The Brandeis Hoot - Feb 12, 2010

VOL 7, NO. 4

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

B R A N D E I S U N I V E R S I T Y ' S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

WA LT H A M , M A

Grad renovations announced Aronin Project to be reclaims compeleted by fall post

BY REBECCA CARDEN Staff

The university board of trustees approved a “major renovation project” to the Charles River Apartments at their Wednesday meeting. The construction will take place over the summer with the aim of being completed in time for the 2010-2011 academic year.

The approximately $9 million project will revamp the 140 off-campus apartments’ kitchens and bathroom spaces, and will include new carpets, tiles, lighting, and environmentally-friendly heating. Updated sprinkler systems will also be put in.

Built in 1972, Charles River has long been lamented by students as one of the worst quads on campus, something Vice President of Capital Projects Dan Feldman said played into the decision to renovate the dorms.

“In recent years, students have made very clear that there are places they’d rather live over Charles River,” Feldman said. “An important factor is the conditions there.

See CONSTRUCTION, p. 2

BY NATHAN KOSKELLA Editor

In an ironic Student Union turnaround, Diana Aronin ’11 won reelection as Secretary Thursday with 483 out of 640 votes in a race with unprecedented voter turnout.

Aronin, who was not originally running to reclaim the seat from which the Union Judiciary (UJ) removed her last Sunday, made it into the final elections through a write-in campaign organized by her supporters via Facebook. The campaign was

PHOTO BY Phil Small/The Hoot

MAKEOVER: A student approaches the Charles River Apartments, which the board announced will be remodeled over the summer

Rose new lawyer for univ in Rose suit

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

Attorney Alan D. Rose of Rose, Chinitz & Rose has taken over the role of outside counsel from Tom Reilly in the suit filed against the university by three donors to the Rose Art Museum looking to stop the sale of the museum’s art.

Rose is not related to any member of the family for which the museum was named.

Board of trustees member Meyer Koplow ’72 wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot that “the change was routine and the result of a mutual decision.”

“The university is very grateful for Tom Reilly’s counsel, advocacy and profession-

alism,” he wrote.

Rose specializes in education law and is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, according to The Rose, Chinitz & Rose Web site.

Also according to the Web site, Rose has previously worked for the university in two previous lawsuits, one in 2000 and another in 2004.

In 2000 Rose helped the university in the case David Arlen Schaer v. Brandeis University.

In the case, Schaer sued the university after he was suspended for four months by the University Board of Student Conduct (UBSC) after allegedly raping a female student.

Schaer claimed he had been unfairly disciplined and sought an injunction to stop his suspension and compensation for the harm it had caused him.

The charges were ultimately dismissed on all counts, according to the court’s decision.

Rose again helped the university in 2004 in the case Morris v. Brandeis University when Drew Morris ’97, who had been suspended for a year by the UBSC on charges of plagiarism, sued the university.

Again, the charges were dismissed.

“We are very much looking forward to working with Alan Rose,” Meyer wrote.

The trial concerning the Rose Art Museum has now been rescheduled for Dec. 2 and Dec. 13, 2010.

that when a decision is made, people will be informed.”

As part of their effort to inform students of the university’s state of affairs, Grusko said the group is hoping convince the university administration of the merits of increased transparency.

“When last year’s budget cuts were made, [then Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer] Peter French gave a presentation to students about the state of

a success and delivered her the majority of votes both in the primary round Tuesday and Thursday’s final election.

The Senate unanimously impeached Aronin on Dec. 6 and she was subsequently ordered removed from office late last month by all the justices of the Union Judiciary.

“It is crazy,” Aronin, who had no part in the Facebook write-in, wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot. “I was not expecting 44 percent of the vote [in the primary]. I would assume that [winning via write-in] is rare, but I cannot say for sure.”

Deena Glucksman ’11, who was Aronin’s defense counsel in the UJ trial, is an administrator of the Facebook event-group and worked to see Aronin reelected. Glucksman considered Aronin’s success a direct disagreement with the Union’s treatment of her.

“We realized from talking to people around campus that students thought the impeachment was ridiculous,” Glucksman said.

When asked why she volunteered for the Facebook group, “WRITE IN DIANA

See BUDGET, p. 2

See ARONIN, p. 4

Students dormstorm, protest budget cuts

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

A group of 14 students has begun dormstorming to educate their peers about the university’s budget cuts in an effort to fill what they say is a void in communication between the university’s administration and students.

“We feel really out of the loop, and we’re worried about a repeat of last year,” Mariel Gruszko ’10 said, adding that last Janu-

THIS WEEK:

ary students were given little information about the university’s crisis prior to the announcement of budget cuts.

Members of the new group, which has no name, first congregated in Castle Commons Sunday to discuss the state of the university and the possible budget cuts.

After the meeting, the students made the decision to dormstorm.

“We’ve just been explaining what we know about what is happening to students,” Gruszko said. “We want to take steps so

PHOTO BY Robbie Hammer/The Hoot

@TheBrandeisHoot.com HootCast Audio

Third Wavelength: The Brandeis dating scene–does it exist?

Arts, etc., page 12

Impressions, page 9

Twitter: http://twitter.com/thebrandeishoot Facebook: http://facebook.thebrandeishoot.com

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

February 12, 2010

Solar panels installed, not turned on

BY DESTINY D. AQUINO Editor

PHOTO BY MAX SHAY/The Hoot

SOLAR-POWERED: Gosman Sports and Convocation Center now features solar panels on the roof.

F-board creates new club finance system

BY JON OSTROWSKY Staff

The Student Union Treasurer and the Finance Board (F-Board) have created a new online structure to coordinate funding requests for university clubs and societies. The Student Union Management System (SUMS) is a new Web organization to simplify the “funding marathon” timeline.

Before the online system, club leaders had to submit a request for funds by filling out paperwork that then had to be approved by university budget analyst Steven Costa. This process took between three to five days, according to Student Union Treasurer Daniel Acheampong ’11.

“Over the past years, F-Board and the Office of the Treasury have spent hours on end organizing the reimbursement forms,” Akash Vadalia ’12, F-Board chair and assistant treasurer wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot.

Under the new system, all clubs’ requests for funds will be submitted online and the requests will then be immediately available for review by the F-Board and treasurer.

In addition, Club leaders and the board can now view all activity regarding funds virtually. Acheampong said he hopes the new system will facilitate better communication and efficiency in club funding transactions.

“We wanted to increase efficiency to make sure that we get things moving quickly, and also transparency,” he said.

“We want club leaders to understand See F-BOARD, p. 3

Though the installation of solar panels on the roof of the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center was completed in January, the panels have yet to be used pending a safety inspection.

The amount of energy lost in the meantime would be enough to power a typical household for three years.

The panels cannot be turned on until the inspection has been completed by NSTAR energy.

The panels will “hopefully” be “up and running” after NSTAR’s scheduled Feb. 24 visit to campus, Brandeis Sustainability Coordinator Janna Cohen-Rosenthal wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot.

Cohen-Rosenthal said the inspection has been delayed because of other construction projects in need of inspection.

“I think its taking the normal amount of time for this process,” Cohen-Rosenthal wrote. “We’re just anxious for it to happen and once it’s turned on we’ll have the Web site that will calculate how much electricity the panels are making.”

If the inspection goes well, the panels can be turned on the next day. NSTAR declined to comment on the issue.

The panels are expected to collect 300,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year and save the university approximately one million dollars over their lifetime.

The solar panel installation was part of a power purchase agreement between EOS ventures and the university. The university will buy the energy produced by the panels from EOS instead of from a regular electrical utility.

Campus organizations rally to help Haiti relief initiative

BY BECCA CARDEN Staff

B’Deis Records, a Brandeis independent record company, hosted a benefit concert for Haiti this Friday which coincided with a special charity Shabbat dinner. Then, on Saturday, an off-campus Greek mixer between the Zeta Beta Tou (ZBT) and Phi Psi fraternities also raised money for the cause. Together, the three events collected more than $3,300.

“I think it was a great success,” the president of ZBT, Tom Coughlin ’12, said about the mixer. “We raised $2,000. It was also great for us because we got to work with another house, Phi Psi. It’s great that we got to come together to work for a cause.”

These are just some of the events the Brandeis Haiti Initiative has recently coordinated in conjunction with other members of the Brandeis community.

For the past two weeks, the Brandeis Haiti Initiative and the lacrosse team collaborated to sell make-your-own Valentines in the Shapiro atrium. All month, Karene Schloss ’13 has led an effort to dormstorm the campus quads to collect pocket change for the cause. Brandeis has raised $8,000 all together so far.

“We will help [Haiti] financially and we will help the Brandeis community by educating them,” said Nate Rosenblum ’10, who has mobilized to coordinate the effort.

Hosting three on-campus educational events is a major goal of the Brandeis

effort. Other objectives for the semester include raising $25,000 and effectively organizing the multitude of fundraisers happening on campus.

Other benefits include a Haitian Culture night on March 3, ice skating on March 4, and a black tie event on May 1. Proceeds from Pachanga, the dance hosted by the International Club every semester, will also go to Haiti.

“We are committed to making this not only something we’re doing for the semester, but in the long-term. I’m really excited about doing educational events and celebrating the culture of Haiti,” Shaina Gilbert ’10, a leader of the campus effort, said.

The money will be donated to three organizations: Partners in Health, Hope for Haiti and the ETE Camp. These associations, specifically, were chosen because they have made Haiti a lasting commitment. “They were in Haiti before, and will stay there long-term,” Rosenblum said.

The ETE Camp was actually founded

by Gilbert and her family. Last summer Gilbert ran the camp with a group of Brandeis students. It focuses on education and leadership skills to empower Haitian children.

“I’m really excited to stretch ourselves not only with the camp, but also to work with the community,” Gilbert said.

“It really is cool how the campus is getting together for one unified cause,” she added, “I appreciate the community’s effort.”

More budget transparency needed, students say BUDGET (from p. 1)

French gave a presentation to students about the state of university finances and explained why it was necessary,” she said.

“We haven’t seen anything like that since.

Budget cuts might be needed, but how are we supposed to understand why we are cutting what’s getting cut until we see the budget?”

Guy Rossman ’10 said the group wishes students were more informed so they could discuss with administrators other budget solutions like dipping into the principal of the university’s endowment.

“Students need a voice in these decisions. They affect our degrees and the reputation of the university and that in turn affects our earning potential once we graduate,” he said.

Current Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Apfel said he does plan on making a presentation to the student body about the state of the university finances “a little later in the year.”

“As you know, many factors are in flux right now as we study potential changes in the academy,” Apfel wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot. “There are just more balls in the air than in a typical year, and that has made planning more difficult as well as an articulation of where we are. That doesn’t mean we’re confused–rather that it will take us into March to be able to fairly portray how we think we should handle the budget.”

In addition to advocating transparency, the group also wants increased student representation and participation in the budget cutting process.

The Brandeis 2020 Committee which is responsible for deciding what academic programs will be cut has only one student member, Jason Gray ’10, who cannot vote.

“Our most important goal is for that position to become voting so that students’ voices will be heard,” Gruszco said.

Rossman agreed.

“We don’t want committees that are dictated by the board of trustees,” he said.

Many in the new group belonged to last year’s Brandeis Budget Cuts Commission (BBCC), a student group opposed to budget cuts; however, Gruszko explained that a new group has been formed because it is more concerned with the process than with the cuts themselves.

“This time we all agree that the university is definitely in financial trouble and that there need to be cuts,” she said. “The question now is what are those cuts and what will the deliberative process be for making them.”

The group has been using the BBCC listserv to “get the word out” about their goals.

Rossman added that the quick pace in which the 2020 Committee must make its decision has proved an obstacle for students trying to inform their peers.

“It’s hard to mobilize people,” he said.

Currently, the group has no concrete plans other than dormstorming to reach their objective; however, once the Brandeis 2020 Committee announces its proposed academic cuts to the Brandeis community on Feb. 24, Gruszco said, the group might be “compelled to take further action.”

February 12, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

NEWS

3

Enviromental program approved Film Department to sponsor for fall Justice Brandeis Semester improved SunDeis Film Festival

BY DESTINY D. AQUINO Editor

The Justice Brandeis Semester (JBS) Committee and JBS program manager Alyssa Grinberg have approved one program for the fall semester. The environmental field semester will allow students to gain hands-on experience in stewardship of land and natural resources as well as gain in-depth knowledge into how law, ecology and history interact in the real world.

The program will take the group of approximately 15 students on several field trips throughout the semester. One field trip is to Vermont to explore oldgrowth forests, glacial bogs, large-scale forest conservation, sustainable forestry, sustainable farming and more land use history. Other trips will be to Appleton Farm and Crane Beach in Ipswich, Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, downtown Boston to learn about the history of the lower Charles River and Boston Harbor, and a tour of the Food Project in Dorchester.

The environmental field semester has been taught by these professors before as a single course and has a proven track record of success with students going on to careers in land conservation and stewardship due to their extensive course work and experience. Students will receive four grades and 16 credits for the semester, which will factor into their GPA. Details regarding the exact classes and what university requirements they

can be used for are found on the JBS Web site.

The program will be housed almost entirely off-campus in Waltham and surrounding areas. Due to JBS program regulations, all students will be required to live off-campus for the fall semester.

Students will have access to financial aid including the ability to take out loans for housing even though they will be living off campus, Dean of Student Financial Services Peter Giumette said.

There are no prerequisites to the program, although a background and knowledge base in environmental studies is expected. The application deadline for this JBS is March 15. Unlike other JBS programs, this program requires students to personally meet with professors teaching the semester before being accepted.

Prof. Brian Donahue (AMST) and Prof.

Dan Pearlman (BIO), who will be teaching the JBS, would like to accept the first round of students by March 6 and hope to accept all of the students before the housing lottery takes place, Donahue said.

“We understand that taking the housing into consideration, it makes the program a bit more difficult [for students] then in the past and we understand students concerns, but we hope to accept them quickly so that they have enough time to find suitable housing,” said Donahue. The Department of Community Living can advise students in the process of finding off-campus housing but they cannot serve as a realtor, Grinberg said.

