The Brandeis Hoot - August 27, 2010

VOL 7, NO. 11

AUGUST 27, 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

Liberal Arts Posse brought back to Brandeis

BY NATHAN KOSKELLA Editor

The Liberal Arts Posse program, a meritbased group scholarship, has been revived at Brandeis after being on hiatus last year due to funding problems. Ten new Posse students began class yesterday as part of the program, according to a communitywide e-mail sent by university President Jehuda Reinharz.

“The Liberal Arts Posse Program is coming back to the Brandeis campus, reuniting with its fellow program, the ongoing Science Posse Program,” Reinharz wrote.

“This welcome return is due to the generosity of several donors who have stepped forward to reinstate this valuable program, which enriches campus life.”

The Posse program, as part of the nationwide Posse Foundation, “identifie[s], recruit[s] and train[s] public high school students with extraordinary academic

and leadership potential to become Posse Scholars.” These students, drawn from inner-city schools, are accepted to participating universities, like Brandeis, together in a “posse” after exhibiting “leadership, teamwork and communication skills,” according to Reinharz.

The liberal arts division of the program did not accept new students for the class of 2013 last fall because of budgetary constraints, and three arts posses are thus on campus now. The science posse has recurred without interruption since 2008, while the liberal arts classes have been on campus since 1998.

“I am thrilled and excited to have this posse reinstated,” the Dean of Academic Serivces Kim Godsoe said.

As donors and sponsors fund the program, funds were needed to restore the program after a gap year.

“The real credit goes to President Reinharz for bringing this program back to Brandeis,” Godsoe, who personally

oversees the program as Posse Liaison, said. In raising the money and will to be able to educate another group, “he was instrumental.”

As a merit-based scholarship, joining the group of 10 students is “very difficult, a huge honor, and there is a very competitive pool before one can be named a posse scholar,” Godsoe said.

She offered the statistics from a recent New York City group as an example, where about 3,500 scholars were nominated and 10 each were selected by a small number of participating schools. “These excellent students were chosen this fall, and for 2011 will be back on campus,” Godsoe said.

The new group will be from Atlanta, a new development in the program beyond New York that will be a step in the university effort to “expand its reputation” in the South, according to Reinharz’s e-mail, acknowledging the university’s comparatively

WA LT H A M , M A

Frederick Lawrence next president

See POSSE, p. 4

Artists cancel exhibit until art is secure

PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot

PRESIDENTIAL PICK : Lawrence will serve as the next president

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot

ROSE: Artists cancelled their exhibits this summer, afraid that Brandeis will sell their art

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

Three artists whose work was to be showcased in a Rose Art Museum exhibit this semester canceled in July, saying they refuse to show at the Brandeis museum until the university signs a legally binding agreement promising not to sell any of the museum’s art.

Eric Fischl, April Gornik and Bill Viola’s works were originally set to be shown in September as part of the exhibit titled “Atmospheric Conditions.” While the state of the museum’s collection has been du-

THIS WEEK:

bious since January 2009 when the board of trustees announced its intentions to sell art as a means of offsetting the university’s budget crisis, Gornik said in an interview with The Hoot that the artists had been under the impression that the university had since “legally committed to keeping the collection intact.”

“It is a result of my own ignorance of the status of the museum that we agreed to the exhibit,” Gornik said, adding that she had stipulated from the beginning that she would not show her art unless the Rose collection was not for sale. “When it gradually came to light that this is not a resolved issue, pulling out was a no-brainer.”

Before canceling, Gornik, Fischl and Viola asked the university for a legally binding agreement not to sell the art, which the university would not provide.

Currently, the university is being sued by three donors to the museum seeking a court order that the university not sell art.

While the university announced this May that it had tabled the idea of selling the art and was looking toward “no-sale” options such as renting, the suit is in the discovery stage, and the university has made no legal agreement to not sell the art, Brandeis Senior Vice President of Communications See EXHIBIT, p. 1

Chess Insignificant Master others Hoot Highlights, page 7

Arts, Etc., page 9

Frederick Lawrence, dean of George Washington University’s Law School, will replace Jehuda Reinharz as president of Brandeis starting in January, the Brandeis Board of Trustees voted July 8.

The pick of Lawrence as president is the culmination of the seven-month long process which followed Reinharz’s resignation from the post last October.

Lawrence will start as President Jan. 1, but will frequent the campus during the fall semester in order to become acquainted with the university and learn from Reinharz before his departure.

Lawrence, who has been dean of GW’s Law School since 2005, said in an interview with The Hoot that he did not apply for the position but was actually approached by the search committee just a few months ago.

Though this is not the first time Lawrence has been contacted by an undergraduate presidential search committee, Lawrence said he was attracted to Brandeis because it is a “research college” and “of course the social justice mission speaks to me personally and to my professional career.”

Indeed, Lawrence’s resume seems well-suited for a school that prides itself on a commitment to social justice.

Lawrence currently serves on the board of the Anti-Defamation League, and is the author of “Punishing Hate: See PRESIDENT, p. 5

@TheBrandeisHoot.com This week, view The Hoot’s interview with Howard Dean and Dean’s entire address to students.

See NEXT PRESIDENT OF BRANDEIS, p. 3

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

NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

August 27, 2010

Students hopeful about Lawrence presidential appointment

BY ARIEL WITTENBURG Editor

The debate surrounding what to call the newly appointed Brandeis University President Frederick Lawrence has begun. So far, Sahar Massachi ’11 and his friends have four choices: Prez Fred, Freddy Law, F Law, and Florence, or Flo. “Jehuda had a good number of syllables to it,” Massachi said, referring to the university’s current president, Jehuda Reinharz, “We have a few things to figure out with the new guy.”

The pick of Lawrence as president by the university’s board of trustees is the culmination of the sevenmonth long process which followed Reinharz’s resignation from the post last October. Lawrence will assume the post on Jan. 1, and until then, students are left to do little but wonder how his appointment might change things at the university, and, of course, give Lawrence a nickname.

