The Brandeis Hoot 09/02/2016

Volume 13 Issue 14

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

Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass.

September 2, 2016

Dining options and hours met with mixed reviews

By Samantha Lauring staff

photo by daniel kang/the hoot

dunkin’ donuts is closed for business There are over 1,000 Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the state of Mass. and six in Waltham, but

none on the Brandeis campus. The Dunkin’ Donuts in the Village will be closed until January when it reopens in Upper Usdan.

Univ. updates Rights and Responsibilities

By Elianna Spitzer editor

A new process in the updated version of Rights and Responsibilities facilitates conversation between parties involved in sexual harassment cases, according to an Aug. 19 email from Kerry Geurard, Director of Student Rights and Community Standards.

Rights and Responsibilities contains many new changes including two key changes involving sexual misconduct.

The non-sexual misconduct changes this year include a formal definition of the term “bullying” in section 2.10.d. The rationale behind additions and changes varies. Defining bullying is considered a “clarification” because it expands upon enumerated terms.

Other decisions to update areas of Rights and Responsibilities are based on ensuring alignment with local laws. For example, students found responsible for an open or closed flame or caught smoking in a campus building may now be fined up to $150.00.

The new Rights and Responsibilities edition adds a provision to reduce possible violations of state alcohol laws. The mailroom will not accept packages from companies that primarily sell alcohol because they have no manner of

confirming the authenticity of a state ID or passport.

Guerard noted that some policies are put into place prior to being written out in Rights and Responsibilities. Brandeis piloted new event registration policies in Spring 2016. Rights and Responsibilities did not reflect these policy changes until now. “There are times when policy changes are piloted before being implemented... in general, we coordinate policy changes that are enumerated in R&R with the start of the school year. Policy changes are also possible mid-year, if needed, and in such cases we would amend R&R accordingly,” wrote Guerard.

Sexual Misconduct sections contained the most additions.

NCO’s, No Contact Orders, existed in previous copies of the student code. However, the definition of an NCO and the process for obtaining one was never laid out.

According to the updated version, “NCOs state that a student is restricted from contact with a named individual(s) through verbal, physical or electronic means or via third parties.” An NCO is not a form a punishment, meaning it is not the result of an investigation and does not affect an ongoing investigation. A com-

Brandeis updated its dining hours and options this semester, deciding to open Upper Usdan on the weekend for the first time and close Lower Usdan to offset costs, among other changes. The news was met with mixed reactions as students returned to campus.

Other updates include new options in Upper Usdan and Dunkin’ Donuts being moved from the Village to Upper Usdan, effective January 2017. In response to student concerns, members of the Student Union’s senate dining committee are meeting with Brandeis Dining Services.

Last year, senators met with Sodexo about potential dining changes, but management made

the final determinations. For example, students expressed a desire for more retail options available on the weekend, so the senators and dining leaders discussed the idea of keeping Upper open, according to Class of 2019 Senator Hannah Brown, last year’s chair of the Senate Dining Committee.

Sodexo management then made the decision to open Upper and the determination that Lower would have to be closed for cost reasons. Dining is very expensive, and it would cost too much to keep both Upper and Lower Usdan on the weekend, according to Brown.

Many students have raised concerns about Lower Usdan being closed on the weekend. Concerns See DINING, page 3

Brandeis creates new tradition to celebrate religious pluralism

By Max Gould staff

Tables of Brandeis’ religious, political and spiritual groups lined half way around Massell Pond on Friday, Sept. 26, starting around 9:15 p.m. This new event, In One Place, was designed to celebrate Brandeis’ far-reaching multiculturalism and will become a year-opening tradition.

The event is based on the Jewish custom of Shabbat “oneg,” a gathering that follows services and often includes dessert, according to a campus-wide email from Dean of Students Jamele Adams. In One Place, however, is non-denominational and includes no religious ceremony. More than 100 students from many faiths and campus organizations attended Friday’s gathering.

“This event was proposed as

a way to embrace our historical connection to the Jewish Community and our tradition since our founding of celebrating our pluralistic/multi-faith community,” said Adams. “At the same time, it allows our new and returning students to learn about one another’s faiths and cultures and connect with the many ways we have on campus to support students in these practices.”

Among the clubs and organizations represented at the event were the Muslim Student Association, the Brandeis Reform Chavurah, Common Ground, the Brandeis University Conservative Organization, the Catholic Student Organization, the Brandeis Orthodox Organization, the Asian Baptist Student Koinonia, Hillel at Brandeis, Chabad at Brandeis and the Multifaith Chaplaincy.

Though Brandeis was founded by members of the Jewish com-

munity and has a large population that identifies as Jewish, the school is non-sectarian. Thirty-one percent of students identify as “Jewish” while 40 percent identify as either atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” according to a study conducted by the Steinhardt Social Research Institute last May. The study also addressed political views and race, finding that “51 [percent] of undergraduates identified as white” while “East Asian students make up the largest group of students of color at Brandeis” at a total of 25 percent.

Approximately 66 percent of students described their political leanings as liberal to some degree, while political conservatives made up less than 10 percent.

Despite larger representations of certain cultures over others, some students believe Brandeis See IN ONE PLACE, page 2

See R&R, page 2 photo courtesy philip cooper

Inside this issue:

News: DCL updates lock-out policy Opinions: Think twice before eating Chipotle Arts: Glass Animals album is insightful Features: The community of DCL Editorial: Sodexo disappoints again

Fencers Abroad Page 2 China welcomes four fencers Page 4 for tri-national event Page 15 SPORTS: Page 11 Page 6 Page 10

Vocals

Join an a cappella group, gain a family

ARTS: Page 16

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

September 2, 2016

Restorative justice expands options for survivors of sexual misconduct R&R, from page 1

plaining party does not have to be engaged in an investigation to ask for an NCO. However, it is always the student accused of misconduct responsibility to remove themselves from contact with the complaining party.

“Restorative Justice” (RJ) is a new process available to students who have experienced misconduct that does not include physi-

cal contact, such as verbal harassment and intimidation. RJ allows a complainant to sit down with the student accused of harassment and address the misconduct.

“We often hear from students who have experienced harm that they want the person who did the behavior to 1) understand that they caused harm 2) understand the impact the harm has had on the survivor 3) express genuine remorse and 4) take actions that show that the person who did the harm will not continue doing so

in the future,” wrote Sheila McMahon, Director of Sexual Assault Services and Prevention.

RJ can be used in both processes that address sexual misconduct on campus. It can be facilitated during the sanctions phase of a Special Examiner’s Process and will have no bearing on the investigation itself. RJ can also be used as an element of the Informal Process.

The RCC and student advocates gave feedback on using RJ in cases of misconduct.

McMahon indicated that the process may help provide more options for students seeking reparation. “Restorative justice provides a framework for the survivor and affected communities to voice the harm they’ve experienced and to engage in a solution-focused process with the parties who have done the harm,” said McMahon.

Anyone in the community can propose edits. Guerard reviews these proposals in conjunction with Sheryl Sousa, Senior Associ-

ate Vice President for Student Affairs. Andrew Flagel gives the final approval as the University’s Chief Student Affairs Officer. “There is a link in the second semester on the Department of Student Rights and Community Standards website that allows anyone to submit proposed changes. I also spent some time speaking with faculty and staff members about anything they would like to see changed within the non-sexual misconduct sections,” wrote Guerard.

Students hope new tradition will promote understanding IN ONE PLACE, from page 1

does a good job of giving exposure to all the cultures at the university. “I think Brandeis is a nice microcosm because of all the international students, because of all the people from different areas.

Especially I think religiously, it has a nice diversity of both events and people who I think reflect the ideas that you’d hope for,” said Faraz Shamsi ’18, a member of the Muslim Student Association.

Hatice Guc ’17, also from the Muslim Student Association, said the large Jewish population puts an emphasis on religion. “[Religion] is naturally given importance in general, hence other religions, even if they are a minority on campus, the light is shed on them as well,” said Guc. As well as celebrating the diversity of cultures at Brandeis, and the individuality of those

cultures, “we must continue to strive to increase understanding, and include not only celebrations,

“I feel at times there is bigotry from students towards different groups,” said Alexander Mitch-

but also space for difficult conversations that increase understanding,” said Adams.

Other students agree there is need for further understanding.

ell ’17 from the Catholic Students Organization, “There’s anti-Semitism on campus, there’s Islamophobia, there’s a lot of anti-Christian rhetoric … I feel very

supported by the university, but I do wish students could be a little more caring and respectful of each other’s faith and traditions.”

Reverend Matthew Carriker, the Protestant Chaplain at Brandeis, also stressed the importance of interfaith events which promote communication and of recognizing the diversity of religion at Brandeis.

“There’s that tension between how do we showcase our strong Jewish roots and identity without making it feel like we’re forcing that,” said Carriker. Other interfaith events, like the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Interfaith Service, coming up on Jan. 18, work to bring the many different religious backgrounds of Brandeis together in mutual appreciation of faith and religion. Carriker is also involved in the Brandeis Interfaith Group, which hosts

fices, students no longer had to get the key from a Public Safety officer. This policy was changed after Brandeis Police expressed concern that unlocking doors for residents who were locked out “pulled our campus safety officers off of important patrols,” according to Touchette. Having the Brandeis Police unlock doors for residents was also problematic during the busiest times of the evening for lock-outs, which coincided with busy times for the Office of Public Safety, Touchette explained in his campus-wide email.

The master key policy has been revised due to concern over al-

lowing CAs access to master keys, according to the email from Touchette. Last fall, The Brandeis Hoot published an opinion piece in which a student raised concerns about the safety of allowing CAs access to these keys. The Hoot has since retracted the article as it made sweeping claims about DCL without attributing information to named sources, but the article started a conversation about the use of master keys.

Despite concerns, Touchette said, “At Brandeis we have not had any allegations of master key misuse by a CA” since he began working here in August, 2014.

The new policy increases the

security of the master keys used

by CAs, and Touchette called it a “balance” between the past two systems.

The lock-out policy this year schedules CAs to be in charge of lockouts when they are on duty in the evenings but for Brandeis Police to be in charge of lockouts whenever CAs are off-duty.

CAs have access to master keys between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday through Saturday. Furthermore, the master keys now have digital tracking allowing administration to know which CA used a master key and the time and location the key was

photo from instagram.com

events to encourage dialogue between the faiths represented at Brandeis.

In One Place was also an opportunity for Brandeis’ religious and political groups to gain exposure and to “advertise,” according to Bumjoon Park ’17 from the Asian Baptist Student Koinonia.

The event marks a new tradition of cultural recognition at Brandeis, but is just one step towards achieving an improved understanding of the range of cultural identities at Brandeis, according to Adams. He also said the naming of the event was meaningful in and of itself. “Being in one place has, to me, the ring of both the sacred and the non-religious sense of how important this Brandeis home is to all of us. This event is as unique and wonderful as our university family,” said Adams.

used. A special chip on CAs’ student IDs give them access to the lock boxes containing the master keys. Each CA only has access to one master key at a time.

When CAs are not on duty Brandeis Police has access to master keys in order to let students into their rooms. In the campus-wide email Touchette suggests that “The easiest thing to remember is that if you are locked out, call Brandeis Police. They will dispatch a CA if our DCL team is on duty or they will send an officer if it is outside the CA duty coverage time.”

DCL finds a ‘balance’ between two lock-out systems

By Ryan Spencer staff

The Department of Community Living (DCL) has updated the procedure for when students are locked out of their rooms. While last year a new lock-out policy was put into place which allowed Community Advisors (CAs) access to master keys, this year that access to master keys has been restricted, according to an Aug. 23 announcement from Tim Touchette, the director of DCL. Last fall, when CAs were given access to the master keys through a lockbox system in the quad of-

The Brandeis Hoot is looking for writers, copyeditors and photographers !

No experience necessary! Email eic@thebrandeishoot.com for more information.

