The Brandeis Hoot 11/04/2016

Volume 13 Issue 22

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe” www.brandeishoot.com

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper · Waltham, Mass.

BAATF gives open letter to Liebowitz

November 4, 2016

Liebowitz inaugurated as ninth president

By Zach Phil Schwartz

By Elianna Spitzer and Abigail Gardener

editor

editors

Ronald D. Liebowitz was officially inaugurated as the ninth president of Brandeis University at a ceremony in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center on Thursday, Nov. 3. Liebowitz succeeds Lisa Lynch (interim president) and Frederick Lawrence as the university’s highest ranking administrator. The ceremony weaved musical interludes by the Brandeis Chamber Singers and University Chorus and Orchestra into the chain of speeches that culminated in Liebowitz’s inaugural address.

His remarks focused on the

The Brandeis Asian American Task Force (BAATF) delivered an open letter to President Ronald D. Liebowitz at the Inaugural Luncheon on Nov. 3. The letter contained a general statement, personal notes from students and signatures from those supporting the effort.

The letter began circulating online for students to sign or add personal statements on Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. The general statement welcomed President Liebowitz to Brandeis while communicating See BAATF, page 4

INAUGURATION Ron Liebowitz poses for a photo at the inaugural proceedings with Larry Kanarek

John Davis ‘75 (left).

Climate Action Plan updated

By Hannah Schuster editor

Brandeis has reduced its carbon footprint for the first time since it signed a pledge in 2008 to reduce its energy consumption and work towards carbon neutrality.

As part of its pledge, Brandeis released a Climate Action Plan in 2009. However, the university’s carbon footprint increased in the years following. Last October a new task force began updating the plan to help Brandeis set shortterm goals for reducing its footprint. The footprint decreased by eight percent between fiscal years 2015 and 2016. Brandeis also used 10 percent less energy.

Between 2008, when Brandeis signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, and 2015, its carbon footprint increased by one percent.

“This reflects, in part, an expansion of both the student body and the campus physical plant. Nonetheless, our carbon footprint would have increased by 8 [percent] instead of just 1 [percent] if the New England electric grid had not dramatically reduced its carbon intensity from 2008 – 2015,” according to the updated plan from the President’s Task Force on Campus Sustainability.

In 2015, Brandeis also found that it uses approximately 25 percent more energy than compara-

ble schools, based on climate and building characteristics, the plan says.

The 2009 Climate Action Plan set a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the task force was asked to examine short-term actions to “start making a difference immediately” before tackling long-term goals, according to Mary Fischer, Brandeis’ sustainability coordinator.

The new plan, just released, names short-term goals of reducing energy-related emissions by 10 percent by fiscal year 2018 and 15 percent by fiscal year 2020, using fiscal year 2015 as a baseline, or starting point. Emissions constitute what is released into the air, and Brandeis’ carbon footprint is based on a group of emissions sources which include the use of natural gas and oil use, residence hall and water heaters, fuel used in university vehicles and purchased electricity, according to the plan.

The vast majority of Brandeis’ greenhouse gas emissions come from building energy use.

Brandeis faces a challenge on this front due to the age and efficiency of its buildings. Sixty percent of its buildings were constructed between 1951 and 1975, when energy efficiency was not a major consideration.

See SUSTAINABILITY, page 3

Inside This Issue:

News: Win macbook air through health survey Opinions: Trump and the religious right Arts: Musical collaboration with an activistFeatures: New sustainability initiatives EDITORIAL: Support creation of AAPI minor

‘76 (right)

PHOTO BY ZACH CIHLAR/THE HOOT

See LIEBOWITZ page 3

Mark Brimhall-Vargas named Chief Diversity Officer

By Ryan Spencer staff

Brandeis named Mark Brimhall-Vargas as the university’s first chief diversity officer (CDO) and vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

Brimhall-Vargas, who will begin his job as CDO at Brandeis on Jan. 11, comes from Tufts University. At Tufts he held the position of CDO and associate provost.

VOICEMALE

“As CDO, Brimhall-Vargas will work closely with the president, provost, academic deans, faculty, students, trustees and staff to ensure that the goals of diversity and inclusion are embraced across the Brandeis campus,” according to a press release sent out on Wednesday.

At Tufts, Brimhall-Vargas undertook initiatives such as educating members of the Tufts community on how to recruit and hire female candidates and candidates of color for open staff and faculty

positions.

He also built a website dedicated to publishing data relevant to progress made in diversity efforts, according to an article in The Tufts Daily. The dashboard page is listed under “strategic themes” on the Tufts website and features statistics, events and articles centering on diversity. Graphics at the top of the dashboard display data on the race/ethnicity of Tufts

A capella group’s costumes amuse captivated audience. See ARTS page 16.

Lydian String Quartet

Page 2 Page 11 Diverse compositions disPage 15 play musical expertise Page 6 Page 10 ARTS: PAGE 15

Reusable Bottles

Survey says Brandeis needs more water bottle refilling stations.

FEATURES: PAGE 5

See CDO, page 3

PHOTO BY YARISA DIAZ/THE HOOT

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

November 4, 2016

Intl. social justice competition comes to Brandeis

By Abigail Gardener editor

The Hult Prize @ Brandeis challenge, an international social entrepreneurship competition, will be held at Brandeis for the first time on Dec. 3.

The Hult Prize Foundation, a nonprofit organization, hosts a competition each year in which social entrepreneurs compete in teams to solve the world’s biggest challenges. Anyone who is a student at Brandeis is welcome to form a team and apply, whether they attend the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, attend the International Business School or are an undergraduate student.

Teams must have at least three members but no more than four.

They must be comprised of current students, but one member is allowed to be an alumnus.

Teams composed of a mix of students from different schools at Brandeis are encouraged. “The key to a good team is that mix, so that everybody can bring in a piece of expertise,” said Jennie Kelly, Hult Prize @ Brandeis committee member and second year master’s student at the Heller School.

To facilitate the formation of diverse teams, a Brandeis-wide mixer is being held on Nov. 8 from 5–6:30 pm in the Intercultural Center. Students from all schools are welcome. The purpose of the mixer is to facilitate a “speed-dating” type of atmosphere so that interested students can get to know a lot of people with varying skills in the hopes of forming a team, Kelly said.

Students who form teams are then able to register on the Hult Prize @ Brandeis’ website simply by submitting the names and information for all team members.

An idea is not needed to register for the competition, according to the Hult Prize’s website.

The final registration deadline for the competition at Brandeis is Nov. 23. Teams also have the opportunity to pre-register for the competition by Nov. 11. If they choose to do this, these teams will be provided with a mentor session and an extra information packet to help them flesh out their idea, according to Kelly.

The final competition at Brandeis, in which teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges who are yet to be determined, will take place on Dec. 3.

In order for the winning team to be eligible for regional competition, 10 teams must compete at the Brandeis competition. “The more we can spread the word, the better off we’ll be,” said Kelly.

Even if they do not win the Brandeis competition, teams will still have the opportunity to sub-

mit their idea via an online application before the deadline of Dec. 18 to be considered for the regional competition, the Hult Prize website said.

Kelly is very excited to have the Hult Prize at Brandeis this year, and hopes that it goes well so it can be an annual occurrence. She emphasized to students that this is a good opportunity regardless of who the winner is. It is a chance to participate in a team challenge and hone valuable skills, especially those that have to do with business and start-ups, she said.

The Hult Prize challenge is a year-long process. Potential competitors have to go through three phases of competition: applying online or competing at local competitions on college campuses, which lead to regional competitions (held at five cities around the world, including Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai and Shanghai).

Winners of the regional competitions will attend the Hult Prize Accelerator, a six-week program of entrepreneurial seminars, and finally compete at the Global Finals, which are held at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York.

The team who wins the Hult Prize at this stage of the competition is given $1 million to fund their idea and make it a reality, according to the Hult Prize’s website. The next phase is implementation of the winning idea.

Each year, former President Bill Clinton presents the President’s Challenge in September, which becomes the theme for that year’s Hult Prize competition. The 2017 President’s Challenge revolves around refugees and “will focus on restoring the rights and and dignity of those currently living in informal/illegal settlements,” according to the Hult Prize’s website.

With upcoming Castle construction, Pottery club seeks new space

By Samantha Lauring staff

The pottery club is currently working with administration to find a new studio. The club’s studio, located in Usen Castle, has been shut down since the beginning of August due to the upcoming Castle construction, said Marisa Rubel ’17, Pottery Club president. The club hosted an open studio in the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC) yesterday to raise awareness about their search for a space.

“The pottery club used the studio every day. We had hours every day of the week when a studio monitor would be there and anyone could come to work on their art. We did not have official meetings except within the E-board, as we ran the club like an open studio,” Rubel told The Brandeis Hoot.

The pottery studio was not in a specific tower of the Castle, but it was above the laundry room in a separate building outside the main Castle, according to Rubel.

Students have voiced concerns asking why spaces in the Castle, such as Chums, will remain intact, but the pottery studio will not.

Chums Coffee House, located

in Tower B of the Castle, will stay intact because Towers A and B are not being taken down during the construction, according to Jim Gray, vice president of Campus Operations. However, the pottery studio is located in a part of the Castle that is being taken down during the renovation, said Gray in an interview with The Hoot.

The club has been inactive, meaning none of the members have been able to work on their pottery. Rubel said she has been working with Prof. Chris Frost (FA), the pottery club’s faculty advisor, to talk to Dean of Students Jamele Adams and Facilities to work out a solution. Frpst club is in talks with Adams to find a new studio space. Adams emailed Rubel on Wednesday to check in, but she would like see additional communication.

In the past few days, the art faculty told the club it could use studio space in Goldman-Schwartz until the end of the 2016-17 school year. However, the club has not yet had a meeting or set up official hours because Rubel, Frost and the club’s executive board are deciding the parameters of the studio and how to share it with art classes that use the studio. Rubel says a concerning issue is “how to keep the club and the class materials separate and ensure that the

room is left spotless.”

“This is not our space, there are codes that need to be upheld, just like in the sculpture workshop, the paint studio, the print studio, etc. Clay and glaze can become toxic if not stored properly,” wrote Rubel.

When asked for comment by The Brandeis Hoot, Adams said that he is looking forward to continuing to work with the club to find a more permanent home. “... there are special requirements and ventilation needs for the Club due to the equipment necessities, which will make finding a space a more unique opportunity.” said Adams when asked for comment

by The Brandeis Hoot.

The club held open studio hours from 12-3 p.m. yesterday to show the administration that students want the club to continue. At the studio hours, there was a board for students to sign and write why pottery club must stay.

Additionally, there were materials for students to make their own pottery. “Our plan currently is to gather supporters to show the administration how many people want this club,” said Rubel. “I am hoping that the show of support will pressure the administration to find us a space.”

In August, the administration, namely the Department of Com-

munity Living (DCL), changed the code on the door of the studio about one month ago, according to Rubel. Club members have not been able to enter the studio to retrieve their items and clean out the studio.

Club members emailed DCL and were let into the studio once to take their supplies, which are currently being stored in the Goldman-Schwartz basement.

However, DCL will not let club

members in to clean out and sort through the rest of their supplies.

“There’s 30 years of stuff in there,” said Rubel.

The Castle’s structural integrity has been compromised for years.

Scaffolding surrounds portions of the building. A piece of the ceiling fell on a resident’s desk in 2009.

Students have voiced concerns about safety and health risks that living in the building may create.

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA LAURING/THE HOOT

Survey assesses students’ health concerns

By Elianna Spitzer editor

A health survey will analyze students’ wellness and the availability of resources on campus, according to an email from the executive director of health and wellness, Michael LaFarr, on Nov 1.

The National College Health Assessment (NCHA) was developed by the American College Health Association (ACHA).

It asks questions about mental, physical and sexual health, as well as drug use.

The goal of the survey is to see how Brandeis’ health trends compare to other universities nationally. “These comparisons are very important in helping us decide how to invest money and staffing to address the health and well-

ness needs of our community,” wrote LaFarr in an email to The Brandeis Hoot.

Brandeis selected the ACHANCHA survey because it has the capacity to collect a large amount of data at once. “More than 1.4 million students at more than 740 colleges and universities across the country have already taken the survey,” LaFarr wrote.

The survey asks about temporary health problems such as a cold or cough as well as chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Questions either ask students to answer in terms of their experience in the last 30 days or in the last 12 months.

“My understanding of the questions which compare the past 30 days to the past year is looking to see if there has been a change in behavior in the short term versus a longer term,” LaFarr said.

Many of the questions focus on how widespread the health concern is, asking the survey-taker to determine how often the average Brandeis student participates in an activity such as drug or alcohol use. The survey does not define what an “average Brandeis student” is.

A survey-taker is not required to input their name, but age, ethnicity, height and weight are requested.