“We don’t know anything about him yet but what the university has told us,” Leah Hartman ’12 said. “I want to do research on him and what sort of work he has done in the past, but it’s difficult to judge until you actually see him as president.”

Amanda Hoffman ’11 agreed, adding she did not know much about how much power a university president has, and therefore was “apathetic to the appointment.”

“I feel like having an opinion requires expertise on both how Brandeis works and about [Lawrence] that I don’t have, so I just have to wait and see,” she said.

Jon Sussman ’11 also said he knew little about Lawrence. “I don’t know what to think about him because I have never heard his name before now,” he said.

“His bio seems like a good fit,” he added, referencing Lawrence’s career as an expert on civil rights law.

“I’m hoping he will find ways to be proactive and reach out to students and set a different tone of transparency, but we won’t know until he gets here.”

As former president of the

Brandeis student union, Andy Hogan ’11 was the sole student on the presidential search committee this spring, which ultimately chose Lawrence. Hogan was the first Brandeis student to meet Lawrence, and said he believes Lawrence will live up to students’ expectations.

“Fred is impressive first on paper and then in person,” he said. “We were impressed with his work in relation to Brandeis’ social justice mission and then, when you meet him, he’s also an extremely nice guy in general.”

Hogan was not the only student to give the board of trustees input on their presidential pick. There was also a student advisory committee to the board which surveyed students about what they would like to see in a new president and relayed the information to the Board.

In the survey, 800 students checked that they would like the incoming President to have an “academic background.” Heddy BenAtar ’11, of the committee, wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot that Lawrence, as Dean of the George Washington University Law School, fits this characteristic.

“Together, the student voice was heard–our voice made the difference,” she wrote.

But Massachi, who was upset about what he called the “secretive presidential selection process”– which only included one student as a non-voting member of the presidential search committee–hopes Lawrence’s open personality translates into open policy as well.

“This university always throws around the words ‘social justice’ without discussing what it really means, but [Lawrence’s] past in social justice gives me hope that we can actually apply that term to the university itself,” he said. “I hope that he takes this great opportunity to rally the Brandeis community together, not just the faculty and staff, but the whole community.”

“He’s still an unknown quantity, so he’s going to have to try a lot of things to include everyone,” Massachi said. And, trying something himself, he added “Hopefully Prez Fred can figure it out.”

MEET THE PREZ: Above are results from the survey given to the student body by the student presidential search advisary committee.

Exhibit from permanent collection to run at Rose EXHIBIT (from p. 1)

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Andrew Gully wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot.

“At one point [the university] sent us a positive sounding quote about The Rose that was printed in The Boston Globe,” Gornik said, “but if the university is sincere, it shouldn’t mind signing a contract.”

Of the artists consequential decision, Gully wrote “we were disappointed that the artists changed their minds and declined to show at the Rose. We thought their works would add a lot to the museum, our students, the entire Brandeis community, and the wider art community.”

Following “Atmospheric Condi-

tions’’ cancelation, a solo exhibit

by James Rosenquist was scheduled to replace it. After a fire at Rosenquist’s studio, however, he was forced to cancel his exhibit as well. “[The fire] completely destroyed his house, office and studio. This backlash includes tax consequences, rebuilding headaches and multiple issues he continues to endure, making it difficult to show anywhere at this time,” Rosenquist’s spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot. “It has nothing to do with the Rose Museum’s internal affairs.”

This fall, the Rose Art Museum will show yet another exhibit from its permanent collection entitled “Water Ways,” which will feature

works that utilize water as form, muse, metaphor and inspiration.

“Water Ways” has been planned since May, and was originally set to show in one of the side galleries while “Atmospheric Conditions” was the main exhibit. It is currently unclear whether “Water Ways” will be expanded into the main galleries due to the changes.

Gornik said she, Fischl and Viola would “love” to show their exhibit at the museum in the future, but only once the legal battle is resolved.

“When Rosenquist agreed to do that exhibit, he said it was important to show support for the museum,” she said, “but the university is making it hard to do so.”

August 27, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

NEWS

3

Mandel Center for the Humanities completed

BY NATHAN KOSKELLA Editor

The new Mandel Center for the Humanities building was completed during the university’s summer break, while the renovation of the former science center space is progressing.

“The [Mandel Center] was completed on schedule this summer, and [the university has] received permission from the City of Waltham to occupy the new building,” according to a joint e-mail from Vice President for Capital Projects Dan Feldman and Mark Collins, in his new expanded role as senior vice president for administration. “Movein took place in the third week of August, as planned,” they wrote.

The project was a fully-recognized gift to the university, principally by Mort and Barbara Mandel, and the related Mandel Foundation. Other gifted funds allowed for the relocation of the Schusterman Foundation for Israel Studies, which will now have a new home in the center. The humanities building will house classes this semester.

“Classes are scheduled to be held this semester in the four new classrooms,” Feldman and Collins wrote.

The dedication ceremony for the new Mandel Center for the Humanities will be held Oct. 26.

Construction to use the remaining space from where science buildings Friedland and Kalman stood has also progressed throughout the summer and is nearing completion.

“The final element of Phase 1 of the Science Complex Renewal Project includes creating a temporary landscape and hardscape on the site where Friedland and Kalman used to stand,” they wrote in the e-mail. “The concepts considered for this included using part of the space for planted areas

and/or using part for outdoor recreation—volleyball courts.”

As was previously reported in The Hoot, a poll was taken on an administration website for whether students would like the space to house either planted gardens, the sand volleyball courts or both.

“The poll made clear that there was strong support for green space … and while there was considerable support for volleyball, too, we also needed to take into account other important requirements and needs articulated by the community,” Feldman and Collins wrote.