September 2, 2016

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The Brandeis Hoot

IN THE SENATE: AUGUST 28, 2016

Vice President Paul Sindberg ’18 introduced himself and opened the meeting with a training presentation for the present senators The presentation detailed the composition and functions of the administration as well as that of the Student Union Sindberg and the senators also went over Student Union language, the jobs of the Senate, what to look for in representatives and the committees Sindberg said that he will announce the appointments to committee chairmanships at the Student Union Retreat on Saturday, Sept. 10 Senator-at-Large Nathan Greess ’19 expressed an interest in instituting and maintaining consistency on Executive Board nominations through a resolution Class of 2019 Senator Kate Kesselman voiced that a resolution is not necessary; all that is required are verbal nominations Greess suggested that resolutions may be a better way of reporting in terms of maintaining consistency, and Sindberg agreed that as this is a question of professionalism, procedure and consistency are important Class of 2018 Senator Abhishek Kulkarni then posited whether the Bylaws Committee can make non-substantive changes to bylaws Sindberg praised the discourse, and explained that this would be an amazing agenda item for another time Sindberg appointed Greess as Senate clerk, who will be responsible for reporting all votes and maintaining minutes The Senate then voted to go into executive session following speeches from two senators nominated to become executive senator, Kesselman and Class of 2019 Senator Hannah Brown Brown was confirmed as executive senator, pending confirmation from the complete Senate The Senate then confirmed all of Student Union President David Herbstritt’s ’17 nominations to the Executive Board following speeches from each nominee The Senate then delivered senator reports, which were followed by a suggestion from Herbstritt that Brown sit on the Executive Board as the executive senator has done in the past A motion to discuss was seconded and the Senate discussed the issue: Class of 2018 Senator Christian Nuñez asked for clarification on whether it would be a conflict of interest to have Brown as a member of the Executive Board as well as the Senate Sindberg, who was the executive senator in Spring 2016, said that it was important to have an additional voting voice for the Senate on the Executive Board Senator-at-Large Shaquan McDowell ’18 asked if the Senate should delay voting on executive senator until the Senate is complete A motion to vote on the executive senator as a member of the Executive Board was introduced and seconded, and the executive senator position was confirmed as a member of the Executive Board

-Zach Phil Schwartz

NEWS 3

Adjunct faculty optimistic entering contract negotiations with admin.

By Abigail Gardener editor

Brandeis adjunct and part-time contract faculty members are in negotiations with administration after forming an official union in late May. The union’s first session did not include any negotiations. It consisted of the faculty planning and presenting their goals and philosophy to the administration. They have since had three sessions total, (one being their opening session, in which they planned and presented their goals and philosophy, and two negotiating sessions with the administration), according to Nina Kammerer, Senior Lecturer at the Heller School in the PhD Program. The union plans to have five more negotiating sessions throughout the course of the fall.

Kammerer said the sessions have been “productive” and that they have had “wonderful participation” at the sessions that have already commenced.

Before negotiations could begin, faculty had to organize and vote to become a union represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Adjunct faculty member and artist-in-residence in the Fine Arts Department Christopher Abrams was heavily involved in this process. Abrams was on the union Communications Team, crafting messages to the rest of the faculty and dealing with some of the social media messaging.

Abrams said the faculty members “successfully, overwhelmingly voted in favor of forming a union.”

After the union became official, they were able to start identifying their goals and figuring out what they wanted to bring up with the administration. “I am on what’s called the Contract Action Team, which is what we’re calling essentially the Bargaining Committee,” Abrams said. “We meet period-

ically and…identify some of the initiatives and talk about what the…big goals are.”

“We’re about to sit down for our fourth meeting…in a couple of weeks,” said Abrams, “Of course there’s always give and take, there are priorities that we’ve kind of established, and there are prioirites that the administration has established…and we agree and disagree, but I will say that overall they’ve been very friendly, they’re very amicable meetings.”

Although they are united by many of the same desires and fall under one umbrella title of “nontenured faculty”, adjunct and parttime contract faculty members differ slightly. Adjunct faculty are hired on a course-by-course basis, meaning they are offered a certain number of classes that they may or may not split between semesters. For example, Abrams is an adjunct faculty member and this year he was offered one class in the fall and one in the spring.

Contract faculty are hired based on a contract of at least one year, sometimes multiple years. None of these faculty receive the same benefits that tenured faculty receive, and they have much less job security.

The continuing negotiations at Brandeis come soon after adjunct faculty at Bentley University reached an agreement with their administration in mid-July.

According to a New York Times article, the agreement, which was three years in the making, improved teaching conditions and wages, gave more consistency in teaching assignments, and established a formal process for addressing workplace conflicts for Bentley adjunct faculty.

Brandeis faculty have similar goals that they hope to achieve with the administration. “There were things as basic as salary competition, benefits, things like that…access to teaching resources…access to teaching grants,”

Abrams said. “As adjunct and part time faculty we don’t have access to the same sorts of resources that someone who’s tenured or even full time would have.”

Kammerer lamented that although she is earning less than tenured professors, only twice has a university she worked for paid for her attendance at a conference (something that tenured faculty would get support for). “We are committed academics…we do the same things as everyone else on less money and less support and with much less security,” she said.

Kammerer also feels that the improvements they are hoping for are very in line with Brandeis’ social justice mission, and would greatly benefit students. She views these negotiations as an opportunity for the university to “embrace in this venue its social justice mission” and become a model of social justice not only locally, but nationally. “It’s about many things, the negotiations are about many things, but one of them is the fact that our working conditions are the learning conditions of the students, and that a just contract will contribute to our ability to pay more attention, to do what we love to do, and to do it with our full attention, because we are better paid, have more secure jobs, and better benefits than we’ve had.”

Overall, the negotiations are going positively and the faculty involved is looking forward to making progress.

“We are pleased at the seriousness and the time commitment of the administration, and I personally am very optimistic because as I said, I profoundly believe that what we are doing is totally Brandeisian,” Kammerer said.

“And I’m proud of that because I love teaching here…and I’m happy to be part of the union and I feel that doing that is…part of my commitment to Brandeis and to its values.”

Senate Dining Committee in conversation with Sodexo DINING, from page 1

include the potential for overcrowding and walking distance to Sherman, especially when the weather gets cold. It is also a concern for students who live far but need to eat in the allergy-friendly sections of full-service dining halls and must eat in Sherman on the weekends.

Benji Kemper ’19 says, “I live in East Quad, so I wish Lower Usdan were open on the weekend, but I guess I’ll get fit walking to Sherman.”

Brown said the dining committee works with Brandeis Dining Services to “find a middle ground that benefits everyone” and that Brandeis Dining Services is “super receptive and open to hearing student feedback… Nothing is done out of malice, and they genuinely listen to the students,” Brown said.

Other changes include a new sandwich option in Upper Usdan, Sub Connection, where students can use a meal swipe.

“I love that I can get a great sub, snacks and a drink all for a meal swipe,” Gaby Sierra ’19 said.

“I really wish more places would accept meal swipes and the amount of food we get for a meal swipe was more consistent among all the places. The burgers are sweet though,” Bryant Xiao ’19 said.

Another dining change will be that Dunkin’ Donuts will move from its location in the Village to Upper Usdan, a more convenient and central location, according to senators. It is moving because the old location was not making enough money to justify the expenses, according to Brown.

The new location will open in January 2017, but the old one will stay closed this semester. The new Dunkin’ will move to the location of Louis’ Deli location in Upper, with the deli moving to the sushi stand location and sushi being sold only in the C-store.

“When I heard that the Dunkin’ was moving to Usdan I was pretty disappointed at first. Living in Village A, I thought that I would be able to get coffee there every morning without having to walk to Einstein’s. However, I am very excited to hear that it is moving into Usdan, which is a very central place for many people to en-

joy,” said Emily Koleske ’19.

After these changes were announced and students began to express dissatisfaction, three students released a survey asking students about their reactions.

Student Union Director of Communications Max Byer ’19, Student Union Director of Academic Involvement Jacob Edelman ’18 and Student Union President David Herbstritt ’17 organized the survey. The survey, however, is independent and not an official Union survey.

When asked “To what extent might the proposed changes impact your dining habits?” on a 1-5 scale, 5.2 percent of students chose “1,” meaning the changes would not impact their dining habits and 51.7 percent of students chose “5,” meaning the changes would greatly impact their dining habits. When asked, “To what extent might the closing of Lower Usdan on weekends impact your dining habits?” 7 percent of students said it would not affect their dining habits and 62.8 percent of students said it would affect their dining habits. A total of 172 students responded to the survey.

“I believed these dining changes would negatively impact student life. I created this survey independently of the Student Union, to learn whether or not my belief was correct,” said Byer. “While the data only represents the views of 172 students, it is clear that many students feel these changes do not

enhance the dining experience.”

The Brandeis Dining Committee and Brandeis Dining Services recently met last Thursday to discuss the student body’s reaction to the new changes. The Senate Dining Committee is a liaison between the students and Brandeis Dining Services and they work closely together to listen to stu-

dents’ voices in regards to dining.

Moving forward, the dining committee and Brandeis dining said the next step is to continue to observe student dining patterns and to see how students respond once they settle more into the school year.

The Student Union posted a

photo by daniel kang/the hoot

statement on its Facebook page stating the Senate Dining Committee had a meeting with Sodexo about reactions to the dining changes and that the Dining Committee is continuously in conversation with Sodexo regarding students’ concerns about dining.

4 The Brandeis Hoot

OPINIONS

Food without integrity: Chipotle and social responsibility

By Alex Mitchell columnist

It is no secret that college students love Chipotle. I frequently find their discarded burrito boxes and trademarked elaborately decorated soda cups littered across common areas and even on campus grounds, a testament to the brand’s popularity. Chipotle seems to represent what our generation wants most in food, something quick but not too quick. Something delicious but something that won’t break the bank. “Fast Casual,” insiders call it. Chipotle portrays itself as a quirky and unconventional chain restaurant, from decorating takeout bags with pseudo-profound quotes to unnecessarily moody lighting. But behind the artsy design patterns and clever advertising, Chipotle is still a multinational corporate behemoth, with all the trappings of modern corporations: haughty board officers, grumpy stockholders and, of course, ethics violations.

Eating Chipotle leaves a bad taste in my mouth. While the food can be appetizing, the company’s business practices leave much to be desired. Firstly, the company mistreats its workers, to the point that they have been dragged before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for punitive attacks on workers. For example, Chipotle’s employees face termination for ridiculous and trivial offenses, even outside of the workplace. According to the NLRB, Chipotle’s policies ban employees from discussing “politics or religion in public”

or from disclosing information about their wages to co-workers.

On top of this, Chipotle commits the usual sins of low pay, low advancement and capricious management that are all too common in the fast-food industry.

Chipotle advertises their food as healthy and environmentally sustainable, but this is far from the truth. Chipotle’s health scares have made headlines many times over the past few months: Norovirus and E. coli outbreaks have led to dozens of hospitalizations and federal investigations into the company. At the same time, the “healthy” moniker conceals the fact that the average Chipotle meal has more than 1,000 calories and 75 percent of the daily recommendation for saturated fat, more than double that of McDonald’s Big Mac sandwich and 25 percent more than the average Chick-fil-A meal. To put it simply, Chipotle is not a healthy alternative to “traditional” fast food. It is merely the same fast food, albeit in a faux Mexican iteration.

Chipotle’s environmental claims are dubious at best and dangerous at worst. Much of their food is grown in drought-stricken California, where high demand for their products has exacerbated the water shortage. Chipotle’s reliance on “natural” foods has increased this effect. While some of their initiatives are beneficial, such as reducing harmful pesticides and animal suffering, many others exacerbate environmental damage. Chipotle’s adamant stance on traditional agriculture has prevented the company from adopting newer varieties of corn and soybeans, even though many

of them use fewer chemicals and critically, less water. Furthermore, Chipotle has used its market leverage and ad campaigns to discourage research into more sustainable crop strains, further jeopardizing the environment.

Put simply, Chipotle, like many burgeoning corporate fast-food chains, has a terrible record on even the simplest business ethics. Its policies treat workers unfairly, harm the environment and represent dangers to public health. Given the energy that was shown in the Chick-fil-A boycott, where thousands protested outside restaurants, mayors banned new restaurants and universities threw out franchises, one would expect similar actions by college students.