ADVER TISEMENT

BY JON OSTROWSKY Staff

The annual SunDeis Film Festival will take place in late April and early May and will be sponsored by the Film Studies Department, reflecting Student Activities’ inability to organize the program this year.

Student Activities, usually one of the main organizers of the event, but due to a lack of funding they will not sponsor or plan the film festival this year. This is partially due to the firing of the human resources staff member in charge of coordinating SunDeis according to Avner Swerdlow ’10, leader of the SunDeis core committee.

Swerdlow said this year’s film festival aims to attract more talented filmmakers because prize money will be available to the winners of different film categories.

He also hopes to attract respected speakers and alumni to attend and speak on a panel at the event.

Swerdlow, the president of Brandeis TV and an Undergraduate Department Representative for Film Studies, said despite the lack of funding and planning from Student Activities, he is optimistic about the planning of SunDeis.

“I think it might actually be easier. A lot of the people that I’ve worked with on this core committee, are people that I’ve worked with quite often,” he said.

Submissions are open to college students from all over New England and all screenings will be held on campus. The festival will feature one to two weeks of screenings and will end with a day of famous film industry professionals.

Swerdlow expressed optimism in his hopes that SunDeis will be more success-

ful than in previous years, in spite of a limited time frame for planning the event.

“If anything that I’m worried about is the fact that we’re starting late in the game.

However, I’m very comforted by the fact that I’m working with the people I’m working with,” he said.

Because of its newfound sponsor, SunDeis will have access to more funds than in the past and Swerdlow hopes that this will help make the film festival better organized. In previous years, Student Activities awarded winners with a ceremonial plaque rather than a cash prize.

Another change to the event this year is that filmmakers will have to introduce their films and engage the audience in a question and answer period after the film. Winners will also have to attend the award ceremony through the end.

This year’s films judging panel will aim to be more impartial and have better organization, Swerdlow said.

Similar to last year, the film festival will also feature a 48 hours filmmaking contest, where participants have only two days to make and produce a short film after given a prompt by the committee.

The SunDeis committee held its first meeting Monday evening, and will hold more regularly scheduled meetings once the group is broken into its subcommittees.

“We’re really heading down a very good path here, and I foresee very few challenges. If anything, I foresee a SunDeis that will hopefully set the bar for other SunDeis [film festivals],” Swerdlow said.

Applications for submissions will be due April 5, and the SunDeis core committee is also looking for volunteers to join different subcommittees. Details about different categories will be announced soon, he said.

SUMS system facilitates club reimbursement, saves paper F-BOARD (from p. 2)

where the money is coming from and also where the money is going,” he said.

The Finance Board is responsible for distributing funds to the specific clubs, while the treasurer’s office is in charge of overseeing and managing that funding.

“This was a great investment and has become the new front of finances,” Vadalia wrote. “We have made some general changes in our funding scope, but have really tried to simplify the funding and reimbursements for clubs.”

Acheampong said he did not see any potential major problems with the new system but added, “With any new system, you always want to improve it.”

Vadalia added that the only potential problem he could foresee would be related to trouble with the Internet connection or other technical glitches.

When asked about what they evaluate to determine club funding, Vadalia wrote, “We look for honesty and reality

when it comes to funding.”

He also wrote that the Finance Board has “been much more lenient than past years” in terms of allocating funds to clubs.

“When we get a request for a certain amount of money, we look at the club that is requesting it, the history of the club’s spending, the size of the club, the activeness, and occasionally the number of events they hold per semester,” Vadalia wrote.

But the Finance Board also considers the goals of the organization as well as the type of event they are planning, according to Acheampong. “[We] want to see that the money is spent well,” Acheampong said. “Everything that we do is for the benefit of the Brandeis community.”

Four information sessions were held late last month to inform club leaders about the system and the new way to make online requests, according to the Treasurer Web site.

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4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

At a glance:

Impeached secretary reelected ARONIN (from p. 1)

the Facebook group, “WRITE IN DIANA ARONIN AND SAY SCREW THE STUDENT UNION!,” she said, “when the Senate said she violated the Constitution, that was not the case at all, and we knew [the UJ] would support her if they could.”

The group’s creator, Jennie Shapiro, agreed, and said she started the group because of her “disappointment with the Student Union.”

Calling Aronin’s trial a waste of time, “the Student Union consists of students who volunteer their time to improve Brandeis. Diana is one of those students,” Shapiro wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot.

Tuesday’s special election primary, which positioned Aronin for the win, had a record level of student involvement with 499 votes–almost double last week’s associate justice election, which received 290 votes and had the most student participation of the five special elections held that day.

“This campaign did finally get people involved in the voting process, because students felt like they were actually making a difference,” Shapiro wrote.

“The UJ and Senate think too highly

February 12, 2010

of themselves, and that needed to change.

People felt that they could make a difference, and they voted specifically to make a statement against the Student Union,” Glucksman said,.

Aronin’s main opponent, Brahm Wachter ’12, acknowledged the probable outcome of the race beforehand. “I [had] spoken to Diana about it, and I liked to think, ‘She will win,’” Wachter said. “If I [had] to lose to anyone, it’d be her. Students know she did great at the position.”

Aronin also attributed her surprising comeback to the fact that the Union is out of touch with their constituents, who directly overruled their wishes Thursday.

“It’s quite obvious how the student body feels about the Union now. They think they and their decisions are ridiculous,” Aronin wrote. “It’s too bad the Senate found impeaching me to be of the utmost importance. They should focus on other things, and that is clearly what the student body wants.”

Though Aronin wrote she would “absolutely not” consider Union involvement after this term, she did write, “Win or lose, I was vindicated by the write-ins and the constant flow of support that I got from friends and strangers.”

THE ISSUE: Diana Aronin ’11 beat Brahm Wachter ‘12 in Thursday’s election to become Student Union Secretary.

WHAT IT MEANS: The previous week, Aronin was removed from office as secretary by the Union Judiciary following her impeachment trial for neglecting to put the proposed midyear senator to a vote.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Aronin was elected into office via write-in campaign with unprecedented voter turnout. The primary election elicited 499 voters, and Aronin won the final round with 483 of 640 votes.

BADASS team places at national competition

BY LEAH FINKELMAN Staff

GRAD: Interior staircase of Charles River Apartments which will be renovated over summer.

PHOTO BY PHIL SMALL/The Hoot

Charles River gets a makeover CONSTRUCTION(from p. 1)

important factor is the conditions there. We’re very fortunate that the board has approved this. We hope the students will like what they see.”

While in previous years the Department of Capital Projects has focused on underclassmen dorms, renovating one building per year up until fall 2009, this upcoming project is only the second effort to renovate housing for upperclassmen.

This new focus on upperclassmen residence halls is in part due to last spring’s announcement that the university intends to increase the student population by 400 students over the next four years.

Because housing is guaranteed

to first-years and sophomores, juniors and seniors were increasingly faced with the decision to either live in Charles River or move off-campus.

More often they chose the latter, and last year there were 300 empty beds in both Charles River and the Foster Mods.

The upcoming project is the latest effort to keep on-campus housing updated so that it can continue to accommodate Brandeis’ student body, which the university plans to increase by 400 students over the next four years.

Most recently, construction on the Ridgewood residence halls finished in December 2008.

Brandeis has already entered pre-construction of the Charles River Apartments.

Administrators are looking

for outside companies to help evaluate the costs of the construction, and to work on architectural drawings.

They have also renovated a model unit. Pictures of this sample are on the Brandeis community living Web site.

However, some details are still being pieced together.

“We’re going to work all of those things out over the course of the next month and then we will go through a process to determine who’s going to do the construction,” Feldman said.

Charles River resident Elana Sandler ’10 said the renovations are sorely needed.

“I think kitchen renovations are important. Not everybody has working stoves and fans, so it will cut down on fire alarms,” she said. “Thank God that they’re doing those.”

The Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society (BADASS) and its newly elected executive board is off to a successful semester following a sixth place individual win at New York University (NYU) and two members’ attendance at the Worlds Council competition.

Over the holiday break, Evan Green-Lowe ’10 and Jackie Saffir ’10 travelled to Istanbul to attend the Worlds Council, and at the end of January, BADASS sent more than a dozen debaters to a tournament at Bates College.

Two weeks later, the organization sent debater Jack Bouchard ’10 to NYU, where he advanced to the quarterfinals and finished sixth.

BADASS is part of the American Parliamentary Debate Association (ADPA), a group of 50 schools primarily on the East Coast. APDA members host debates almost every weekend, and Brandeis sends debaters to most of these tournaments, said public relations director Kim BouchardChaimowiz ’13. Between five and 20 Brandeis debaters attend each tournament, depending on the location of the host school.

BADASS itself is hosting an invitational tournament Feb. 2526. Brandeis debaters sleep on dorm floors when they travel to other schools, and are now seek-

ing willing Brandeis students to host other schools. Around 200 debaters are expected, Bouchard-Chaimowiz said, placing this tournament in the upper level of competitions, which draw anywhere between 50 and 300 participants.

Bouchard-Chaimowiz, who competed with her partner Alex Self ’13, described the preparation process as “lackadaisical” but important. At the two-on-two competitions, one team, the “government,” chooses a topic and the other, the “opposition,” must debate it, no matter how ridiculous.

Preparation is key for topics relating to history and current affairs, but debaters often choose less serious issues.

Bouchard-Chaimowiz once argued a hypothetical case in which 100 scientists have survived Armageddon, and must decide whether or not to reproduce before finding a new planet to live on. It may seem slightly ridiculous, but that’s what keeps debaters entertained and on their toes, she said.

“I joined the team as soon as I got to Brandeis [as a first-year]. I wanted to participate in an activity that dealt with public speaking, and BADASS was perfect,” Bouchard said. “The team was extremely welcoming and helpful in getting newcomers acquainted with debate and integrated into the club.”

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February 12, 2010

Established 2005 "To acquire wisdom, one must observe."

Ariel Wittenberg Editor in Chief Alex Schneider Managing Editor Destiny D. Aquino News Editor Nathan Koskella Deputy News Editor Bret Matthew Impressions Editor Chrissy Callahan Features Editor Hannah Vickers Sports Editor Jodi Elkin Layout Editor Max Shay Photography Editor Leon Markovitz Advertising Editor Vanessa Kerr Business Editor Savannah Pearlman Copy Editor Leah Lefkowitz Layout Editor Sean Fabery Arts Etc. Editor Kayla Dos Santos Arts Etc. Editor Senior Editors Sri Kuehnlenz, Kathleen Fischmann Alison Channon, Danielle Gewurz

FOUNDED BY

Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

SUBMISSION POLICIES The Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the general community. Preference is given to current or former community members. The Hoot reserves the right to edit any submissions for libel, grammar, punctuation, spelling and clarity. The Hoot is under no obligation to print any of the pieces submitted.

Letters in print will also appear on-line at www.thehoot.net.

The deadline for submitting letters is Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. All letters must be submitted electronically at www. thehoot.net. All letters must be from a valid e-mail address and include contact information for the author. Letters of length greater than 500 words may not be accepted.

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

The Hoot is a community student newspaper of Brandeis University. Produced entirely by students, The Hoot serves a readership of 6,000 with in-depth news, relevant commentary, sports and coverage of cultural events.

Our mission is to give every community member a voice.

CORRECTIONS An article published on Feb. 5 incorrectally identified the date of the next board of trustees meeting as on March 4. The Board will meet on March 24.

Additionally the article mispelled the name of the presidential search firm, Storbeck Pimentel.

Think our editorials are wrong?

Write a letter to the editor at eic@thebrandeishoot.com

EDITORIALS

L

The Brandeis Hoot 5

Note to Union: Get a clue!

ast week this editorial board could find no better way to express our dissatisfaction with the Student Union than to depict it in an editorial cartoon as a chicken with its head cut off.

But if the Union was bumbling and disoriented last week, this week it is completely without a clue.

Two weeks ago the Union Judiciary ruled to remove then-Secretary Diana Aronin ’11 from office following her impeachment by the Senate for failing to call a referendum vote for the Senate proposal to create a midyear senator position.

This week, Aronin’s supporters thumbed their collective nose at the governmental body and ran a writein campaign for that very same office in the special election meant to elect her replacement.

Her candidacy, while ironic, is

completely legal under the Union Constitution.

This editorial board has opined on multiple occasions the Union Constitution’s dire need of upheaval.

Aronin’s victory only underscores that need through its well-deserved mockery of the Union.

Regardless of one’s opinion on Aronin’s removal, it is laughable that the Union has no vehicle through which to prevent this electoral form of jury annulment.

While The Hoot does not in any way wish to impede upon the right to vote, we do believe that if the Union is going to take the trouble, and suffer the publicity, to impeach and remove a student from office, that decision should have some staying power.

We do not wish to bar Aronin or any other removed official from

running for office; however, the idea that an official can be returned to the very office from which they were removed just one week after that removal is dumbfounding.

Any credible government necessitates consistency, and, thankfully, the Union has the opportunity to create that consistency this year through the Constitutional Review process.

As a governmental body whose credibility and necessity has often been called into question, the Constitutional Review Committee should look into how to better deal with cases of impeachment and removal of Union officers.

We hope this fiasco makes that fact apparent to the Constitutional Review Committee and that they find a way to screw the head back onto the shoulders of the Union.

he housing gods have dent lamentations.

The buildings are not only unanswered our prayers: Charles River, a.k.a. pleasant to look at, they are also Grad, is finally getting a make- unbearable to live in: Kitchen drawers fall out at random, the over.

Built in 1972 the Grad apart- ovens are unpredictable, the toiments, known to some students as lets overflow and the showers are Stalin-Grad for it’s resemblance to moldy. What’s more, the lack of Communist block housing, have lighting likens the rooms to caves.

It’s no surprise that last year long been the subject of much stu-

there were 300 vacant beds between Grad and Foster Mods left by students opting to live off campus rather than suffer Grad’s horrors.

Charles River has long been the canker sore of Brandeis housing– it is both ugly and painful to live with. Its renovation is the much needed Abreva ointment.