These other needs include parking and other mobility concerns that the administration will address with the space. A lack of parking for visitors to the entire science complex, specifically, will need to be dealt with.

“There was a significant shortage of handicap parking and parking for people who may be having a difficult time walking more than a short distance,” Feldman and Collins wrote. “[We will] include an attractive entrance garden adjacent to the stairs, handicap and ‘close-access’ parking, as well as parking reserved for science visitors. Each of these two areas will be clearly marked, and each is framed by additional planted areas.”

The project’s guidelines remain the same as previous updates have noted, including balancing the ad-hoc student vote and the university’s interest in an attractive and conducive campus, but alongside these new realities in terms of money and space.

“The plan for the space in question balances these needs and desires,” the administrators wrote.

Renovation of the Charles River Residence was completed on schedule, however living and dining room furniture was not delivered to the dorms until Tuesday, five days after early arrival students moved in last Friday.

PHOTOS BY Max Shay/The Hoot

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

August 27, 2010

Rose art not for sale, maybe for rent

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

Brandeis’ board of trustees is in discussions with Sotheby’s, the New York art auction house, in order to determine non-sale options that would generate money from The Rose Art Museum’s collection.

While members of the university administration said they did not know what these “non-sale” agreements would look like, university President Jehuda Reinharz said “some sort of leasing the art or lending it for compensation is not off the table.”

Reinharz added that while actual sale of the art has “not been taken off the table,” discussions about selling The Rose’s art have been tabled until all non-sale options have been considered.

“This is not a sale by another name,” Reinharz said. “This is our art and we are not selling our art.”

Reinharz said the idea of a non-sale option has been under consideration since the board of trustees voted in January 2009 to authorize the “sale or other disposition of works from the university’s [art] collection” in order to alleviate what is now an annual $25 million budget shortfall.

Though the university has been considering this option for over a year and while there is no current concrete plan, Rein-

harz said the university chose to make its announcement now because “we are comfortable with Sotheby’s and believe they can find some value.”

“The deal could be anything,” Reinharz said. “We do not have a deal at this point so I cannot tell you how long it will be for, what it is, what the value is that we would get out of it. But we are at the point where we think it is realistic that a deal can be made.”

Reinharz said that a portion of potential revenue from the lending agreement would go to “directly benefit The Rose” but that revenue would also be used for the university as a whole.

The question of who receives revenue from potential art deals hits a question at the heart of the current lawsuit filed against the university by three donors to the museum, who hope to stop the sale of the museum’s art.

In motions pertaining to the suit, which will go to trial Dec. 12 and 13, the university has argued that the museum is part of the university and that any profit to come from its art would also benefit the university at large.

The plaintiffs have argued that the museum’s board of overseers alone can make decisions about the art and that because the museum has its own endowment, any profits that result from art deals would have to be put back into the museum.

The Hoot was given advanced information pertaining to the

board’s new strategy regarding The Rose Wednesday under the condition that the newspaper not release the information until midnight of Friday night, and that it only contact certain members of the Brandeis community. Therefore, The Hoot could not contact any plaintiffs in the suit for comment.

Persons affiliated with The Rose were informed of this change in strategy Thursday.

In a broad interview about museum lending practices, Senior Manager of Media Relations for the American Association of Museums Dewey Blanton said that while most museums lend art to other institutions relatively free of charge, “lending for compensation is not unheard of.”

In fact, collection-sharing arrangements have been practiced by a variety of other museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Louvre and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Dewey said that museums usually lend their pieces for only the charge of shipping and insurance of the pieces, but that in tough economic times lending for compensation “can be a winwin situation for the lender, who gets money, and the borrower, who gets access to new art.”

“It’s not common, but when museums ask for compensation it’s usually a sign of the economic reality rearing it’s ugly head,” he said.

PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot

A ROSE IS A ROSE: Art from the Rose Art Museum may be safe from sale for now as the university considers non-sale options like renting or lending the art out to other organizations

Indecent exposure

BY JON OSTROWSKY Editor

A man in his 20’s was seen “exposing himself” inside a deserted Harlan Chapel, the Protestant Chapel on campus at 6:15 p.m. Thursday, according to a statement from Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan. Callahan asked that all members of the Brandeis community keep in mind their surroundings and “report all suspicious occurrences to the university Police.” No other details were available at press time.

Possee makes a comeback POSSE (from p. 1)

less well known name in parts of the region.

While the science program strongly encourages its students to take up science at Brandeis University and attend a “science boot camp,” the liberal arts group may take anything and often include students taking sciences as well.

“As liaison, I serve as the representative between Posse and Brandeis,” Godsoe said. “Posse scholars really are leaders. The program highlights excellent students, and I believe it ties to the social justice mission at Brandeis: any excelling student can attend.”

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August 27, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

NEWS

Lawrence will move from GW Law to lead Brandeis

In any situation you have to understand all the sides of an issue and communicate. You can’t solve all problems with communication, but you can solve a lot of problems.

Pres. Fred fun facts: A leading civil rights scholar, Lawrence has helped write several Supreme Court amicus curiae briefs, including Virginia v. Black (2003) and been Chair of The National Legal Affairs Committee in the Anti-Defamation League.

In 1996, Lawrence received Boston University’s prestigious Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Lawrences has experience as a lawyer in both the private sector and government, as an assistant U.S. attorney in New York in the 1980s.

however, that he has long been a friend of the outgoing Reinharz and that while he was a professor at Boston University School of Law, he participated in a mock trial with Reinharz.

At the trial, which took place around the Jewish holiday of Purim, Lawrence prosecuted Haman–who, according to Jewish teachings attempted to kill the Jews of Persia in 423 B.C.E.–while Reinharz played the role of Mordechai.

Malcolm Sherman, Chairman of the Brandeis Board of Trustees said Lawrence’s Judaism was “a consideration” at a school that self-identifies as a sectarian university with Jewish roots but “it was not an absolute necessity.