I do not think I am the only student at Brandeis who believes that companies have certain responsibilities to their employees and the public good, and as students, we need to decide if we are spending our money in the right places. As Brandeis students, we ought to take the lead in conducting our lives and business in a way that supports both social justice and sustainability. Unfortunately, this means taking our business elsewhere. Conveniently, the Waltham Chipotle is flanked by a Five Guys and a Panera Bread. Either one of those restaurants will give you a more satisfying and less expensive meal, and each behaves (comparatively) ethically as a company. So the next time you go out to Chipotle, just head over next door instead. It is a small step, but one that demonstrates a personal commitment to social justice.

For your dining convenience

By Zach Phil Schwartz editor

Before the start of this academic year, Brandeis Dining plastered campus eateries with big posters detailing changes to the dining roster made over the summer, pulled together with a big line made in WordArt saying, “We’ve Been Busy!” The announcement can be summed up by a sadly ironic line on the poster that reads, “NEW HOURS FOR YOUR DINING CONVENIENCE,” for the word “convenient” or any sense of the word belongs nowhere near this announcement.

In my time working Opinions for The Brandeis Hoot, I’ve seen my fair share of pieces blasting

Sodexo and Brandeis Dining for one reason or another. I fear that to continue to chastise these services would render this section no more than cliché. With this in mind I have tried to avoid writing about Sodexo and Brandeis Dining. After seeing this announcement for the first time in all of its ludicrousness, however, I am breaking habit and plainly saying that the changes made to Brandeis’ dining are entirely nonsensical and benefit no student.

I say this perhaps out of bitterness that the Dunkin’ Donuts I often frequented when I lived in the Village is no longer in service (especially with me living there again, this time almost on top of the establishment). I will concede

photo by zach phi schwartz/the hoot

that this closure and moving of Dunkin’ makes some sense, as it will most definitely get more traffic at Upper Usdan—but at what cost? Only someone with inside knowledge of the situation at hand will be able to definitively say what will happen to the space Dunkin’ occupied, and I will be the first to admit that I am not someone with such information.

Perhaps my lack of inside knowledge precludes me from knowing the true reasoning behind these changes, but it does not take inside knowledge to know that closing Lower Usdan at 2:30 p.m. on Fridays until re-opening on Monday morning represents a real pain for students living in North, East or the Castle or for the many students traversing upper campus at any given time.

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word “convenience” as “the state of being able to proceed with something with little effort or difficulty.” In no way does closing Lower Usdan at a waning lunch hour on Friday afternoon for the entire weekend qualify as convenient for anybody, especially to those who rely on the Simple Servings area of that dining hall.

Some will remember that Louis’ Deli at the entrance of Upper Usdan was open until midnight on most days of the week last year. Now, for your dining convenience, it will be closing at 9:00 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.

Something doesn’t quite add up.

For our convenience, the powers that be have diminished the Deli

September 2, 2016

Stop complaining about trigger warnings and safe spaces

By Katarina Weessies

This summer, the University of Chicago sent out a welcome letter to its students that many perceived to be offensive, insolent and outright disrespectful.

The offending letter boasted the university’s “commitment to freedom of inquiry and expression.”

It illustrated this commitment to freedom through its lack of support for “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces.”

The letter read: “Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so called ‘trigger warnings,’ we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.” The fact that the University of Chicago views inclusive measures like trigger warnings as antagonistic to academic freedom reveals that the university’s administration has no understanding of what trigger warnings and safe spaces actually are.

A popular perception of trigger warnings indicates that the trigger warning is a form of censorship used by the archetypical “sensitive college student” in order to avoid encountering content with which they disagree. This perception is incredibly flawed. It ignores the reality that trigger warnings do not censor content, and actually make certain content far more accessible to people struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or other mental illnesses.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “trigger warning” as “a statement at the start of a piece of writing, video, etc., alerting the reader or viewer to the fact that it contains potentially distressing material (often used to introduce a description of such content).”

Trigger warnings are usually used in the context of PTSD, cautioning those who suffer from it of upcoming content that might cause a panic attack or flashback.

The trigger warning prepares the listener for any distressing content without actually censoring the content. In fact, these warnings involve far less censorship than traditional film, TV or book

rating systems, which restrict the buying and selling of material based on inappropriate content.

Trigger warnings do not restrict the potentially triggering material; they merely provide a warning for it, which PTSD sufferers or other individuals can use at their discretion.

Safe spaces are another frequently misunderstood facet of university life. The Wikipedia page for “safe space” provides an uncommonly succinct and complete explanation of the history of the concept of a safe space: “In educational institutions, safespace[s]… originally were terms used to indicate that a teacher, educational institution or student body does not tolerate anti-LGBT violence.” The webpage then goes on to explain that “the term ’safe space’ has been extended to refer to a space for individuals who are marginalized to come together to communicate regarding their experiences with marginalization, typically on a university campus.”

This definition of “safe space” does not restrict the expression of ideas. It restricts the expression of personal insults or violence, which have never belonged in an academic setting. When participants in a discussion are discouraged by safe space rules from flinging insults or employing violent rhetoric, everyone involved in the discussion benefits. Without personal attacks, the ideological value of the debate increases, since all students feel safe enough to express their ideas in a respectful manner.

The University of Chicago’s affront to “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces” for the sake of freedom of expression is paradoxical.

When the university bashes “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings,” it closes its doors to students with mental illnesses and constrains meaningful academic discourse.

Their commitment to “freedom of speech” silences marginalized people. It creates an unsafe and disrespectful environment which dedicates itself to exclusion rather than freedom. Without the inclusion provided by safe spaces and trigger warnings, meaningful, open academic discourse cannot occur. If the University of Chicago understood that, its students would inhabit a much more intellectually free and challenging environment.

(a pivotal location for Kosher fare in upper campus) hours. This does not suit the definition of “convenience” listed above. Nobody can proceed with getting Kosher food on campus after 9:00 p.m. (Sherman closes then) with ease, or at all for that matter.

What concerns me most about the changes announced is that there was no clear reason or explanation given for any of what happened. The poster just thanked the reader for their ideas and input, as if people would just ignore that dining has now become an inconvenience just because a piece of cardboard or a PDF said that this was the result of student opinion. I am and will remain skeptical that a significant amount of students (significant enough to justify these changes) wanted to inconvenience themselves by closing a dining hall, moving a coffee shop and constraining eatery hours, until Brandeis Dining

releases information (a pre-implementation survey would work) that would prove me wrong.

I am not out to chastise or demonize Sodexo or Brandeis Dining, and I appreciate their efforts to engage with students and work constructively, respectfully and professionally with their staff.

I do not want to bite the figurative hand that literally feeds me.

I just want to know why they are parading new inconveniences to the dining roster and schedule as convenient (they’re not) and telling me that this is the result of student opinion without proof.

I have been at Brandeis for four semesters, and this feels like my fifth article about dining. To write about this subject any more would just serve to make it even more cliché. To all parties of Brandeis Dining: Be transparent, tell us the truth, be just, don’t dress inconvenience as convenience and leave the damn Dunkin’ where it is.

columnist

September 2, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot

OPINIONS

5

Helicopter parenting: doing more harm than good

By Matt Kowalyk editor

If you have not yet, I suggest you take a look at the Brandeis Parents Facebook page. Proceed with caution: What you will find is both equally enlightening and disturbing about the parents of Brandeis students. It is not a fair sample, as not many parents are very active on social media and have no reason to be. However, what you find on that page includes parents answering too many questions, worries that could be easily assuaged by looking on Brandeis webpages and arguments about the food their children are subjected to.

Complaints about financial aid and food quality are warranted most of the time. There are parents who have never sent their kids to college before, who have not been to college before themselves and find pages like this a resource to deal with their worries and uncertainty.

The Facebook page reminded me of an article in The Atlantic, “The Partnership Between Colleges and Helicopter Parents,” which details the real challenges that parents with no experience

with the college system face when their children move on to higher education without the financial benefits or support structures available to other students. What I’m referring to are the parents that seem to let no complaint of their child go without feeling the need to address the issue for them, those who answer other parents’ questions without their student even completing a year at Brandeis and those who seem to have nothing better to do than spar with other parents over what “hardships” their children are facing at a private university.

As I have said, I am not talking about kids who are barely making it and who have real struggles to stay well and even on campus. Instead, there are parents who are complaining about the lack of air conditioning in buildings when we all know that generations of students have survived for a warm few weeks with no lasting ill effects. Yes, classes are difficult. It’s college. Dorm rooms don’t have a ton of space, but we all deal with it. The article in The Atlantic goes on to detail how some parents may have different approaches for focusing on their child’s social or academic life, but what unites

them is an effort to try to affect the outcome of the experience at college as much as possible. Seeing the discourse between parents on Facebook and the personalities they produce in students is quite alarming.

My parents are firmly in the “paramedic” camp, only really responding when something important goes wrong or when I ask for academic advice. It is a luxury not all students enjoy, and I am greatly thankful for it. Too much contact can cause problems in personal development.

There are many students who deal with the neoliberal parent and I wonder how they would perform in an interview, how they could land a job, etc.; how could they function outside of the university environment? In a school like ours, so consistently beholden to stakeholder interests, I can only imagine the problems that over-caring parents have on our campus environment. No wonder so many among us are so sensitive to criticism. Private schools and coddling parents, sometimes at the same time, will do that to you.

Coming to college and encountering a swath of new personalities and ideas can be a shock. I am

taking into account progressive, liberal and conservative leanings into this as well. Parents have always imparted their biases and ideology onto their children, but at the height of a culture of narcissism and constant contact, the control parents have over their children’s lives can be both beneficial and disastrous for development.

I’m no parent, and I probably won’t be one for a long time. I just wonder how Brandeis, and other colleges, can prepare young people to make a better world without being able to function within existing institutions. There are experts claiming that technology is devaluing romantic relationships and friendships, and clearly the effects are not limited to this area. I think everyone on this campus should find ways to give each other more agency and that parents should be aware of what they’re doing. Every generation has qualms with their parents, sometimes real and sometimes unfounded, and we certainly have come up with our own. This age of constant contact and the ability to track your children is a new development. It is entirely different and comes with entirely

new problems. I do not think our environment that so depends on parents’ opinions is good for us, and our institutions that keep us doing what “feels right” only exacerbates this trend. Many of us have not had the time to really think for ourselves, so who knows if what we feel is right is actually what’s best for us? Yet parents are what keep our school going, and there is very little social pressure telling them to stop.

It is a slippery slope cycle of parents wanting their kids to be protected, rendering them inept and then wanting more protection on the part of the administration. I’m sure some of them wonder why they have to take care of us for longer, while others are fine with it and don’t want it to change. All I can really encourage is that students actively do things that make them uncomfortable. There is no real solution to this other than us students recognizing the problem and actively seeking to make ourselves better, rather than giving in to what feels bad or good. At least realizing the problem is moving in the right direction. Everyone in academia would benefit.

City of Waltham should not have torn up South St.

By Zach Phil Schwartz editor

Late this summer, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan announced in an email to the Brandeis community that the City of Waltham’s Department of Public Works had begun an asphalt milling and repaving process, which would “be ongoing for the next several weeks.” That was August 11.

It’s now Sept. 2, and there seems to be no end in sight for a re-paving process that should not have been allowed to take place during this time of year. Worse, according to Callahan, the university “did not receive customary advance notice since there was some misunderstanding about the project starting date.” This lack of notice and apparent lack of progress from the city has created extremely hazardous driving conditions that should not have existed in the first place.

The announcement from Callahan came just days before students began to walk campus

paths, along with the correlated number of family vehicles. When I drove in on Aug. 18, I was met rudely by grooved pavement from the train station all the way to Main St. The pavement was in no better state when hundreds of vehicles entered the Brandeis area on the two move-in days, Aug. 21 and Aug. 23.

South St. today resembles an obstacle course rather than a road, and a major thoroughfare to boot.

The street is littered with raised structures that are extremely hazardous to either cross or avoid safely. The continued work done along the street has built up lines of inbound traffic rivalling only the delays seen at rush hour going outbound toward I-90.

At a time of the year that is best characterized by elevated pedestrian as well as vehicular traffic, to mill South St. was the wrong decision by the City of Waltham, and it is alarming that the university was apparently not in the loop with regards to a process that has everything to do with it.