Charles River renovation: upGRADe

T

Email: join@thebrandeishoot.com

IMPRESSIONS

6 The Brandeis Hoot

February 12, 2010

At Apple, change isn't always a good thing

PHOTO COURTESY Wikipedia/The Hoot

BY LEON MARKOVITZ Editor

Steve Jobs is a brilliant gentleman who has created a company that is “different”— its brand alone is worth millions. Apple has become an avant-garde company in industrial organization, hardware and software

design. Jobs has been the main architect behind the creation of Apple. He is some kind of mystic wizard who has managed to create great quality electronics with elegant designs and give great customer care.

Apple is increasingly gaining market share on computer users, phone users, music listeners, TV watchers, book readers and who

knows what else may come. Will it continue this way?

The corporate world of Wall Street is an ocean full of sharks, and Steve Jobs learned this the hard way. Five years after Apple went public in 1980, the board of directors decided to fire Jobs. Jobs purchased Pixar and created a new company, NeXT, soon after. Both were successful.

By 1996, Apple was not the innovative brand it had been and its software and design were lagging behind, and the stock was stagnant. So, the board decided to rehire Jobs and he became CEO soon after.

Things began looking up as Jobs’ marketing magic was put to work by starting the names of most products with the now ubiquitous lower case “i.”

The stock has increased from $6 in 1996 (when Jobs came back) to a peak of $210.

Jobs has been, without a doubt, one of the most influential people of the past decade.

He is undeniably the element behind Apple. He has brought an innovative line of products that literally keep on changing the game of the industry, such as the iPod, which has captured 73.8 percent of the market. And what about the iPhone? Talk about a game changer.

Jobs is so essential to the company that his absence from Apple’s 2008 keynote speech due to health problems caused the stock price to fall sharply by 53 percent.

In other words, Wall St. thinks he is worth half of the company.

It is for that reason Jobs should ensure that any transition he makes out of power goes smoothly and does not disrupt the operations or value of the company.

Unfortunately, that transition might need to occur sooner rather than later.

During his aforementioned sick leave, Jobs received a liver transplant, following his miraculous recovery from a rare type of cancer a few years ago. Many things have happened to his life to make us believe that he is not in top shape.

In order to prevent a collapse of the stock, Jobs should retire, making the transition of power inside the company less dramatic for Wall St. If, God forbid, something does happen to him while he is still CEO, the company may fall by more than 70 percent.

There is a chance this shift has already begun. For example, the iPad is not revolutionary at all, and has an awful name.

I do not believe Steve Jobs would mess up something as simple as the name, and much less build something of such little originality.

But this is the future of Apple without Jobs. We know what happened when Apple did not have him leading the way. He is simply an essential part of the company; otherwise they will become another Sony.

The future of Apple looks blurry.

Liberals, conservatives and the great American message war

BY RICK ALTERBAUM Special to The Hoot

Liberals are in a collective state of dread and anxiety over the 2010 midterm elections. Each day, they hear reports of Democratic congressmen from swing districts retiring or polls suggesting a senator from their party will lose his or her next election. There are a myriad of reasons to account for why this is happening: the faltering economy, high unemployment figures and the Democrats’ incompetence in leading and passing major legislation are among them. But perhaps the most important reason is conservatives are consistently better at marketing their ideas and messages.

The right and left generally promote their beliefs in two very different ways. The former utilizes media outlets like Fox News to espouse arguments that appeal directly to the visceral, the emotional and one’s basic intuition.

Conversely, the Democrats, who also rely on the media (see MSNBC and The Huffington Post) try to sell their proposals and overall brand using reason. Their case is centered mainly on logic over feeling and attempts to influence one’s mind rather than one’s gut.

Of course, there are numerous exceptions; indeed, both sides utilize whatever rhetorical tools are at their disposal to win over the public, but the general trend still holds.

We have repeatedly witnessed a messaging war between these two styles play out ever since President Barack Obama took office.

For example, health care reform.

The Democrats portray their ef-

forts as “bend[ing] the cost curve,” “extend[ing] coverage to millions of Americans,” “not add[ing] one dime to the deficit” and “establish[ing] comprehensive insurance reform.” What they are saying is mostly true and is based primarily on established fact and research. However, how do Republicans frame this same exact issue? “Socialism,” “a government takeover of health care,” “denying benefits to granny,” “death panels,” “a tax increase” and “generational theft.” These messages are far from accurate but seem much more persuasive, and can provoke very emotive and passionate responses.

So who wins ultimately? In this case, the left is able to attract individuals who can understand the complexities and nuances of health care policy. However, a large portion of the American electorate does not fit into this category.

Instead, this segment of the populace may be suspicious of major changes to the status quo, even desperately needed ones, and will base their political views and decisions on instinct. Furthermore, they might lack the requisite education to understand the Democrats’ points.

This is where the right’s message seeps in. They tap into that primal fear of the unknown, warp it and twist it to gain support for their candidates. This is made particularly easy by the fact that many of the left’s policy proposals, like health care, can be exceedingly complicated in that they involve coordination between numerous moving parts.

This pattern extends to how

ILLUSTRATION BY Ali Corman-Vogan/The Hoot

the parties attempt to label their opposition. Democrats deem Republicans as “obstructionists” who are essentially heirs to former President George W. Bush.

Again, they are correct on both counts and base their charges on the truth. The left has constantly courted the GOP and presented very centrist initiatives to appeal to them only to be completely rebuffed. The GOP was complicit as Bush harmed the country in an assortment of ways over the course of eight long years. Yet once more, these accusations are effectively countered by the Re-

publicans, who frame Democrats as radical ideologues who seek to impose their cruel, communist will on the poor, unsuspecting American people. These points are not true, but are immensely provocative and emotional. In addition, they come across as far more convincing to naïve voters because they imply that a vote for a Democrat is essentially a vote for tyranny and the end of freedom.

Democrats can try to replicate the Republicans’ successful passion-filled approach, and they certainly have done so on certain

issues. But is that a moral strategy? No. It is disingenuous to the American people to sink to this low level. This type of messaging fills the electorate with vitriol and vituperation towards those on the other side of the political spectrum. Taken to an extreme, this can generate great hostility and even hate crimes and partisan acts of violence.

Hopefully one day this type of negative, destructive campaigning will end. But alas, politics has never been a very nice sport, and it’s not very likely that anyone will change their ways.

February 12, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

IMPRESSIONS

7

Sexcapades

Taking advantage of your university

BY SOPHIE RIESE Special to The Hoot

ILLUSTRATION BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot

The decline of romance in our society

BY GORDY STILLMAN Special to The Hoot

To say romance is dead would be an overstatement, but it is in a noticeable decline. When was the last time you noticed a “spark” in your relationships? Have you ever? That’s my point. It seems many people have not. In the world we live in–the world of hooking up and the word "hott"– real relationships are rare.

An example of the decline of romance is the relatively new use of the word “hott.” In my honest opinion using hott to describe a person is a form of mockery. To say “she’s hott” is to say “I’d like to hook up with her, but that’s it.”

Other words in less frequent use such as “beautiful” do a much better job of conveying the appreciation one should feel for someone they are in a relationship with.

Hell, even “lovely” is better than “hott.”

We live in a world of instant gratification. We live in a world about having things here and now rather than waiting for a better reward later.

We live in a time of songs like In Da Club (50 Cent) with lyrics: “I’m into having sex, I ain’t into making love.” The problem is that there is no meaning to it. I know that song isn’t exactly new (it came out in 2003), but it illustrates the point. You have your booty-call; I’ll take substantive relationship any day. Sure, a relationship is more complex than casual sex, but relationships are what make life worth living.

Baseball metaphors illustrate just how thoroughly relationships are defined, for some people, by the pursuit of sex. A “home run” is sex. The flaw is that sex should not be what defines a relationships.

My last example is current dancing trends. It seems like at almost every party I go to there is at least one group that thinks the only way to “dance” is to grind.

That seemed the case at Pachanga, the WBRS Rave, and for a short while the case at the first year welcome back dance. Where has dancing gone? Where has class gone? I don’t know where danc-

ing has gone, but I feel the need to mourn the loss of artistry and, in some ways, etiquette.

Go ahead, call me a traditionalist; in some ways I certainly am.

I’m not in any way advocating a return to arranged marriages, but a return of some chivalry, a return to behavior fitting of a gentleman, a return to some form of courtship with class.

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and many of you are probably making plans intent on making it a special day, provided you won’t already be traveling for our weeklong break. But have you ever asked yourself why it’s considered a special day? It’s because most people don’t “step up to the plate” unless it’s Valentine’s Day. Guys show the girl in your life (or guy if that floats your boat), that she’s special on more than just special days. If she truly is special, then why the hell are you only showing that one day a year?

Maybe it’s just that people don’t actually know what they want.

You have your bombshell; I’ll look for a girl next door.

Sex works differently in college than it does in other places. At a place like Brandeis, more likely than not, once you get into a group of friends you either find someone you like and stick with them, or you end up sleeping with more than one person in your circle. Like anywhere, it’s easier to go home at the end of the night with someone you know pretty well than it is to leave with a stranger, no matter how many awkward moments it might lead to later.

A major thing we have to think about is our proximity to one another.

Walls here are think, and rooms are small, even for those who live off campus in apartments or houses with their friends. My first year I ended up “sexiling” the girl who lived in the room next to mine, despite the fact that I had a single and thought I was safe. Beds too are mini-sized, making it difficult even for a compact person to share one.

So how should you go about keeping things exciting when your options seem to be limited to bed, desk or chair? Get creative.

Valentine’s Day is on Sunday, and although many of us will be away from Brandeis, it is always nice to head a little outside of your comfort zone on a day that celebrates “love,” which for most people our age, is really just sex (and chocolate).

While ’Deis doesn’t have the offerings of some other schools in terms of interesting places to give it a go, we aren’t totally bereft of options.

Our stacks are not mahogany, and probably not too strong, but on Farber 4 there are no desks for students looking for a quiet spot to study, just rows and rows of books. You may have heard that there are video cameras down there, but, even if that’s true, there is no one watching them–they’re there so that if there is a disturbance, or something gets stolen, the cops can go back through them later. If you plan ahead and bring a blanket, or your jacket, or wear a skirt, you could pull off a quickie down there.

Is your sweetie a scientist? Or better yet, a grad student? Corrals, offices and labs all make for fun and new places to get off. Though they have with them the potential of getting caught, if you go in the evenings and on weekends, it’s unlikely many other people are around.

Maybe you live off campus, or in a suite on campus with a kitchen and living room? Kitchen counters, dining room tables, and couches or comfy chairs all make for great diversions. They also allow you to try some new positions, and maybe a different way to view your partner’s body. Try to make sure no one’s home, because as embarrassed as you think you might be if someone walked in, they’ll be more so. Stairs in the off-campus houses also make a great new place. Just watch out for rug burn, and that you don’t slide.

Finally, the most obvious: shower sex. No matter where you live, you have access to a shower. Depending on where you live, however, the privacy may be limited to little more than a curtain, and your floor mates might not be pleased to know about your escapades where they cleanse daily. However, with a little maneuvering, and a lot of trust, anything can be achieved.

If you’re at home (or in your dorm) and you like the idea of being seen, but don’t want to know about it, leave your curtains up, or your blinds partially open. Most people probably won’t look in, but if they do, they’ll be watching your show.

This Valentine’s Day, whether you are with your partner or not, you should think about preparing an exciting surprise. Don’t tell your significant other about your plan, but do tell them you have a present– you! Just make sure you know what the other person is comfortable with, and have fun. This way, you control the situation, but maybe let them choose positions, or how much clothing to leave on/take off. The more you play with sex, the more comfortable you and your partner will be with each other, and the more fun it will be. Valentine’s Day is a great place to start because you are usually already planning to spend time with each other anyway. So run off, and take advantage of what the university has to offer!

So ... what are you doing for Valentine's Day? How about break?

Try writing for Hoot Impressions!

Send an e-mail to impressions@thehoot.net

8 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

The Self Shelf

February 12, 2010

Borde-nough

Cupid draws his bow

BY CHRIS BORDELON Columnist

A new approach to global warming

BY ALEX SELF Columnist

Democrats attempting to green the country by convincing skeptical Republicans that global warming exists are simply wasting their time.

Convincing Republicans takes more work than necessary, and there are other means of getting to the desired end than debating.

For one, skepticism in global warming is understandable. While most scientists agree global warming exists, there is a vocal minority who do not. And when you don’t have a Ph.D., pitting yourself against them is a tiring task.

Even if you do convince them that global warming exists, they may not care. The average global temperature rising over the next century is meaningless to many simply because they don’t see it on a day-to-day basis. There are predictions of catastrophe purported by pundits, but these prophecies have yet to materialize.

Democrats can more easily frame the problem in the following way: Our dependence on fossil fuels is a much more complex and immediate problem than one’s beliefs in global warming. That we are dependent on foreign countries such as Iran, Venezuela and Saudi Arabia for our oil consumption is certainly undesirable.

Many pundits say these countries couldn’t stay afloat without the U.S.’ oil money. But the volatility of the regimes in these countries can lend itself to irrational decisions which defy the pundits’ logic.

Honestly, do you really want to rely on the good economic sense of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?

It’s time that we started framing the problem to of our dependence on fossil fuels in

ILLUSTRATION BY Ali Corman-Vogan/The Hoot

a way that appeals to everyone rather than simply the left. Anyone can get behind a movement that would rid us of our reliance on enemies abroad.

This would probably be a successful platform, but it would lead to many who would ask why we don’t simply increase domestic supply of fossil fuels. In fact, this was a large issue during our last presidential election.

A solution to this is simply to point to the facts. Creating new oil refineries, coal factories or natural gas wells costs a lot of money. In addition to this cost, there is a cost in time. An oil well built today in the Gulf of Mexico won’t produce at peak capacity for a good twenty years at the least.

The only other option is nuclear power, but everyone seems to be afraid to go near that due to N.I.M.B.Y. (Not In My Back Yard). In any case, these would also cost a lot of money and the question of where to store nuclear waste is never all that pleasant.

Thus, the practical solution here would be green energy. It’s not all that expensive by comparison and, most importantly, it’s renewable. Imagine the comfort factor of knowing that our entire economy isn’t under the constant threat of grinding to a halt if some foreign dictator decides to send the United States a message.