“Certainly [Lawrence’s religion] made him attractive to the Committee and we are happy that he is Jewish, but that was not the only factor,” Sherman said.

More important to the committee was Lawrence’s resume of social justice which, Sherman said, “at Brandeis is not just a cliche but something the university deeply believes in as a core value.”

As a lawyer, Lawrence said he has always admired Justice Louis D. Brandeis, the university’s namesake, even before he was considered for the position.

Indeed, in a more than nineminute long interview on a YouTube talk show from last year, Lawrence quotes Justice Brandeis within the first two minutes.

“Not only did [Brandeis] have a commitment to social change, but he also had a wonderful career on the Supreme Court,” he said. “His rulings are still fresh. His thoughts on free speech, big business, all of that still speaks to us today.”

Referring to July’s confirmation hearings of Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who would fill Justice Brandeis’ seat on the supreme court if confirmed, Lawrence said, “I guess there’s just a lot of Brandeis in the air right now.”

Jean Eddy to leave for RISD The university’s posts of senior vice president for students and enrollment and its dean of admissions, two uppermost positions overseeing student life, are being shaken up with the departure of Senior Vice President Jean Eddy and the upcoming installation of Mark Spencer as the new dean, a job within the SVP’s own division.

Eddy, who joined the Brandeis administration in 2000, is leaving to take up the same position at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, leading one of the nation’s finest fine arts schools in her native state.

On Mark Spencer’s appointment, he will follow a rise from a director in the engineering admissions office at Cornell and an associate at Vassar.

Eddy has been acting admissions head since former Dean Gil Villanueva left to head the program at the University of Richmond, concurrently with her full post atop the entire division. She hired Spencer as one of her last acts of her tenure.

In President Jehuda Reinharz’s campus-wide e-mail concerning the staff shuffle, he wrote that “This summer, Jean [Eddy] … in addition to her regular duties, has done two jobs better than most people can do one.”

Spencer takes over the section that is Admissions on Sept. 1, and the university will look for a leader of the entire division at the end of that month.

By Nathan Koskella, Editor

New meal plan available to returning students

Brandeis Briefs

dent he will be able to adapt to the undergraduate structure.

“The specifics are different.

Bias Crimes Under American For example, at GW Law we Law.” Additionally, earlier didn’t have a large residence in his career Lawrence was life program,” he said. “But named an assistant U.S. attorthe bigger picture of being a ney for the southern district leader and what your leading of New York where he became style is doesn’t change.” chief of the Civil Rights Unit.

LawLawrence also rence said taught civil he would rights law at apply this Boston Unileadership versity School style to any of Law from conflict he 1988 through encoun1996 when ters at he became Brandeis, the school’s including associate dean academic for academic and budget affairs. cuts, the Brandeis likes of Chairman of which the the board of university trustees Malexpericolm Sherman enced just told The Hoot this spring. that Lawrence Frederick Lawrence “In any was recomsituation mended to the you have to committee, understand which was imall the sides pressed with of an issue Lawrence’s and communicate.

You can’t resume. Sherman did not solve all problems with comremember who recommended munication, but you can solve Lawrence to the committee, a lot of problems,” he said. “You saying that most people the won’t get everyone to agree with committee considered were you, but they need to underrecommended and did not stand where you are coming apply, but the search firm from.”

Storbeck/Pimentel did assist One such conflict Lawin the search process. rence may encounter while at Former President of the StuBrandeis is that of The Rose Art dent Union Andy Hogan ’11, Museum.

Though the university who was a non-voting member announced in late May that it on the search committee, said had tabled discussions of art Lawrence was “impressive first sale and will instead concenon paper and then in person.

“We were impressed with his trate on “non-sale options,” the lawsuit filed against the work in relation to Brandeis’ university is set to be tried this social justice mission and then, when you meet him, he’s December.

When asked how he valued also an extremely nice guy in arts in education, Lawrence general,” Hogan said. replied, “I am an amateur Hogan served as the student singer, the arts is part of my voice on the committee and life and has been part of my attended meetings via coneducation,” adding that his ference call after school was daughter has a Master’s of out for the summer. Hogan Fine Arts from University of also said he was flown into Michigan.

Brandeis from his home in Lawrence has no connection San Diego, California when to the university and told The necessary in order to assure a Hoot that he has not visited student voice in the process. the university at all during the Though Lawrence’s adminisselection process.

He did say, trative experience lies solely in graduate school, he is confi-

PRESIDENT (from p. 1)

5

The university is offering a new meal plan for the fall semester with fewer weekly meals but more dining points. The plan will be made available to any student after their first year, according to a campuswide e-mail from the Campus Card Office.

“The 5 Meal Combo plan … will have five meals per week PLUS $1,000 in points per semester. The plan will be valid during the same times and at the same locations as current meal plans. The cost of this plan is $2388.00 per semester,” the e-mail said.

The price of the new meal plan is more than $180 cheaper than the popular 10 meal plan, the closest in terms of having weekly meals and points (with the latter having $525).

Students can change to the new or any other meal plan until Friday, Sept. 3.

The Campus Card Office did not respond to an e-mail from The Hoot requesting further comment.

In other dining news, the Einstein’s Café now has an express checkout line for items not prepared on the site. Other than coffee or bagels, grocery items can be directed to the new line.

By Nathan Koskella, Editor

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HOOT HIGHLIGHTS

August 27, 2010

eight pounds due to the stress of competition and 12 hours of chess every day, he says that he thought about retiring.

Fresh off a July victory in the U.S. Junior “I worked myself way too hard. But I Championships, Sam Shankland ’14 has mean, OK there’s still nothing compared to decided to choose a different course. the feeling of success I had at the end.”

After traveling the world as a teenager to After two months of spending no time compete in chess tournaments, Shankland on chess senior year of high school, Shankis looking forward to living a normal col- land decided to take a year off from school lege life. to play chess professionally.