Participation is voluntary, and students are able to skip questions, particularly if they are concerned that certain questions may compromise anonymity. The results of the survey will be released to the student body. They will be published in a group format, and individual responses will not be posted.

Students do not need to worry about having their results identi-

fied through their email address.

“To ensure confidentiality, email addresses are destroyed by ACHA before data are compiled and shared with Brandeis University,” said LaFarr in an email sent to the Brandeis community.

Brandeis administrators were allowed to add questions, but not allowed to remove existing ones. Removing questions would cause problems for ACHA when comparing Brandeis’ results with other universities, according to LaFarr.

A survey-taker is asked to consider how their health affects daily activities, such as: “In the past 7 days, how much of a problem have you had with sleepiness (feeling sleepy, struggling to stay awake) during your daytime activities?”

Questions require students to assess a health concern in terms

of frequency. “Over the last two weeks, how many times have you had five or more drinks of alcohol at a sitting?” the survey reads.

The final question requires a yes or no response and reads, “I would like Brandeis to become a smoke-free campus and ban smoking on Brandeis property.”

Smoking is prohibited within Brandeis buildings and within 30 feet of a building. A single student may be fined up to $150 for violating this section of Rights and Responsibilities.

Upon completion of the survey, students are entered in a random drawing for gift cards and a MacBook Air. The survey, provided by the American College Health Association (ACHA), will be available until Nov. 30.

November 4, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot

NEWS 3

Liebowitz looks to the future at inauguration ceremony

INAUGURATION, from page 1

re-affirmation of Brandeis’ values while preparing the university for the future. Liebowitz recounted the history of the institution, then went on to speak about the innovation in store for the future.

Liebowitz commented on the school’s commitment to openness and inclusivity. “The protests of campus last year reveal the deep sense of exclusion and alienation among some students; we must take take that sense of disconnectedness seriously,” he said.

He discussed the need to think critically about creating an inclusive environment, but sees Brandeis as having an enormous opportunity to get out in front of challenges like this. He finished by asking the university community to join the charge.

A benediction video featuring several students, faculty and staff representing different faiths followed Liebowitz’s remarks and concluded the ceremony.

Larry Kanarek ’76, chair of the Board of Trustees gave welcoming remarks and explained how in addition to chairing the Board, he also led the Presidential Search Committee that brought Liebowitz to Brandeis. The new president exceeded the high qualifications that the committee set, among them someone who “gets Brandeis,” someone with real proven executive experience and someone strategic and geared for the future, he said. “Ron’s energy, enthusiasm for Brandeis, clear thinking, quick mind, openness

and perhaps most importantly, his warmth, shine through.”

A duo of guest speakers followed Kanarek. The first was Stephen Donadio ’63, the John Hamilton Fulton Professor of the Humanities at Middlebury College, where Liebowitz had previously been president. Donadio told his Brandeis story, which was rooted in the hardships of his youth, and then lauded Liebowitz for transforming and revitalizing a beleaguered and near-extinct Department of Geography at Middlebury.

Christine Ortiz, professor of

Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, spoke following another musical interlude. “Ron Liebowitz has dedicated his life to this great calling of advancing education and research, and his impact will greatly benefit the students, faculty and staff here at Brandeis, but it will also have potential to impact well beyond the campus borders, because what we do on our individual campuses now can go worldwide,” she said.

Ortiz’s speech was followed by the presentation of the Brandeis Medallions; among those presenting to the new president

was Student Union President David Herbstritt ’17, Marinella Taoushiani (GRAD), Mark Surchin ’78 and Kanarek. Former Interim President and current Provost Lisa Lynch gave her remarks following another musical interlude: Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms, Movement III.” The provost and former interim president’s speech invoked a central theme of community, in that re-committing the university to its founding values is not something the new president can do alone. To do this will take the entire community working together.

PHOTO BY ZACH CIHLAR/THE HOOT

Lynch discussed the two characteristics she believes Ron Liebowitz has that will allow him to be a successful and effective president: his ability to listen and listen well, and his great sense of humor.

She discussed how it was important that one not take themselves too seriously and that a good sense of humor goes a long way toward relieving stress and spurring creativity and collaboration.

“Ron, just keep on smiling,” she said.

The Investiture of the President began following Lynch’s remarks.

Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Jonathan Davis ’75 presented Liebowitz to the audience while Kanarek presented him with the medallion, the chain of office and the charter of the university. This officially inaugurated him as the ninth president of Brandeis and set the stage for his speech.

The proceedings began with the Academic Procession, which followed a preluding performance from the Boston Musicians Organization. Anita Hill, University Professor of Social Policy, Law and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies, served as the Grand Marshal. Last in the procession was the new president, flanked by former president Frederick Lawrence.

The Invocation was delivered

by Rabbi William Hamilton of Congregation Kehillath Israel following a rendition of the national anthem. Hamilton led a prayer for Liebowitz, his family and the university as a whole.

Univ. studies ways to cut building energy use

SUSTAINABILITY, from page 1

“As a result of both design and age, our buildings are deteriorating quickly, requiring ever-increasing amounts of both energy and costly maintenance to operate while keeping occupants comfortable,” the updated plan says.

Research found that schools investing in building “envelopes” such as efficient windows, roofs, walls and mechanical systems have successfully reduced their carbon footprint, said the plan.

To get Brandeis’ carbon emissions back on track, then Interim President Lisa Lynch commissioned the task force and Brandeis hired Fischer.

The task force has taken several steps to reduce carbon emissions, including creating an energy conservation and management policy.

The policy sets guidelines for building temperatures when they are occupied versus unoccupied,

and reminds everyone to turn off lights and computers when leaving rooms.

It also discourages people from using space heaters, because heating the air around you prompts the system to cool even more, thus leading to increased carbon emissions. The use of “supplemental air conditioning devices” is also prohibited, except for medical reasons.

To reduce energy going forward, the Department of Facilities Services is studying lighting efficiency and solar energy, looking for buildings that need envelope improvements. They pledged to have all new construction meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold standard at a minimum. Brandeis updated windows in the Rabb Graduate Center and East Quad in past years.

Brandeis has also implemented the Turn It Off! Program, which encourages students to use minimal energy on the hottest days

during the summer. Brandeis’ year-round electricity rates are determined by demand on the hottest days of summer, so Turn It Off! days help decrease our electricity bill.

The task force created the Winter Power Down program, which provides a list of ways to save energy over break, including unplugging electronics and defrosting refrigerators. There have also been sustainability contests between residence halls and office/ academic buildings to reduce building energy usage and increase recycling.

In the future, Brandeis hopes to invest more in solar energy.

The Gosman gym has solar arrays now, but Brandeis is looking into adding panels elsewhere, including potentially the new residence hall replacing the Usen Castle, said Jim Gray, vice president for campus operations.

However, solar panels require a large amount of roof space and are only 15 percent efficient,

meaning solar could only account for one to two percent of electricity needs, according to the plan. It is also better to use solar on newer roofs.

This academic year, short-term goals for the task force include publicizing the climate action and energy conservation plans, recruiting participants for working groups and brainstorming sessions and hosting educational events on campus.

Other parts of the Climate Action Plan include community engagement and education.

Ways to engage community the sustainability website, orientation programs for students and employees, campus sustainability contests and supporting DeiStic, a 24-hour sustainability competition held last week. The winning team at DeiSic proposed an app that let people sign up for shifts to make sure that lights are turned off in buildings.

As of 2016, all new employees and students have a sustainability

component of their orientation, said the plan.

The plan urges creation of a subcommittee to explore expanding education on climate change so Brandeis can champion these studies “as a key component of its social justice mission.”

The task force proposes a “climate and social-justice oriented” cluster hire of faculty in various departments who can increase climate change orientation. It suggests the Center for Teaching and Learning to help professors “incorporate climate change issues into their teaching.”

Students also submitted a proposal to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee requesting it create an environmental literacy requirement.

The plan encourages the subcommittee to support the implementation of this requirement when the UCC examines the general education requirement this year.

Former Tufts CDO to fill Brandeis position CDO, from page 1

PHOTO FROM TUFTS.EDU

students and faculty.

Brimhall-Vargas hopes to do something similar to these initiatives here at Brandeis, and to increase transparency regarding data collection. He wants to be “receptive to whatever comes forward,” he explained in an interview open to the Brandeis community.

“My first priority will be to get to know the students and fully understand their concerns and needs,” Brimhall-Vargas said in Wednesday’s press release. He plans to do this by first observing students’ needs and then creating

policies that address those needs, he said in the interview.

At Brandeis, Brimhall-Vargas will work closely with the goals listed in the Implementation Plan for Diversity and Inclusion, a plan created following student demands made during the Ford Hall 2015 movement last year.

Although it can take years for the process of changing and diversifying the curriculum to become fully implemented, it is possible for it to shift, he explained.

“Adding this key position to our management team reflects our commitment to fostering an academic and campus culture that lives up to our values of diversity

and inclusion,” said President Ron Liebowitz in Wednesday’s press release. “It became clear to us that, although it is our collective responsibility to ensure that our campus is diverse and inclusive, we needed the full-time focus of an experienced and dedicated leader to elevate our efforts.”

Over the past few months, the Brandeis CDO Search Committee evaluated 56 candidates, interviewed seven in person and invited the final four to campus to talk to students in September. “Very quickly, it became clear to the search committee and to members of the community who met with Mark that he has the experi-

ence, intellectual heft and people skills needed to move us forward,” stated Professor and former Interim Provost Irv Epstein, the leader of the search committee, in the press release.

Liebowitz announced the appointment of Brimhall-Vargas as CDO and vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion in a campus-wide email.

In addition to being CDO at Tufts, Brimhall-Vargas worked for 17 years in various diversity management positions at the University of Maryland, College Park, including the position of deputy CDO

NEWS

4 The Brandeis Hoot

IN THE SENATE: Oct. 30, 2016 Recognition of Climbing Club • Alex Feldman ’19, A-Board chair, was appointed to the Student Union Executive Board • Student Union President David Herbstritt ’17 wants Feldman to advise board on club finance.

• Jacob Edelman ’18, the director of academic involvement, will take on the role of director of communications, merging two positions and replacing Max Byer ’19.

Executive Officer Reports Vice President Paul Sindberg ’18 • Sindberg wants to get all Student Union members bystander trained.

• State of the Union to occur sometime after Midnight Buffet President Herbstritt • Herbstritt is helping administrators assemble the Presidential Task Force on Free Expression. Brandeis is taking an approach that is not the University of Chicago approach of unfettered free speech.

Senate Committee Chair Report Highlights • McDowell (Campus Operations Working Group, COW-G) • Met with Vice President for Campus Operations Jim Gray on Friday regarding doorstops and menstrual product campus discourse • Ziv Senator Michelle Jimenez ’18 (Social Justice) • Working with COW-G regarding menstrual products • Class of 2017 Senator Ryan Tracy (Club Support) • Working on club report and anonymous survey • Class of 2018 Senator Abhishek Kulkarni brought up Club Evaluation Survey • Anonymous or potentially anonymous resource to evaluate the clubs, get feedback on any issues, what the club is like • Kulkarni: Survey is similar to course evaluations; will allow people to see what people think of clubs or if club is in violation of something (e.g. if it is open to all members).

• Sindberg: Believes the survey should be considered a resource, not an opportunity to get club leaders in trouble • Tracy: It’s a resource, not something that is being mandated. If someone does report anything, the Union would call the club in.

Senator Report Highlights • Class of 2018 Senator Christian Nunez • Met with Men of Color Alliance, using role to facilitate better conversations with clubs looking at social justice and diversity • Class of 2020 Senator Samantha Barrett • Working with Health and Safety Committee regarding safety in the sports complex - Zach Phil Schwartz

November 4, 2016

Sodexo satisfaction survey evaluates student opinion

By Max Gould staff

A Sodexo customer loyalty survey that will gauge student and staff interest in different dining options and plans on campus began circulating in late October, according to members of the Brandeis University Senate Dining Committee.

Though the Senate Dining Committee did not create the survey, they are promoting and sharing it on social media in the hopes that more opinions will be heard on the dining options at Brandeis.

“Sodexo hopes that this survey will give them feedback about different changes that can be made to make the Brandeis dining experience the best it can be,” said committee head Kate Kesselman ’19. The Dining Committee hopes to take the results of the Sodexo survey and create a more specific questionnaire, according to Kesselman.

The survey asked each user’s year at Brandeis, their living situation, their meal plan and their most frequented dining halls. The second section of the survey focused on specific dining locations on campus, such as Lower Usdan or Einstein’s. The specific dining location in the second section differed between surveys. Over 200 people have filled out the survey so far.

Charlotte Lang ’19, member of the Dining Committee, explained that this survey is meant to be a gateway to other more specific inquiries into Brandeis dining. “Depending on the responses, there might be another survey sent out on what students want to be in the old Dunkin’ Donuts space,” Lang said.