Finally, there’s the interesting note that China is currently pouring billions into green energy (admittedly while using fossil fuels). They’re taking the initiative while the United States sits on its laurels and clings desperately to its SUVs. The future is most likely going to be green whether you like it or not. The question is whether the United States is going to lead or follow.

“It is difficult to know at what moment love begins,” wrote Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his 1849 story “Kavanagh,” but “it is less difficult to know that it has begun.” Cupid’s arrows flew over the political landscape in strange ways in recent weeks, but an examination of their paths reveals a pattern that would fit nicely into a soap opera plot. The plot revolves around a secret admirer, whose forbidden loves are too dangerous to disclose. In keeping with Longfellow’s wise words, it’s hard to pinpoint when the love that’s in the air today originated, but it’s no less difficult to gainsay its presence.

A barrage of arrows fell among some Congressional Republicans. But their “Roadmap for America’s Future,” put forth by the House Budget Committee’s ranking minority member Paul Ryan, seemed unlikely to lead to the Love Shack. Rather than spread the country’s health care budget more thinly across a larger insured population and expose everyone to the risk of lessened benefits, as Democrats led by President Barack Obama wish to do, the Republican budgetary road runs right over recipients of public benefits like Medicare and Medicaid.

Ryan’s proposal would privatize those programs and old-age pensions. Medicare, with its controlled costs to patients and governmental shouldering of the bulk of the risk, would be replaced with a government voucher for buying insurance on the market. The vouchers wouldn’t be large enough to do that, and because its size would not be linked to the rate of medical insurance inflation, it would cover less of the cost of a policy over time.

Obama wisely got Republicans to agree to hold a “health care summit,” at which he can publicly wave Ryan’s proposal in front of the many Americans approaching retirement age, of whom disproportionate numbers tend to vote. Republicans so openly willing to let retiring baby boomers drop dead, if they can’t afford insurance, may find that Congress’ large Democratic majorities won’t retire any time soon.

Another of Cupid’s arrows entered one ear of former Alaska Governor and Republican Vice-Presidential candidate and perennial 1984 Miss Wasilla Sarah Palin, but it exited the other ear safely without touching anything solid. Palin was struck during a speech on Feb. 6 in Nashville before a rapt audience belonging to the so-called Tea Party movement. Their chants of “Run, Sarah, run!” suggested that their nascent

organization may indeed be appropriately named after a membership that apparently includes numerous March Hares, Mad Hatters, and chasers of White Rabbits.

Palin read notes from the very hand that she had the crowd eating from. She called for Obama “to declare war on Iran,” and told Fox News that she “would be willing” to run against him in 2012. She then traveled to Redding, California on Feb. 8 to inform a crowd that global warming was “snake-oil science.” Sensible Republicans ought to be running for the hills, but sensible people don’t comprise the whole of either party, and some of these other Republicans appear to want Palin running for them.

Cupid almost broke his bow shooting another arrow more than 6,000 miles to Tehran. It somehow managed its way through a retinue of bulky bodyguards and nearly shaved the moustache off of its incredibly short intended target, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Only moments had passed since his Monday announcement that Iran’s atomic scientists would kick their work up a notch: rather than produce 3.5 percent enriched uranium, they would now enrich the radioactive element to 20 percent. One day earlier, he had announced that Iran had launched a rocket into space.

The small payload of Iran’s rocket and the need to enrich uranium to 90 percent to make nuclear weapons suggest that Iran’s president was blowing smoke. But that seemed less important to American journalists and politicians than the opportunity to write alarming sound bites and to call, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did, for economic sanctions. Fear sells more news and wins more elections than reason, so Americans can expect more such talk whenever any hot air passes out of Ahmadinejad.

If the rhetoric spoken by Cupid’s targets is any indication, his arrows missed their targets. But surely there’s one man who’s secretly lovestruck with them all. When Ryan and friends pronounce their willingness to desert hordes of voters in their time of medical need, when Palin hints that she’ll distract Republicans with a candidacy that will make them look foolish, and when Ahmadinejad makes provocative but empty gestures that might easily become part of the pretext for an American-led attack on Iran that could be a mid-term election winner in October if timed properly, none of them seem able to comprehend how much they excite this guy’s passions. This Valentine’s Day, their secret admirer resides in the White House.

Words of wisdom for the new batch of midyears

BY NATHAN ROBINSON Special to The Hoot

Hello, midyears! Welcome to Brandeis University. We like you already. I’ve liked you ever since Wednesday, when I gave a cookie to a midyear and he responded with a hug. I like that you’re that kind of people.

Keep the hugs coming and we’ll get along just fine. There are several things you ought to know about our fine university. I’m here to tell you those things.

Firstly, the turkeys will not bite you. They will gobble at you, but please have no fear.

They are the friendliest of beasts. They are not for eating, however. They are for befriending.

Much of your Brandeis transportation experience will involve desperately chasing after the Branvan as it leaves you behind in the snow. The driver may even turn around and wave at you as he picks up speed and

disappears. Do not complain about this experience, as it will only harden their resolve to abandon you.

Dining hours are structured in a way that makes eating an impossibility. Please pack a lunch for the weekends, as otherwise you will starve to death.

The man in the mail room will sing you any tune you like. He’s astounding! Once he even gave me a cupcake. Be nice to him, he’s been here for 30-something years.

You may discover Prof. Levin (POL) brushing his teeth in the library. Nobody know what that’s about. I suggest you don’t ask questions.

The frat boys are going to ask you to sign a gigantic ball at some point or other. Defy them! They are not what they seem, and the ball is a binding contract.

Everyone is required to own at least one Big Silly Hat. Do not be caught without one.

The lady at the Heller coffee shop makes

really delicious lattes. Go and get one!

The more fascinating your UWS looks, the less fascinating it will actually be. Find the UWS with the dullest title imaginable, and it’ll probably be enthralling.

The Student Union only has power as long as people believe it has power. Destroy the myth, and you destroy the Union!

Jehuda Reinharz is far cuddlier than his reputation would suggest. He has the eyes of a teddy bear. (They have no irises!)

There are free newspapers! Get there early, though, or else you will be lumbered with the USA Today, and everyone around you will think you’re a fool.

The printer in the campus center will not work as soon as you desperately need it. It loves nothing more than to have a paperjam ten minutes before your assignment is due.

Nobody knows what Bronstein Week is, so don’t even bother asking.

There is a big ol’ hill. You will walk up and down it frequently.

Do not attempt to adjust your room temperature. All efforts to create a pleasant living environment are futile. You will spend your Brandeis life either extremely hot or extremely cold, but nowhere in between.

The fire alarm is loud, and only ever goes off at 4 a.m.

Every single person at Brandeis is exactly the same as every single other person. If you think you’ve found a difference, you haven’t.

The dormitory ventilation system carries both heat and sound equally well. I hope you don’t have promiscuous neighbors.

The envelope should not be pushed. Stay in line!

With these sage words, you are ready to embark. If you have any questions, please approach and hug me.

February 12, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

Book of Matthew

The face of independence?

Playing the game

BY ADAM HUGHES Staff

BY BRET MATTHEW Editor

Senator Scott Brown spent the majority of his campaign driving around in a pickup truck and promising frustrated Massachusetts voters he would be an independent-minded senator if they sent him to Washington.

That promise didn’t even last a week after his swearing-in ceremony.

Joining 30 Republicans and two Democrats on Tuesday, Brown voted to continue debate on President Obama’s appointment of Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board. The final vote tally was 52 in favor and 33 opposed—enough for a majority, but not enough to break the Republican threat of a filibuster. Without 60 votes to end debate, there will be no final vote on Becker, whose nomination now appears to be blocked ad infinitum.

This is unfortunate. Becker is a Yale graduate and a former law professor who now works as a lawyer for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). He is perfectly qualified to serve on the government agency charged with moderating labor practices. But to those lawmakers for whom the phrase “labor union” invokes images of corrupt union bosses and overpaid, unproductive workers, this qualification is unacceptable.

Never mind that Democratic presidents tend to appoint labor-friendly candidates to these sorts of positions. And never mind that the Senate traditionally accepts presidential nominees unless serious questions about their qualifications arise. Republicans decided to break with tradition and stall Becker the same way they attempted to stall just about everything else the Democrats proposed this past year. And Senator Brown went right along with them.

In all fairness, Brown does not deserve all of the blame. The Senate fell eight votes short of cloture, and his would not have been enough to change that. But I’m still particularly disappointed in him. I expect most Republicans to be stubborn ideologues opposing everything the president puts in front of them. Brown was supposed to be different, though.

I never liked the man–I certainly didn’t vote for him–and I’m still slightly embarrassed to hail from a small town in Massachusetts where voters strongly supported him (good call, Clinton). Yet, when Brown was elected even I wondered if his campaign rhetoric reflected a glimmer of reality. Perhaps years of working in the heavily Democratic Massachusetts State House had taught him how to get along with Democrats.

New England Republicans are supposed to be moderate, says conventional wisdom.

Well, this is what we get for trusting conventional wisdom.

Becker’s candidacy was not controversial. As far as we know, he lacks any sort of unethical past that would disqualify him from the job. He is simply a union lawyer who believes in making it easier for unions to organize. That’s nothing new. And though Brown may not necessarily agree with Becker’s politics—he was quoted in The Boston Globe as saying that Becker’s views on labor, “if ever put into practice, would impose new burdens on employers, hurt job creation, and slow down the recovery”—Brown could have at least acknowledged that Becker was a legitimate candidate who deserved to face an up-or-down vote.

That alone could have been enough of a goodwill gesture toward Democrats to cement Brown’s fledgling reputation as an independent lawmaker.

Instead, he signed up to become the newest card-carrying member of the Party of No. Perhaps it’s unfair to judge senators the second they cast their first vote.

But after months of wearing the independent suit on the campaign trail, Brown deserves some judgment. Plus, this vote appears rather symbolic of his legislative future. If he cannot allow the Senate to commence a final vote on the small issue of a minor presidential appointment, how can he be expected to find common ground with Democrats on major legislation, like the upcoming jobs bill or health care reform?

A consummate politician, Brown will find a hundred and one ways to call himself an independent, but when voting day arrives he will think of just as many reasons to fall in line with his own party.

That’s the main lesson to take away from this: Self-described independents usually aren’t so. And if you still don’t believe that, then boy, do I have a shiny truck to sell you.

Stepping out onto the hardwood court, I pluck the black rubber ball from my pocket. I drop it onto the ground, lightly step on it, and rub it vigorously between the wood and the sole of my shoe for a few seconds. Good, it’s warm. I pick it up and toss it softly into the air. My racquet sends it smashing into the front wall.

It’s been more than a year since I last played a game of squash, but from the first stroke, it’s all coming back to me. Maybe my aim isn’t what it used to be, but the swift sweep of my forehand feels natural as ever, and I’m keeping the ball thudding consistently off the wall. My friends should be here in a couple minutes to start playing, but for now, I’m having fun hitting by myself, shaking off two semesters worth of rust.

In many ways, my identity as a squash player has been fundamentally tied to my entire Brandeis experience. I never played before college, and I had no more than a passing understanding of how the game worked. I had never even intended to start playing it in the first place. Tennis was going to be my new game of choice, and it was only because the tennis PE class filled up in my first semester that I took a course that required me to play both games. I remember being acutely disappointed when the incoming winter weather forced the tennis portion of the class to end for the semester.

But something about bashing

that rubber ball against the wall really struck a chord with me. It wasn’t a week before I was pulling my friends to the gym with me to play. Soon, we were going regularly, all of us exercising, learning the game, and having fun together. My friend Andy soon became my most devoted partner, and we’d head down to Gosman three, four, maybe more times a week, playing game after game for hours, sometimes until the gym closed. Our styles grew in tandem, both of us preferring placement over power and using athletic quickness to overcome our rudimentary, un-coached form.

Rarely would even the longest series end with either of us more than one or two games ahead of the other.

Looking back, squash became more than just a game for us. It became the backdrop over which we bonded during the first few months of our first year, that hectic time when friendships are quickly made and forgotten as people struggle to find their comfort zones. It meant that fun, physical activity was only a phone call and a five-minute walk away.

It was somatic relief whenever the stress of class became too much.

Toward the end of our first year, Andy and I inherited the top two positions on the Brandeis Squash Club, solely because no one else wanted them. Andy was determined to turn the squash team into a competitive club sport, and through his admirable hard work, it became just that. We assembled

IMPRESSIONS

9

a team, rounding up interested Brandeis students, many of whom had played for much longer than we had. We attended several tournaments, one at BU, one at MIT, and though we routinely got crushed by our opponents, and though I was usually among the worst on our team, I enjoyed every minute of it.

At the end of my first sophomore semester, however, I had to withdraw from Brandeis to deal with some personal issues that eventually kept me out of school for a year. I never even picked up a racquet while at home. It was too hard to find a court or to find a friend who even knew what squash was, let alone would be willing to play it with me regularly. Though still at Brandeis, Andy got very involved in the Student Union and then broke his racquet, eventually leading him to abandon the game himself.

Though I’ve been back at school for almost a month now, it took me a while to make the time to return to the squash courts. I finally went on Tuesday, then again on Wednesday, and I already remember what drew me so intensely to the sport in the first place. I feel like I’m picking up right where I left off, and soon I’ll be back in Gosman several times a week, playing until I can hardly lift my racquet again. Andy’s nursing a basketball injury right now, but he’d better heal in a hurry. He’s got a game waiting for him.

The feed needs to stop, and fast

BY ALEX SCHNEIDER Editor

A fascinating discussion took place on the Web recently, as highlighted by Max Fisher of The Atlantic. A writer for The New Yorker, George Packer, blogged about how much he dislikes Twitter. Nick Bilton of The New York Times then criticized Packer for the shallowness of his comments, to which Packer replied with more commentary on Twitter’s evils.

Fisher presents the debate in a skeptical manner, pointing out both that Packer ironically blogged about Twitter and that his extensive commentary on Twitter correlates with the general importance of the Web site in today’s society. Furthermore, in his response, Bilton notes that Packer does not have a Twitter account, arguing that until he signs up, he is not in a position to condemn those who use Twitter.

Despite these contradictions, I agree with Packer’s conclusions, and I especially agree with his comment: “I haven’t used crack, either, but—as a Bilton reader pointed out—you don’t need to do the drug to understand the effects.”