Following high school, Shankland spent In addition to playing and studying chess a year as a chess professional, competing on the computer, a typical week for Shankin tournaments, giving lessons and writing land during his gap year included 20 hours about chess, all of which enabled him to of teaching per week and daily physical earn a living and manage his own finances. workouts to stay in shape.

“I’ve just been at Brandeis for a few days At the highest levels, however, “at some now, and I can already tell it’s going to be a point it’s very hard to figure out how to better life,” Shankland said. improve your game,” Shankland said, exAs an 11-year-old, Shankland says he plaining that the improvements after you entered the competitive chess world far become a “98 percent perfect player” are later than most other players. According so small, that any mistake can ruin a game. to Shankland, nearly all of the best players Shankland explained the “politics” of in the world have been playing chess since chess have bothered him during his career. age three or four.

He is not a grandmaster because of “techA native of California, Shankland, who nicalities” he called “ludicrous.” is an international master, tied for fourth “I’m definitely glad I’ve gone as far as I place in the K-6th grade state champion- have. I’m not sure I would do it again,” he ship, but quickly claimed prestigious victo- said. ries, including the U.S. Junior ChampionIn order to become a grandmaster, a ships. He says his biggest accomplishment player must earn a rating of 2500 and three was tying for first place in the under-18 “norms.” world championship in Vietnam in OctoShankland’s rating is currently 2513 and ber 2008. he has four norms, but one of his norms Shankland attributes his unprecedented was not accepted by FIDE because an opimprovement to what he believes is “the ponent he played, who recently defected sharpest rating curve in American [chess] from Cuba, was rejected by Cuba’s federahistory, meaning I learned the fastest, I im- tion and also not considered an American. proved the fastest, I think of any American As a result, his game against her was not of all time.” counted and he While most did not receive players improve I worked myself way too hard. the norm. Antheir FIDE norm was But I mean, okay, there’s still other (World Chess not counted due Federation) rat- nothing compared to the feel- to technicaliing by about 60ties in a “semi70 points aper- ing of success I had at the end. acceptable way,” year, according he said. to Shankland, he - Sam Shankland ’14 After his apdid that in just peal letter was one month. rejected by Although FIDE, ShankShankland admitted he does not know for land said that considering those politics, certain how his improvement compares to he was “getting increasingly sick of being all other players, he said it was a quicker discriminated against for being an Ameriimprovement rate than many of the best in can, for being male.” history, including Bobby Fisher.

“It was just driving me nuts, and I wasn’t Shankland described a streak of 21 tour- very happy.” naments from August 2007 to October Although Shankland said he “may come 2008 as “the single best year any American back to chess some day,” this year he will ever had.” play in the U.S. Chess League as the top As part of that learning curve, Shank- player on the New England Team. land has learned how to deal with losing in As he finishes his first week here at a much different manner than most other Brandeis, Shankland said that he values the players. broadening experiences chess has taught “If you lost, there is a legitimate reason him. you lost,” Shankland said.

“Chess has also sort of made me learn to “I learned quickly how to analyze my fight adversity a little bit better.” As a child own losses and try to correct my mistakes and even during the beginning of high rather than sort of being in denial.” school, Shankland said he was “ruthlessly But beyond the glory of being a chess made fun of.” champion, Shankland said that there is much “It definitely taught me to keep on fightof his old lifestyle that he will not miss. After ing even if other people are making fun of the under-18 world championships in Viet- you or whatever. Just believe in myself.” nam, a tournament in which Shankland lost Given all his accomplishments, Shank-

The Brandeis Hoot 7

BY JON OSTROWSKY Editor

PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot

CHESS MASTER: Sam Shankland ’14 comes to Brandeis after taking a year off to play chess professionally. A California native, Shankland won 21 chess tournaments in a row in 2007 and 2008, something he described as “the single best year any American ever had.”

land admitted “I have a lot to learn about modesty. I’m not as modest as I’d like to be.

It’s one of my big problems in life I guess or one of the problems with my character.”

He explained that it is hard not to tell people about his career if chess comes up in a conversation.

The world of competitive chess and college life may not have much in common but that doesn’t seem to bother Shankland.

He hopes that people will realize chess players are “just completely normal people who happen to be really good at this game.”

8 The Brandeis Hoot

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

Ariel Wittenberg Editor in Chief Nathan Koskella News Editor Jon Ostrowsky News Editor Bret Matthew Impressions Editor Kara Karter Sports Editor Kayla Dos Santos Arts, Etc. Editor Jodi Elkin Layout Editor Leah Lefkowitz Layout Editor Max Shay Photography Editor Vanessa Kerr Business Editor Savannah Pearlman Copy Editor Yael Katzwer Deputy Copy Editor Associate Editors Alex Schneider, Destiny D. Aquino

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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.

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

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EDITORIAL

U

August 27, 2010

Religion not required

pon appointing Frederick Lawrence the next Brandeis president, Malcom Sherman, chairman of the board of trustees, told The Hoot that Lawrence’s Judaism was “a consideration.”

“Certainly [Lawrence’s religion] made him attractive to the committee and we are happy that he is Jewish,” Sherman said.

It is no surprise to any member of the Brandeis community that religion played a part in the board’s choice of a new president. Since it’s inception in 1948, Brandeis has been in an identity crisis, struggling to realize itself as a secular university with Jewish roots.

While this editorial board recognizes that religion was not the only factor in choosing Lawrence, we have to question whether religion should be a factor at all.

The most prolific and reasonable argument for having a Jewish president is to aid in fundraising for the university. We are in tough economic times and, we have been told on countless occasions, that many donors donate to Brandeis precisely because of the university’s Jewish roots, and that a Jewish president can more aptly connect with donors and solicit gifts.

But a presidential pick should be chosen for his or her resume, personality, ability to connect with students and commitment to social justice. We are confident that any candidate who lives up to Brandeis’ standards in these areas would be a good fit, regardless of religion.