In a follow-up email to the Brandeis community on Aug. 17,

Callahan passed along an update that said that work was being done “to get ready for the asphalt paving that will take place from Wednesday, Aug. 24, through Friday, Aug. 26.” If you take a moment to survey the road, you will see that, as of the publishing of this article, no significant amount of paving has occurred.

As the fall semester begins to operate on all cylinders, we really must question why it is the City of Waltham decided to run an extremely hazardous project that could easily (and more wisely) have been done after the snows melt, in what is currently forecasted to be a far heavier and far snowier winter than we had experienced last year. By the time this project is completed, which may not be until mid-September or even October, the snows will be well on their way, followed by the plows that will threaten to tear up the newly paved asphalt.

The threat of plows doing damage to the newly paved South St. makes the situation even more curious, as such a project would logically be best reserved for the

beginning of the summer, when the weather is growing progressively warmer and, more importantly, almost all of the students are moved out.

Further, the situation on South St. represents a real danger to vehicles as well as pedestrians. Any significant lack of attentiveness while driving that milled road could result in vehicle damage, from causes ranging from the raised structures to the dangerously uneven pavement height.

Those drivers that fail to safely react to these obstacles in time (or at all) pose a significant threat to any pedestrians present along a

road that is by no means a haven for pedestrian safety.

This is a time of year when the number of local residents and members of the Brandeis community are milling about both on foot and by car; only when the university is in session do we see the number of students, staff, faculty and other members of the Brandeis community on the roads at its peak. With all of this in mind, the City of Waltham should not have gone ahead with the roadwork and waited until the potential for hazardous situations decreased to its minimum—when Brandeis is out of session.

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

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6 The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES

September 2, 2016

Department of Community Living: home away from home

By Charlotte Aaron editor

What is DCL? DCL is the Department of Community Living, or more specifically, the department responsible for residential life on the Brandeis campus. The umbrella of residential life responsibilities includes housing assignments for students living on campus, the hiring and training of Community Advisors (CAs) and Area Coordinators (ACs), the supervision of all residential life programming and the management of all the residential buildings. DCL works closely with Facilities and University Police to make sure students are safe on campus and security devices such as blue lights, card readers and fire safety systems are working properly.

A Word from the Director “We care and we want people to realize we care.” –Tim Touchette, director of DCL Tim Touchette, the director of DCL, has brought a vision to life at Brandeis since he started working here two years ago. Unlike many other departments on campus, DCL affects every student.

Whether that student is a firstyear living in Massell or a senior choosing to live off campus, communication between that student

and DCL is required.

In many cases, the on-campus housing process runs smoothly, and students think about DCL only twice a year—as they wait anxiously for their lottery number and as they refresh the MyHousing page online hoping their desired housing has not been chosen before their turn.

Yet if and when students do find themselves in the DCL office, it is frequently following a situation in which students are not pleased with the department.

They feel they have been wronged in some way or another, explained Touchette, who remembers having those exact thoughts when he was a college student.

“I would love for students to recognize that even though we can’t always give everyone exactly what they want because we just can’t that we always try our very, very best to help each and every person that comes in here with their own unique stories,” Touchette said.

With a sincere focus on students, and even more specifically, on student happiness and success on campus, Touchette has worked to ensure that when a student is faced with challenges regarding community living, that student is not only helped to the best of the department’s ability, but is supported emotionally and feels they are cared about.

The goal to make sure each stu-

dent feels listened to and helped is not simply a verbalized one at DCL but a goal that the entire staff has been working to achieve.

While these efforts can be visualized, they exist on a much deeper level than the free candy on desks in the office and a refrigerator full of free drinks.

All staff members, including the student workers at the front desk, are trained to engage with and de-escalate frustrated, and sometimes even endangered students, who enter the office. Rather than have an unproductive and emotional conversation with a yelling student, DCL staff aims to comfort that student prior to any conversation about improving the situation causing issues.

To further improve student life at Brandeis and the student experience with community living, some DCL staff members have attended the Disney Institute, a professional institute that helps organizations and companies change the culture in their workplace.

Also, all staff members partook in training over this past summer based on “Be Our Guest,” a book published by Disney on how the company succeeds in customer service, quality service being the main focus.

“It’s been really good for morale and just empowering them [staff members] to feel like they can do something besides the normal stuff they do every day,” Touchette

said. Many of the changes made because of the Institute and book reading are seemingly small but effective.

For example, when DCL staff members are at work, they minimize cell phone usage and make a conscious effort to avoid having a cell phone in-hand while working with students.

These efforts are also seen in how DCL staff members prioritize the students. Rather than cut a conversation short to make it to a meeting on time, staff members are encouraged to finish their conversation if they believe they will be able to salvage their meeting after arriving late.

These changes have already had a positive impact on the community, Touchette explained. The positive behavior trickles down through the Head CAs, the CAs, Orientation Leaders and into student life. “One of the tangible ways we can see an increase in this positive energy is … we need to get better at congratulating people and calling out the good, because honestly no one ever calls here to tell us we are doing a great job. They are calling to tell us something awful in their mind has happened.”

Since training, Touchette has seen an increase in the number of handwritten notes and emails staff members and students have received recognizing others for something positive they did.

photo courtesy department of community living

When a group of students were involved in a difficult situation with another student a few weeks ago, those students not only thanked each other when the situation was handled, but a dean got involved and wanted to set up a thank you lunch, said Touchette.

“That kind of stuff we never had the time to do that before, and now that we are kind of being proactive, we have a little bit more time to do stuff like that, which is great. So that’s one example of good stuff that is happening, and I want to keep it going because there is so much bad stuff that happens, but we want to focus on the good stuff.”

As Touchette enters his third academic year at Brandeis, he hopes students realize the DCL staff is at Brandeis for one reason, and that reason is the students, regardless of if DCL is able to meet every student need down to the pinpoint. “We will do whatever we can to make it work and try our best, and I feel that way about everyone who works here.”

The Juggling Society isn’t clowning around

By Katarina Weessies staff

Juggling is no easy task. It involves intense focus and dexterity and requires hours upon hours of practice. Brandeis jugglers can have a difficult time finding a space to practice, since outdoor spaces on campus are usually freezing cold and indoor spaces are full of breakable windows and breakable faces. Luckily, the Brandeis Juggling Club provides a safe and fun environment in which Brandeis jugglers can practice their craft.

Tobias “Toby” Reynolds ’19, vice president of the Juggling Club, joined the group to develop the juggling skills he learned in high school. Like many other club members, he learned to juggle before college. He explains that he did “some circus stuff in high school” and that he “wanted a place to practice and perform on campus.” The Juggling Club allows Reynolds to work with a group of enthusiastic jugglers who encourage him to improve. Reynolds sometimes practices his juggling outside, but most of his practice occurs at club meetings. At meet-

ings, he can practice juggling with balls, clubs, staffs, plates and any other apparatus that club members decide to bring.

The Juggling Club is relatively small, with only about 10 members, but it is full of vibrant personalities with a passion for fun.

The small size of the club allows members to learn at their own pace and to support each other on a more familiar level. Despite the club’s small size, members have a variety of skill levels and experiences.

Reynolds is proud of the wide range of skill levels present in the

Juggling Club. It accommodates all levels and styles of juggling.

Some members are first time jugglers with little to no experience, and some are more experienced, having refined their juggling skills throughout high school.

One member can even juggle lit torches.

“More experienced jugglers usually teach the new people how to juggle,” Reynolds explained.

“Different members bring in their favorite objects to juggle with and we all teach each other.” Under the guidance of the club’s seasoned jugglers, new jugglers grow their

What makes this presidential election so significant?

Leading up to the 2016 presidential election, the Brandeis Conservatives and Brandeis Democrats will be prompted with a weekly question. Below are their responses.

By Michael Musto

Brandeis Conservatives

The 2016 presidential elections are approaching, and as is often heard every four years, this election has been described as “significant.” On the one hand, this could be the year that we make history and elect the first female president. Meanwhile, Trumpites are salivating at the prospect of “Making America Great Again.”

Many of those who describe this election as significant do so with the assumption that both candidates differ greatly in their policies and outlook. However, what is truly significant about this election is how nothing could be further from the truth.

On the surface, there are some superficial differences between Clinton and Trump. Clinton is the ultimate political insider, while Trump has no prior political experience. One of them half-heartedly embraces the Black Lives Matter movement, while the other vehemently condemns it. One

candidate is strongly anti-second amendment, while the NRA has endorsed the other candidate. I think just about everyone knows which candidates hold the positions listed above. But digging beneath the surface, one finds that one candidate is extremely anti-trade, while the other a bit less so. One candidate wants to bomb more people “over there,” while another candidate has in fact already bombed people in the Middle East, many of them civilians. One candidate says that Edward Snowden should be executed, while the other says he should have gone through “proper channels”—knowing full well that this would have resulted in imprisonment and no pushback for reform. Both candidates love the NSA. Both candidates love the Fed’s easy money, both candidates want to raise the minimum wage, both candidates love the war on drugs, both candidates love government infrastructure spending and both candidates love government deficit spending—so much,

in fact, that if either were elected, the deficit and debt will skyrocket, and entitlements on autopilot will remain unreformed. Above all, both believe in imperial presidency—that the president can do as they wish with the stroke of a pen.

If anything, this election is significant only in that it highlights how low we have dropped the bar.

In a nation such as ours, these are really the two best candidates we could come up with? One who many view as corrupt and untrustworthy (for good reason!), the other one a crazy snake-oil salesman? On top of that, they are nearly identical on the major issues of our time. To quote Thomas Sowell, “When the people want the impossible, only liars can satisfy.” For once, there is not even a semblance of a major party candidate advocating for more liberty and less government. Most Americans have drunk the KoolAid and embraced the interventionist state. It is significant that only now this has become apparent for all to see.

By Jacob Edelman Brandeis Democrats

Every four years, each candidate running for President will say, “This election is the most important in [insert a very long length of time].” The candidates’ supporters will get fired up, and critical dialogue on the path that our country should chart for its future takes place in the public arena.

This election, however, is significant for precedent-shattering reasons. I am not going to dive into partisan talking points—I am simply going to highlight the historic aspect of the choices voters may make in November.

For one, there is the opportunity to elect an extraordinarily qualified woman to be President of the United States. This opportunity has existed previously, but never has it been so palpably close to happening. Bringing the country this direction would inarguably destroy old precedent and mark an enormous milestone in our nation’s history.

Second, there is the possibility of a never-previously elected individual becoming President, one who has neither command-

skill set and eventually become skilled enough to perform in the Juggling Club’s annual show.

The Juggling Club provides a fantastic example of the uniqueness and diversity of Brandeis clubs. Juggling is a spectacular and difficult skill that most people never get the chance to learn.

The club provides students with an encouraging environment to learn to juggle and develop their skill set. They meet on Wednesdays from 8-10 p.m. in Usdan.

If you want to wow others with a juggling prowess, you can join them.

ed armed forces, nor governed a state, nor represented a citizen.

This individual has not made gains in popularity through charm or flattery or even honesty, but by appealing to the most frustrated and fed-up citizens in our country through rage and insult. There is something to be said for being a voice for the voiceless. However the fear and anger evoked from this campaign is quite possibly unparalleled. Electing this man would inarguably destroy precedent and lead our nation into an even wider world of “what if ’s.”

It is impossible to adequately summarize the significance of this election in 400 words or fewer, but the above lists two inescapable truths that can reasonably be raised.

More than anything else, it is important to remember this: The most significant times (like these) are when it is most necessary to have your voice heard. So do that—have your voice heard. Register to vote and get to the polling place on November 8, or vote absentee. If you need help registering or voting absentee, email me at edelmanj@brandeis.edu, or visit the university library and ask for assistance—plenty of resources are available.

September 2, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES 7

DCL: Strenthening the campus community In Focus: Diversity and Inclusion “As a professional staff, we spent a great deal of time over the summer talking about not only visual diversity, but invisible diversity,” Touchette said. Brandeis not only has a wide range of racial and cultural diversity but diversity in terms of physical and mental abilities as well.

Because DCL staff spends more one-on-one time with students than do other departments on campus, the diversity and inclusion training is more intense than the typical human resources training, explained Touchette.