Twitter represents larger ills that we face as a society that nonTwitter users are perhaps in a better position to describe. Watching someone tweet is like attempt-

ing to speak with a gum-chewer: the experience is intolerable. To compound the problem, there are those tweeters who walk into trees and get into car crashes because they choose to share what is on their minds at inappropriate times.

Quick “tweets” of information condense thoughts and everyday experiences into an endless stream

Corporations use the service to handle customer service issues.

Starbucks, Dell, Ford, JetBlue and many more companies use Twitter to offer discounts and coupons to their customers. Public relations firms, ad agencies, schools, the State Department—even President Obama—now use Twitter and other social networks to share information.”

Still, what for Bilton is incredible appears to me to be problematic. Twitter has become a public relations tool, a way to sell one’s product by adding to the stream of consciousness of thousands of die-hard Twitter users. Companies prefer to tweet, knowing they can force feed public relations material and Twitter users who stumble on such pages will read it. To me, there is nothing appealing about President Obama on Twitter. If I want to communicate with Mr. Obama, I’ll call him myself.

Bilton argues that Packer sounds like the nay-sayers of the 1800s who argued against the widespread use of trains, characterizing them as a danger to public health. Trains were a progressive invention, however. Twitter, on the other hand, abbreviates thoughts into 140 characters in a way that threatens to reintroduce into human conversation the staccato sounds of the pre-historic man.

Quick “tweets” of information condense thoughts and everyday experiences into an endless stream of information. of information. Healthy conversation and debate gets boiled down to catch phrases and poorly worded commentary. In the world of Twitter, nobody reads your second to last post, and the ideas that are on your mind at the moment get shared and erased, joining the rest of those fleeting thoughts that just do not matter.

Bilton writes: “Hundreds of thousands of people now rely on Twitter every day for their business. Food trucks and restaurants around the world tell patrons about daily food specials.

ARTS, etc.

Ringing in the Lunar New Year

10 The Brandeis Hoot

BY SEAN FABERY Editor

The Brandeis Chinese Cultural Connection (BC3) ushered in the year of the tiger this past weekend with its annual Lunar New Year celebration, which proved to be a hit.

BC3 held the event a week in advance of the actual holiday, as February 14, the day that will mark the beginning of the 15-day celebration this year, is right at the beginning of break. The event this year was held in the Shapiro Theater, which was decorated with lovely Chinese lanterns and a giant banner featuring, appropriately enough, a tiger.

As MCs Olen Shen ’10 and Charles Hu ’11 joked to the packed theater at the beginning of the show, most Americans only know as much about the zodiac as they find printed on their placemats at Chinese restaurants. To remedy this, the two gave the audience a quick crash course on the legend behind the zodiac.

According to legend, the Jade Emperor challenged 13 animals to a race, promising to name years after 12 of them. One, alas, didn’t quite reach the finish line.

The first act that followed consisted largely of musical performances and comedy skits.

For the first performance, members of the BC3 executive board—Ann-Nin Wong ’11, Karen Hu ’12, Travis Chui ’12, WeiHuan Chen ’12, Tina Rong ’11 and Max Xu ’13—opened the show with a song. Though they admitted to being the weakest musical act on the program, they seemed to enjoy it immensely, and the performance, as a result, proved enjoyable for the audience and drew many laughs.

Following this performance, young members of the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association (GBCCA) displayed their skills at Chinese yo-yoing, performing trick after impressive trick. Their performance began in the dark, with their yo-yos glowing, giving the appearance of mysterious orbs traveling through air. Though the occasional mishap occurred, the audience unequivocally loved the performers, eliciting numerous “How cutes!” and rounds of applause throughout their performance.

The BC3’s first-year members then put on their skit, which is an annual compo-

February 12, 2010

nent of the show. Their skit turned out to be a morality tale centered around the hong bao, a red envelope filled with money that is given out during the holidays to the young.

In the skit, three first-years receive their hong bao at the end of orientation week.

While one first-year wisely chooses to use his hong bao for textbooks, the other two decide to use theirs for more illicit purposes, with one spending his money on booze and the other choosing to bribe her T.A. Neither situation ends well—the boozehound has to be rescued by BEMCo, while the other ends up on academic probation.

Though potentially heavy-handed, the skit was presented in such a way that the comedy of it was emphasized.

This was followed shortly afterwards by another comedy skit, this time focusing on the familiar act of performing a voice double skit, in which someone reads dialogue while another gesticulates wildly. In this case, a comedian played by Lisa Qi ’12 employs an overly eager vocal assistant, played

by Chui, with predictably—and hilariously—disastrous consequences.

The remainder of the first act consisted largely of vocal performances. It’s around these performances that my chief complaint about the show centers, as there were simply too many of them and few distinguished themselves. There were some, however, that did stand out.

For instance, there was a medley of songs in both Mandarin and Cantonese performed by Kenny Dai ’11 and David Deng ’12, who also played the guitar.

John Zhang ’12 and Joseph Kong, a student at Boston University, also performed “Moment of Sight,” a love song, and turned in what was perhaps the best vocal performance of the night.

The first act finished with a presentation about China Care, an organization committed to providing aid to orphans in China.

Unfortunately, this presentation was hampered with numerous technical problems, including a PowerPoint that was only halfvisible. This led to laughter that was rather inappropriate considering the content of the presentation.

Donations for China Care were then collected during the brief intermission that followed.

The show resumed with a traditional lion dance performed by members of the Calvin

PHOTOS BY Jodi Elkin/The Hoot

Chin Martial Arts Academy. Though this dance tends to be featured whenever Chinese culture is covered in media here and, consequently, risks being passé, I was still mesmerized by it.

Members of the GBCCA then returned to the stage to give a short concert using the er-hu, a traditional string instrument. Their performance showed the versatility of the instrument which, in the performance of “Horse Running on a Field,” mimicked the hoofbeat and whinnying of a horse.

This performance was followed by a hip-hop fan dance, which began as a conventional but beautifully choreographed fan dance in which the fans acted as lithe butterflies.

This soon morphed into something more modern however, with the tra See LUNAR, p. 14

CELEBRATING THE NEW YEAR: BC3’s Lunar New Year event featured both students and guests from other organizations.

Who dat rocking at the Super Bowl?

BY ADAM HUGHES Staff

The Who has always been a band with a particular place in my heart. I was still in middle school when my aunt bought me a copy of “Tommy” from a New Haven record store, and the combination of raw rock ’n roll power and genuine spiritual yearning that make up the group’s classic albums had me hooked from the beginning. Pete Townshend’s diverse compositions have defined adolescence more thoroughly than any other artist in any other medium, from the unchecked youthful aggression of “My Generation” to “Quadrophenia’s” complex reflections and meditations on teenage love and angst. My musically-inclined friends are far too picky to agree on much, but The Who is among the very few bands that get our unanimous seal of approval, and I’ve been a part of far more depressingly ama-

teur renditions of “Love Reign O’er Me” than I care to admit.

So I was very excited when I heard that The Who was selected for this year’s Super Bowl half-time show. With my Broncos making it clear that they’d do whatever was possible to avoid postseason play, the prospect of seeing one of my favorite bands gave me special reason to look forward to this year’s game. And in many ways, it seems like The Who are tailor-made for the world’s biggest stadium show. Townshend’s ferocious power chord onslaught and Roger Daltrey’s leonine roar practically invented the anthemic stadium rock spirit, and enough of their hits have entered the public consciousness to turn every Super Bowl party into a twelve minute sing-along.

At the same time, their music retains a depth completely missed by the thousands of band that have followed in their wake.

More than any other rock musician, Town-

shend believed that the unity that comes over a crowd brought together by music was the gateway to a higher consciousness, and he labored over highly ambitious and multifaceted concept albums to prove it, some of which never came to fruition.

As a result, The Who’s best work is full of dramatic mood shifts over the course of individual songs and layers of virtuosic, highly calculated instrumental lines. “Baba O’Reily,” one of their most famous songs, is named after a Vedanta spiritual guru and a minimalist classical composer; this definitely isn’t your typical rock band.

The cynic in me, however, realized that there was more to my sense of The Who’s appropriateness for the Super Bowl than merely their musical worth. The Who is not just grand and talented enough for the Big Game; it is commercialized enough.

For someone who was once motivated by his message to explore uncharted artistic

reaches, Pete Townshend has made a habit in recent years of treading the path of easy money. Flip through the television channels these days, and you’re likely to hear a wide range of Who songs blaring from advertisements and program theme songs.

The band seems to be eternally touring despite having released only one new studio album in the past 28 years. Most gratingly for a Who devotee like myself, Townshend and Daltrey continue to cash in on the Who name despite the deaths of half of the original band. And Keith Moon and John Entwistle were far more than just hired guns fulfilling Townshend’s vision; together, they made up perhaps the greatest rhythm section in rock history and contributed integrally to the band’s image and sound during their heyday.

Still, I concede that my romanticized notions about the purity of the music and the See THE WHO, p. 15

February 12, 2010

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11

Deliciously unsatisfying Upstairs Café fails at making the grab-and-go lifestyle healthy or affordable

BY KAYLA DOS SANTOS Editor

Delicious food and the grab-and-go lifestyle don’t seem like they would go together—how can people fully appreciate their food when they barely have time to chew it?—but the newest addition to on-campus dining, the Upstairs Café, attempts to make even grab-and-go options tasty. While, for the most part, the Café succeeds in offering scrumptious meals, ultimately it fails in making them both healthy and satisfying.

I’m skeptical whenever a dining facility opens on-campus. A new facility does not necessarily mean new or different food options. The meals usually taste the same, and are composed of the same ingredients, indistinguishable from what I’ve eaten a thousand times before. The Upstairs Café, though, was a pleasant surprise.

On the CampusDish Web site the Café purports to serve “upscale specialty sandwiches” and the actual products live up to that statement in taste. The ingredients seem fresher, the bread softer, the lettuce crisper in comparison to the sandwiches Usdan provides. Maybe this is just wishful thinking on my part, or the fact that rather than taking my time to savor the Café’s sandwiches, I was wolfing them down, but the quality of the ingredients seem to be higher than normal campus fare.

The “New Englander Bagatini” is especially worth trying. The sweetness of the cranberry bread and sliced apples combines with the sour lemon pepper aioli to form a complex, delicious flavor. While the turkey was a tad dry, overall the sandwich was pretty incredible. If you order it be careful as the sauce makes it a bit messy.

So, if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat before an interview and you’re wearing your best clothes, I wouldn’t recommend attempting to inhale this sandwich. You’ll need more than five minutes and plenty of napkins.

PHOTO FROM Internet Source

A LOVELY LOAF: The Upstairs Cafe ises fresh, high quality ingredients to make their to-go sandwiches.

Unfortunately, among the other sandwiches that I sampled, none lived up to the Bagatini. The “Piedmonter Baguette” wasn’t memorable—it was neither especially tasty nor cringe-worthy, just boring.

On the other hand, the “Cubano Ciabatta” presented the biggest disappointment and reveals why I won’t be a frequent customer.

At $5.69, I expected to get a sandwich that would at least satisfy me, that would leave me full and with enough energy to write that essay or go to work, but the Ciabatta simply was not enough. While the dijonaise sauce was fantastic, on two tiny pieces

of bread, the sandwich barely made a dent in my hunger. This wouldn’t be a problem if the Café offered healthy sides, but I did not see an apple among the chocolate chip cookies, the chocolate dipped coconut macaroons or the potato chips. While I’m sure all those items make for delicious snacks, I’m also sure they are bad for me.

Why do grab-and-go snacks have to be unhealthy?

The Café does offer a selection of salads as entrees, which I did not sample and I’m sure are of equal quality to the sandwiches, but that still leaves the point that there are

Greening the Canvas

no healthy snack options. In fact, the only fruit is the fresh fruit cup, which the Café’s menu labels as a “breakfast item” and would cost $2.59 in comparison to the $1.09 for the macaroon.

I’m on a meal plan, and so if I wanted a fruit cup, I would not be able to get a drink along with a sandwich, let alone a healthy drink (freshly squeezed orange juice is just over $3).

So, while the Upstairs Café is indeed delicious, it’s also expensive and offers only unhealthy snack options, which means, for the most part, I will be fulfilling my grab-andgo needs somewhere else.

Visiting Professor Hoseob Yoon collaborated with students on decorating t-shirts with an environmentally conscious message. Photos by Max Shay.

12 ARTS, ETC.

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February 12, 2010

Top ten date spots near campus

BY DESTINY D. AQUINO Editor

10. Dinner at Legal Sea Foods, Kendall Square A Boston original, Legal Sea Foods is a place to experience real New England cuisine. It’s the type of place you can go to in jeans or a little black dress. It can be a little pricy but its well worth it. The Kendall Square location is great because it’s right off the Red Line but there are also locations in Cambridge, Watertown and at the Burlington Mall.

9. Concert and Appetizers at The Middle East, Central Square Also right off the Red Line is one of the coolest clubs you will ever step foot in. Live bands perform here regularly and it features basic Middle Eastern cuisine such as hummus and pita plates or falafels. Each room has individual admission to the performance so be sure to buy tickets in advance. The venue hosts small indie bands, sketch and stand-up comedy groups as well as national bands such as Bowling for Soup who will perform there on March 12.

8. Lizzy’s Ice Cream, Moody Street This is the perfect place for that first date that you’re not sure is actually a date or a casual Friday night delight with your long-time lover. It has more than 30 flavors of ice cream with 15 toppings and even has an “adult” menu that lists alcohol infused ice cream such as rum raisin and baileys. With its cozy couches where people sit and play board games, Lizzy’s is the perfect place to sit and have a great conversation while eating delicious desserts.

7. A walk down the Historic Freedom Trail Enjoy some of the history a Boston education has to offer and

ILLUSTRATION BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot

dedicate a day to walking with your date down the 2.5 miles of brick paved streets. The trail has markers, which allow you to be your own tour guide while you see 16 places of national importance such as the U.S.S. Constitution and Paul Revere’s house.