Brandeis’ Jewish roots are not something we would change. We embrace our history. But Brandeis was also founded on pluralism. Re-

quiring the Brandeis President to be Jewish because our university was founded on Jewish values would be akin to requiring the American president to be Protestant because our nation was founded in the Protestant work-ethic.

Just as John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, was able to lead the nation, we are confident that any non-Jewish president could lead the university and connect with donors, even if they happen to be Jewish.

We have nothing against the choice of Lawrence as president, and we look forward to seeing what he can bring to campus.

We do, however, object to having a candidate’s faith be subject to scrutiny.

When it comes to picking a president, celebrating Rosh Hashannah shouldn’t be required on the resume.

ARTS, etc.

August 27, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot 9

McCauley on ‘Insignificant Others’

BY KAYLA DOS SANTOS Editor

Professor Stephen McCauley’s new novel “Insignificant Others,” released by Simon and Schuster over the summer, is a darkly witty and funny tale of a man who attempts to uncover what and who will make him happy.

The novel’s main character, Richard Rossi, specializes in hearing other people’s problems. As a human resources representative at Connectrix, a quirky software company that capitalizes on the fact that no one is quite sure what it does, he listens to his co-workers’ petty dramas. When he isn’t at work, he’s exercising at an exclusive gym where he listens avidly to his trainer talk about his soap operatic love affair.

Richard is able to provide a sympathetic ear because these people are on his periphery, what he terms as “insignificant others.” Yet, when he confuses the personal with the professional at his job and his affair with a married man complicates his long-term relationship, Richard must, for once, take a closer look at his own problems and decide what matters most to him McCauley is the author of several novels, his last effort, “Alternatives to Sex,” was published in 2004 and received positive reviews.

McCauley answered several questions for The Brandeis Hoot via email.

The Brandeis Hoot How do you balance the roles of being a Brandeis professor and a writer? Is it difficult to find time to write?

How does teaching affect your writing and vice versa?

Stephen McCauley: I’m not especially adept at multi-tasking, so I have to divide my time carefully. Last fall, I had a large

writing project to finish and was teaching two classes and working with three thesis students. I devoted four days each week to teaching. At the end of the fourth day, I’d lock my school papers in the trunk of my car. I spent the next three days writing. At the end of the third day, I’d lock my laptop and notebooks in the trunk of my car. And so on. The system doesn’t leave much time for a social life. Probably a good thing in my case since I have social anxiety.

BH: How would you describe your writing process?

SM: I write everything in notebooks, usually illegibly. When I transfer it to the computer, I rarely look closely at what I’ve written. Most of it I can’t read anyway. Then I go through many drafts in the computer. I try to make the prose sound as conversational as possible, which turns out to take a long time. Also, when you write in a mode that’s intended to be comic, the timing of the sentences is important, and choosing the right words is sometimes a process of elimination.

BH: Your books have short, titled chapters—does that reflect your writing process? Do you write in chronological order, or skip around?

SM: I like to digress in my novels—give background information on the characters’ lives or comment on their behavior or some political trend. I began breaking up scenes into short sections so the digressions would have their own life and equal weight rather than coming off as parenthetical interruptions. At the same time, it’s important to me that the novel appear as a running narrative and rather than having numbered chapters.

I break up the book into sections late in the process, not while I’m writing the first few drafts. Usually I write chronologically,

but in the most recent novel I did so much rewriting, I probably ended up skipping around a lot.

BH: “Insignificant Others” and a few of your other works take place in the Boston or Cambridge area. What is it about that area that inspires you? How do you think it influences your stories?

SM: Boston’s a city full of c ont r a d i c tions—p olitically liberal, but socially and culturally conser vative; filled with students from all over the world, yet very traditional. There’s always a lot of conflict and comedy to be found in contradictory attitudes and behavior.

about that time period that interests you?

SM: I wanted to set the book at that moment in the second Bush term when people were still doing well but had a sense that

BH: Why does the book take place during the Bush administration? What is it

See MCCAULEY p. 12

PHOTO FROM Internet Source

‘ArchAndroid’ features new talent:

Janelle Monae

BY ADAM HUGHES Staff

Janelle Monae’s debut full-length album “The ArchAndroid” begins with the sounds of an orchestra tuning its instruments in a concert hall, an audacious promise of a work epic in scope. Monae isn’t just teasing us with symphonic pretenses; the opening track is an actual orchestral overture, recalling the bombastic soundtracks of 1960s science fiction films. The first actual song, “Dance or Die,” is a tough, funky hip-hop number, something that wouldn’t sound out of place on an album by Monae’s mentors OutKast. From there, she shifts gears to the paranoid funk-pop of “Faster,” then to the bubbly but twisted love song “Locked Inside,”complete with a Santana-esque guitar solo. Throughout the entire album, the listener stays on his toes, through a smorgasbord of genre mash-ups that would become overwhelming if they weren’t unified

by Monae’s electric rhythms and impeccable pop sensibilities.

At only 24-years-old, Monae is a relative newcomer, but she’s already built up an impressive resumé. She delivered blazing performances on two songs from OutKast’s 2006 effort “Idlewild,” and her 2007 EP “Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase)” garnered strong reviews and a Grammy nomination for the single “Many Moons.” “The Arch-

Android” picks up where “Metropolis” left off, providing the next two installments of a four-suite series telling the story of a messianic robot in a dystopian future society.

What makes “The ArchAndroid” particularly effective is the marriage of consis-

tent sci-fi sounds a n d themes with a b r o a d stylistic range. The a l b u m m o v e s from lush d r e a m pop (“Sir Greend o w n” ) to wailing soul (“Oh, Ma ke r” ) , f r o m goofy bubblegum ( “ Wo n d a l a n d” ) to psychedelic space rock PHOTO FROM Internet Source (“57821”).