DCL staff go through both inhouse cultural competency training with the Intercultural Center and the Dean’s suite as well as outside developmental training. “It’s an identified area that we need to work better on as far as having conversations with students and

bridging gaps between cultural identities or just identities in general,” Touchette said about diversity training.

“The goal of any cultural competency training is to get people to realize that folks are coming to the table with more than what meets the eye and giving people an ability to not rely simply on their own experiences to deal with something, but to be able to think about other cultures and how other cultures interact and engage prior to acting,” Touchette said.

Some of this training included discussions about the Ford Hall protests that occurred on campus last fall and sessions on how to interact most effectively and respectfully with students of varying cultures. Other programming was more light-hearted such as

group lessons on the pronunciation of common Chinese first names. “The cultural competency training just gets you to slow down for a second and think about ‘am I looking at everything here, or am I just looking at it this way because I am this way?’”

In addition to the training, DCL requires multicultural residence hall programing and is attempting to infuse a multi-cultural dimension into everything it does, including hiring new staff members.

“One of the new staff members we are hiring has some very specific experiences in race relations and intersectionality,” Touchette said.

Over the course of this year Touchette looks forward to see how the focus on diversity and inclusion will play out within the campus community and residence halls.

In Focus: Sexual Assault Training

“There’s an eagerness to want to eliminate it [sexual assault] by everyone [DCL staff and CAs], but the reality is that that’s an unreachable goal, and I wouldn’t place that responsibility on them,” said Touchette. “We want to get to a place where we are able to change the culture so that people are holding each other accountable … and feeling comfortable reporting things.”

To achieve this goal, DCL provides sexual harassment training for all of its staff, as well as sexual assault prevention training for the CAs. In addition to the training, CAs are all bystander trained and piloted bystander 2.0 for the Rape Crisis Center last year.

Further, DCL has made an effort to streamline how CAs and DCL staff members take in in-

formation so victims do not have to repeat their stories more times than necessary, said Touchette.

Through work with Director of Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Sheila McMahon and Survivor Advocate and Education Specialist Julia Rickey, the CAs have been trained to respond to any sexual assault or harassment issue that may arise.

“A lot of our residential staff forget that our CAs are students too and that they really do take the brunt of a lot of different things and it’s unfair for them at times to take that all on so we want to make sure that they feel support too,” said Touchette. “No one wants to have someone come tell them they have been assaulted, but they have the right training to be able to respond appropriately.”

The professional staff of Community Living

photo courtesy department of community living

James Reed James Reed brings a wealth of experience to his job at the DCL as Assistant Director. He even briefly lived in the Ridgewood dorms when he first came to Brandeis. Reed oversees Operations & Community Development at Brandeis. In addition to working at Brandeis, he has

worked at Brown University and MIT. The various reasons that brought James to Brandeis include the strong “community, team and students.” Reed joined the DCL team last July.

One of the most important responsibilities that Reed is tasked with overseeing is the CA program. This means making sure the CAs are performing their duties properly as well as overseeing the program’s operations. Reed notes that his favorite part of the CA program is being able to “interact with the CAs.” We also got a chance to talk with Reed about the issue of diversity on campus. In light of last year’s student demonstrations, such as Ford Hall 2015, calling for greater representation for minority students, Reed noted that,

“Almost a quarter of the CA program is made up of students of color.” In addition to “greater representation” for students of color, Reed also described providing more diversity training through the CA program. According to Reed, this training is important in order to promote “culturally competent” CA staff who are comfortable and familiar with helping students of color. Also important in increasing diversity, as Reed said, is to make greater connections to various offices around campus, such as the ISSO and GSC, to coordinate better diversity on campus.

Finally, we asked Reed what his favorite dormitory would be on campus. He said that Ridgewood would definitely be his first choice because of the suite style of living.

Dispelling DCL myths with Director Tim Touchette DCL is rolling in money “I hear this a lot from students, and I’m always perplexed as to why they think that. We don’t get money from room revenue. That goes to the university. We actually have a very small budget, and it’s for professional development and programming,” Touchette said.

Because many of the residential buildings on campus are old and preventative maintenance was not something the university did on a routine schedule in the past, DCL is working to restore the facilities after years of student usage, he explained.

“People in this office work really hard to try to make this campus a nice place to be, a pretty place to be, a place with reasonably accommodating facilities.” Be-

cause the DCL team has positive relationships with staff members across campus, the department is able to get things done quickly, but this is not indicative of a large budget, explained Touchette.

“We are very visible—we have a lot of buildings, we have a lot of staff, we are one of the largest staffs on the campus—and so when things happen they are usually visible and people see them right away so they are like, ‘Oh, they are spending money again.’

It’s quite a process, and there are so many people that sit around the table and try to figure out where the best impact for the dollar can be spent and logistics behind the scenes.”

DCL staff leave here because they hate Brandeis In the field of residential life, the staff are live-in professionals and transition a lot, but that has nothing to do with Brandeis, Touchette explained. “The field in general has about a 90-percent turnover rate at entry level positions because a lot of them [staff members] are trying to get into bigger and better positions in

higher education,” Touchette said.

Rather than search for longterm staff members, Touchette has focused on recruiting high-quality professionals looking to stay three, four, five years who will then pursue higher level jobs following their time at Brandeis.

Dayshawn Simmons, Area Coordinator for Foster Mods and Charles River, will leave Brandeis next week after working here since Fall 2015.

Simmons hopes to work in a management-level position in higher education after he leaves.

When asked if his time at Brandeis prepared him for future opportunities, he responded, “It’s one of the reasons I came to Brandeis.”

“What we try to do is give them [professional staff] the most amazing experience in their time here so that they leave taking the Brandeis name with them,” Touchette said. “It’s a fun place to be at, and I think a lot of our staff learn a ton of stuff while they are here and then when they leave they are like, ‘I really valued that experience,’ and can reflect on it in a way that helps them do better in their next role.

photo courtesy department of community living

Scott Berozi Another familiar face you might bump into when going to DCL is Scott Berozi. Berozi is currently the Assistant Director for First Year Programs and Orientation. In that capacity he oversees the transition that newcomers to Brandeis make, so everything from OLs to Orientation events went through him.

Berozi has been at Brandeis since July 2013 and in his current position since May 2015. Despite the various issues that may come up at work, the “most rewarding part is getting to work with students that are so passionate, excitable and kind.” So Brandeis students, understand that your

photo courtesy department of community living

Sarah Hogan-Crowley Associate Director of DCL Sarah Hogan-Crowley has a lot on her plate. Among others, her responsibilities include room selection, room assignments and managing the general operations of the housing process. So whenever you have used the MyHousing program hoping for a Ridgewood, Hogan-Crowley probably had some role in making the housing assignment happen.

Hogan-Crowley is no stranger to Brandeis’ unique campus culture, given that she herself is an alumna. Hogan-Crowley even completed her master’s degree

perceived “quirks” are seen as signs of passion by the administration.

What most people might not know about Berozi is that as an undergraduate he majored in journalism with “aspirations of being an entertainment journalist.” However, he decided to choose student affairs over show business in order to help students and make a difference on a college campus.

When asked which is his favorite dorm on campus, the ever-popular Village is Berozi’s choice. Among the reasons for his choice are the openness and excellent layout of the residence hall.

Not everything in Berozi’s job is easy, however. According to him, “The hardest part is having to say goodbye when students graduate.” During their stay at Brandeis, many students have formed friendly relationships with him that ultimately end after graduation. As Berozi puts it, “I know graduating is the entire reason why you are all here, but it doesn’t make it any easier.” while working in the Dean of Student Life Office.

One question we had to ask her was what dorm Hogan-Crowley would most like to live in. Trying to be a neutral party, she noted that all dorms have “their own personality and great attributes and things that make them special. I love them all!” However, Hogan-Crowley made it clear that Ridgewoods would definitely be off the table because “The way I cook I’d be setting off the smoke detectors every night.”

Hogan-Crowley thus would prefer the Castle, because who wouldn’t want to say they have lived in a castle, right?

Lastly, Hogan-Crowley described how she and the rest of the DCL team always try to help solve students’ housing issues. Unfortunately, with limited housing on-campus, sometimes students may not get their preferred housing choice. At the end of the day, Hogan-Crowley strives to “meet everyone’s needs in a fair and consistent manner.”

8 The Brandeis Hoot

WEEK IN PHOTOS

September 2, 2016

convocation Students and families get a taste of the Brandeis spirit.

brandeis lights

New students light candles on Chapels’ Field.

photos by zach phil schwartz/the hoot

September 2, 2016

clubs galore

Students browse club tables for extracurricular activities.

ol energy remains high during move-in

The Brandeis Hoot

WEEK IN PHOTOS 9

photo by adam lamper/the hoot

10 The Brandeis Hoot

EDITORIALS

“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 Features Editor Charlotte Aaron Deputy Features Editor Albert Reiss Sports Editor Sarah Jousset Photo Editor Karen Caldwell Layout Editor Lisa Petrie Editors-at-Large Matt Kowalyk Emily Sorkin Smith

Volume 13 • Issue 14

the brandeis hoot • brandeis university 415 south street • waltham, ma

Founded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

STAFF

Rachel Bossuk, Sharon Cai, José Castellanos, Zach Cihlar, Shea Decker-Jacoby, 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, Eliana Sinoff, Ryan Spencer, Hannah Stewart, Lily Wageman, Michael Wang, Katarina Weessies MISSION As the weekly community student newspaper of Brandeis University, The Brandeis Hoot aims to provide our readers with a reliable, accurate and unbiased source of news and information.

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

SUBMISSION POLICIES

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

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

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To 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.

W

September 2, 2016

Sodexo should consult students on drastic dining changes

ith so many issues that Brandeis students have to worry about on a daily basis, dining services shouldn’t be one of them. Yet this year Sodexo has implemented numerous dining changes that have caught returning students off guard and upset many who rely on campus dining options.

This year, Brandeis Dining Services have changed so that Lower Usdan will close for the weekend at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, and Upper Usdan will now be open all weekend. Upper has gained a new sandwich station called Sub Connection. The other major change is that Dunkin’ Donuts will be moving from the Village to Upper Usdan, but since it will not open until January 2017, there will be no Dunkin’ Donuts on campus for the fall semester.

The new dining changes have been advertised as making options more convenient, but overall student opinions reflect the contrary. Without Lower Usdan on the weekends, the only option for students

to use a meal swipe is in Sherman or for a sandwich at Sub Connection. Losing Dunkin’ Donuts for an entire semester is inconvenient for many students, and once it reopens in January, anyone used to having Dunkin’ coffee on lower campus will now have to trek up the hill.

Despite the impact on students’ daily dining choices, very little student input was considered. No student forum was created to discuss the changes, and the Senate Dining Committee only had a limited awareness of Sodexo’s decisions.

The Dining Committee met with Sodexo representatives throughout last year to discuss students’ dining requests, such as adding more retail options in Upper Usdan and making them open on the weekends.

Sodexo responded to this request with the opening of Sub Connection, which along with all Upper options will be open on the weekends, and the closing of Lower to offset these costs. But the Senate Dining Committee was not aware of everything

that Sodexo was planning, and could not have predicted the other dining changes that students were confronted with this year.

This is yet another example of Sodexo making dining changes without student input. In January of 2014, an email to the Brandeis community announced that from the Class of 2017 onward, every student living on campus will need to have a meal plan, even if they live in a residence hall with a kitchen.

Thus for the Fall 2016 semester, all residential students are required to have a meal plan. This causes dissatisfaction among students who would rather cook their own meals in a dorm kitchen instead of paying for a meal plan they will not use to its full extent.

The fact that students are required to have meal plans only makes the dining changes more frustrating. Regardless of whether students want a meal plan or not, we should all have a say in changes that affect our daily dining options.

Crossword: Tribulations of Job

By Naomi Klickstein staff

ACROSS 1. Scottish girl 8. Paint layer 12. Former Peruvian currency 13. Terminate 16. Den 17. French state 18. Type of ship 19. Sicilian spurter 20. Labor day, with 58 across 23. Pig’s home 24. Pièrre’s pal 25. “Pepe le ___” 27. Dues 30. Wd. on old storefronts 33. Wan 36. Gun toting assoc.

