision, effectively adding for the first time administrative power over the area.

The administration is renovating the area surrounding and including Chum’s, which they must to maintain structural integrity, and that will mean that Chum’s will have to close. Events should fade away to allow the construc-

tion work to happen. What irks me is the question of why the events are being supervised. Although I do not believe the idea that Chum’s is being oppressed as the sole reason, the administration’s arguments and actions do not align.

Therefore, I am skeptical and believe that Student Events’ actions are reprehensible. Repair and secure the building, yes, but do not use the situation to control the space. The moment one controls a student space, the space is no longer safe due to fear of Brandeisian repercussions. FMLA and STAR remain independent, but the former order to “move out or else” shames me as a Brandeisian. I understand the Dharmic faiths need a place to worship; I believe the former WRC would be a great place to have it.

Yet those groups provide valuable services to campus. If Brandeis converted the Alumni

Lounge into a Dharmic community center, none of this turmoil would have happened. Campus space must be more efficiently used. The Brandeis bureaucracy wants to suppress all student autonomy because it weakens their power. It is a natural instinct to want autonomy; student-run spaces are the only points of rebellion against an overbearing college bureaucracy.

Just recently, an email about weekend activities was sent out

by Student Activities. Headlining this email were comments about this issue. The email stated that the administration’s “miscommunication was at the core of this unfortunate misunderstanding.” Had the administration allowed the rare cases of student autonomy on campus, this “miscommunication” would not have happened. Secondly, the email apologized to the Dharmic faith community here, as is appropriate. A needless con-

flict between campus groups was created over space, and they were right to apologize for causing the kerfuffle. Finally, the administration is again committing the same mistakes of isolating already rare club spaces by adding the SCC Art Gallery to the realm of controlled space, only now being “scheduled for use through the Chaplaincy.”

I currently attend weekly club meetings in the Art Gallery. Why does Brandeis think the solution to student space problems is to restrict more student space? The Alumni Lounge, or the one right above Levin Ballroom, is rarely used, if used at all. It could be converted into a lovely center for all those who need it for worship.

But Brandeis believes the solution is more of the problem.

All in all, Brandeis should repair Chum’s (and the Castle) as soon as possible, place the Dharmic prayer center in the Alumni Lounge in Usdan and let STAR

and WRC run themselves without Brandeis administrational interference in the SCC. Brandeis organizations and spaces already have regulatory agencies in their members: The people’s rule prevent the tyranny of the few leaders.

In the world outside of Brandeis’ campus, the rule of law regulates itself. On campus, an unapproachable and faceless bureaucracy demands complete and utter compliance. In the cases of Chum’s and the WRC, the areas on campus were threats to the desire of overreaching control.

In the real world, adults are free to organize and find organizations that deal with issues in spaces they deem acceptable without a regulator. As college students, we are nearly all over 18 years of age.

Why does that power of maturity, and its responsibilities, change when entering 415 South Street?

We are adults and must be treated as such.

March 27, 2015

OPINIONS15

The Brandeis Hoot

Keep personal and univ. business separate SOCIAL, from page 13

ficial handle, so Flagel has to go through actual searches of high schoolers’ tweets and find them.

The reasoning behind it obviously is to show the prospective student that their matriculation is even more desired than what is conveyed through the letter, and to try to recruit them.

However, practically everyone regards recruiting high school students as creepy, especially in the world of college athletics. Admittedly collegiate athletics has a completely different set of issues that make the whole field pretty scary, given that middle-aged men are communicating with high school athletes trying to coax them to play for a school that will make millions of dollars off their performances, while only receiving a scholarship in return. Though it’s obviously not the case here, when an official from a prestigious university is looking at tweets by 17-year-olds, it just comes across as desperate. The school shouldn’t feel the need to so actively recruit students who are already excited enough about Brandeis that they post about it for the world to read through Twitter—and it’s not likely that one weird tweet will singlehandedly cause any student to attend Brandeis.

As an example, compare Fla-

gel’s account to Dean of Students Jamele Adams’ account (@h2five).

Adams doesn’t have anywhere near the extensivity on his account that Flagel has. Adams stays reserved and calm when making posts. There aren’t many posts to begin with and they mostly share inspirational messages, which Adams has become known for, and they don’t really mention Brandeis

in one way or another.

Even worse is when social media is used to make formal announcements and comments to the community. When the fracas around Chum’s was at a fever pitch, Flagel went through Twitter to respond to student concerns. Responses to student outcry over the restructuring of a symbolic piece of our campus should not have to be lim-

ited to 140 characters. Responding in this format just comes across as lazy and emotionally-charged, instead of something that has been thought through from different perspectives.

When adults tell us to be careful about what we post on social media to impress potential employers, they should take their own advice. In fact, since current

photo from internet source

students have practically been brought up alongside the advent of all these social media platforms, our knowledge of how to best use them is almost intrinsic. So the next time an administrator wants to get in touch with the student body, they should analyze whether they are actually opening themselves up or just exposing themselves for embarrassment.

Campus cards flawed, better options available CARDS, from page 13

a proximity based reader system.

This type of security replaces the need to swipe with holding a proximity fob up to a reader that has a smaller likelihood of failing due to weather. For anyone who was locked out of Shapiro during the last ice storm, this would be a significant benefit. The proximity fob can be easily placed on a keychain without much obstruction, diminishing the chances of loss, and if stolen they can be deactivated electronically to prevent non-students from entering residence halls.