Monae has one of the most dynamic voices I’ve ever heard; she’s comfortable with pulsating alto rap, throaty vocal attacks, or beautiful balladeering. The eight-minute long “BabopbyeYa” begins with an Ella Fitzgerald-esque jazz crooning section, one

of the highlights of the album.

Monae also brings some friends into the studio, yielding several successful collaborations. Big Boi, one of the best MCs in the business, joins her on the lead-off single “Tightrope” to deliver a thumping rap amidst an energetic funk song. “Make the Bus” is effectively an of Montreal song; the band performs on it, and Kevin Barnes wrote it and takes lead vocals. It bears all the hallmarks of recent of Montreal releases—electronic, danceable, androgynous vocals, and catchy if you can get over Barnes’ tendency towards overcomplexity.

“The ArchAndroid” isn’t a perfect album, and considering its length and ambition and Monae’s inexperience, there are several predictable clunkers. “Neon Gumbo” is a sound collage featuring backtracked vocals that would’ve sounded dated in the ’70s, and “Say You’ll Go,” the second-longest song on the album, never really does anything interesting. The fact remains, however, that Janelle Monae is the most exciting and visionary talent to emerge in quite a while, and “The ArchAndroid” has got to be the front-runner for the best album of the year. Monae is bringing her live show to Boston on Sept. 16, opening up for of Montreal at the House of Blues. Go see her now, because I’m sure this is the last chance you’ll get to see her as anything other than a headliner.

10 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

Happily unmarried

BY DESTINY AQUINO Editor

Unless you’re a serial dater or got married to your high school sweetheart, there comes a time in everyone’s life when they’re going to feel like the only single person in a world full of irritating happy couples whom you wish you could smack. Everywhere you turn people have paired off, and it feels like they’re heading for the ark of salvation while you’re drowning in the monsoon that is single life.

This experience has come particularly early for me. At 20, I’m one of about two dozen cousins between the ages of 18 and 30. At family events, like weddings, we would all sit at what we would call the cousins’ table. It was a fun time to bond, it made the wedding into the celebration it’s supposed to be rather than the excruciatingly awkward thing I recently attended.

My closest cousin got married in April. I was one of her bridesmaids, and everything was lovely untill the reception started and I found my seat. What used to be the cousins table no longer existed.

Everyone had gotten married or entered a serious relationship and now there were several family tables with everyone paired off. I was alone at a full table that felt very empty.

I looked around at all the good-looking guys in there 20s in their various expensive suits sitting around the table and had a small panic attack at the realization that I was on my own miniature version of “The Bachelorette,” except all the guys were wearing yarmulkes.

Thankfully the table was coincidentally placed directly next to the open bar.

Even my younger cousin had abandoned me for a date. How could this happen? I asked myself.

It felt as if everyone’s eyes were on this table, on me. While the liquid courage station was aiding me through the introductions with every young man at the table and the countless repeating of the same questions from every extended family member, “So how’s Brandeis … have you met any nice boys?” “What’s your major?” I would respond, “Brandeis is great, no I haven’t met anyone and Journalism.”

The shock on everyone’s faces was, to say the least, priceless.

While it amused me, it also sent me into a whirlwind of emotions.

I know they only ask because they care. They want the best for me, but that doesn’t make me any less angry with them for judging me. My family is very religious and while I love them and wish I could please them, I never have. They’re all under the assumption that I came to Brandeis to, yes, get an education, but firstly meet a nice boy and get married.

So the conversation would end with them saying, “Journalism, that’s tough, are your sure you want to do that? That’s not a good career for a nice girl like you. How are you going to have a family?” This is where I would sip my drink and say, “I’ll take that into consideration,” and then I would ask one of the boys at the table to dance with me. Which would also cause major shock to whoever was trying to inform me of my wrongdoing in choice of life path.

Not only do nice girls not dance with boys that they’re not in a relationship with, especially at religious weddings, but they sure as heck don’t ask the boy to dance themselves.

As the evening was dying down, I sat on the stage and one of the nicer boys that had been sitting at the table sat down next to me and said, “Just tell them you have a boy you’re interested in and you’re going to be a writer, that sounds better.” I looked up shocked and said “Why? Why should I do that?” He said, “It’ll just make your life easier.”

I went back to my seat at the table, saw more family as they stood in line at the bar and went through the same old routine with them, refusing to make it easier. Yet, now I realized that yes, this is irritating, and yes, I sometimes wish I had someone that made me and my family happy, life doesn’t always follow a path and when you try to force it too you’re just settling.

My married cousins have all gotten married before 25 and they’re all reasonably happy, so it seems, but I’m not OK with reasonably happy or with doing something just because it’s expected of me. So I take the path less traveled by, so I given a hard time at family occasions. At least I take my path; at least I take control of my life.

They’re all under the assumption that I came to Brandeis to, yes, get an education, but firstly meet a nice boy and get married.

August 27, 2010

‘Part of your world’

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

It’s amazing the difference six months can make. I was born into a mermaid-less world on May 10, 1989. My parents named me Ariel, in part, because the name was unique.

They thought with a name like Ariel, I was automatically one of a kind.

And I was, until six months later when another Ariel made her debut on Nov. 17, this time on the silver screen. Now, with a name like Ariel, I am automatically assumed to be a mermaid.

On any given day, I am likely to be asked if my best friend is a fish, if I date boys named Eric and if I comb my hair with a fork.

You would think my brown hair and lack of fins would be enough for the general population to distinguish between me and the Disney princess, but apparently not.

I was first introduced to the harsh reality of my name at the age of three when, despite my being dressed as Trini, the Yellow Power Ranger, the Green Ranger confused me for Ariel at a birthday party. How he could have seen my red hair, purple shell bra and tail through the full-body suit is beyond me, but it was far from the first incident of its kind.