For every survey submitted, one dollar is donated to the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1999 created to ensure that every child in the United States grows up with dependable access to food. To date, it has raised more than $27 million to alleviate child hunger.

Sodexo arranged the one-dollar incentive as a way to encourage participation in the survey. “Not only when you fill out the survey are you helping the community, but you are also helping Stop Hunger,” Kesselman said.

Dining options at Brandeis have gone through multiple changes since the university switched its campus dining partner from Aramark to Sodexo in July of 2013.

The meal plans for on-campus residents have changed, and as of January of 2014 have become mandatory for students living on campus. Additionally, Currito, Louis’ Deli and the sushi bar are all relatively new additions to Brandeis. The newest meal option is a station for sandwiches, Sub

H

Connection.

These new features have come with some cutbacks. The updated dining schedule for the 2016-2017 academic year has Lower Usdan closing at 2:30 p.m. on Fridays and remaining closed throughout the weekend, leaving Sherman as the only operating dining hall at those times. These dining changes received mixed reactions from students at the beginning of the fall semester.

This recent survey questions students on all different facets of Brandeis dining, with an emphasis on the frequency and satisfaction that the user associates with particular dining locations on campus. Additionally, the Dining Committee and Sodexo have been partnering to organize events on campus.

On Nov. 8, there is an opportunity for students to cook their own meals in Sherman and Usdan. “We will have more similar joint events in the future,” Lang said.

The Dining Committee is hopeful that many more students will fill out the survey in the weeks to come so that Sodexo can use the student input to make informed decisions about Brandeis’ dining programs. “This year we are trying to get more people to fill it out so we can hear as many of the Brandeis’ voices and opinions as possible,” said Kesselman.

T

SPAN

Tune in to The Brandeis Hoot’s Facebook page every Sunday at 7 p.m. for a live stream of the Student Union Senate meeting

Want to join the Hoot-SPAN operation?

Contact Zach Phil Schwartz at zpschwar@brandeis.edu

Open letter communicates urgent need for AAPI studies

BAATF, from page 1

“the urgent need” for the continued development of AAPI Studies.

“The letter is mostly driven by the desire to tell the stories of the Asian American and Pacific Islander students on campus, and communicate what people are thinking, where they’re coming from, their experiences at Brandeis,” said Hin Hon (Jamie) Wong ’17, president of BAATF. “It’s a great opportunity to … help create a positive connection between both the president and us as both a community and organization.”

In addition to a general statement of intent, 18 students attached and signed personal letters. 153 students signed their names in support under “All other concerned students and faculty of Brandeis University,” and 37 supporters unaffiliated with Brandeis signed under “All else.”

Wong modeled the open letter after a different letter written

by AAPI activists titled, “AAPIs 4 Black Lives Matter.” This letter

allowed anyone to edit its general statement. “They drafted a communal letter written in the perspective of the AAPI people to send to their family members, to their community members, to their peers and communicate why Black Lives Matter is so important,” she said.

Wong framed the open letter to Liebowitz in a similar way, letting the Brandeis community know that anyone was welcome to make changes and contribute to the letter. “I wanted to make it communal to really make it a community effort, to make it so that it’s not me writing the letter and only getting my voice out,” said Wong. Edits to the letter were anonymous.

Many of the personal statements not only welcome Liebowitz to Brandeis, but emphasize the importance of AAPI studies at Brandeis and express hope and excitement for the direction that President Liebowitz will take AAPI studies in.

“AAPI studies helped me better understand my sense of self, my heritage and how I fit in within the complex and racist society.

We need to know our own histo-

ry if we want to leave positive and meaningful changes in the future … As you begin your presidency at Brandeis, I hope you join us in championing the creation of an AAPI Studies department at Brandeis,” said Tony Tran ’17, member of BAATF and the Committee to Establish Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies.

The personal letters are, “not just a couple words, but paragraphs saying why this is important to us. It’s cool to see Asian American students, being open ... because a lot of us, as a community we tend to be apolitical,” said Danni Tang ’19, outreach chair for BAATF. BAATF was able to present the letter and talk with Liebowitz at the Inaugural Luncheon before the ceremony. “We greatly look forward to our meeting between him and the Student-Faculty Working Committee on Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies at Brandeis. We also look forward to meeting the Board of Trustees here at Brandeis University,” they said in a post on their Facebook page.

BAATF published a letter

to the administration through their Facebook page on Dec. 2, 2015. The letter demanded that Brandeis create an Asian American Studies department.

BAATF’s “Day of Action Rally” and negotiations with administrators last semester culminated in the creation of a faculty-student committee. This committee handles the development and progression of an Asian-American

Pacific Islander Studies program at Brandeis. BAATF was influential in creating a course that centered on Asian American History for this semester. The Asian American Experience was the first course of its nature that had been taught since 2011.

The link to the final copy of BAATF’s open letter to President Liebowitz can be found on their Facebook page.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BAATF

FEATURES

November 4, 2016

By Charlotte Aaron

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Reusable bottles owned but not used

editor

A lack of reusable water bottles is not an excuse for Brandeis students who contribute to the plastic water bottle sales on campus, a survey put out by the Senate Sustainability Committee revealed.

Out of 301 survey respondents, 95 percent own a reusable water bottle.

It’s about making it more convenient to use reusable water bottles on campus than to purchase plastic ones, said Emily Thiem ’19, a member of the committee.

Of students surveyed, 41.5 percent found the water bottle refilling stations to be easily accessible compared to 44.9 percent who do not think the stations are accessible.

The survey was created in response to the “Save a Latte” Brandeis sustainability initiative which funded the production and distribution of reusable mugs on campus this semester and last, explained Jake Greenberg ’18, cochair of the Senate Sustainability Committee. “We wanted to see if that’s something that was successful.”

Much to the surprise of the committee, almost all of the Brandeis students surveyed own a reusable bottle. “Now we can change focus.

Now that people have these water bottles, what can we do to make sure people are actually using them,” said Greenberg in regards

to the survey takeaways.

Each semester the committee votes on a semester project. With a focus on waste, the committee had voted to conduct the reusable water bottle survey as their Fall 2016 project.

“Now that we have this data, we plan to be sharing it with our sustainability manager as well as considering what our priorities are next semester. How can we build off of this and actually use that change,” said Greenberg.

The survey, created with the intention of determining how many students on campus had reusable bottles, covered other topics such as student reactions to a ban of plastic water bottle sales on campus, questions about why students buy plastic water bottles and suggestions students have for making reusable water bottles easier to use on campus.

About five years ago, an on-campus water bottle ban was proposed by students but was never put into place. While the committee did revisit the idea at the beginning of the semester, they felt it would be best to gather information about how students would react to such a ban, and what concerns students have about it.

Of the students polled, about 74 percent had concerns about the ban. The most popular concern was that there are not enough water bottle refilling stations to compensate for the removal of plastic

water bottles. The second most common concern was that bottled sugary drinks would replace the bottled water.

“What if people don’t want a water bottle ban?” asked Thiem.

“What are other ways in which we can still incentivise people to use their reusable water bottles instead of using the cups at Usdan or just plastic bottles?”

Serious about implementing change that will incentivise students in a way that makes an impact on plastic water bottle sales on campus, the committee posed that question to the students.

Responses included suggestions such as adding refilling stations in Upper Usdan and the residence halls, developing a cup/mug rental system in the dining halls, and educating students on the quality of water.

Students also suggested discounts for using reusable cups and mugs—a program that currently exists. “38.2 percent of people didn’t know about the Sodexo price reductions for using a mug or reusable bottle. For coffee and tea, you get a 79 cent discount if you use your reusable mug,” said Thiem. “If there’s a discount, it doesn’t matter if the student population doesn’t know there is a discount.”

The Committee already began addressing the issue of students being unaware of existing discount options by relocating Brandeis Students for Environ-

PHOTO COURTESY JAKE GREENBERG

PRIZE

Samantha Greenberg wins S’well water bottle

mental Action (SEA) informational posters to more visible locations and posting advertisements on Facebook, explained Thiem.

For the remaining weeks in the semester, the Committee will work to break down the survey responses even more and develop a coherent plan to make reusable water bottle usage on campus more convenient.

“A lot of people are saying they don’t want to use them [reusable bottles] just because of convenience,” said Thiem. “If it was more convenient to find a water filling station around campus than to try to go into where the C-Store is and Upper Usdan to buy a water bottle, than could that promote people to change?”

Thiem became involved in the committee as a way to represent her peers who want to make the

Brandeis campus greener. “I want those voices to be heard from students who do care about how much energy Brandeis uses, how much waste we create. I want to help create a more sustainable campus, because in the end it’s only small lifestyle changes for us as students, but it can really make a big difference,” explained Thiem.

While it may not seem like one additional plastic water bottle is going to make a huge difference, removing plastic bottle use habitually will have a great impact, explained Thiem. Interested in helping students understand the importance of small lifestyle changes, Thiem hopes that their initiative next semester in response to the survey will help push the student body in that direction.

Improving sustainability in the classroom

By Blake Linzer staff

Professor Laurin Goldin (ENVS), working as the chief environmental lawyer for the Massachusetts State Department of Environmental protection, came to Brandeis University as a teaching fellow for the Intro to Law course. As a teaching fellow, she fell in love with Brandeis students and the commitment to social justice at the university, but was appalled that, at the time, the only thing that Brandeis was doing for environmental sustainability was recycling cans.

To address the lack of sustainability initiatives at Brandeis, Goldin knocked on doors and worked with a multitude of people including staff members in facilities and capital projects. She also worked with the nine members of Students for Environmental Action (SEA), and Brandeis Environmental Sustainability Team (BEST) was created as the precursor to more contemporary sustainability efforts on campus.

Eventually momentum built

and the President’s Task Force on Sustainability was formed. With the commitment, Brandeis’ first sustainability coordinator was hired.

Professor Goldin’s AMST 191b Experiential Learning class, Greening the Ivory Tower: Improving Environmental Sustainability of Brandeis and Community, has grown since its creation to improve infrastructure of the Brandeis environmental sustainability community. Its purpose, Goldin said, was to be the creator of new sustainability initiatives and projects at the university.

In conceiving the class, Goldin considered her past experiences.

She said that she had spent her entire career on the ground working with people, figuring out how to tackle problems; for example, “How are we going to solve the problem of getting people around the table to talk together about dealing with a wetland issue?

How are we going to negotiate with them?”

As a result, she knew that the best way to educate students about environmental issues was

PHOTO FROM BRANDEIS.EDU

PROFESSOR LAURA GOLDIN

Professor of the Practice of Environmental Studies

to “solve a problem together.”

She had to “get [the students] involved.”

The description of the course in the Brandeis schedule of classes is consistent with her idea to educate through problem solving.

Goldin wanted the students to understand “how their own environment on campus and in their communities functioned.”

Because no active sustainability community existed at the time she arrived on campus, she figured a great way to teach students to learn how to interact with the environment and live more sustainably would be through exploring their own campus.

Ultimately, she hopes the class leads to a larger culture of sustainability at Brandeis. “The fact that we have a sustainability manager had a seed in the greening class,” said Goldin.

The class is divided into two major parts: an educational section and a project section.

In the educational section, students read and write to understand the food system, the water system and the energy system.

The class also explores the sustainability infrastructure of the Brandeis campus, exploring how environmental sustainability works at Brandeis.

After understanding the Brandeis sustainability environment, the class takes trips off campus to see other models. They examine sustainable farming, sustainable eating, protoculture, energy solution and alternative energy models, and they look at places where innovative water preservation is being conducted.

During some of these trips, students get involved to explore how they could potentially devel-

op ideas to apply to Brandeis and their communities.

The trips, explains Goldin, are designed to “see what the effect is [of outsiders’ sustainability projects] and try to bring that back home and see what else we could do—what are the alternatives?”

Students are first asked, “What projects can we come up with?”

This question leads to the second part of the course where students construct projects to solve some environmental problems at Brandeis.

“It was always something about projects … let’s do something useful here … I wanted to get the students to be able to read things, study things which could be put to some use,” explained Goldin.

When the course was introduced, she describes that “there was so much lacking that needed to get done, and I was surprised that … this was a place that was so dedicated to… moral good and contributing to society, and yet, Brandeis was not considering its own environmental impact.”

Past course projects have included construction of the rooftop farm on top of the Gerstenzang science building. Some ideas for this year’s projects are building a green room of interior air quality, a room of “living breathing plants” in a currently unused area of the Shapiro Campus Center (SCC), an energy conservation app project and building solar tables.

The course, however, goes beyond projects. The six credit class is “all about understanding the way we live now and trying to come up with a better way that our society can organize itself and live in communities in a more sustainable way for the future. That’s

a tall order and it takes an enormous amount of thought and discussion and creativity and that’s what this course is all about,” said Goldin.