6. Visit the Seals at The New England Aquarium Easy to get to because of its location between all the T lines, spend a day enjoying the wonders of the sea at the Aquarium. Be sure to visit the exhibits on penguins, because there just so cute, and the jellyfish installation because who doesn’t want to take advantage of

that awesome blue mood lighting coming from the tank.

5. A quiet rainy day at the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) Spend a day inside learning your date’s likes and dislikes as you discuss the beautiful art and relics housed in the MFA: from 20th century photography to ancient Egyptian pottery to the masters all know like Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

If you go on a Sunday morning, you can even enjoy brunch from 11 to 3 at the beautiful but reasonably priced restaurant in the museum, which has live local entertainment.

4. Tuscan Grill, Moody Street For a spontaneously planned yet classically romantic dinner be sure to visit Tuscan Grill.

They take reservations but you don’t need one; you can usually call an hour or two before to put your name on the list or just walk in and wait at the bar, where you can start on appetizers or have a drink if you’re older than 21, until a table opens up. The friendly staff and small size in addition to the candle light ambiance makes the spectacular Italian food even better.

3. Solea, Moody Street Voted Diner’s Choice Restau-

rant by Opentable.com in 2009, this tapas bar is a favorite even outside the Waltham city limits.

People come in from Boston just for this restaurant and it’s always busy, so make a reservation or be prepared to wait a while. It’s great for double dates because of its tapas menu, which allows you to order several small entrees (tapas) and share with others at your table. It has an extensive wine list, specifically from Spain and Portugal, where tapas style dining was created. It also has several vegetarian dishes.

2. Red Sox Game, Fenway Park Whether you’re a sports fan or not this is a must do while in Boston.

Tickets can be really inexpensive in the early season and it’s just an experience. Red Sox fans are notoriously devoted and they make a strong competition for what’s more entertaining: the baseball game or the people watching it.

Fenway also has a few great restaurants in it or you could just go for the hot dogs, pretzels, beer and soda during the 7th inning stretch.

1. Boston Commons Whether it’s warm and time for a Saturday afternoon picnic or it’s freezing outside and you can bundle up and ice skate, Boston Commons makes for the comfortable, sneakers-and-jeans-date, as well as the romantic date you’ll never forget. Often compared to Rockefeller Center, Frog Pond is the spot to grab a hot chocolate and people-watch or fall on your butt on the ice.

If the pond has melted—no fear—put on some shorts, grab a blanket and sit on the grass to read a good book, people-watch or try your hand at navigating a swan-boat. If it gets too hot, don’t be afraid to chase each other around in the spray pool and get an ice-cream cone.

CA warms hearts of the elderly Ziv residents share their love through handmade cards

BY KAYLA DOS SANTOS Editor

Sipping hot chocolate, Nadine Channaoui ’10 and the residents of Ziv 127 residents cut, pasted and glittered, in an effort to make this Valentine’s Day a special one for members of Waltham’s elderly community.

This month, Channaoui, who is a community advisor in Ziv Quad decided to use her building program to help others in the Waltham community by facilitating her residents in creating hand-made valentines for the elderly.

“Valentine’s Day is a day to share your love,” Channaoui said. “[It] can be more than about romantic dates.”

Each suite in Ziv 127 received a kit to construct valentines, and on Feb. 8, those who could take

the time out of their schedules gathered in Channaoui’s suite to make cards while those who couldn’t simply dropped by with their contributions.

The kits consisted of pink, white and red construction paper, shapes of bears and other cuddly animals and lists of quotations relating to love, such as the anonymous quotation “love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.”

The quotation suggestions helped many students looking to fill their decorated cards with uplifting messages, but also resulted in one amusing moment when a resident, inspired to search for her own quotes, almost used the quotation “I’ll love you ’til death” before realizing how the quotation could be negatively perceived.

By the end of the night, 30

unique valentines stemming from traditional paper hearts, to ones with corny messages (roses are red ... ), to even origami creations, were ready to be sent to members of the elderly community.

After they were finished, Channaoui handed the cards off to Companions to Elders group, an organization dedicated to connecting Brandeis students with the elderly, to send the valentines to independent living homes in Waltham.

At first, Channaoui considered sending cards to terminally ill children, but ultimately decided that it would be more beneficial to direct them to Waltham’s elderly population, which she describes as the “forgotten generation.”

Channaoui explained, “They would be the most appreciative as they might be lonely.”

Project participant Sarah

Costrell ’10 expressed similar sentiments, stating, “[For the elderly] to be remembered is pretty important.”

Additionally, Channaoui said Brandeis students benefited from crafting the cards as well. “Brandeis students like to reach out, and by making Valentine’s Day cards [they can also] be doing something they enjoy and taking a break from their studies.”

Shirah Moses ’11, who had worked at nursing homes for the past three summers, expressed

PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot

why it was so important for youth to reach out to the older generation on Feb. 14. “[They are] amazing people who have given us so much … I learned that one thing that can make them smile makes all the difference in the world.”

February 12, 2010

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All the single movies: films for a night alone

BY SRI KUEHNLENZ Editor

Hollywood has no shortage of movies for the person with a significant other on Valentine’s Day. Take for example the soon-to-bereleased, aptly titled “Valentine’s Day” or the 2003 hit “Love Actually.”

But what options are there for those who are single or do not readily buy into the format of the standard romance (i.e. guy meets girl, guy struggles to impress girl, guy gets girl)? Below is a list of comedies that will let you get through Feb. 14 without the store-bought reminders of romance.

1. “Whip It” (2009) This movie, directed by Drew Barrymore and starring “Juno” actress Ellen Page, is an undeniable chick flick, but still one about being yourself above all else, even if that means tackling other girls on a roller derby track.

2. “Anchorman” (2004) The movie that earned Will Ferrell the title of no-limits funnyman. Aside from its (sometimes gross and non-sensical) laughs, the movie features legendary anchorman Ron Burgundy (Ferrel) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), one of the most dysfunctional couples to cross the screen in years. He’s a narcissist with the IQ and humor

PHOTOS FROM Internet Source

FIVE FILMS: “Whip It” (Top Left), “Anchorman” (Top Right), “The Hangover” (Bottom Left), “Mean Girls” (Bottom Center), and “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (Bottom Right) provide a fun night’s worth of entertainment.

of a fifth grader and she goes for it.

It’s a reminder that when it comes to relationships, you should hold out for quality over quantity (i.e. just being in a relationship), lest you get entangled with someone who is more similar to Ron Burgundy than not.

3. “The Hangover” (2009) This movie follows three guys as they search for their best friend

who went missing during a bachelor party gone hilariously wrong.

Sure one of their buddies is getting married, but this movie is more than anything about good (to say the least) times with your friends.

4. “Mean Girls” (2004) This may seem like an odd choice for Valentine’s Day, but this movie about the wickedness

of teenaged girls is a reminder of how crazy people can be. It’s enough to make you thankful for the fact that you can avoid at least some of the games people play by being single. Also, you can count on Tina Fey’s writing to not shove any over-the-top romantic bits in your face.

5. “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (1997)

Yes, you may be single, but that doesn’t mean you’ve lost the craving for a romantic comedy. “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” about a woman who realizes she is in love with her best friend and tries to win him over only three days before his wedding, has the romance and the comedy without the sappy happy-couple-heading-off-intothe-sunset ending.

Roses are red, violets are blue … If you’re a cynic or a hopeless romantic, ‘Valentine’s Day’ is just for you

BY CHRISSY CALLAHAN Editor

The forecast for this weekend?

Well, it appears that love is in the air. Or so the commercial powers that be—you know, the greeting card and chocolate industries that fuel Valentine’s Day—tell us.

So what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a film chronicling this romantic event?

I know what you’re thinking: this is a bad idea. After all, Valentine’s Day usually means one of two things for most people— warm fuzzy feelings or nausea— both of which are caused by lovesickness of different sorts.

So you’d probably think it’d be impossible for “Valentine’s Day” to satisfy both the single cynics out there and the lovesick lovebirds. But you’d be wrong.

If you’re looking for something to do this Valentine’s Day and would prefer to escape all those loving couples and public displays of affection, “Valentine’s Day” (directed by Garry Marshall) is for you. If you’re one of those lovebirds everyone loves to hate, “Valentine’s Day” is for you too.

The fact that it caters to both demographics makes the film work so well.

It’s romantic enough to satisfy the hopeless romantic in you, but

it’s also like a candy heart laced with enough cynicism that it manages not to alienate the single viewers in the audience.

Set in Los Angeles, the film centers around a group of lucky and not so lucky in love individuals, and follows them throughout their Valentine’s Day. But as is true in reality, this happiest of all days is actually a major source of stress and disillusionment for many single people and, ironically, many a happy couple. In fact, the film reinforces the belief that hyping Valentine’s Day up to be something it isn’t only sets people up for failure and heartbreak.

The film’s plot—wrapped around the florist business of Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher)—connects the majority of its characters just as ribbons tie together his flower bouquets. It’s an interesting tactic because, as the viewer sees, florists can get to know a lot—sometimes more than they need or want to know— about people’s lives simply from the flowers they purchase and to whom they’re sending them.

There are the loving elderly husbands who come in to get their wives their usual bouquets; the sweet little kids who want to buy their crushes something romantic but can’t afford the steeply priced roses (or reach the counter); and the cheating jerks who come in to

place orders of roses for both their wives and mistresses. “Valentine’s Day” has all of that.

“Valentine’s Day” depicts love across varying generational lines, ranging from fifth-grader Edison’s (Bryce Robinson) sweet crush on his teacher Julia (Jennifer Garner); to high school sweethearts Willy (Taylor Lautner) and Felicia’s (Taylor Swift) seemingly superficial mutual attraction; to newly engaged Reed (Kutcher) and Morley (Jessica Alba); to elderly couple Edgar (Hector Elizondo) and Estelle’s (Shirley MacLaine) enduring love. There’s also the depiction of a lack of love, as

seen through the eyes of the film’s pessimistic singles.

As “Valentine’s Day” shows, one’s opinion of the holiday varies depending on one’s romantic status, and the film nails the wide range of sentiments by giving them each equal importance.

For a film that includes a large number of stars—the star power packed into the preview alone is, admittedly, a bit overwhelming—this is no small feat. Yet, rather than concentrating on a few key characters while neglecting the others, the film’s diverse representation of love just seems to work.

PHOTO FROM Internet Source

LOVE IN BLOOM: Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher star in “Valentine’s Day.”

There’s the cynical career woman type—personified in the form of Kara (Jessica Biel)—who scorns Valentine’s Day because of its seeming intention to make singles feel even more alone. Kara hates Valentine’s Day so much that she actually hosts an anti-Valentine’s Day party each year.

Then there are the lucky in love high school sweethearts—Felicia and Willy—whose view on love is somewhat idealistic and superficial. A broadcast reporter’s line in the film sums it up quite nicely when he says “Young love: full of promise, full of hope, ignorant of reality.”

Yet instead of oversimplifying or exaggerating the characters, the film’s stars are all so relatable and real that the humor shines through. Everyone can relate to loving or hating Valentine’s Day at one point in their lives, and being able to laugh at other’s—and your own—pathetic moments and romantic entanglements makes the film work. After all, sometimes imperfection is better than perfection.

Overall, the film mixes romance with humor and reality in a way that leaves viewers wanting more.

Who knows, maybe if there were more films like “Valentine’s Day,” romantic comedies wouldn’t get such a bad rep!

14 ARTS, ETC.

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This comeback might not be televised

BY DANIELLE GEWURZ Editor

Gil Scott-Heron’s first album in 13 years, following his release from prison where he spent several years on drug-related charges, “I’m New Here” proves the artist’s talent is still prodigious, even if his output isn’t.

The album, produced by the indie label XL, is a fast listen at just less than a half an hour and combines Scott-Heron’s classic spoken word style with hip hop and blues-tinged production and features four covers, several spoken interludes and originals.

Above all, “I’m New Here” is world-weary, with Scott-Heron turning away from the overtly political and using fairly conventional song structures and autobiographical reflections as the meat of the album’s thematic content.

His voice has aged, but ScottHeron employs his now graveled, gravitas-laden tones quite well, singing, speaking and whispering to glorious, moving effect.

The highlight of the album is without a doubt centerpiece “New

York Is Killing Me,” a snap and clap heavy anthem that sounds like blues remixed or even a lot like Beck. Scott-Heron laments New York City, wishing for the simpler pleasures of the South; he’s “born in Chicago, but I go back home to Tennessee.” His plea, “Lord have mercy, have mercy on me,” is both a triumphant and despairing wail of a man who has seen too much.

The Scott-Heron who spoke clearly and forcefully about why “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” is still there, but buried under the wisdom of hard living and age. That’s why one of the most fitting songs is a Robert Johnson cover, “Me and the Devil,” rendered with an electro-flare and resonant stomp.

Complete with an unexpected but deeply moving, cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt,” the titular track, “I’m New Here,” is a shockingly fitting Smog cover. There’s also the “I’ll Take Care of You” cover, and a cover of his own song “The Vulture,” both rendered with delightful resonance.

He turns both the covers and

his own work into deeply personal tales, reflecting on his childhood (“I was raised by women, but they made me a man”) as well as his legacy (“If I hadn’t been as eccentric, as obnoxious, as arrogant, as aggressive, as introspective, as selfish, I wouldn’t be me, I wouldn’t be who I am”). It’s an entirely new approach, and a different type of work than his previous albums.

And the most surprising element of the album is how modern it is; Scott-Heron’s didacticisms have fallen by the wayside, and the production draws from electronica, dubstep, hip hop and blues to work with, rather than against, his voice. Indeed, the opening and closing tracks sample the instantly recognizable instrumen-

February 12, 2010

PHOTO FROM Internet Source

tal from Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights,” reversing Kanye’s sample of Scott-Heron’s “Home Is Where the Hatred Is.” Scott-Heron may have invented a sort of proto-rap,

but here he makes a mélange of styles into something uniquely his own and incisively contemporary.

You can stream the entire album at gilscottheron.net.

Lunar new year celebration LUNAR (from p. 10)

ditional background music suddenly morphing into Lady Gaga’s “Lovegame.”

Perhaps the most popular performance of the show was the one put on by a troupe of break dancers. Their physical stunts, along with the casual air they carried throughout, impressed the audience and removed any lethargy that may have set in after three hours of other performances.