Although it may not seem like it, the proximity fob idea also works well with dining and the use of WhoCash. Everyday at Usdan, around 12 p.m. it seems the entire student body descends on

the dining hall. The time it takes to swipe in might seem minimal, but anyone who’s been stuck in the line for 15 minutes knows how frustrating it can be. Replacing the swipe readers with proximity readers at dining locations could expedite the process of getting into a dining hall and using your points. In addition, changing the system could also expedite the use of WhoCash at various campus locations like in laundry rooms and at the bookstore.

I’m not totally advocating the termination of campus cards as forms of identification, but their other uses could be better performed. For the good of the university, our campus cards should be phased out and their importance diminished until they’re just an ID. In the meantime, more reliable options should be explored for student satisfaction.

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

photo from internet source

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

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

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

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

GIVE A HOOT, JOIN THE HOOT! Writers, editors, photographers and graphic artists wanted to join The Brandeis Hoot, your weekly community newspaper.

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

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

March 27, 2015

ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot 16

Sarah Brodsky ’15 and cast shine in ‘Legally Blonde’

bend and snap

photos by michelle kim/the hoot

HTG’s production of “Legally Blonde” opens in the SCC theatre.

By Michelle Kim Editor

After months of anticipation for Elle Woods and her colorful (mostly pink) life, the Undergraduate Theater Collective’s production of “Legally Blonde” premiered this Thursday, March 26. Attended by a 250-person strong audience, the show was presented by Brandeis University’s Hillel Theater Group (HTG) and directed

by Alison Thvedt ’15.

After waiting in a line that extended from the entrance of the Shapiro Campus Center Theater to the Einstein’s exit, audience members were ushered to their seats. The show featured beautifully made mobile stage decorations, which served to move the viewers from one setting to another. From Elle Wood’s sorority house to Harvard Square, the set was flawless at all times of the show.

Despite a weak orchestra, the “Legally Blonde” cast was exciting and funny. Sarah Brodsky ’15, who is also the president of HTG, is the perfect Elle. Her acting range, which covered being ditsy as well as aceing Harvard Law School, made her the ideal casting decision. She is everything Elle is in the Broadway and Hollywood adaptations of “Legally Blonde.” I may even say that Brodsky is good enough to compete with Reese Witherspoon and Laura Bell Bundy, who played the original Elle on screen and on stage, respectively. I could not have imagined a better Elle to perform in the Brandeis production. Her performance was nothing but extraordinary.

Joining Brodsky was an equally gifted cast of women: Elle’s Greek Chorus, which consisted of Chlöe Newlon ’17, Torey Carter ’15, Rebecca French ’16 and Yael Matlow

’18 (she did spectacularly in “What You Want”), were all extremely good singers and dancers. Small groups in Legally Blonde, such as the Greek Chorus and Elle’s Harvard peers, performed with exceptional synchronization and skill.

However, larger groups of performers, such as the entire Delta Nu sorority, were slightly messier than expected for such a Brandeis show.

At times, I felt like I was watching a 24-Hour Musical. This may be due to the production open-cast nature. Fortunately, such moments were few and short, so they did not really obstruct the overall performance. Choreography was mediocre at best, but perhaps this was because of weak dancers who very obviously made mistakes.

Another star of the show was Scarlett Huck ’18 (Paulette), whose powerful vocals, impeccable Bostonian accent and perfect bend-and-snap

easily made her one of the best performers of the night. She was able to perfectly maintain her accent throughout all of her songs. My favorite performance by Huck was “Ireland.” It was wonderfully charming and flawless. Her on-stage chemistry with Brodsky shined, establishing the two as a power duo.

Nathan Schneider ’18 and Kaelan Lynch ’17, who played Elle’s two love interests, Emmett Forrest and Warner Huntington III, were also very good actors and vocalists. They further solidified the production’s status as one of the best musicals performed at Brandeis. Many Brandeis shows often feature students who are good at acting but not strong vocally, or vice versa, but “Legally Blonde” definitely set itself apart from this category.

Ben Steinberg ’18 also did very well as Professor Callahan. Steinberg managed to carry himself on the stage with the air of an esteemed professor.

The audience went wild and cheered extra loudly for Huck’s performance of “Ireland” and “Bend and Snap,” the latter being a signature moment from the film version. Personally, I had a good time watching the entire cast emphasize the image of a strong and independant woman who can survive being without an egotis-

tical ex-boyfriend. Elle represents, according to Thvedt’s director’s note, “the modern woman and all she must endure,” including heartbreak, law school, new love, sisterhood and work, “and these are all things to be celebrated and praised because far too often, they are not.” While “Legally Blonde” has often been labeled as a story of feminism, Thvedt cautions that the story’s journey from book to stage has not been free of discrimination. “Legally Blonde is no feminist fairy tale … The musical … [turns] Elle into a typical ‘damsel in distress,’” she wrote. “I urge the audience to celebrate ‘Legally Blonde’ and Elle, but also be critical of the ways her story is told and to be critical of how sexism, racism, classism and standards of beauty are represented in each different rendition of ‘Legally Blonde.’”

The Brandeis adaptation of “Legally Blonde” has further changed Elle and her story to what I think portrays Elle and the “modern woman” fairly and realistically. Despite orchestral and dance mishaps, the show’s cast shines strongly enough to overshadow technical mistakes.

“Legally Blonde” will continue to be shown at the Shapiro Campus Center throughout this weekend. Tickets are $3 at the SCC Ticket Booth.