38. Owned 40. Snaky fish 41. Swedish city 42. Word with labor 44. Type of boat 45. Night before 46. Each 47. Madison or Fifth 48. Toothpaste brand 50. Poetic night 51. “… brick house”, Commodores lyrics 52. Car maker 54. Black or Red 55. Angry

58. See 20 across 65. e.g. Shrek

Last Week’s Solution

67. Printer refill 68. NY ICA analog 69. Match 70. Upper crust 71. Clapton, Holder or McCormack 72. Uses thread 73. Vermin DOWN 1. Viking Erikson 2. Against 3. Celebrity 4. Labors 5. Actress Watts 6. Swollen 7. Bra part 8. Ohio airport (abr.)

9. Horse feed 10. “____ Misbehavin’”

11. Stolen sled 14. Self report (abr.)

15. “___ October” 21. Shocking treatment (abr.)

22. Pro vote 26. Labors 28. Computer key 29. Courageous 31. Frodo’s home 32. Eastern discipline 34. Give someone the “______-ho” 35. Weisel and Saab 37. Dine 39. Genetic material (abr.)

43. Maiden name 49. Uncle in Spain 51. Visualize 53. Combination form with noon or math 54. Scatter 55. Online disciplinarians 56. Old-timey illness 57. Sketched 59. The pope’s sun 60. Writer Blyton 61. Stroke 62. Repeated twice, a tropical island 63. Send forth 64. 5K, e.g.

66. Chicago trains

SPORTS

September 2, 2016

The Brandeis Hoot 11

Brandeis fencers compete in exhibition and cultural exchange in China

By Sarah Jousset editor

Just before school started, four Brandeis fencers traveled to Wuxi, China, with Coach William Shipman to compete in the Absolute USA-China Collegiate Fencing Invitational.

From Aug. 18-23, American, Chinese and Korean fencers faced off as well as traveled in Wuxi and Shanghai.

In years past, South Korea hosted this event, then known as the Korean-USA Elite Fencing Invitational, but this was the first time the event was held in China.

The competition includes men and women fencers from foil, saber and epee with fencers representing colleges in China, South Korea and the United States. American universities represented at the event include Harvard, Stanford and Northwestern.

Brandeis was represented by recent graduate Sonya Glickman ’16, Nina Sayles ’17, Guillermo Narvaez ’18 and Kyle Berney ’17. Coach Shipman chose these fencers based on seniority, diligence and success over the past season.

When asked about the athletes’ performance, Coach Shipman said, “The fencers did meet our expectations … many of the fencers [at the competition] are among the very best in the U.S. But our fencers held their own… Only elite academic colleges are invited. We are the only Division III program there and are glad to be included.”

The program is set up as more of a cultural exchange and exhibition than tournament, with the first day sched-

Sonya Glickman ‘16, Guillermo Narvaez ‘18, Nina Sayles ‘17 and Kyle Berney ‘18 (from left to right) competed in Wuxi, China in a four-day cultural exchange and exhibiton over the summer..Foilist Guillermo Narvaez (right) takes to the strip in Wuxi. fencers compete in china

uled for practice, followed by two days of individual competition and ending with two days of travel and sightseeing. All Brandeis fencers were eliminated in the first day of competition but fared well in their bouts.

“During the team event, I fenced for a Korean team, which was short a women’s saber fencer. It was a great experience because the team was so

welcoming, and they even gave me a Korean name,” Sayles recalled.

With the coming season in their sights, the men’s and women’s teams look forward to fencing at “our highest level possible, to perform well individually and as a team, to prepare well and to enjoy the competition, the practices and our teammates,” said Shipman.

The team suffered the loss of seven graduates from the men’s team and nine from the women’s team last season and look to their more seasoned returners to carry the weight, including Guillermo Narvaez ’18, Kyle Berney ’18, Hunter Stusnick ’18 and Eli Litle ’18 for the men’s team and Nina Sayles ’17, Joanne Carminucci ’19 and Liz Feller ’18.

photos courtesy sonya glickman

As for the first-years coming in this year, Shipman said, “I do not know what to expect from most of our incoming fencers … We only ask them to apply themselves fully, work to develop their skills and compete with composure and effort.”

Overall, the team will look to develop their tactical and physical skills before the season starts in November.

Brandeis men’s soccer looks ahead to another season

By Zach Cihlar staff

In the Brandeis athletic community, men’s soccer has long been revered for their talent and results. This year, Head Coach Mike Coven expects nothing different as his team enters a new season.

The fall 2015 season saw milestones reached with Coven achieving his 500th coaching win on Sept. 12 in a double-overtime 1-0 win against Babson College, in the middle of what would be a seven-game win streak for the Judges. The team also earned a University Athletic Association title for its second time in men’s soccer history.

During the regular season, the team went 16-2, losing only one home game to Washington University in St. Louis. Overall, the Judges boasted a record of 18-3 with one tie against Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Seeded third in the NCAA tournament, the team had big hopes going into the tournament, but fell in the Sweet Sixteen to Trinity University from San Antonio, TX, a team they failed to beat in the regular season as well.

According to Coven, the team finalized the season within the top 10 in the nation, a feat of which he is proud.

For the past several seasons, Brandeis men’s soccer has been a formidable opponent in the league. The team has competed in the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament every season since 2012, as well as seeing an

Josh Ocel ‘17 (left) will be a major player on this year’s team and Head Coach Mike Coven (right) enters 44th season with the Judges as the team looks for another shot at the NCAAs. judges look for another shot at ncaas

Elite Eight round in 2014.

Coven attributes the success of the program to the culture of excellence the team has always demonstrated, working 12 months a year, throughout the off-season and into summer.

The captains set the tone by establishing a culture of dedication and successfully assimilating younger players into that culture, Coven said.

Coven also works all year long, recruiting new players to the team to replace each graduating class. “We need

a good freshmen group every year to sustain the level we’re at,” Coven said.

He works to recruit the best possible class of student-athletes.

According to Coven, the new firstyear class includes one starter, who will supply support in the back on defense, as well as four or five other players who will contribute considerably during the course of their years on the team.

The team faces one of the most difficult schedules in the country.

The UAA hosts a number of highly ranked teams, including Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Chicago.

In the latest NCAA rankings update on Aug. 2, the team enters the season ranked ninth in the nation.

The tough schedule kicks off in the first weekend of the season during the Brandeis Invitational. The Judges begin by playing John Carroll University, a team from Cleveland, OH, on Saturday, Sept. 3.

photos from brandeisjudges.com

The second game of the Invitational finds Brandeis facing off against Haverford College at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4. Haverford claimed a ranking of sixth in the nation according to the NCAA rankings update, offering a challenge for the Judges.

“Every game is important,” Coven said as he urged Brandeis students and athletics fans to attend the home games this year. “We have a good home crowd, and we hope they come out and show their support.”

12 SPORTS

The Brandeis Hoot

By Shea Decker-Jacoby

September 2, 2016

Brandeisian bow and arrow

staff

Have you ever wanted to get involved in club sports on campus?

Have you ever wanted to channel your inner Katniss Everdeen? If you answered yes to either question, then the archery club may be for you.

The Brandeis Archery Club is led by president Krishna Narayanan ‘17, who has been shooting since his freshman year at Brandeis and couldn’t be more in love with the sport. The head coach, E.G. LeBre, is a USAA Level 4 coach who teaches everyone from people who have never shot an arrow before to the most experienced shooters. The team competes in the U.S. Collegiate Archery (USCA) and in the United States Archery Association (USAA), both indoors and outdoors.

The club also hosts their own archery tournament called the Shamrock Shoot, which has taken place every St. Patrick’s Day since 2013.

This tournament is a chance to beat the harsh winter weather and shoot the outdoor distance indoors. Historically, Brandeis students rank in the top three places in all events at the Shamrock Shoot, which also gives shooters who cannot compete in all tournaments a chance to test their skills against some of the best shooters in New England.

The team competes in five major tournaments throughout the year, primarily in the spring semester: Indoor Nationals, Shamrock Shoot, Adam Wheatcroft Memorial, USAA

photos from internet source

bows and arrows

The Archery Club welcomes students with no experience. The team meets twice a week in Gosman Athletic Center.

Eastern Regional Collegiate Championship and the USAA National Outdoor Collegiate Championship.

In the previous seasons, multiple individuals medaled and two members came out especially strong, earning

gold in the men’s recurve at the Adam Wheatcroft Memorial Tournament at James Madison University. A member of the team also earned bronze at the Eastern Regional Archery Championships at UConn.

Their schedule is not yet set for this school year, but the Brandeis Archery encourages all newcomers to try the sport and make some new friends in the process. All levels are welcome to come to practices held in the Gosman

photos from brandeisjudges.com

Multipurpose Room on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6-10 p.m. and Sundays from 4-8 p.m. Interested participants can also sign up for the team’s listserv on the Brandeis Athletics website.

September 2, 2016

ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot 13

Booker’s exhibition showcases wonderful complexity in sculpture

By Santiago Montoya staff

Since the beginning of the summer, Chakaia Booker’s exhibition “SpeakEasy” has been available at the Women’s Studies Research Center (WSRC) in the Kniznick Gallery. The exhibition will remain at Brandeis until Nov. 4. It is no surprise that Booker’s work is currently on display at the Kniznick: The gallery is committed to feminist exhibitions of artistic excellence that reflect the work and activities of WSRC scholars.

During the extended period of

time in which the exhibition will remain at Brandeis, students have the option to drop by at any time during weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. to admire Booker’s idiosyncratic and unique abstract sculptures. Her sculptures are made from automobile tires, which address cultural, gender and environmental issues through their forms. Booker’s sculptures imply the metaphysical. “SpeakEasy” can be obscure and surprising, but Booker’s manipulation is so dexterous and nimble that the exhibition is so provocative and compelling from the moment the viewer steps into the gallery.

The WSRC is hosting a reception for the exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 5-8 p.m. The following day, Booker will be paying a visit to the WSRC from 4-5:30 p.m. to talk about her “SpeakEasy” exhibition and her life journey as a sculptor.

The exhibition has already brought a lot of attention. In fact, Booker is well known for her monumental sculptures made from discarded automobile tires, and she has become one of the most important American contemporary sculptors working today.

In the past, she has participated in both group and solo exhibitions, nationally and internationally, in places such as the Neuberger Museum of Art, the Akron Museum of Art, the Marlborough Gallery, the Sandler Hudson Gallery in Atlanta and the P.S.I. Contemporary Art Center in Queens—not to mention an exhibition held at the White House during 1996 entitled, “Twentieth Century American Sculpture.” In the year 2000, she gained international acclaim at the Whitney Biennial with “It’s So Hard to Be Green” (a 12.5 x 21 foot wall-hung tire sculpture). For her nuance work, she has received several accolades, including a Pollock-Krasner Grant in 2002 and Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005. She is also quite accomplished academically, holding a B.A. in sociology from Rutgers University and an M.F.A. from the City College of New York.

The tires that Booker utilized to create the sculptures resonat-

photos by nathan taber

ed with her for their versatility and rich range of historical and cultural associations. She sliced, twisted, weaved and riveted them into utterly distinct new forms and textures. According to her, the range of tones of the rubber represents the array of tones that are found in human diversity.

Furthermore, the tire treads suggest images as varied as African scarification and textile designs.

The noticeable marks of wear and tear on the tires symbolize the physical marks of human aging.

Also, according to Booker, the use of discarded tires references industrialization, consumer culture and environmental concerns.

The “SpeakEasy” exhibition is an open reading, meaning that it is up to the spectator to discover the sculptures’ different meanings and decipher its overlapping themes. The exhibition is formulating, and will continue to do so, multiple dialogues and interpretations. This is why Booker’s art has received worldwide critical acclaim, as her art is quite dimensional and there are more than enough angles to view it from.

And if it creates a conversation where themes overlap and one thing leads to the other, it usually signifies that it is art—real art.

‘Sausage Party’ is overcooked, overhyped and overrated

By Emma Kahn staff

With only a precious few days of summer remaining and little left to look forward to, “Sausage Party” opened in theaters, raising my hopes and dashing them beautifully.