After understanding is established on the ground, the class moves on to important issues like environmental policy. In order to discuss policy, one must, according to Goldin, “understand how it looks on the ground … how it might impact how things are really going on. To visualize what it might do actually.”

Environmental sustainability has an important connection to Brandeis as an issue of social justice. When asked about the connection of social justice and environmental sustainability, Goldin explained that the environmental problems of our day affect different people in different ways, perhaps affecting disadvantaged people disproportionately. And beyond the disadvantaged, it is pretty obvious that problems of environmental sustainability affect all of us.

It may not seem like improving the sustainability of one campus makes a difference, but Goldin believes that every little step is important, as is a sense of humility.

When asked about a hypothetical but likely existing attitude of someone who would not work on smaller projects but instead confine themselves to solving tremendous world problems at the expense of undertaking smaller projects, Goldin posits that such an attitude is rather selfish. We have to start somewhere, and even the smallest of projects can add up. Like every vote counting in an election, every action counts for sustainability.

6 FEATURES

The Brandeis Hoot

November 4, 2016

Sustainability Initiatives

By Albert Reiss editor

Commute Green As our campus continues to expand, and as more people continue to utilize our facilities, it is important for us to be mindful of the environmental footprint that we are leaving. To compensate for these trends, Brandeis has begun several environmental initiatives to help improve sustainability on campus.

One program is Commute Green, a carpooling service. The other is a composting program that the administration hopes will make our campus more efficient and reduce waste overall.

The Brandeis Hoot spoke to Manager for Sustainability Programs Mary Fischer and Vice President of Campus Operations Jim Gray about the two programs and how they plan to have them both implemented.

The carpooling service is quite innovative because of the significant amount of people coming to Brandeis on a daily basis via cars.

Given that many faculty members, staff and students live near campus, carpooling is an excellent way to make use of an already large commuter pool.

According to Mary Fischer, Commute Green “is a site where students, faculty and staff can go to find rides.” The service works by having users state their desired route and then finding others, who may be nearby or interested, to carpool with.

Commute Green also allows for a customizable carpooling experience. “You can request a carpool with someone. You can request to be the driver or the passenger.

You can say things that you want about your carpool,” said Fischer.

Commute Green operates through a company called Ride Amigos. Ride Amigos has an extensive pedigree of active users, including MIT, American Univeristy, Amazon, Google and more, according to Fischer. Therefore, the carpooling service has a proven track record of success.

Using Ride Amigos has many useful benefits. For example,

many Brandeis students will go home during the various breaks such as Thanksgiving or Rosh Hashanah. A ride to Boston, the airport or train station can be very expensive. However, given the large amount of students planning on taking such a route, Ride Amigos can be an easy and cost-efficient tool to explore.

Additionally, Ride Amigos is a perfect solution for any Brandeis member with regular commuting routes. Once one finds another commuter, it is very easy to exchange contact information with each other and make the commute a daily occurrence.

Ride Amigos makes trips very easy in this regard because you can choose when you would like to carpool. Therefore for any students living off campus who need to make an early class, Ride Amigos works very well.

Fischer also mentioned that if you have a car “you can post that you have a ride” and then have other users potentially request a ride. Ride Amigos also allows you to say how many seats you have to maximize each carpool’s use.

Another Ride Amigos feature is that one can see the amount of users in their region. This makes it is easy to determine the best areas for trying to find a carpool. Ride Amigos is one of the “best practice[s] that other universities are doing” to become more environmentally conscious, said Fischer.

To encourage many Brandeis people to sign up and use the service, Fischer pointed out several incentives that the university will be offering to anyone who signs up for the service. “We are doing gift card raffles; we are doing a point program where if you rack up 10 points you can earn a water bottle, if you rack up 20 points you can earn a t-shirt.” Also, there will also be various competitions put in place to see who has the highest amount of points.

Fischer noted that the department was made aware of Ride Amigos through a former intern who worked closely with her.

Among the potential challenges with the Commute Green program is what Fischer saw to be the lack of “critical mass.” In other words, for Commute Green to be successful, it is imperative that as

many users sign up as possible.

Without a large user base, commuters could have significant wait times in requesting carpools and therefore the program might not be very successful.

Additionally, Fischer also noted the importance of having “users in your area” so that all Brandeis-affiliated people can identify a potential carpool in their region, regardless of location in Massachusetts or farther.

The incentives program should stimulate interest in Commute Green and help make the program a highly useful piece of software for the entire Brandeis community, noted Fischer. “One incentive,” notes Fischer, is that “the first 20 people or so who sign up and post a carpool will get a little certificate.”

Many people may be asking though who should be using Commute Green program. Fischer stressed the point that Commute Green welcomes all members of the Brandeis community and specifically “anyone who has a car on campus in particular between the nine to five time.”

Composting Brandeis’ composting efforts have grown, according to Manager for Sustainability Programs Mary Fischer.

Composting involves using food scraps and other biodegradable waste to fertilize soil. In other words, it is reusing the waste and debris that otherwise would go to a dump to improve the ground and potentially serve as energy sources. Composting works well when the whole Brandeis community together makes an effort to recycle trash in the appropriate bins, according to Mary Fischer.

Composting is not new to Brandeis. It began last year when Fischer set a goal to reduce waste by 40 percent by the end of 2016.

“We are doing very well on composting. After relaunching our composting initiative, our composting rates just shot up,” Fischer said. She also mentioned that Brandeis is starting a composting competition between the kitchens in Usdan and Sher-

GRAPH COURTESY MARY FISCHER

man dining halls to boost the recycling and composting for both locations.

In fact, both Sherman and Usdan dining halls have seen a significant increase in their respective composting rates. Since January 2016, when it was composting 24 percent of discarded food, Sherman Dining Hall is now composting at a rate of 37 percent, recorded in October.

Similarly, Usdan has seen an increase in composting from 21 percent in January to 40 percent this October.

Both dining halls have also excelled in their recycling rates, meaning the amount of total waste that is recycled instead of thrown away. Since January, Sherman dining hall has had a recycling rate between 19 percent and 34 percent. Similarly, Usdan has increased its recycling rates from 22 percent to 45 percent since January.

The dining halls tend to have much higher rates of recycling and composting than the other buildings on campus, according to Fischer. There are composting bins in the kitchens, in Upper Usdan and various other locations on campus. These bins are very helpful because before, compostable waste would be put in non-compostable bags, which was inefficient. The bags used are made out of corn, so when they are thrown away the bags are easily biodegradable.

Fischer has also promised to continue using bright signage outside of the dining halls and other eating areas. This is in an effort to better educate Brandeis stu-

dents as well as to increase the composting and recycling rates on campus.

Composting matters for many reasons, and especially for Brandeis students who want to make a difference in the environmental health of their university.

“I think that composting is the underutilized resource,” said Alex Mitchell ’17. Mitchell went on to add that composting is a very easy way to make an impact in the school’s environmental footprint.

Some students may feel that composting is not a very efficient way to combat serious environmental problems. However, Mitchell responded, “I think that composting is not going to change the world overnight. However, composting helps to save money.” The savings come from the fact that the costs associated with disposing compost are much lower than those of non-compostable waste. In turn, these additional funds can be used towards other potential initiatives.

As for the benefits of composting, “It’s a win-win situation. If you are sustainable, then in the long run, we can save money for Brandeis,” said Mitchell.

All students at Brandeis are highly encouraged to be mindful of how they dispose of waste on campus. All dining halls have concrete trash cans for specific items of food or beverage. Make sure to put your trash in the right place, because one simple drop in the bin can mean more money for the entire university, as poorly sorted trash can contaminate the bins and prevent the other recyclables from being recycled.

JSA scares with Japanese-style haunted house

By Zach Cihlar editor

Last year, the Japanese Student Association (JSA) earned an award from the Intercultural Center (ICC) for hosting the year’s best educational program. The event taught ikebana, a Japanese art form of flower arranging.

Building on the success of that event, the club entered the new school year intending to create unique events and try different things.

“I feel like all the cultural clubs are trying to do food events because that attracts people a lot,” said Yuki Dai ‘17, co-president of JSA. “But I feel like we should do something different and try to reach out more with different perspectives and topics.”

One such topic was Japanese horror films. On Saturday, Oct. 29, JSA converted the ICC into a Japanese-style haunted hospital.

Students of the club donned hospital robes and copious quantities

of blood while roaming through the crowds of willing attendees.

The club occupied the lower floor of the ICC, where a guide led attending students through various rooms featuring different interactive characters, makeshift hospital beds and other props.

The characters spoke and roamed through the crowds, at some points directly addressing the attendees.

The event incorporated Japanese aspects through the setting, character dynamics and makeup.

“A lot of Japanese horror movies are happening in the setting of a hospital,” explained Dai, who continued by also mentioning the Japanese-style makeup worn by the characters and the “family member relationships” of a few of the characters.

Dai herself played a character in the haunted hospital. She frantically cut through the crowd of frightened students, many of whom turned and ran from the sight of her. “I feel like it’s like act-

ing in a TV show or something,” Dai said of getting in character. “I kept thinking about ‘I am that terrifying. Look at the mirror, I look like that.’”

The club began working on the haunted house more than a month prior to the event. They created a storyline and even incorporated a “riddle” in which the attendees searched for missing body parts and the patients who were missing those body parts.

Elaborate and detailed, the setup of the hospital scene and the preparation of the characters took the students two days, said Dai. The events are largely organized and executed by their E-board, which meets once a week to discuss current programs they are working on, as well as discuss ideas for future events.

The club aims to “be the bridge to publicize the culture,” Dai said.

Most people, Dai observed, experience Japanese culture through anime, but the club looks to provide different perspectives of the

PHOTO COURTESY JEREMY LONGFELLOW

culture. By holding more diverse events, the club hopes to expand students’ knowledge through informative and dynamic events.

JSA’s next event is Art of Japan.

The club hired a demonstrator to teach the audience how to properly perform a Japanese tea ceremony, an art form involving the preparation and presentation of tea. The event will also offer stations for making origami, crafts and incense. It is scheduled for

Thursday, Nov. 17 and is the last fall event the club will host.

This year will be Dai’s last year attending Brandeis and contributing to JSA. “Since I am going to graduate soon, I really wish this year JSA will be very interesting, and it will be a very good memory before I go to work,” she said. The club looks forward to planning even more unique and enriching events to showcase Japanese culture.

SPORTS

November 4, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot 7

Soccer honors seniors in final home games

By Jordan Brodie

special to the Hoot

The men’s soccer team triumphed over Emory University and #16-ranked Rochester University in their final two home games of the regular season on Friday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 30. Both games were against United Athletic Association (UAA) conference opponents.

Against Emory, the Judges fought hard to a convincing 2-0 victory. On Sunday, they celebrated Senior Day with a 3-1 win

against the Yellowjackets. After the two wins, the Judges improve to 10-4-3.

The Judges were solid throughout their game against the Emory Eagles, scoring a goal in each half.

In the 26th minute, Josh Ocel ’17 kicked a corner that was headed in by Christian Hernandez ’18, the second goal of his career and his first this year. Thales Brito ’17 converted another corner by Ocel in the 76th minute for the Judges’ second goal of the day and his second of the season.

Ben Woodhouse ’18 had two

saves, recording his third straight shutout and his seventh of the season. The Eagles fall to 10-4-1 with the loss.

In the final home game of the regular season, the Judges faced one of their toughest opponents yet, the Yellowjackets. The Judges came out strong with a goal in the eighth minute by Evan Jastremski ’17 off of another pass from Ocel.

The Yellowjackets tied the game with six minutes left in the first half, but the Judges did not falter.

Jastremski scored again in the 54th minute off of an assist from

Zach Vieira ’17 to give Brandeis the lead with his second goal of the day and fourth of the season.

Andrew Allen ’19 scored in the 83rd minute to solidify the victory with a shot assisted by both Ocel and Vieira.

Ocel’s two assists give him 30 for his career, the third most in Brandeis history. In addition, his 56 points place him at 22nd on the all-time list. With the win, the Judges are now 3-1-2 in the UAA, and the Yellowjackets fall to 8-4-3.

The victory on Sunday was a fitting way to honor Brandeis men’s

soccer’s 11 seniors. In addition to Ocel, Brito, Vieira and Jastremski, the Judges also honored goalie Daniel Khudyak, goalie Ben Stein, midfielder Josh Berg, defender Tyler Graham, midfielder Jesse Caron, defender Kyle Robinson and forward Mike Lynch.

The Judges will travel to New York University for their final regular season game on Saturday, Nov. 5 in an attempt to finish the season with six straight wins. It will be a crucial game, as Brandeis hopes to keep their goal of making the national tournament alive.