The show concluded with a fashion show that displayed both traditional and contemporary Chinese clothing, allowing the audience to see yet another critical component of any culture—

fashion. It also gave an opportunity for the majority of the show’s participants to reappear as models during this segment.

Overall, the show proved immensely enjoyable and entertaining, and you could tell just how much hard work had been put into it by its organizers. Though there were a few technical gaffes, like the aforementioned PowerPoint incident and mics that frequently wouldn’t function, it proved to be worth the three-anda-half-hour running time.

And, on top of all that, it was followed by a free Chinese dinner which, as most students will tell you, is an excellent way to end any event.

PHOTOS BY Jodi Elkin/The Hoot

LUNAR NEW YEAR: The BC3 Lunar New Year event showcased a variety of performances.

(Top Right) A member of the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association shows off his yoyoing skills.

(Bottom Right) Kenny Dai ‘11 and David Deng ‘12 performed a medley of Cantonese and Mandarin songs.

(Bottom Left) The show put a spin on the traditional fan dance by giving it a hip-hop flare.

February 12, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC.

15

Who’s on at half-time?

THE WHO (from p. 10)

message matter not at all to Pete and Roger, and I recognize that ultimately, they have the right to use (or exploit) their creations however they choose. So I allowed my only concern to be, Can they still put on a good show? I had reason to be hopeful. At last year’s VH1 Rock Honors tribute show (grr, VH1), The Who outperformed even very respectable bands like The Flaming Lips and Pearl Jam and proved that there are still no better interpreters of their music than Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey themselves. Sure, the years and substances have had an impact on their voices, but The Who still played with a vitality and creativity that few others can hope to touch.

So I was expecting a very good show, and I got ... exactly that. No surprises, nothing that I hadn’t heard in some way before, just a solid, crowd-pleasing twelve minute medley of some of their best known classics. As much as I would have liked to hear, say, “Sea and Sand” or “Pure and

Easy,” I knew that with these time constraints, with this audience, and at this stage of their careers, the band would play it as safe as possible. And with The Who, that’s hard to complain about. For them, “As safe as possible” means rip-roaring renditions of “Pinball Wizard,” “Baba O’Reily,” “Who Are You,” “See Me, Feel Me,” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” keeping the crowd at Sun Life Stadium, and at the Ziv party I attended, absorbed in the performance. “As safe as possible” means pulling out all stops to deliver a light show that, while maybe not as impressive as it would be in person, still managed to be pretty enthralling on a television screen. “As safe as possible” means the patented Townshend windmill strum and Daltrey microphone swing that created rock ’n roll showmanship.

Sure, it would have been cool to see them reach into their instrument-wrecking past and smash a guitar or two, but cut the guys some slack; they’re 65 years old.

Indeed, Roger’s high register is certainly far more limited than it was 40 years ago, but he still

displayed a powerful bellow that most vocalists of any age would kill for. And though Pete’s sweet teno that complemented Daltrey so well has lost some of its earnest yearning, the nearsarcastic maturity it lent his claim that “It’s only PHOTO FROM Internet Source t e e n a g e THE WHO: Vocalist Roger Daltrey (left) and guitarist Pete Townshend performed wasteland” during the Super Bowl half-time show as members of The Who. almost made the line even more percussion attack (there’s a reason the halftime show any more fun potent. The biggest drop-off from why it’s rumored that Moon was for me then dem ’Oo. So cheers, the olden days came from be- the inspiration for the Muppets’ Roger and Pete, and I’ll spare you hind the drum kit; Zak Starkey drummer Animal). the obligatory “Hope I die before I (on loan from Oasis!) can’t hold Still, if we have to make do with get old” wisecrack. a candle to the primal aggression what we have, I don’t think there’s You guys can still rock this fathat characterized Keith Moon’s any group that could have made natic’s world.

16 The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES

February 12, 2010

The anti-war movement: looking back forty years later ‘If we sound like a confused generation, we were.’

BY ALANA BLUM Special to The Hoot

This coming May will mark the 40th anniversary of the nationwide student protest against the Vietnam War, a protest in which Brandeis was declared the National Student Strike Information Center. Brandeis students began receiving call after call as colleges from as far as Texas phoned in to announce that they, too, were going to strike against the war. Classes nationwide came to a halt as students focused their energy on the strike.

Although they entered the political landscape pretty quickly, these student protests against the war didn’t abruptly emerge in 1970.

Rather, smaller incidents took place during previous years, like the sit-ins of 1969 in which Brandeis students held sit-ins in certain buildings to protest a variety of issues, mainly the war.

This may seem like a mere historical story, but to my father, Rick Blum ’71, the events are still vivid in his mind.

Blum clearly remembers how he “saved the day” in one such sit-in that took place in the Bernstein-Marcus Administration building.

In the middle of March of 1969, a group of students was facing immediate disciplinary action for having stayed in the building past 6 p.m. the day before.

Blum, upon hearing that another group would be trying it again, decided to drop in to see how he could help, despite knowing that students would again face punishment at 6 p.m. when staff members would come to collect their student identification cards.

He sat and listened quietly to their dilemma as they said they would all stand behind the students, even though they too would be subject to disciplinary action. As Blum sat in the background, an idea came to him.

“First thing I had to do was establish my radical credentials,” he laughed, “so I stood up and started singing ‘there’s a man going round taking names.’”

Everyone laughed and then Blum restated the problem before continuing, “but it doesn’t sound like it’s said anywhere that you have to give in only your IDs. Why don’t half of us stay here and the other half of us go around to all the dining halls and see how many IDs we can

get.”

Since most of the students who weren’t at the sitin supported the cause, they willingly handed Blum and the others their IDs. When 6 p.m. rolled around, staff members came to the administration building to collect the student IDs, and instead were handed a basket of hundreds of cards.

Blum chuckles at how, a few days later, they all received an envelope in their mailboxes with their IDs in it, and faced no punishment.

The sit-ins of ’69, however, were a tiny preview to what was soon to take place in the Spring of 1970.

The events surrounding the National Student Strike remain clear in the mind of Professor Gordon Fellman (SOC).

In objection to the bombing of Cambodia, a meeting had been held at Yale University for students to discuss the formation of a national student strike against the war. It was there that Brandeis students volunteered to have Brandeis be the headquarters for the strike, and, subsequently, Brandeis became the “National Strike InforPHOTO BY Alana Blum/The Hoot mation Center.”

RICK BLUM: Father of the author, Alana Blum, Rick Blum ’71 stands outside of the Bernstein-Marcus Administration building where he staged a That Sunday night, sit-in in March 1969.

Fellman received a phone call around midnight “Oh, another one?” recalls Fell- Since it was his first night on the Unfortunately, not everything from a student requesting that man with a chuckle. job, he was only meant to stay about the strike can be recountPearlman Hall be used as the The students received a phone for a few hours, but ended up ed with humor. On May 4, 1970, headquarters for the strike, line via the university, which staying half the night as more four students at Kent State Uni“probably because it is a fairly would later rack up quite a bill. and more colleges phoned in. versity were shot dead after the small building, and because Thus began Brandeis’ involveBlum laughs as he remembers National Guard opened fire at they knew the sociology faculty ment in the nationwide student how he would answer the phone the student strikers. wouldn’t object.” strike. Students from colleges and be surprised to hear a voice Subsequently, as colleges The student-caller had re- across the country phoned in with a southern accent. phoned into Brandeis, “The quested they use Fellman’s of- to announce when their schools “Hi, I’m calling from the Uni- Kent four” were added to the list fice, and wanted to receive entry were on strike. versity of Texas, we’re on strike,” of reasons for striking. As of May right away. Not wanting to “shRick Blum was being trained he mimics.

11, 1970, a total of 157 schools lep” out to Brandeis at midnight, on the university switchboard He continued, “At a northern were listed as on an indefinite Fellman called campus police to that night and had the respon- college, we didn’t know that the strike. open his office for the student, to sibility of directing calls to the southern colleges were as radical As a caller from the University which campus police had replied university and connecting them. as we were.”

See STRIKE, p. 17 A DV E R T I S E M E N T

February 12, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

FEATURES

17

Blum reflects on Bernstein-Marcus sit-ins of 1969 STRIKE (from p. 16)

of Pennsylvania explained, it was a “strike against the war—not against the university.” In fact, many of the university’s administration members supported the national strike, and Brandeis cooperated by cancelling final exams and ending the semester early. Blum recalls how they were sent home and told, “Go stop the war.”

“The only thing was, nobody was telling us how to stop the war,” Blum justifies as he jokes about how they all went home and flocked to the beach.

As Blum finishes his story, he pauses and then says, “If we sound like a confused generation, we were. We were born right after World War II and we were raised with a lot of optimism; the great war was over,

future’s wide-open … and then they throw in this extra detail ‘by the way, we’re going to send you all to die in a civil war in Asia.’”

Both Blum and Fellman agree that while the immorality of the war played a large part in the reasoning behind the student protest, there was also a deeper underlying issue: “What the anti-war movement was heavily about, once you peel away some

of the layers, was the draft,” Fellman said.

“I thought the war was immoral, I think any way you could get out of [the draft] was okay,” Feldman said. “I also thought that if you are getting out of it because of the morality of it, you had an obligation to end the war.”

In the end, Fellman said, as strong as the anti-war movement was, it eventually died out and

has not yet been replaced.

“Everybody back then was involved in the war, we talked about it non-stop,” Fellman said.

“Every time you went to a party, a dinner party, any gathering, people always talked about the war, which makes it so eerie now that America is doing equally destructive things in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it’s just not part of the daily conversation.”

STRIKE CARD: One of the strike cards filled in about each university that decided to join the protest. This card is from a University of Vermont caller, but other universities that started strikes include Wellesley, University of Rhode Island, Washington University, University of Pennsylvania, Amherst, Wesleyan, Yale and the University of Texas, among others.

STRIKE NEWSLETTER: The statement announcing the strike, published by the Presodent and the co-chairman of the Student Strike Committee.

18 The Brandeis Hoot

SPORTS

UP COURT: Brandeis guard Andre Roberson ‘10 (No. 1, center), drives up-court against Amherst, during Brandeis’ 71-55 win on Tuesday.

February 12, 2010

PHOTO BY Nafiz R. Ahmed/The Hoot

Men’s basketball goes 2-1 on the week, 1-1 in UAA play

BY HANNAH VICKERS Editor

The 21st-ranked Brandeis men’s basketball team split their University Athletic Association play last weekend on the road before taking down visiting Amherst College Lord Jeffs on Tuesday evening.

The Judges started off their weekend away by taking on the Case Western Reserve University Spartans on Friday night in Cleveland. Brandeis opened the game by taking the lead and holding onto it for the first four and a half minutes of play before Case responded with a three-pointer to grab a one point lead. The two conference teams traded baskets for the next five minutes until, with 9:50 remaining in the first, Case went on an unanswered eight point run to grab a seven-point lead over the visiting Judges.

Brandeis would not be silenced. The Judges fought back to take the lead twice and tie the game once before the Spartans eventually closed out the stanza with a 3529 advantage.

The Spartans continued to play hard in the first part of the second half, climbing to a 12-point lead of 48-36 eight minutes in. Brandeis began to slowly climb back and chipped away at their hosts’ lead and brought themselves within five points thanks to a jumper in the paint by guard Andre Roberson ’10 with 5:11 left on the clock.

The next few minutes were rough as Brandeis continued to claw their way to a

lead, getting within a single point on four separate occasions. Each time the Spartans responded with shots of their own. Guard Tyrone Hughes ’12 sunk two from the line with four seconds on the clock to bring the game to 62-61 Case Western. A Case player was able to make one of his own from the line, though, and made the final score Case 63, Brandeis 61.

Terrell Hollins ’10 led the Judges with his fifth-straight double-double with 13 points and the game-high 12 rebounds. Roberson also put up 13 points and had a game-high six assists. Hughes tacked on 12 points, including making all three three-pointer attempts.

After the disappointment of Friday night Brandeis moved onto Pittsburgh to take on the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans on Sunday afternoon. Both teams started off slowly as no one was able to get on the board for nearly four minutes. The Tartans got first blood and held off the visitors even with three ties in less than two minutes.

The Judges finally took their first lead of the game off a jumper by Christian Yemga ’11 a little more than seven minutes into play. From that point on Brandeis would not allow their hosts to regain the lead.

Carnegie Mellon got within a single point with just over six left to play before the break but Vytas Kriskus ’12 responded with a layup off an assist from Roberson.

Brandeis went into the lockers with a 2922 lead.The Tartans began the second half strongly, going on a 6-0 run in just less than two minutes to bring the game within three points. The Judges kept their cool. Hollins

nailed four foul shots in thirty seconds to bring the game to 37-30.

The teams traded baskets for most of the second half until Brandeis broke things open in the last five minutes. The Judges stunned the Tartans by holding them without a single point for the remainder of the game while they went on an unanswered 15-point run to finish things up with a 6243 win.

With the win the men set their own school record: 76 wins for the senior class.

Roberson, Hollins, Kenny Small, Richard Magee and John Weldon became the winningest set of seniors in school history.

Hollins also recorded his sixth-consecutive double-double with 17 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Small put up 12 points while Kriskus and Hughes tallied 11 and 10 off the bench respectively. Roberson had a game-high seven assists.

After splitting the road trip the Judges hosted Amherst on Tuesday night. The Lord Jeffs scored the first basket of the night, snagging a three-pointer just six seconds into the game. Small responded with one of his own half a minute later to tie things up before Roberson nailed a jumper less than three minutes in to give the Judges their first lead of the game. They would not trail again throughout the contest.

Amid jeers from Brandeis fans telling Amherst to bring out their number one ranked women’s basketball team to “make things fair,” the Judges continued to tack on the points. The Lord Jeffs certainly seemed to be struggling, at one point missing three attempted shots within the paint before

Hollins took the ball down the court to tack on an additional two points for the hosts.

The Judges finished up the first half with a 35-27 lead.

Brandeis opened the second stanza with nine unanswered points in less than three minutes and a 13-2 run in the first four thanks to shifting to a full-court press.