While reviews I’ve heard by word-of-mouth as well as the 83 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes suggest the film was a success, I was left cringing at its cliché and second-rate humor and wondering if my credit card company might void the recent transaction of the ticket purchase. If I had to sum up “Sausage Party” in a short phrase? Over-hyped.

Don’t get me wrong—I knew what I was getting myself into.

This is not the scathing review of an overly sensitive or misled viewer. “Knocked Up,” “The Interview” and even “Neighbors” are all movies I would recom-

mend, and I was ready for some Seth Rogen-style humor. Even better, I figured its pioneering of the genre of adult animated movies would further amplify the absurdity of its comedic value. Not only is “Sausage Party” highly promising as a Seth Rogen film and a new style of animated movie, but it boasts other amazing talents—Edward Norton, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, Salma Hayek, James Franco, Craig Robinson and Paul Rudd, to name a few. After seeing the trailer, I settled myself into that theater chair ready for the kind of movie that has you simultaneously jaw-dropped in shock and shaking from laughter, hands covering your mouth in awe of what you’ve found yourself laughing at.

However, the reviews, the trailer, the cast and the popular anticipation all built me up for huge disappointment.

I expected “Sausage Party” to

be horribly offensive and distasteful—its comedic value was supposed to rest on that. With this kind of humor, it is imperative that you go big or go home. But almost the entirety of the movie’s shock value comes from stale and overused stereotypes—a lavash and bagel are the bickering Israeli-Palestinian duo, a bottle of firewater is the wise old Native American non-perishable, the taco is, of course, Mexican and the surly box of grits, voiced by the only black actor on cast, expresses his hatred for a box of crackers. One of the villains is a literal and figurative douche.

Offensiveness and political correctness aside, these cheap blows have all been done before, and none of them catch you off-guard or are presented with any sort of new spin. I may have forgiven the cliché characters and the racial and ethnic jokes if they take the movie somewhere, but they end up irrelevant to the overarching

photo from youtube.com

photo from cwtheaters.com

plot.

On top of these dull and overdone one-liners and stereotypes of characters, the plot circles around a social commentary that isn’t at all new or surprising. The foods in the grocery store worship customers as “gods” and realize by the end of the film that they are actually murderers, eating all the food and killing them in horrible and gruesome ways—peeling and boiling potatoes, crunching baby carrots, slicing sausages, etc.

The foods’ new ideas regarding “gods” and the meaning of life are explicitly discussed and are reduced to a sort of final conclusion of anarchy.

There is no inspiring message, nor is there some sort of realization at the end—instead, you are left with an irritatingly simple social commentary that is neither funny nor illuminating; it is just there. I didn’t expect “Sausage Party” to address any serious topics, and I’m still not sure why it

did. It should’ve really said something about people or society or culture, or said nothing about it at all. Instead there is some ambiguous moral that is confusing and useless.

With so few successful one-liners, unoriginal characters and a dispensable overall plot, there was nothing to hold my attention and the whole movie flopped. As far as I’m concerned, Columbia Pictures owes me retribution for the 80-something minutes of cringe-worthy moments and the second-hand embarrassment I feel for its outstanding cast members.

The only redeeming part of “Sausage Party” is its headway into a new and promising genre, the R-rated animated comedy film. There is certainly something to be said for this one novelty. I only hope that future movies of this genre can compensate for the disappointment that was its founding feature.

photo from twitter.com

14 ARTS

The Brandeis Hoot

September 2, 2016

UTC Mixer joins Brandeis’ most talented and witty conversation

By Brianna Cummings special to the hoot

The SCC theater was buzzing with passionate talk about acting on Sunday night at the Undergraduate Theater Collective Mixer. Whether it was musicals or plays, everyone was willing to talk about theater and enjoy refreshments together.

There were many knowledgeable Brandeisians willing to share their experience with others.

First-years were also there to see what the UTC has to offer. “I’m interested in theater and I want-

ed to see which people were involved,” said first-year Karina Wen. The atmosphere was laid back as people crowded the stage to get drinks and desserts. One of them was senior Gabby Lamm, who has been in the UTC since her first semester at Brandeis.

“My first semester, I auditioned for everything, but didn’t get cast,” Lamm said. “I eventually became an assistant manager and now I am a coordinator for UTC.” Lamm is involved in the popular 24-Hour Musical, which is when students are given a musical and have only one day to per-

fect all aspects of performing it.

This year the 24 hours start the night of Saturday, Sept. 3, with a performance the following night.

“I did 24-Hour Musical as a freshman and from there I became a sound assistant,” said theater assistant Wren Stueck ’18.

Stueck said that the musical is minimalist and “not too serious.”

If 24-Hour is not something you’re looking for, Brandeis produces other plays and musicals.

Rachel Josselsohn ’17 and Abi Pont ’19 are excited about their production of the Qui Nguyen play “She Kills Monsters.” The play is about a teenage girl who

leaves her childhood home following the death of her sister and goes on a monster-killing rampage. “She Kills Monsters” is looking for assistant director, and no experience is needed for the job.

Another play in the works for this semester is “Twelve Angry Jurors.” “It is ‘Twelve Angry Men’ except there is more leeway with the gender of the jurors,” said Rafi Diamond ’18. “Urinetown,” a dark comedy musical written by Greg Kotis, will go up in the fall as well. “Urinetown” takes place in a dystopia where the water supply has run low

photo by karen caldwell/the hoot

and bathrooms are owned by the government. People must pay to use the facilities, but everyone is poor, which leads to public defecation.

Director Gabe Walker ’18 and producer Heather Gitler ’17 were excited to talk about their upcoming production. Walker is also a member of the UTC e-board and has directing experience from high school.

Everyone seemed in high spirits at the UTC mixer. The UTC is always looking for new members.

As Lamm said, “We’re all about bringing people together and trying new things.”

photo from heartofpiano.musicteachershelper.com

This year’s VMAs blows open doors with outstanding performances

By Angela Mendez staff

MTV’s Video Music Awards (VMAs) typically prove to be one of the most exciting events of the year as they leave the audience in awe. This Sunday, Aug. 28 was no exception. The VMAs are a breath-taking award ceremony that incorporates several musical performances by well-known vocalists. This year, the VMAs were hosted at Madison Square Garden, a special place for many in the music industry. The award ceremony was without a doubt spectacular.

Wearing stylish white clothing and magenta colored glasses, Rihanna wowed the audience by singing some of her biggest hits. Her performances included “Don’t Stop the Music, “Only Girl (In the World),” “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been.” Rihanna energized the crowd as she nailed the choreography with her backup dancers. She got many people to sing along. The amount of confidence Rihanna radiated in her singing and dancing is truly immeasurable, and her performance was definitely a great way to start off the night.

Next to perform were Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. They sang their catchy duet “Side to Side,” which at the moment is in the Top 10 music on iTunes. The setting of the stage was inspired by a gym. It held a lot of bikes, one of which Ariana Grande started on for her performance. It was impressive to see her cycling while singing; she did it without breaking a sweat. Nicki Minaj soon joined her in the stage, rapping fearlessly with a group of muscular men in pink wrestling uniforms following her. Both Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj make a great team. Their duet was cute and fun to watch.

Michael Phelps, winner of 28 Olympic medals, introduced Future as the next performer. Phelps

photo from facebook.com

photo from vox.com

stated Future was a great rapper and that “his optimism is right there in his name.” Future’s music started directly afterwards. He rapped the song “Commas” and soon had everyone jumping, nodding their heads and waving their hands in their air. For his performance, Future had red lighting shining on him, which produced an awesome effect. Towards the middle of his performance, smoke filled the stage behind him. His backup dancers were fun to watch as well; they were all excited and interacted with the audience members.

For Rihanna’s second performance, she alluded to her roots with an entirely dancehall themed set—with a few hundred of her friends. Rihanna sang “Rude

Boy,” “What’s My Name” and “Work” with a different twist to the original songs. They each had a different beat that connected all of the songs. Audience members loved it and danced to the beat of the music. The people who were on the stage with Rihanna danced their hearts out as well and they all had fun. At the end of the performance, Rihanna turned around to her backup dancers and told them that they did a great job.

Her team high fived one another, and it was wonderful to watch the sense of family created within that atmosphere.

Very excitingly, Nick Jonas performed his song “Bacon” at New York’s Tick Tock Diner. He first started singing in the kitchen while the cooks were making

food. He then went upstairs towards the customers and sang to each table, stopping to where his brother Joe Jonas was standing. Joe was with his new band called DNCE. Two seconds later, the diner turned into a huge dance party with different colored lights turned on.

Nick Jonas stepped out and handed over the mic to Ty Dolla $ign. Ty Dolla $ign was outside of the diner with two cars next to him that jumped while he sang.

The focus then went back to Nick Jonas, who pretty much has a concert outside. It was a nice way to end the performance because the empire state building was right behind him.

The biggest highlight of the VMAs was Beyoncé’s jaw-dropping “Lemonade” medley. She sang “Hold Up,” “Sorry” and “Formation.” Her 15-minute performance was absolutely mesmerizing. All eyes were glued to her dancing and singing. Beyoncé began with lights turning on and off, creating a huge shadow of her onstage. Written words of her poetry was shown behind her. When the lights turned to Beyoncé for her first song, it could be seen that she wore a white coat with huge diamond earrings. Her presence was astonishing. There were also individual spotlights for her and her backup dancers. As the song progressed, the spotlight changed into the color red, signifying pain.

It was a powerful moment. For her next song, Beyoncé took off her coat to reveal a black leotard outfit.

Beyoncé nailed the choreography and towards the end, she grabbed a bat and hit a video camera. The crowd went wild.

Wearing a fur coat now, red and blue lights shined on her from the sides. Beyoncé looked fierce.

She ended this song with fire surrounding her. Lastly, she sang “Formation” with a large group of backup dancers. They were all in sync and strove to make interesting figures as smoke filled

the stage. Beyoncé ended this last song with line, “Always stay gracious, best revenge is your paper.” The crowd, which had become speechless, went wild and cheered for two whole minutes.

Another powerful moment in the award ceremony was when Alicia Keys sang an original poem that resonated with everybody about equality. She greeted the audience and said that the day of the VMAs marked the 53rd anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. Alicia Keys then told the audience that keeping that in mind, she wanted to share a poem. She recited the following words: “If war is holy and sex is obscene, then we have to twist it in this lucid dream.

That ties in boundaries, scooped in sin, divided by difference, sexuality and skin.”

At this point she broke into singing a cappella: “So we can feel each other/ hate each other/we can break these walls/we can build these/ walls between each other/baby, blow by blow, brick by brick/ keep yourself locked in/yourself locked/Oh, maybe we can love somebody/Maybe we can care a little more/Maybe we can love somebody/Instead of polishing the bombs of holy war.”

She ended this moment with these glistening and powerful words: “I still believe in that dream that one day our nation is going to rise up and finally be completely about the true meaning about this creed that all women and men are created equal.”

To end the show, Drake gave a wonderful speech about Rihanna and how much he respected her and her growth. I will end this article with those words: “One day our nation… [will] rise up and finally be… the true meaning about this creed… all women and men are created equal.”

September 2, 2016

ARTS 15

The Brandeis Hoot

‘Big Love’ and ‘Martyr’ featured in fall theater season ’Tis a new academic year, and excitement is overflowing everywhere, especially within the art scene.

The Department of Theater Arts showcases different theater productions yearly. Many look forward to seeing how each theater production will unfold because the performances will be without a doubt spectacular. Below is a brief introduction to two such shows, “Big Love” and “Martyr,” including opinions of critics of other performances.

-Angela Mendez

‘Big Love’

by Charles Mee Directed by Rebecca Bradshaw Based on “The Danaids,” an old Western world play by Aeschylus, “Big Love” tells the story of 50 brides fleeing their husbands to-be, who happen to be their cousins. These women seek refuge in a modern Italian manor; the play even features helicopters. Though the brides escape their fiancés, the 50 grooms soon find their brides and force the women to marry them. While the brides and grooms wait for their wedding day, the characters raise important issues of gender, politics, love and violence.

Alvin Klein, a critic from The New York Times, explained that the play’s main plot “represents prenuptial entrapment, not agreement.” Throughout the play, the grooms insist that the marriage must go on—even if it is evident that the brides do not want to marry and that doing so is against their will.