Women’s soccer loses in a heartbreaker

By Shea Decker-Jacoby staff

The women’s soccer class of 2017 took the field at Brandeis University for the last time Sunday, Oct. 30 during their game against the University of Rochester.

The team honored their six seniors, Lea McDaniel, Julia McDermott, Cidney Moscovitch, Jessica Morana, Alexis Grossman and Michaela Friedman. The Brandeis Judges outshot the Yellowjackets 19-9, but Rochester was able to find the back of the net in the 29th minute to achieve an upset victory over the ranked 14th Judges. This loss makes the Judges’ record 13-3-2 for the season.

The Judges had some great opportunities and some great saves from senior goalie Alexis Grossman. McDaniel had a run to the goal in the ninth minute of play when she was stopped by the the Yellowjackets’ defender. Grossman made an amazing save in the

17th minute with a left punch to move the ball past the far post.

The Judges put two more clean shots to goal before the half, but both were stopped by the Rochester goalie.

In the second half, Morana held the Yellowjackets at one goal with a great save in the 48th minute when she tipped a shot over the crossbar. In the 59th minute, Grossman punched away another shot.

Sophomore Sasha Sunday had a great opportunity in the 82nd minute to tie the game, but her shot was redirected by a Rochester defender and her follow up shot was saved by Rochester goalie Samantha Hlavac. She denied Friedman in the 88th minute on a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box.

The Judges took 12 corner kicks over the Rochester’s three attempts. Grossman and Hlavac both finished the match with six saves. This shutout was only the second the Judges have undergone this season.

This season, McDaniel has re-

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

corded 11 goals with three assists, five game winning goals and playing in 18 games. She has scored 21 times during her career at Brandeis and as earned seven assists and has played in 62 games thus far. This season McDermott has recorded one assist and has played in all 18 games. She has recorded three career assists and has played in 66 games during her time at Brandeis. Friedman has scored once and has recorded two

Cross country competes in conference championships

By Zach Cihlar editor

The men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to Emory University in Atlanta, GA, to compete in the University Athletic Association (UAA) championships on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The men’s team finished with their best placement since 2006, claiming the third spot in overall scoring with 96 points. They defeated nationally ranked teams New York University and Emory.

Ryan Stender ’18 led the team, placing second with a time of 24:46.58. He finished only two seconds behind the first-place champion from Washington University in St. Louis, who ran a time of 24:44.48.

Michael Hutton ’18 also showed a strong finish as the second best runner for the Brandeis team.

He placed fourth with a time of 24:54.34. Quinton Hoey ’17, as the third best runner of the day for Brandeis, placed in 22nd with a time of 25:25.70.

The women’s team placed fourth overall in the UAA for the second year in a row, also scoring a total of 96 points. The team was edged out by Washington Univer-

sity in St. Louis, the University of Chicago and Emory.

Emily Bryson ’19 couldn’t defend her 2015 UAA title, but still had a strong finish in third place with a time of 21:55.81, 30 seconds behind the champion from Wash U. Bryson’s placement earned her first-team All Association honor for the second year in a row.

Maddie Dolins ’17 ran a 22:22.42 to earn her the 11th spot

overall. Dolins’ run earned her a third second-team All Association honor. Kate Farrell ‘17 came in 16th with a time of 22:35.33.

Both Brandeis teams are scheduled to run at Westfield State University on Saturday, Nov. 12. The two teams will be competing in NCAA New England Regionals.

Last year the men placed 14th in the regional meet, and the women placed eighth.

PHOTO FROM BRANDEISJUDGES.COM

assists this season. She has played in 69 games for the Brandeis Judges and has three career assists.

Moscovitch has recorded 16 goals and nine assists. She has played in 79 games and started in 58 of those games. This season, she has a career high of six goals and counting. Morana has recorded three goals this season and has a career total of six assists. She has played in 56 games and has start 32 of those games. Grossman has

recorded 133 saves with a career high of 66 saves this season. She has totaled 19 career shutouts.

Grossman has the 12th-highest save percentage in the history of Brandeis women’s soccer, and she is first in goals against average, tied for sixth in most wins, and fourth in most shutouts.

The team takes on New York University this Saturday at NYU for their final UAA game of the season.

Volleyball falls short on senior day

By Sarah Jousset editor

The Brandeis volleyball team played their last two home games of the season on Saturday, Oct. 29. The Judges lost both games of the day, playing Roger Williams at noon and Babson in the afternoon.

In the first game against Roger Williams, the Judges lost 3-1 by scores of 29-27, 17-25, 17-25 and 16-25. The Judges came back from a five-point deficit to take the first set, which ended with two straight service aces by Shea Decker-Jacoby ’19. Decker-Jacoby held up the offense with 14 kills in the game, while Jessie Moore ’18 contributed eight kills to the stats.

Marlee Nork ’19 set for the game, contributing 33 assists and eight digs. Despite the tough loss, the Judges had three players in the double-digits for digs, showing a solid defensive effort. Libero Yvette Cho ’19 led the Judges in digs with 17, while Lia Goldberg ’18 contributed 11 and Doyeon Kim ’20 followed close behind with 10 digs for the game.

As a senior, Jessica Kaufman was honored before the Babson game. She served as one of

the team’s two captains this year, along with Cho. The second game of the day against Babson was a heartbreaker for the Judges, as they managed to go all five sets before losing 3-2 by scores of 25-22, 25-18, 14-25, 24-26, 11-15. ‘ The Judges took the first two games before falling short in the next three sets to lose the game.

Decker-Jacoby once again led the Judges with 13 kills, while Emma Bartlett ’20 added 10 kills of her own. Nork stepped up for the Judges as well, with 36 assists, six digs, three aces and two kills.

Cho held up the Judges’ defense with 22 digs, but wasn’t alone as five other players contributed at least six digs each as well. As for the Judges’ only senior, Kaufman put up two kills, three service aces and a dig in the tight game against Babson. Two of Kaufman’s three aces came in a series of four consecutive points at the end of the second set to clinch the set win.

The Brandeis women’s volleyball team heads to St. Louis next weekend for the UAA conference Championships. The Judges will start the weekend of play with a game on Friday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. against the University of Chicago.

WEEK IN PHOTOS

8 The Brandeis Hoot

ALMOND, PEAR, AND NUTELLA CREPE

took a trip to Montreal last weekend.

REBEL!

PHOTO BY HANNAH SCHUSTER/THE HOOT

From a creperie in Montreal. Students in French 129

November 4, 2016

PHOTO COURTESY JUDY TERRAZZANO

PLAY THAT SAX

Hooked on Tap (HOT) performs at Fall Fest.

PHOTO BY HANNA SCHUSTER/THE HOOT

PHOTO BY SARAH TERRAZZANO/THE HOOT

Murals from a student protest mural in the Quebec University of Montreal (UQAM) in 2012.

PHOTO BY LISA PETRIE/THE HOOT

CHURCH OF NOTRE DAME DE LA DEFENSE

Italian church in Montreal.

JEAN-TALON MARKET

weekend.

Market in Little Italy, Montreal. Students in French 129 took a trip to Montreal last

PHOTO BY LISA PETRIE/THE HOOT

November 4, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot

S E U G O L A I D #T H E

The Brandeis Hoot

9

10 The Brandeis Hoot

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”

Editors-in-Chief Mia Edelstein Julie Landy

Managing Editor Allison Plotnik Senior Copy Editor Sarah Terrazano News Editor Hannah Schuster Deputy News Editors Abigail Gardener Elianna Spitzer Arts Editor Sabrina Pond Opinions Editor Zach Phil Schwartz Deputy Opinions Editor Katarina Weesies Features Editor Charlotte Aaron Deputy Features Editor Albert Reiss

EDITORIALS

Support BAATF’s efforts to create AAPI minor Last week, the Brandeis Asian American Task Force (BAATF) released a statement that they would be delivering a letter to President Ron Liebowitz on his inauguration day. In the statement, BAATF encouraged Asian American and Pacific Islander students to contribute their own stories by adding a letter of their own to the overall open letter, and for concerned allies to write their names at the bottom of the document as a sign of solidarity. Liebowitz received the letter during his Inaugural Luncheon, and this will hopefully spur the development of an Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies minor at Brandeis.

The Editorial Board supports BAATF’s actions and reiterates the need for the university to create this minor program.

BAATF has been advocating for an AAPI Studies minor since last fall, shortly after the Ford Hall 2015 movement, in

Sports Editor Sarah Jousset Deputy Sports Editor Zach Cihlar Photo Editor Karen Caldwell Layout Editor Lisa Petrie Editors-at-Large Matt Kowalyk Emily Sorkin Smith

Volume 13 • Issue 19 the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF

Emily Altkorn, Sharon Cai, José Castellanos, Shea Decker-Jacoby, Gabriel del Carmen, Jacob Edelman, Amanda Ehrmann, Andrew Elmers, Zachary Gordon, Max Gould, Emma Gutman, Sophia He, Alana Hodson, Daniel Kang, Emma Kahn, Naomi Klickstein, Adam Lamper, Samantha Lauring, Monique J Menezes, Santiago Montoya, Candace Ng, Polina Potochevska, Faiyaz Rahman, Caroline Rourke, Ryan Spencer, Hannah Stewart, Lily Wageman, Michael Wang MISSION As the weekly community student newspaper of Brandeis University, The Brandeis Hoot aims to provide our readers with a reliable, accurate and unbiased source of news and information.

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

SUBMISSION POLICIES

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

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

CONNECT phone • (781) 330-0051 e-mail • eic@thebrandeishoot.com online • brandeishoot.com twitter • twitter.com/thebrandeishoot facebook • facebook.com/thebrandeishoot

ADVERTISE Advertising in The Brandeis Hoot helps spread your message to our readers across the Brandeis campus, in the Waltham community and beyond through our website.

All campus organizations receive a 25 percent discount off our regular prices. We also design basic ads for campus organizations free of charge.

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

GIVE A HOOT, JOIN THE HOOT!

Writers, editors, photographers and graphic artists wanted to join The Brandeis Hoot, your weekly community newspaper.

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

UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS

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

November 4, 2014

order to create a more inclusive and welcoming campus climate. While it is a step in the right direction that the new Asian American Experience course has taken root at Brandeis this semester, it is crucial to continue this work to achieve the official minor. As the incoming president, this is an issue that many students are passionate about, and something that Liebowitz should be thinking about as he transitions into his new role and takes on Brandeis’ diversity efforts.

In terms of the university’s recent diversity and inclusion initiatives, establishing an AAPI minor would make Brandeis a more comfortable place for students who often feel invisible on campus. The countless open letters to Liebowitz contain powerful personal narratives about how students have felt isolated on campus or like their histories are overlooked.

Brandeis already has strong programs in

Near Eastern and Judaic Studies (NEJS), Afro and African American Studies (AAAS) and Women’s, Gender and Sexality Studies (WMGS). It is important that we add a new AAPI program at Brandeis to support minority students who are not represented in other academic programs.

This is also essential considering that 13.1 percent of undergraduates identify as Asian American, according to university statistics.

While the presentation of the open letter may seem like an interruption to the inauguration, there is no reason this issue does not deserve our focus even on this day of celebration. It is something on the forefront of many students’ minds, as evidenced by the numerous open letters and outpouring of support from student allies.

If the university wants to make a commitment to increased diversity and inclusion, the new presidency should lose no time.

Cross words

By Naomi Klickstein staff

ACROSS 1. Belief systems 5. Homework segment (abbr.)

9. May be red or green 14. Indian wet nurse 15. Shakespeare’s mad king 16. Some barrels 17. Singer-songwriter Pete 18. Ending to bar or fashion 19. Reluctant Trump supporter Paul and others 20. Cross words from a mother?

23. Sound heard if the advice in 20-across is not heeded 24. Wily 25. Part of 34-across 28. Nonfiction 31. Time segment (abbr.)

33. Prefix to thing or how 34. Fluffy fetcher (abbr.)

37. Word with apple or chart 39. Protein’s precursor 40. Cross words circa 30 AD? 44. Neither’s partner 45. Type of squad 46. So far 47. Brown and rhymes with Snoop 48. Company component (abr.)

51. Paths 54. Plus 55. Cartographer’s creation 57. Deposes 61. Cross words during a debate?

65. Zeal 68. A tomato or a people 69. Face hole 70. 4chan founder Christopher 71. Yoko and others 72. Humorist Bombeck 73. Thwacks 74. Small child or infamous Hawaiian elephant 75. Bruins player Tuukka DOWN 1. Poem from a shepherd perhaps 2. Quaked 3. Bitter herb at seder

Last week’s solution

4. “Hook, line and _____” 5. Prefix meaning “more” 6. Remainder 7. Promises 8. Spars drunkenly 9. Some horror movies 10. UV and X 11. Abr. before an alias 12. Pig’s abode 13. Middle of dinner 21. Pollinator 22. Pirate’s affirmation 25. Fencer’s defense 26. Sharpshooter Oakley 27. Actress Jane who played Spock’s mother 29. Programmer’s building block 30. Popping?