Again, the Lord Jeffs were struggling against the Brandeis defense as the Judges continued their hot streak. With just more than two minutes left to play Amherst missed four straight layup attempts right under the net.

Although the visitors were finally able to tack on four points in the last minute of play, Brandeis held on to grab a 71-55 win.

Hollins continued his double-double streak, now at seven, with 21 points and 11 rebounds after connecting on 10-of-14 from the floor. For his leadership on the court this week Hollins was named one of the UAA Players of the Week. He is now just one assist away from reaching 200 career assists. When he reaches that mark he will be the just the third player in school history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists in his career.

Small put up 16 points in the win while Roberson and Hughes had 11 each. Roberson led the game with three steals and Hughes matched Hollins with five assists.

Brandeis will continue their conference play this weekend when they face off against the Washington University of St. Louis at 8 p.m. on Friday night before facing the University of Chicago at noon on Sunday.

February 12, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

SPORTS

19

Women’s basketball continue their winning streak to four, Chapin sets school records

BY HANNAH VICKERS Editor

The Judges had their most successful University Athletic Association (UAA) road trip of the season last weekend when they took down the Case Western Reserve University Spartans 65-56 on Friday night and the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans 59-50 on Sunday afternoon. With the wins they improved to 13-6 overall and 6-3 in UAA play. They are now ranked third in the UAA. Guard Jessica Chapin ’10 was named the Player of the Week by the New England Women’s Basketball Association, Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England, and UAA and with good reason. Chapin averaged 27 points, 3.5 rebounds, three assists, and 2.5 steals in the games this past weekend. The co-captain also set two school records when she put up an incredible 36 points and

made seven three-pointers in just nine attempts in the game against Carnegie Mellon. She also had her sixth career game with 25 or more points, tying the current school record.

Chapin started out her career weekend with 18 points, five assists, and five rebounds against the Spartans. Guard Diana Cincotta ’11 opened up the game with a three-pointer but Case Western responded with a pair of jump shots to take a 4-3 lead. Morgan Kendrew ’12 answered immediately with another trifecta to give the Judges the advantage, one they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Less than seven minutes into the game Brandeis held an 18-9 lead over their hosts but the Spartans went on a 7-2 run to bring the game within just four points.

With nine minutes remaining before the break Cincotta nailed a three-pointer to set off an unanswered 13-point run, bringing the

game to 33-16. Brandeis continued to dominate most of the play before the break and went into the lockers with a 38-22 lead.

In the second half Brandeis started things off with a Kendrew layup and two foul shots from forward Shannon Hassan ’11 to bring their lead to 19 points. From that point on, though, the Spartans began to fight back, slowly chipping away at the Judges lead. With just over three minutes left to play, the hosts connected on two from the line to make it a single digit game with Brandeis still leading 5849. In the remaining minutes the teams took turns from their lines but the Judges held on to finish things off with a 65-56 victory.

Chapin led the team with 18 points after shooting five of 11 from the floor and six of nine at the line. Cincotta added 13 points while Kendrew put up 12. Forward Amber Strodthoff ’11 led the Judges with seven rebounds.

Brandeis left Cleveland for

Pittsburgh to continue their UAA weekend. The big story of the day was, of course, Chapin. The guard scored the first 11 points for the Judges, including three trifectas, in less than five minutes to give the visitors an 11-8 lead.

The opening stanza was extremely close, with seven ties in all. Both teams traded points and baskets in an effort to get ahead but were always brought back down. It was not until the last minute of the half that Brandeis was finally able to tie the game and take a lead they would hold onto thanks to a jumper by center Kasey Geischen ’10 and two from the line by Chapin. The Judges held a 28-26 lead going into the break. Despite allowing four ties early on in the second half, the Judges always answered back immediately to regain control. Chapin put up the first four points for Brandeis, making it a 32-39 game with 17:38 left to go.

With just over 12 minutes re-

maining in the game, Hassan nailed two freebies to break the final tie. From that point forward, little by little, Brandeis added to their lead. Chapin put up three three-pointers in the second to continue her monster game.

19 of Chapin’s 36 points came in the second half to help edge out the Tartans. In all she accounted for 61 percent of the scoring for the team. Hassan led with six rebounds while Cincotta led the team with three assists.

The Judges are next in action Friday night at 6 p.m. when they take on Washington University of St. Louis to continue their UAA play. They will then face off against the University of Chicago on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Brandeis basketball teams are requesting all fans in attendance at Friday night’s game to wear pink in support of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone promotion, which raises awareness for breast cancer.

Track teams heads into BU Valentine Invitational

BY JON OSTROWSKY Staff

The men’s and women’s track teams each posted several top-three finishes in the mile and shorter running events at the Tufts Invitational last weekend. Both teams will compete in the Valentine’s Day Classic at Boston University this weekend before heading into the post season.

In the Tufts Invitational, Chris Brown ’12 and captain Dan Anastos ’11 placed second and third respectively in the mile.

Brian Foley ’13 placed third in the 200 meter dash and Deven Holgate ’11 won the 1,000 meter run.

In the women’s mile, captain Beth Pisarik ‘10 and Hannah Lindholm ‘11 came in first and second respectively. Anna Sinjour ’10

also contributed by winning the 400 meter dash.

“It went well for everyone to have a relaxing meet where they could just try their hardest,” captain Suzanne Bernier ’10 said.

The meet came towards the end of the regular season with Division III New England Championships, Open New England Championships, UAA Championships, and NCAA Championships coming in the next four weeks.

“Definitely the biggest challenge when preparing for the post season is to not get burnt out or injured,” captain Lucia Capano ‘11 wrote in an email to The Hoot. “When we push ourselves at the end of the season its easy to get carried away and hurt yourself. We definitely wouldn’t want that.”

“Keeping everyone healthy physically and mentally is always a top priority,” Anastos

wrote in an email to The Hoot. “However, if we continue on this path it seems likely that we will transition smoothly into post season competition.”

Both the men’s and the women’s team will face upcoming challenges against top schools like Washington University in St. Louis that have larger teams with more athletes participating in field events.

“We don’t have a lot of depth, but there’s a lot of quality people,” Paul Norton ’11 said.

“With the people we have, we’re doing about the best we can, and I think since we don’t have any hurdlers, we don’t have any people in the field events, it’s pretty much impossible for us to be competitive with a team like Washington University in St. Louis that has 60 guys who are going to be entered in everything,” Norton said.

Bernier also said that one of the chal-

lenges will be “just to have enough depth to make up for where we don’t have people.”

The men’s team who does not have any athletes competing in the hurdles or field events, according to Norton, will look for strong performances from its runners to help put as many athletes as possible on the all UAA team.

Commenting on the team’s goals for the rest of the season, Norton said, “I think that we just have to focus on each person having the best showing they can.”

Bernier said that the women’s team would like to place in top three at the UAA Championships. In the past, the team has often placed third or fourth.

The women’s team will compete today at 1 p.m. at the Boston University Valentine Invitational. The men’s meet begins tomorrow at 9 a.m.

Fencing teams travel to Duke

BY ADAM HUGHES Staff

The Brandeis women’s fencing team managed a 2-2 split in last weekend’s Duke Invitational in Durham, North Carolina, while the men’s team dropped all four of its matches.

The men’s competition, which was held on Saturday, started with a 16-11 loss to the University of North Carolina. The sabre and epee squads lost by identical 5-4 margins, while the foil squad was defeated 6-3. In the second morning contest, the Judges suffered a

heartbreaking 14-13 loss against Air Force. Brandeis foil managed a dominating 8-1 performance, but the epee lost by the same margin, and the saber squad came up one win shy of giving the match to the Judges.

After the lunch break, Brandeis squared off against two ranked opponents, and the team was only able to record 11 more duel victories on the day.

Against Duke, the Judges fell by a score of 21-6, with the best performance courtesy of the sabre squad with a 6-3 loss. The results were even worse against the national number 1, Penn State;

Brandeis lost 22-5, with the low point coming in the foil squad’s 9-0 sweep.

Penn State took home the foil and sabre cups for the competition, while Air Force won the epee. Penn State Air Force, and Duke paced the field in the meet with identical 3-1 records. Meanwhile, the Judges fell to a 7-16 record on the season.

The women’s competition, which was held the next day, had a much more promising start for Brandeis. Buoyed by a 6-3 victory in the sabre and a 5-4 victory in the epee, the Judges took down North Carolina 15-12. The next

match went even better, as the foil squad got their chance to shine with a 7-2 win amidst an 18-9 defeat of Air Force.

Unfortunately, that was the last time the Judges would taste victory for the weekend. The epee squad would record one final weapon victory by a 5-4 margin against Duke, but Brandeis was dragged down by a sweep in the foil, and they fell to the Blue Devils 19-8. The meet closed with the greatest challenge, a match against top-ranked Penn State, and Brandeis was shellacked 8-1 in the foil, 8-1 in the epee, and 9-0 in the sabre for a 25-2 loss.

Penn State was undefeated on the day, beating its opponents by a total score of 86-22 and easily taking home all three weapon cups.

The Brandeis women still hold a very respectable 20-7 record for the year.

Both the men’s and the women’s teams resume action after the February break. On the Feb. 21, they will be at Mount Holyoke in South Hadley, Massachusetts for the New England Championships, and they travel to the Harvard campus in Cambridge three days later for the Beanpot Fencing Tournament.

Student advertisements at a discount, prices start at $15 To learn more, visit http://thebrandeishoot.com/advertise

20 The Brandeis Hoot

HOOT SCOOPS

February 12, 2010

War of the Rose

By Ariel Wittenberg, Editor While the board of trustees was announcing the upcoming academic cuts on Jan. 20, eight fine arts majors were posting signs around campus reminding students of the cut they say was made to their academics one year earlier.

“FYI: The Rose is still FOR SALE,” the signs read.

Last year when the university board of trustees announced the first of its attempts to close the then $80 million budget gap by selling art from The Rose Art Museum, students reacted in one of two ways; they were either outraged that the university would dare touch the “jewel of Brandeis,” or were thankful that the museum, and not academics would be sacrificed.

Now faced with imminent academic cuts, these students say the rest of campus feels what they have felt for more than a year.

“The university is cannibalizing itself,” one said. “A university acts as a storehouse of both knowledge and culture.

They already decided to get rid of the culture, next comes the knowledge. After that, all you have is an empty structure.”

This particular fine arts student is sitting in the atrium of the Shapiro Campus Center with her friend. Above them hangs one of their hand-made banners quoting board of trustee member Meyer Koplow ’72 saying “some of the solution [to the budget gap] will come from realizing value ultimately from some of the art at the Rose [Art Museum].”

While their signs are hanging for all to see, the students, who say they are part of the Students Committee for the Rose Art Museum (SCRAM), speak on the condition of anonymity, afraid of backlash from the university’s administration.

“We are uneasy about being attacked for perceived subversive actions,” one explained.

University Provost Marty Krauss, who was in charge of last year’s since disbanded Committee for the Future of The Rose wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot that these students’ fears are unfounded.

“Consistent with the provisions of Rights and Responsibilities, students have the right to express their opinions. They should not fear any repercussions,” she wrote.

However, these students said SCRAM was the victim of such attacks last semester when Prof. Shulamit Reinharz (SOC) became angry with the students for dispensing buttons that read “Save The Rose” at the museum’s reopening At the reopening, Reinharz attempted to “coerce” those wearing the buttons to take them off, and when her actions were published in both The Hoot and the Justice, a secret meeting was held between Reinharz and the students to discuss what had transpired.

The two fine arts students said the “Shula incident” underscores a key problem within the university whenever budget cuts occur.

“People are too caught up in the image of the university and the pro-Brandeis propaganda,” one said.

“The situation has been framed in a

way that makes it seem like asking valid, thought-provoking questions poses a threat to the university,” the other agreed.

“An effort to save the Rose is an effort to preserve the integrity of our university, not to defame it.”

Part of preserving that integrity, they said, is raising awareness of the state of The Rose Art Museum.

When the two students were asked to describe that state, they responded in unison: “F*cked.”

The sole full-time employee at The Rose is Managing Director Roy Dawes–the rest of the once six member staff quit after last January’s announcement about the sale of the artwork.

Krauss wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot that the university is currently searching for a new museum registrar, collections manager and educational director.

Several candidates for the registrar and collections manager have been interviewed. “We hope to make a decision soon,” Krauss said in her e-mail. She also wrote the search for a new educational director is “in the early stages. A search committee is being formed” to begin the process.

Additionally, the exhibit shown at the museum’s reopening in October will be the only exhibit at the museum for the rest of the academic year. The museum has also stopped lending out art.

Beyond the museum itself, the university is facing a lawsuit filed in July by three museum donors to prevent the sale of art from the museum. The suit will go to trial on Dec. 3, but if the university wins the suit, both Koplow and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Apfel have previously stated that the board of trustees intends to use the art in order to help solve the university’s budget woes.

Additionally, the Massachusetts State Attorney General’s Office started an investigation on any potential sale of artwork from the museum in October.

The attorney general’s office declined to comment on the state of the investigation.

Meryl Rose, a plaintiff in the case against the university, said she was glad to hear about the students’ efforts to raise awareness about the state of The Rose on campus.

“I’m g l a d

they are not fooled by the university saying ‘The Rose is reopened,’” she said.

When the initial announcement about the sale of The Rose’s artwork was made last January, the museum was promptly flocked with hundreds of students wanting to support the museum which culminated in a protest, which recently received the New England Art Award for “Public Exposure.”

Now, as other, more across the board, budget cuts threaten the university, the number of students concerned about the museum has shrunk markedly.

“Society frames it that art isn’t as important as academics,” one of the students said. “So when it comes time to choose, a lot of students say ‘yeah, sell the art.’

But I’m an art student. The art at The Rose is my academics.”

For that reason, the students, though fewer in number, are still working toward “saving The Rose.”

The students hope to soon start a docent program at the museum in which members of the Waltham and Brandeis communities could give and take tours of the museum.

“My hope is that if we continue to raise awareness, other departments would be able to empathize with what we’ve been going through and not attempt to save themselves by sacrificing the art,” one said. “That’s the sort of mentality that started this problem in the first place.”

PHOTOS BY Max Shay/The Hoot