Here, it can be seen that marriage is not based on agreements whatsoever. Instead of being harmonious and joyful, an expectation that many couples share, it can be seen from the very beginning that these women have no voice in what they want. There is constant clashing between the men and the women.

The play leaves the audience members frowning upon the grooms’ attitude toward the brides. It makes them question love, entitlement and what these words truly mean. It also makes the audience question whether the problems among the characters still exist today between people in real life.

“Big Love” will be showcased on Oct. 20-23 in the Laurie Theater in Spingold.

photo from teatras.it

‘Martyr’

by Marius von Mayenburg Translated by Maja Zade Directed by Dmitry Troyanovsky (TA) Benjamin refuses to participate in some activities at school that most of his peers do without a problem. For instance, he refuses to swim at school, whereas his peers swim without causing any commotion. Benjamin’s mother wrongfully believes that he is on drugs or has issues regarding his body, but this is not the case. Rather, Benjamin is religious and has a profound appreciation for God. The mixed-gender swimming lessons simply offend him. Since this play focuses on a child tackling a very serious topic, Benjamin will mainly be struggling with acquiring acceptance and dealing with people who will probably dismiss his feelings because of his age.

Religious fundamentalism, tolerance and teenage angst are also depicted in this darkly funny, timely play.

“Martyr” impacts diverse audience members by shocking them.

Lyn Gardner, a writer for The Guardian, wrote, “It leaves them shocked because this play addresses significant societal issues. It tackles them in an astute manner. Though we live in an era where many people are more open-minded than what they used to be, there are still some people who inevitably judge others based on their identity. It is sad to admit, but it is the truth. This play teaches the audience how important ‘tolerance of prejudices’ is.”

photo from youtube.com

This play will be showcased on Nov. 17-20 in the Laurie Theater in Spingold.

Glass Animals’ new album a masterpiece of multimedia artistry

By Adam Lamper staff

Back again to the indie scene with their sophomore album “How to Be a Human Being” is Oxford native band, Glass Animals. Formed at the end of the same wave of “indietronica” popularity that brought the public hits from bands like Foster the People, MGMT and Passion Pit, fourpiece Glass Animals serves as an exemplar of the recent influence of “trip hop” in pop music, as well as the modern revival of electronica, specifically within the context of the indie rock genre. In a burst of dual-creativity, the band plans to release music videos for each song on the album linearly, highlighting each character pictured on the album’s cover. Though it seems the backstories themselves are incredibly complex, given the videos already released for the first three singles and the lyrics of the songs themselves, longtime fans of Glass Animals are already taking the characters’ personal

backgrounds many steps forward, creating websites and other various forms of representation for each one. Though it may seem over-the-top to some, this piece of what can only be described as a multimedia art narrative provides a refreshing change to the doldrum of recent indie rock productions.

The band’s first single, “Life Itself,” released three months prior to the album’s Aug. 26 release date, reached number 37 on Billboard’s Hot 100 back in May and has since garnered over 1,000,000 views on YouTube (a number that seems insignificant in the shadow of the website’s top-viewed hits, but is a notable achievement among “indie” artists). Starting out with a flurry of percussive strings, the song abruptly transitions to a driving, Lollywood-inspired drum rhythm that persists throughout the rest of the song, a beat that is difficult to not dance along to. Teeming with self-deprecating lines, the song also purveys the age-old stylings

photo from sidewalkhustle.com

photo from indieplayground.wordpress.com

of teenage angst, a theme that never seems to lose its popularity despite its prevalence across nearly all genres. However, the most noteworthy part of the song is its chorus (as is usually the case). “Cut back down to my knees/ Got to get back/ Got to get free,” repeats the song, coupled with an infectious electronic groove that leaves little room to doubt why this song was chosen as the group’s first single off the new album.

Like many artists of the genre, Glass Animals’ lyrics imbue an overarching vibe of self-insecurity and a mix of nostalgia and condemnation of the simpler times in life, as is the case in their second single, aptly titled “Youth.”

Written from the point of view of a mother talking to her son, the song explores the concept of parent-child relationships and the accompanying sense of altruistic love that is rarely found outside of this context. Featuring a darker sound than the previous single, “Youth” definitely embodies the

unique sound of Glass Animals with its heavy percussion use, myriad overlaid synth rhythms and airy, high-pitched vocals by lead vocalist Dave Bayley.

The most prominent features of the song, however, are its deep bassline and mock-flute rhythms.

Though more lyrically diverse and involving a more coherent message, “Youth” does not have enough driving single potential as its predecessor to launch it into the realm of pop.

“Season 2 Episode 3,” named for being the third single on the second album, again explores relationships, this time a toxic one between two young adults. The song takes the form of an argument, going back and forth between a teenage girl (presumably the one in the music video) and her boyfriend, whom she loathes for acting like a father figure by urging her to make something of her life instead of wasting it away in front of a television screen (another reference to the format of the title). Much unlike the previ-

ous two singles, this song features a minimalist electronic rhythm supported by interspaced 8-bit sound effects. True to their psychedelic pop influence, Glass Animals likely wrote this song, with its spaced out lyrics and heavily layered synths, to go hand in hand with contemporary drug culture, giving listeners a trip even without the use of narcotics.

Though definitely an acquired taste to those unfamiliar with the drama, Glass Animals’ recent stylings are at the forefront of an artistic revolution from a musical standpoint. In a world where only the extraordinary and outlandish are given their 15 minutes of fame, there remain artists who continue to produce new and innovative art solely for art’s sake. With “How to Be a Human Being,” it is difficult to distance oneself not only from the addicting rhythms of the songs, but also from the quirky and often insightful characters that stem from the lyrics and minds of the creators and listener alike.

ARTS, ETC.

ARTS 16

September 2, 2016

Profs. Almeida and Kim win impressive Foster Prize

By Ben Benson

special to the hoot

Among this year’s winners of the prestigious James and Audrey Foster Prize from Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) are two Brandeis Fine Arts department faculty members, Sonia Almeida and Lucy Kim. The Foster Prize, which has been awarded every other year since 1999, recognizes promising artists working at a national or international level who are based in the Greater Boston area but whose work has not received much exposure in Boston. The Fosters, who are prominent collectors and supporters of contemporary art, provided the endowment for the prize. This is Kim’s second Foster Prize, having won in 2015.

Almeida, who is originally from Portugal, specializes in painting and art books and teaches draw-

ing and painting at Brandeis.

Kim, who moved to Boston from Brooklyn several years ago, has taught at Brandeis in the past but is currently a visiting critic.

Almeida and Kim are not the only Brandeis faculty to win the Foster Prize. In 2015 the prize was also awarded to Kijidome, an art collective whose founders include Brandeis painting instructor Sean Downey and Women’s Studies Research Center curator Susan Metrican.

Each of the four winners of the 2017 prize will exhibit their never-before-seen work in the Demoulas and Buttenwieser galleries of the ICA from Feb. 15 to July 9 of next year. This year’s Foster Prize also debuts “Foster Talks,” a series of lectures given by the artists and other speakers of the prize recipient’s choosing, which take place once a month over the course of the Foster exhibition. When asked if she had

yet decided on the speakers for her Foster talks, Kim told The Brandeis Hoot, “A few ideas have been thrown around, but it’s too early to say.”

She said that while which works will appear in the Demoulas and Buttenwieser galleries has not yet been confirmed, the fourth floor of the ICA will contain a solo show by each artist during the duration of the Foster exhibition.

Each show will be comprised of new work that has never been displayed publicly before.

Working at Brandeis helped her break the isolation of being an artist in an unfamiliar city after her move from New York, Kim said. She has grown close with her colleagues here as well as the two post-baccalaureate assistants she works with, both of whom are Brandeis alumni.

The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston is open Tuesday through Sunday and is located

at 25 Harbor Shore Drive, near the Courthouse T station. Admission is $10 for students, although

discount admission is available through Brandeis’ Fine Arts department.

photo courtesy lucy kim

A cappella groups warmly invite first-years to audition

By Sabrina Pond editor

If “Pitch Perfect” was any sort of indicator, one exciting aspect of the so-called college experience is the a cappella groups.

Brandeis University is home to many of these thriving performance-based clubs with names ranging from VoiceMale to To Cheap for Instruments to Up the Octave. All are known for their individual niches, as no one a cappella group is like another in terms of the type of music performed, who can become a member and other criteria. Up the Octave, for example, is the only all-female or female-identifying group on campus, and Ba’note (Hebrew for “girls”) is Brandeis’ only all-female Jewish a cappella group.

For those contemplating joining an a cappella group, one thing to recognize is that most groups are a weekly commitment. Unlike other extracurriculars, performance-based clubs oftentimes meet more than once a week.

“We practice for more than six hours a week, which is important for us to be able to learn the arrangements and sound cohesive as a group,” Madeline Black ’17 of Too Cheap for Instruments said. “Although a capella is demanding, practices are fun because they are a time for us to hang out together, sing and be creative.”

While these groups do require a considerable amount of input

photo courtesy too cheap for instruments

from the members, what is great about this extracurricular is that it is also a stress reliever. “I think that a capella has been a great opportunity to balance the stress of academic life, and singing with the other members of TCFI is very therapeutic.” Black went on to say, “I would definitely recommend the experience to anyone who loves music because a cappella is a chance to make music and bond with others over a shared interest.”

Most Brandeis a cappella members admit that joining their group helped them meet more people— many of whom became a family away from home.

Time spent rehearsing is also coupled with “fun” time where members bond. The purpose of the group is not only to produce

amazing music, but also to get to know each other better and on an intimate level.

“TCFI has always been like an on-campus family for me. We spend a lot of time together rehearsing, so it’s important to us that the group feels like a place that we can be ourselves,” Black said.

“At rehearsals, we spend a lot of time working on our repertoire, but we also dedicate time to checking in with one another, joking around and watching funny YouTube videos.”

If you have little or no experience singing in your high school choir but always wanted to, do not fear: This is your chance to get involved in something beautiful and rewarding, both for yourself and for others to enjoy. Stu-

dents with all levels of experience are welcome to audition. Black mentioned never having been involved in a cappella before college. “I never actually sang a cappella in high school. I was in my high school chorus for a year, and we were all assigned parts and told what to do by the teacher.

In TCFI, we are completely independent, which makes the experience more rewarding.”

For anyone who has a keen interest in becoming part of an a cappella group on campus, every group welcomes you to audition.

Below are short descriptions of each group on campus written by members: Ba’note is Brandeis’ all-female Jewish a cappella group. The group sings Jewish and non-Jewish songs in both Hebrew and English, featuring arrangements by group members and professional composers alike.

Company B evolved over the years into a co-ed classic hits a cappella group, singing music of all genres released at least 25 years prior to the current date.

Too Cheap for Instruments is an all-female group, and its purpose is to bring folk and folk-pop music into the larger known sphere of a cappella singing at Brandeis.

Starving Artists has been delighting audiences on and off-campus since 1995 with innovative arrangements, full sound, eclectic style and infectious energy.

Rather Be Giraffes: What kind of music do we sing? Whatever we feel like singing! We’re co-

ed, lots of fun and we even have a cute mascot!

Proscenium is Brandeis’s premiere co-ed, musical theater a cappella group. We feature songs from contemporary Broadway hits, both well-known and obscure. We also sing songs from famous Disney movies and internet musicals.

No Singer Clef Behind aims to create an a cappella experience for all interested students regardless of experience and ability.

Whereas all other vocal performance groups on campus conduct a rigorous audition process to select new members on the basis of talent, participation in NSCB is open to all members of the Brandeis community on the basis of interest alone.

Manginah (Hebrew for “melody”) is Brandeis University’s premier co-ed Jewish a cappella group. The group’s set includes music from Jewish liturgy and prayers, American Jewish songwriters and Israeli pop songs.

Voices of Soul, a co-ed group specializing in the rhythm and melodic nature of soul and R&B music, has performed at venues ranging from Culture X to the Coleman House Nursing Home in nearby Northborough.

VoiceMale is Brandeis University’s award-winning all-male a cappella group.

Up the Octave is all-female a cappella at its best. UTO is known across campus and the Northeast for their diverse sets, on-stage energy and award-winning vocal percussion.

comic made by anthony labonte