32. Cub’s headwear 34. Singer Ronstadt 35. Squirrel’s buried treasure

EDITED BY EMILY ALTKORN AND CAROLINE ROURKE

36. Word to describe a student or a plank 38. Dangerous effect from lightning (abr.)

41. Magazine featuring Alfred E. Neuman 42. Homophone of 52-down 43. Place to be pampered 49. Aussie squawkers 50. Colorful copier 52. Not I 53. Word with last or time 56. A flower or how to spell the word for a small horse 58. Suffix of many fungus names 59. Conditions 60. Type of knife 61. Yellow center 62. Iron and copper 63. Bad way to run?

64. Bullfighter’s maneuver 65. Abr. heard on police radio 66. Kanga’s baby 67. Taste researcher Katz

L C R O S S WO R D S ?

V E Become a hoot crossword creator. email eic@thebrandeishoot.com if interested.

November 4, 2016

OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Twilight of the religious right? Trump and Christian Republicans feud

By Alex Mitchell columnist

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is floundering. In the wake of less than impressive debate performances, accusations of financial mismanagement and tapes of Trump advocating sexual harassment and assault, support for the GOP nominee has decreased significantly. In the media, two distinct narratives have emerged. Many liberal news sites such as Salon, Slate and The Daily Beast have published stories suggesting Trump maintains high support from Christian leaders, particularly southern Evangelicals. In contrast, many Christian news sites have published stories arguing the opposite. Christianity Today and the magazine World, two prominent Evangelical publications, have published editorials condemning the GOP nominee in particularly strong language.

Polls show that Trump is substantially behind with Christian groups in comparison with most Republican candidates. Donald Trump currently has around 44 percent of the national vote, compared to 48 percent in the general election for Mitt Romney.

This suggests that Donald Trump should be, all other things being equal, about four percent behind where Romney ended up among different religious denominations.

Yet the data suggest a much greater slide: 80 percent of white Evangelical protestants voted for Mitt Romney, but Trump’s polls indicate only 65 percent will support him. White Catholics favored Romney by a historic 3:2 ratio at 59 percent, but this support has fallen 17 points to only 42 percent (Trump’s support among Latino Catholic voters is unchanged). No polling is out for Mormons, another prominent Christian bloc, but polls in Utah, a state that is nearly homogeneously Mormon, Romney captured over 72 percent of the vote. Trump’s polling averages are less than half of that,

around 30 percent.

This collapse of Christian support is especially surprising given how little outreach Clinton has done. She led the charge on changing the Democratic platform’s stance on taxpayer-funded abortion, promised to nominate pro-choice Supreme Court justices, and her staff has even called for active insurrection within religious establishments, as was revealed in the hacked emails from her server.

Meanwhile, Trump has poured millions into securing Christian endorsements and “values voters” panels, only to fall further behind among the faithful. The logical explanation is of course Trump himself. Any man who brags of sexual assault, has gone through two divorces and encouraged his former mistress to get an abortion will have a hard time securing “values voters.” But a broader question remains: How can any Republican candidate without a solid lock on white, Christian, “moral majority” voters have even an outside chance at the presidency I see two possible outcomes.

The first possibility is that Trump may be losing multiple demographics by catastrophic amounts, but will win simply because of turnout. Trump supporters are registering in droves, to levels that have caught many GOP insiders by surprise. If they turn out in droves, coupled with Trump’s lock on elderly white people (the most reliable voting demographic), then poor polling among literally every other group will do little to stop him. Trump supporters are visibly supportive of their candidate, while many Trump opponents are less than thrilled about Clinton. The intensity mismatch could result in a very unexpected election.

Alternatively, Trump is recreating the Republican party by appealing to the non-religious elements of the GOP. Traditional religious-right bastions like Georgia, Texas and even Mississippi are showing competitive polling,

while the “mountain west” states of Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming are more deeply red than ever. These states tend to have lower church attendance and fewer religious voters. Nevada, a state where prostitution and gambling are state institutions, has Trump winning in several polls despite the state’s growing Latino population. In addition, Trump has considerable support among uneducated whites in deep blue states, such as Massachusetts, Vermont and Oregon, where church attendance by all groups is low.

These states may be less blue than

in other years, although I certainly doubt any of them will actually end up in Trump’s column.

While we may have a popular conception that links low-education environments with religious identification, 21 percent of Americans with a high school degree or less identify as irreligious, compared with 24 percent of Americans with post-graduate education, which is hardly a sizable difference. Trump also polls surprisingly well with Latino voters. Most polls show him with higher support among Latinos than Romney, particularly those who do not identify as Catholic.

One poll in the state of New York found that 40 percent of the state’s Latino population was planning to vote for Trump.

These newfound sources of support give Trump a place to stand, even without Christian support.

Such trends also point to a dangerous path for the Republican party. The goals of various Republican religious factions included global stability, increased immigration and racial tolerance. With this “moral” spirit of the GOP gone, we may find an increasingly ethnocentric and anti-democratic party in its wake.

PHOTO FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM

ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTORS

Students express mixed feelings about changes to the Physics 10a curriculum

By Anindita Chanda columnist

Toward the beginning of the semester, I had written an opinion piece about how there could be potential changes made to what was then the Physics 10A curriculum. At the time, students felt very positively about the ability to do test corrections and essentially “earn” points for the final. However, students were concerned that we were not given answer keys or being lectured about the chapters as the class was supposed to be a flipped classroom.

With all of that being said, a little more than two months or so has passed, and since then major changes have been made to the Physics 10A curriculum. Some of these changes include giving students access to answer keys on Latte, giving two days of lectures

(one day to go over the chapter, another day to review the material and have students ask questions as they work on problems), as well as posting relevant online lectures/videos for each unit on Latte.

Given these changes, I was curious to see how students’ opinions about the course have changed, if in any way at all. I compiled many of the positive and negative reactions given by students, keeping all reactions anonymous as requested.

It seems the majority of students appreciated the fact that the faculty in charge of Physics 10A made an effort to reach out to their students, get feedback from them about the course and actively make changes to it based on the feedback they received.

As one student thoroughly put it, by reflecting on the good aspects of the old and new version

alike: “I appreciate the professor’s willingness to hear students’ feedback and make the appropriate changes … I really like the test corrections and the way the grading is structure because it is set up so that no student can really fail the course.” However, this student then reflected that they would “like to really be able to learn the material well. Changes are a good mix.”

Some students, on the other hand, are still adamant about wanting to “see more direct problems solved out in class [and] practice exams.”

But with that being said, a good portion of the students also remarked that the course made some necessary positive changes. However, the current main problem is the textbook, which is often verbose, contains many derivations and does not emphasize what bits of the content are actu-

ally relevant.

“I still honestly prefer a lecture-based type of class and I think the switch to every other day being a lecture is helpful, but the class still feels a little disorganized. The textbook really doesn’t feel all that useful or effective really in conveying the topics so most of my learning for the class comes from those lectures.”

As is evident from the mini collage of reactions by students, there is clearly a mix of opinions about the current Physics 10A course.

One has to wonder how much of it is due to a student’s predisposition for hating or loving physics How much of it is due to a student’s innate ability to understand physics? Are the students who are still unsatisfied with this course utilizing all of the resources that Physics 10A now provides us? Are the students who are completely content with this course seeking

external help? At the end of the day, can a course (especially one that was completely restructured so recently) really tailor to every student’s needs?

Regardless, it can be concluded that overall, people are content that the Physics 10A faculty value their students’ thoughts about the course and are actively trying to improve it. The question that begs to be asked is, have the changes disintegrated what was the essence of this course: a “flipped classroom?” And if it has, does it particularly matter if students end up performing better through this version of the course than through the previous one? Is the current version of the course a happy medium between a traditional lecture based classroom and a flipped classroom? As the guinea pigs of this class, we shall see soon enough.

12 OPINIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

November 4, 2016

Think twice before calling the police

By Katarina Weessies editor

On Oct. 12, in Dallas, TX, someone called 9-1-1 to report a “Hispanic-looking woman and black man with a suspicious white truck and camera.” The police arrived on the supposed crime scene, only to find the ethnically Indian NBC reporter, Homa Bash, and a black cameraman, presumably preparing to film a news segment. The “suspicious white truck and camera” were a clearly marked media van and an NBC camera. Fortunately for Bash and the camera operator, the police who responded to the 9-11 call immediately recognized the harmlessness of Bash and the camera operator and left the reporting team alone.

Bash tweeted about the incident and received many replies from followers who had had similar experiences. One twitter user, @kerrijersey, tweeted that a neighbor once called the police when her

father’s black coworker visited her home. In both of these situations, the racism of the 9-1-1 caller is clearly to blame for their mistake.

The caller saw people of color existing in public, interpreted their existence as dangerous and criminal and let their bigoted fear dictate their actions. Luckily, in Bash’s and @kerrijersey’s scenarios, the racist 9-1-1 call didn’t lead to anyone being hurt. However, racially biased 9-1-1 calls often have dire consequences.

In Cleveland in 2014, a man called 9-1-1 to report “a male black sitting on a swing and pointing a gun at people.” The caller stated twice that the gun was “probably fake,” but this message was not communicated to the police officers who were dispatched.

One of the responding police officers was Timothy Loehmann, who had been fired from his last law enforcement job because he was too “emotionally unstable” to serve. The “male black” who was the subject of the 9-1-1 call was a 12-year-old boy named Tamir

Rice. The “gun” was an Airsoft replica. But Loehmann did not notice or care about Rice’s youth or the harmlessness of the toy gun. Within two seconds of Loehmann arriving on the scene, Rice was shot dead.

In Rice’s scenario, the blame sits more squarely onto the police than the 9-1-1 caller. The caller mentioned repeatedly that the gun was “probably fake,” and even stated that Rice was “probably a juvenile.” Based on the caller’s statements, it seems that they intended for the police to merely check on the situation rather than kill the call’s subject. However, the caller was incredibly naive to think that a call about a black man with a gun would not be answered with violence.

A quick read-through of the news will reveal endless suspicious and unjust shootings of innocent black people by police.

Because of the barrage of police shootings, many of which start with 9-1-1 calls, the caller should have thought twice before report-

ing Tamir Rice. Maybe if they had considered the possible consequences of calling 9-1-1 about a person of color, an innocent child would not have been killed.

White people often do not think about the consequences of calling the police. As a white woman, I have not directly experienced police violence. Even though I learn about and indirectly see the effects of police violence every day, it does not affect my actions the way it would those of a person of color.

Since most white people have not directly faced police violence, the possibility of unjust use of force is not at the forefront of their minds during interactions with police. Especially if they are afraid, they will probably call the police without thinking twice.

White Americans are trained from childhood to see the police as an infallible source of protection. They are the go-to when a situation is violent, scary, or uncertain. Since racist biases lead people to perceive black people

A STUDENT BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTEST

as violent, white people are likely to become unjustly afraid of a black person and call the police. Many people might identify these racially biased 9-1-1 calls as well-meaning, but when a 9-1-1 call can so easily lead to a murder, the caller cannot be exempt from blame.

Obviously, if a genuine danger is present, observers should call 9-1-1. Under the right circumstances, a 9-1-1 call can save a life.

But it’s important that white people remember the possible consequences before making the call.

Before calling the police, consider the record of the police in your neighborhood in terms of use of force. Consider the reputation of your neighborhood’s police force, and recall if there have been any unjust uses of force in the past.

Evaluate whether there is a genuine danger, or if your racist biases are causing you to perceive a crime or danger where there is none. Your caution in calling 9-11 could stop a murder before it happens.

PHOTO FROM FLIICKR.COM

SUBMISSION POLICIES

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD Write a letter to the editor to express your views on our writers opinions and see yourself featured in next weeks issue! Submit to eic@thebrandeishoot.com Have a piece you want published? Submit it to us at zpschwar@ brandeis.edu or kweessie@brandeis.edu

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ARTS, ETC.

November 4, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot 13

Only Hollywood movie made during WWII to explore its aftermath

By Santiago Montoya staff

The National Center for Jewish Film and the American Studies program brought the film “None Shall Escape” to Brandeis, in a rare screening in 35mm on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

The 1944 film has a unique historical context for various reasons. In fact, it is the only Hollywood film made during World War II that depicts the events that went on to be known as the Holocaust.

Before commencing the screen-

ing, American Studies Professor Thomas Doherty was given major credit for his efforts to screen the film in 35mm, highlighting the importance of keeping 35mm projectors and films.

“None Shall Escape” takes place in a time where supposedly WWII has ended and Germany has lost the war.

Now it is time that the Nazis pay for their actions; the film centers on the trial of a fictional war criminal, Wilhelm Grimm (Alexander Knox).

Grimm fought during World War I and lost a leg in combat. He returns from the war to resume

PHOTO FROM CINEMA.UCLA.EDU

his profession as a schoolteacher and his sentimental relationship with a Polish school teacher, Marja Pacierkowski. Yet Grimm remains bitter about Germany’s defeat, and this affects his ideals.

His perspectives are shaped from this bitterness, influencing him to join the Nazi party.

In fact, he betrays his own brother Karl, who despises the Nazis and tries to flee Munich to Vienna with his family, in the hope of distancing himself from the new regime that has taken over Germany.

Nevertheless, Wilhelm has another plan for his brother and sends him to a concentration camp. It is then arranged for Karl’s son Willi to enter the Hitler Youth, and as a result, he is brainwashed.

The whole film is a recollection of a timeline that is told during Grimm’s trial. A few years go by and Grimm sees Willi like his own son.

Willi then falls in love with Pacierkowski’s daughter, Janina.

They appear to be attracted to each other; however, she scorns his way of thinking and the group of people he represents.

Soon after the film’s conclusion, there was a Q&A about the

PHOTO FROM TABLETMAG.COM

film. Doherty commented that he spoke via phone with the actress Marsha Hunt, who plays Marja Pacierkowski in the film and is currently 99 years old. Hunt expressed her enthusiasm to learn that the film was being screened at Brandeis. Doherty described her relationship with Hollywood and how her activist spirit sometimes got in the way of her career, even getting her “Hollywood blacklisted.”

The film softens its subject matter, mostly because of the different censorship codes that existed during the time it was made. Indeed, the movie is not “Sophie’s

Choice” or “Schindler’s List” or “The Pianist.” Nonetheless, it was made with the intention to denounce and inform, which is one of the reasons why films should be utilized.

Many of the films from the silent era are currently “lost” because most films pertaining to this time period were never saved–in fact, only 25 percent of all silent films ever made have been preserved.

With such a great risk of losing our past, it is even more impressive that “None Shall Escape” is not just the only film made during WWII about the Holocaust, but also has been saved all this time.

Neshat’s photos bring the perspective of an Iranian woman to the West

By Emma Kahn editor

Thanks to funding by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the Rose Art Museum has acquired two photographs by Shirin Neshat, world-renowned Iranian visual artist.

Neshat developed a collection of portraits titled “Our House is On Fire,” which will be granted by the Rauschenberg Foundation to 33 schools around the world.

These colleges and universities, in turn, will take this opportunity to put these portraits to educational use in a wide range of disciplines.

Two of the large photographs are currently hanging in the Crown Center for Middle East Studies.

Brandeis received “Ghada” and “Sayed,” both taken in 2013. Set in black and white, these portraits are rich with emotion and pull the viewer into their vibrant details. Inscribed on the faces of her subjects are nearly invisible lines of Arabic calligraphy. Neshat met both subjects of these photographs while working in Egypt.

The Rose writes, “Ghada and Sayed’s piercing eyes and powerful gaze confront the viewers … we imagine that these haunting portraits will inspire young students from America to empathize with the elderly Egyptian man and woman.”

Director of the Crown Center Shai Feldman, in a letter posted on the center’s website, writes that “since its inauguration in April 2005, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies has been committed to a balanced and dispassionate approach to the Middle East.”

Neshat’s work will further this mission by approaching political and social issues through the vi-

sual representation of individual narratives. Her work fosters close connections between subject and viewer, and evokes deep feelings of empathy. The Huffington Post writes that “Her work responds to the ideological war being waged between Islam and the secular world over matters of gender, religion, and democracy. It’s [her] navigation through the ongoing convergences and collisions of values in the formation of global culture that separates her from her peers.”

Robert Rauschenberg was an innovative American artist who worked and travelled all around the world to promote global understanding and peacemaking. “Neshat’s project embodies Rauschenberg’s own belief that art could change the dialogue for challenging international issues,” said Executive Director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Christy MacLear.

In a TED talk in 2011, Neshat powerfully stated, “Every Iranian artist, in one form or another, is political.

Politics have defined our lives.

If you’re living in Iran, you’re facing censorship, harassment, arrest, torture—at times, execution.

If you’re living outside like me, you’re faced with life in exile— the pain of the longing and the separation from your loved ones and your family.” Neshat left Iran in 1974 for Los Angeles, and was unable to return until 1990.

Despite the challenges she faced in exile, Neshat sees reason for hope in her role outside of Iran.

“Ironically, this situation has empowered all of us, because we are considered, as artists, central to the cultural, political, social discourse in Iran. We are there to inspire, to provoke, to mobilize, to bring hope to our people. We are the reporters of our people, and are communicators to the outside world. Art is our weapon. Culture is a form of resistance.”

Neshat brings the perspective of an Iranian woman to the West.

She is deeply inspired by the strength and resilience of Iranian women and Iran as a nation, and creates a dialogue with her

PHOTO FROM HARPERSBAZAAR.COM

PHOTOS FROM RAUSCHENBERGFOUNDATION.ORG

artwork that counters the typical Western understanding of Iranian people.

She hopes a Western audience can learn to look beyond the recent Islamization of Iran to see the struggles for peace and for democracy that predated the popular image of Iran seen today. Her photographs epitomize the fundamental role of art and its ability to reflect political, ethnic, racial or religious issues as framed by issues of human suffering and the role of a global society.

The Rose hopes to see these photographs benefit a number of departments, such as Fine Arts; Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Film, Television and Interactive Media; Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and the new minor in Creativity, the Arts and Social Transformation.

Neshat has been recognized by many prestigious organizations, earning the First International Prize at the Venice Biennale (1999), the Grand Prix at the Kwangju Biennale (2000), the Visual Art Award from the Edin-

burgh International Film Festival (2000), the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography in New York (2002), the ZeroOne Award from the Universität der Künste Berlin (2003), the Hiroshima Freedom Prize from the Hiroshima City Museum of Art (2005) and the Lillian Gish Prize in New York (2006), to name only a few of her many illustrious achievements.

NPR describes her as “the most famous contemporary artist to come from Iran,” and the Huffington Post named her as “Artist of the Decade” in 2010.

“I never imagined that my work someday would be looked upon as a form of dialogue, larger than my own personal life,” expressed Neshat in an interview with NPR. Her photographs have done just that.

In creating deeply personal and emotive images, Neshat has made unparalleled artwork that transcends large sources of conflict and speaks to the individuals who are ultimately tied up in these issues.

14 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

November 4, 2016.

Erturk’s exhibition explores Turkey’s political climate

By Sophie Welch special to the hoot

“Although we cannot change the world, we can make a difference in people’s lives.” This was the message that visiting arts administrator Eylem Erturk had for listeners at her presentation, “Arts, Culture and Dialogue for Conflict Transformation and Diversity in Turkey,” on Tuesday, Nov. 1 in Shiffman. Erturk is part of Anadolu Kültür, an organization based in Istanbul that raises awareness on cultural values and heritage.

Erturk began her presentation by providing background information on the immense divisions and conflict in Turkey. There are currently changes happening in the government that put artists and activists at risk. Turkey has closed borders with Armenia, and since the 1980s there has been strife between government military forces and insurgents, who are against the totalitarian forces.

In the summer of 2015, there was a shift. Previously, the conflict had stewed in the mountains, but now it spilled into the city centers. There were many civilian deaths and destruction of cultural heritage. For months, towns had curfews. Due to the use of heavy weapons in Diyarbakir, many were killed or had to leave their homes.

Issues between the people and the government are not new.

Freedom of expression has always been a source of discord in Turkey. The country has been governed by a conservative party since 2003, and nationwide pro-

PHOTO FROM HURRIYETDAILYNEWS.COM

tests broke out in 2013. Erturk said this was a most hopeful time for a person living in Turkey, where people of different ideologies and generations came together to protect freedoms. However, this period of interconnectedness did not last long. Citizens clashed with the police, who unleashed tear gas on the protestors.

Erturk provided an example of the government’s power: Just this weekend, she finally got an email saying that the Internet connection was back after it was shut down for seven days—a punishment that she said is doled out to the people quite frequently. The government will cut the connection for its people as a punishment for their protests.

Anadolu Kültür was established in 2002 with the goal of contributing to social change. The questions that arise are: How do we ensure that all of us are free to express opinions, create peace, and have freedom of expression?

Erturk explains that there is no

perfect answer or solution available. They try to create projects that encourage people to learn from each other’s differences and spread the message of peace and freedom. For example, in 2015 The Film Fund was created, receiving 20 films per year that featured topics involving women, minorities, war, peace, ecology and LGBTQ rights. In Turkey, refugees are not recognized as citizens. Erturk described another project Anadolu Kültür initiated for Syrian Culture Preservation.

People made books and games for Syrian refugee children and placed them in community centers and schools to help kids be in touch with their heritage.

Erturk’s group has created several projects and exhibitions to further encourage healing. She declares, “Bringing people in from different cultures and backgrounds and have them create is a good way to discuss issues and recognize the other’s points of view.” One such project is called

PHOTO FROM ANADOLUKULTUR.ORG

“Never again! Facing the past and apology,” which shows that governments can and should apologize to the country for oppressing their rights. Another project involved Turkish and European groups intermingling at a European school of politics. Young leaders from different political parties were brought together for discussion.

The program Erturk spotlighted the most is called “Project BAK.” It focused on revealing the cities through memory and involved young people between the ages of 18-28. Around 50 people from 10 different cities participated. Using photos and videos, they worked together to show stories from daily life and public spaces: gender, migration and whatever they see in their surroundings.

The finished products, including short films and photo displays, are presented in a traveling exhibition.

“What did we achieve?” asks Erturk rhetorically, as the presentation comes to an end. “We

created storytelling. We tried to make a program where photography, video and social sciences come together. Some sociologists, filmmakers and photographers came together to advise participants through the process.

Young people benefit,” is her answer. When asked what happens to participants when the projects are completed, Erturk responded, “Spending a long time together was effective for them to listen to each other. Some changed their point of view, some went back to what they believe and stick with their beliefs more than before.

Because developing and understanding is a long and slow process.”

The tricky part to understand, Erturk admits, is the overall effectiveness of the projects. “Who do we reach with the stories?” she ponders. “Do we only confirm ourselves, or do we really challenge ourselves with reaching new audiences? This is the most difficult part, but the one we must really be thinking on.”

K-Pop Star CL performs for adoring fans in NYC

By Consuelo Pereira-Lazo special to the hoot

This past Saturday, South Korea’s, and Asia’s Baddest Female, 25-year-old Lee Chae Rin (CL) made her presence known in New York City again, but as a solo artist. she totally killed it. She was previously known as the leader of 2NE1, four-member Korean girl group that performed Korean Pop (KPOP) for seven years. This group reached across the world to millions of fans with their catchy beats, meaningful lyrics and funky styles. CL’s concert was sold out and hundreds of fans had VIP access passes in order to meet the Queen. Overall, I had an amazing experience.

Traveling from Boston to NYC was necessary in order to attend the concert; nonetheless, it was definitely worth it. VIP members who bought some of the most expensive tickets received early entry, merchandise and a chance to meet CL and take a photo with her. I was one of those lucky few.

The merchandise consisted of a CL “+HELLO BI+CHES TOUR 2016” red light stick, a CL “+HELLO BI+CHES TOUR 2016” keychain, a GZBZ + CL banner, a VIP Sticker and a CL “+HELLO BI+CHES TOUR 2016” Poster.

Light sticks are must haves for fans attending a KPOP concert.

As a VIP, I had to arrive by 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 in order to attend the meet and greet. The temperature in NYC was just perfect; not hot, but cold enough that a light sweater was just fine while as I waited for doors to open at 7:30 p.m. Once the doors final-

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONSUELO PEREIRA-LAZO

PHOTO FROM FUSE.TV

ly opened, security checks were done and the fans finally got the chance to be inside the Hammerstein Ballroom concert venue.

The anticipation increased exponentially because the fans were that much closer to being wowed

by a great performance.

Final mic checks were done. Security and SIVA Group volunteers and employees kept the crowd entertained as VIP members made their way to the room where they would meet CL. During the wait for my photo with CL, I got to meet JRE (Just Random Everything) who was also attending the concert. JRE is a famous YouTuber and whom I had also met at GOT7’s concert (another KPOP male group) back in Atlanta. We took pictures and soon found out that we would be in a group picture with CL. As I descended the stairs to the room, my heart rate picked up. When I actually saw her, my heart almost stopped. “Hi, how are you?” she said in her deep and smooth voice. She walked up to me, gave me a hug, took the picture and gave me another hug.

I stepped away but then went back for another hug. That moment was so precious.

After meeting her, the VIPs were sent to the VIP section of the ground floor, where we would be standing very close to the stage for the remainder of the concert.

CL paid homage to her previous 2NE1 members by playing videos of 2NE1’s hit songs on the main screen before coming onstage.

Fans sang along, and some even danced. At 8:50 p.m. CL was introduced through a compiled video of her entire career and she then finally came on stage singing along to 2NE1’s “Fire.” She was on fire: Her outfit consisted of a skin tight black romper, a shiny black jacket and knee-high, wedged Converse sneakers.

CL included a lot of diversity in her backup dancers as well as

in her dances and clothes. ecause CL is a recent solo artist, she performed all of her solo songs, as well as her parts in the majority of 2NE1’s songs and her other collaborations. However, many of the tracks performed were remixes, and choreography between the female and male dancers was up to par. During dress changes, CL would randomly disappear and the dancers would continue to perform as the musicians kept playing; they would even just jam out and have fun. Each wardrobe change was quick and she came back looking even more beautiful.

For her slower and calmer songs, CL wore a lavender pantdress that added a very nice glow to her appearance. The fans sang in unity and it was a true beauty to see her perform such varied songs. Her most prized number, “Hello Bi+ches” had fans going crazy with excitement. It didn’t help that CL had made an entirely new video specifically for this title, to be shown only on the tour.

The video was a work of art.

The most beautiful part of the concert was CL’s constant admiration of her fans. She could not contain her smile when she looked out into the crowd.

Her dancing was fluid, her music was amazing and the entire concert was simply well performed. She made sure we knew all of those who put in so much work for her concert. As the fans left, we caught a glimpse of another 2NE1 member, Sandara Park (Dara), who had come to support CL (basically her sister), a moment that just topped off the night.

November 4, 2016

ARTS, ETC. 15

The Brandeis Hoot

Brandeis student discusses the fabric that comprises social identity

By Brianna Cummings staff

A group of students, professors and members of the community gathered in the Rose Art Museum to discuss culture, identity and creativity on Tuesday, Nov. 1. LaShawn Simmons ’18 and Brandeis artist-in-residence Jane Sapp led the discussion.

Sapp is known for her gospel-inspired music. She began by talking about one’s identity and how it is shaped.

“If you are a tapestry, what are the threads that knit you: family, community, the world you are a part of, your struggles?”

Sapp explained to the group that there is a “me” and a “we” that are a part of social change and shaping one’s identity. Sapp made sure to emphasize the “we.”

She explained how people have to connect to their community before they can start a change and cited how the Montgomery bus boycotts would have never happened if it were not for the community working together.

“Social transformation cannot take place unless we have the ‘we,’” Sapp said.

She also showcased her musical talent by performing songs on a keyboard and encouraging the audience to sing along with her. The songs were about being connected to one’s history and culture.

PHOTOS FROM BRANDEIS.EDU

Simmons then took the spotlight again and read some poetry for the group. “I use creative writing for therapy,” she said.

She shared two pieces of writing, one titled “An Encounter with a Christian Student,” where she discusses turning to God during a struggle and another named “The South I Know”, where she described the South in rich detail.

After Simmons read her poems, she opened the discussion up to the audience by asking them what came to their mind when they thought about their culture or identity. The room filled with students, faculty and community members was not hesitant to share. A student spoke about how he and his family thought of the concept of trash differently than most because he was from East Germany, where people were less materialistic than people in America. Others students, with heritage from Cuba and Hungary, shared accounts of how excess in America is a bigger problem than in other countries. An audience member and her father shared how their heritage was tied to slavery.

“We tie our identity to drums,” said Charmine Santiago-Galdon, an activist, artist and educator.

“There was slavery in Puerto Rico, and we use the drums as a way of letting go our anger towards the slave owners.”

Professor Cynthia Cohen, di-

rector of the Program in Peacebuilding in the Arts, also shared a personal anecdote about an item that had meaning in her life. Her grandmother lost family in the Holocaust and had a lace tablecloth that Cohen said had “loneliness in every stitch.” Cohen took the tablecloth to a men’s prison one day and watched as the prisoners gently handled the stitching and felt touched.

The rest of the evening was spent with people sharing how they shaped their identity. Many shaped their identity through their culture and upbringing.

However, the audience also agreed that sometimes race and culture were not the only things to base one’s identity off of. Sapps shared how she was the only black student at her college and that she became close to a group of women on a farm in Kansas. Students agreed with Sapp’s point of view and shared instances where they had to look past race to make friendships.

The evening ended with LaShawn Simmons closing the discussion and citing how the fact that the crowd was surrounded by artwork influenced how they felt about sharing that evening. All agreed that the artwork did influence them in some way.

Even after the event ended, everyone continued talking to each other and explaining their cultures.

Lydian String Quartet premieres Brandeis professor’s latest piece

By Adam Lamper staff

Of all art events that occur on campus throughout the year, few are as well-anticipated by students and members of neighboring communities alike as performances by Brandeis’ own Lydian String Quartet.

This past Saturday, Slosberg Music Center saw its fair share of concert attendees, so many that overflow seats were needed on stage, allowing for a more immersive experience for those interested. Composed of cellist Joshua Gordon, violist Mark Berger, second violinist Judith Eissenberg and their newest member and first violinist Andrea Segar, the quartet surely makes up in sound for what they lack in numbers,

oftentimes producing melodies more sonically indicative of an entire string section. As is typical of LSQ performances, there was a wide range in both musical stylings and the dates of the pieces performed, culminating in a truly transcendent auditory experience.

Typically composed of four pieces separated in half by an intermission, the night’s performance began with Mozart’s String Quartet in C major, K. 465, oftentimes nicknamed simply as “Dissonance” due to the ominously inharmonious introduction of the first movement. The last of six pieces composed by Mozart for fellow composer Haydn, “Dissonance” also features stark contrasts to Mozart’s typical style of composition in the third minuet and trio movement of the piece.

PHOTO FROM LYDIANQUARTET.COM

Though nonetheless enjoyable, and perfectly executed by the LSQ musicians, this piece was not the most memorable of the night, though it served as a great opening number for many fans of classical music in the audience.

Like the previous piece, Béla Bartók’s String Quartet No. 2, Sz. 67 begins on a somber note, quite literally, before diving quite abruptly into an intensely animated and capricious second movement.

Noted for his career as an ethnomusicologist and composer, Bartók incorporates many unique sounds and styles indicative of much of “modern” classical music, while still adding his own personal eerie twist.

In fact, this piece in particular appears as though it could have been part of a score of many modern horror movies, although the piece itself is nearly 100 years old.

With its grim opening and close, as well as the heartracing second movement, Bartók’s piece delightfully brought the multifaceted first half of the program to a close.

Perhaps the most anticipated moment of the night, and likely the whole reason for the show, was the world premier performance of Brandeis alumni and teacher, YuHui Chang’s, piece, “Mind Like Water .” In the program of the performance, Chang writes that “Water is often used in Eastern philosophy to describe the ideal state of a person’s mind or high moral quality … Zen Buddhism’s “mind like water” teaching has a more personal perspective— one is to empty the mind, not to become unfeeling, but to allow space for full awareness and to

PHOTO BY ADAM LAMPER

obtain true freedom.” It is without a doubt that these ideas are reflected in the piece. The individual parts are distinguishably separate, yet do not feel as though they are in competition with each other, instead merging together to flow into a unified sound that is truly water-like. However, Chang also writes, “The intention of this string quartet is not to ‘express these concepts, but rather, these concepts are ‘practiced’ in the composition.

I wish the music in this piece to have the same state of mind (if music can have a mind of its own), where the musical movements are fluid and free, ready to embrace all possibilities, showing strength but do not overwhelm.”

Contrasting, though not conflicting with the other more melodic pieces of the night, Chang’s “Mind Like Water” is sure to be a hit with other audience in its future performances.

The fourth and final piece of the night was Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F major, his first and only piece written for string quartet, and perhaps best known for the pizzicato passages of its scherzo second movement. Violist Berger writes in the program that Ravel’s piece “has more progressive tendencies including an increased focus on tone color, exotic instrumental techniques and unusual rhythms,” in addition to the traditional French aspects of the time period in which it was written, such as the cyclic recurrences among movements and the use of rich tonal harmonies.

It was clear why the group chose this piece as the closer of the performance, as the fourth and final movement, Vif et agité, had such a strong buildup to the final note that reverberated throughout the hall, again as if it had come from somewhere close to ten musicians rather than four.

16 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

November 4, 2016

VoiceMale thrills with music, costumes, jokes

By Katie Decker-Jacoby editor

With its seamless group dynamic, infectious charisma and undeniable flair, Brandeis’ allmale a cappella group, VoiceMale, entertained a full house with a new set for its Fall Fest show. The hour-long performance featured songs by Walk the Moon, Michael Bublé, Plain White T’s, Queen and more, on Sunday, Oct. 30 in Harlan Chapel.

The group sported a number of amusing and quirky Halloween costumes in its first show of the school year: A French chef, Cubs baseball player, dinosaur, Wookie, skeleton, Cheshire cat and others took center stage for 60 minutes of top-notch singing. The silly costumes added elements of theatricality and humor to the performance, and were appropriate for its show on the day before Halloween.

The snapping, head-bobbing, hip-swaying show started off with “Aquaman” by Walk the Moon.

Ben Korman ’19, the Cheshire cat, arranged the number and Brandon Less ’19, the professional baseball player, soloed in it. Less displayed a broad vocal range when he hit high notes in the chorus and a melodious voice throughout the entire song.

Music director Antoine Malfroy-Camine ’17, flaunted a blue mustache, eye patch and mismatching socks, and was also able to hit impressively high-pitched notes in VoiceMale’s rendition of “Relax, Take It Easy” by MIKA. Abram Foster ’19 displayed some sweet dance moves and sang in both low and high tones for “Haven’t Met You Yet” by Michael Bublé. He even added a bit

PHOTOS BY KATIE DECKER-JACOBY

of drama and suaveness when he swiftly removed his sunglasses during the second bridge.

Ben Astrachan ’19 ingeniously chimed in to mimic a trumpet during the short, instrumental break after the first bridge. At the end of the arrangement, all of the members of VoiceMale swayed side to side with their arms slung around each other, which exemplified the group’s true camaraderie.

VoiceMale also made it a point to interact with its audience.

Newbie Marek Haar ’20 soloed in “In the Still of the Night” by the Five Satins. Clad in a black suit, white gloves, white contacts and face paint that depicted a skeleton, Haar approached me in the front row to interject with a story.

Haar spoke about his skeleton friend Izzy Dead, who anxiously ran out of a midterm with sweat dripping down his skull. He tried to figure out why Izzy Dead bolted out of the exam. “I looked really deep inside myself, deep inside myself. And I see it—skeletons

don’t have guts,” Haar joked. The crowd enjoyed the anecdote and his bold, consistent voice. The intense, fairly daunting skeleton costume created an eerie aura throughout the performance and a moment of comedy during his story. It was definitely a highlight of the show.

The group’s rendition of “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie featured a solo by Astrachan. The singer stunned the audience when he hit an extremely sharp note in the bridge.

The piercing “Why, why, why?” was undoubtedly another high point in the show, prompting the crowd to erupt in applause and cheers.

VoiceMale invited any alumni in the audience to join the group on stage for its final song, “Falling Over You,” by Rockapella.

The arrangements featured solos by newbies Joel Herman ’20 and David Dropkin ’20. The group encouraged the audience to clap to the beat at the beginning and end of the song. “Falling Over You”

closed the show on a very high note, as VoiceMale performed it with immense enthusiasm and elation.

VoiceMale took a bow and received a well-deserved round of applause.

The group’s entirely new playlist was a hit and generated a playful, laid back mood. The show was a perfect way for friends, family, alumni and prospective students to enjoy the nice autumn day.

Plus, the Halloween costumes added a theatrical, comic and lighthearted touch to the performance.

Fellow Brandeis a cappella group Starving Artists also dressed up in funny Halloween costumes and sang a few songs while VoiceMale took a break.

Some of the songs they performed included “Rhythm of Love” by Plain White T’s and “Anna Sun”

by Walk the Moon. Like VoiceMale, Starving Artists amazed the audience with its effortless talent.

VoiceMale is by no means new to the Brandeis community, or

to the global realm of a cappella.

The singing sensation group was founded in 1994.

“The group travels coast-tocoast and internationally, performing a mix of rock, pop, R&B, oldies and more at a wide variety of venues including colleges, high schools, charity events, and private functions,” according to VoiceMale’s website. The group has produced nine albums, four of which can be purchased on iTunes.

VoiceMale values each of its members’ unique voices and aims to fuse them all into one harmonious sound. The the all-male a cappella group did just that and more in its first show of the school year.

If you missed “VoiceMale Presents: Fall Fest 2016,” then you can watch a full recording of it on VoiceMale’s Facebook page.

You can also check VoiceMale out on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and iTunes, so click that play or follow button and give them a listen.