In third grade, my teacher would confuse me with my best friend because she had long red hair. In sixth grade, my music teacher made me audition for the solo to “Part of Your World” just for kicks even though it was a soprano part and I was an alto.

In 12th grade, my science teach-

GRAPHIC BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot

er was surprised I opted to take anatomy instead of marine biology, assuming I was infatuated with life “under the sea.”

I often wonder if girls named Jasmine or Mulan share my problem. If upon hearing their names people try to fit them into the two-dimensional images of their respective Disney princesses.

My roommate Madeline is often asked if she read the Madeline books as a child, but she has never been asked if she grew up in an old house in Paris all covered in vines.

I, on the other hand, have been asked if I was named after a mermaid.

It might seem strange, my arch-nemesis being a doe-eyed cartoon character teaching children that a voice is a powerful thing, but this is personal.

The mermaid pronounces our name Aerial, but I am Ariel.

That her pronunciation of our name is not phonetic escapes people as they read my name aloud, opting instead to follow

the broken record of King Triton playing in their head. Even when I introduce myself and say my name first, they assume I am the mistaken one, as if somehow the Disney imagineers’ choice for one mermaid should apply to us all.

And because Ariel is such a rare name, their decisions do. Often when I meet people, the only Ariel they know is the mermaid, so the association comes easy.

It’s like having an older sibling who got to high school first—the teachers expect you to follow in her fin-prints.

The fact is, I love my name. My mom tells me she chose it because it is both strong and beautiful.

In hebrew, it means “lioness of God”—a far-cry from the shellbra-wearing, love-sick adolescent the film portrays.

Had my mother known of the soon-to-come association, she might have chosen to name me something more generic and less risky, like Sarah or Allison.

Then again, it could be worse.

At least she didn’t name me Ursula.

Like watching movies? Reading books? Attending plays? Join the Arts section! http:// thebrandeishoot. com/

August 27, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC.

11

The play’s the thing

Brandeis community leaves mark on Boston theater scene

BY KAYLA DOS SANTOS Editor

The night is cool and dry; there will be a show tonight. Families, couples and groups of friends sit in haphazard clusters on the spongy grass of the Boston Common. A three-year-old reaches into a wicker basket for a packet of crackers as his mother slides on a pair of glasses and straightens the folds of their blanket. All have come to experience a slice of the Boston theater scene, Shakespeare On the Common’s “Othello.”

Members of the Brandeis community have helped both behind and on-stage to make the show a possibility. In fact, many Brandeis faculty, students and alumni have participated in Boston’s emerging theater scene doing technical and artistic work, acting, directing and starting their own theater companies.

Shakespeare on the Common starred

Assistant Professor of Theater Arts Adrianne Krstanky as Emilia and alumna Marianna Bassham ’02 as Desdemona. Krstanksy described how “Othello” allowed a diverse range of people to come into contact with Boston’s thriving theater culture in an interview with The Hoot.

“Audience members would talk back to characters onstage, we were acting with helicopters flying overhead, sirens in the background, etc ... people could eat, drink, get up, walk around, talk during the perform a n c e ,” PHOTO COURTESY OF Allegra Pincus COLAB THEATER A small theater company founded by two Brandeis alumni Erika she said.

Geller and Kenny Fuentes contribute to Boston’s vibrant theater scene.

“I think the event is alive in a theatrical sense and duction companies, CoLab Theatre, was cluding “Growing up,” an ensemble piece getting people to see theater set up by Brandeis alumni Kenny Fuentes in which the actors were involved with the who never do so otherwise.” ’08 and Erika Geller ’09 and Boston local scriptwriting and directing of the play. KaIn recent years, the size and Mary-Liz Murray during the summer of gen starred in “Growing up” directed by variety of Boston theater pro- 2009. CoLab joined the ranks of Boston’s Geller and the more traditional “The Real ductions has grown and the numerous small theater companies that Family” directed by Fuentes. “Kenny has theater culture has developed a were also founded in recent past years such done a great job of working with us and character that is unique to the as Holland Productions and 11:11. Brandeis guiding rather than dictating where the city. Krstansky explained, “The alumna Sierra Kagen ’09 starred in CoLab’s piece needed to go. But in the end, when we Boston theater scene is in the first show “Play” which premiered Tuesday perform our scenes, it still feels like somemidst of a huge expansion and night. “I’m just beginning to scratch the one else’s work. It’s still the author’s play, on the cusp of coming into its surface of this subgroup, and I’m finding a and the men and women merely players. own identity. For years iftfeels vivaciousness and passion for the art that Erika’s piece is so much our own, that it’s as if Boston considered itself can only be described as refreshing” Kagen hard to feel any real sense of ownership in in second place to New York said. the scenes.”

City, but what is happening CoLab’s motto is “We focus on the how, The Brandeis community has established now is more and more smaller not the what. The process, not the product.” a reputation for itself in the Boston theater and midsize companies are not Fuentes, the Founding Artistic Director scene. Both Krstansky and Fuentes believe only achieving a higher profile explained that he wanted to start an “actor- that it is a positive one. “We’re creative, exin the community but really centric” company, one where the “director tremely agreeable to experiments and on honing in on their own place should inspire creativity instead of impose board to put in work and believe in what in Boston.” vision.” we’re doing.”

One of these budding pro“Play” featured experimental plays in-

PHOTO COURTESY OF Allegra Pincus

‘PLAY’ING AROUND: Brandeis members and Boston locals put on a night of experimental theater Aug 24. Tony Rios ‘11 as Julius (Left, Above) and Gideon Bautista as Morrie (Right, Above) perform in CoLab’s ‘Dearly Beloved.’ Jonny Hendrickson as Father (Left) and Sierra Kagan ‘09 as Mother (Right) star in ‘The Real Family.’ In ‘Growing up’ the actors took part in writing the script, creating an ensemble piece.

12 ARTS, ETC.

Discovering ‘Significant Others’

The Brandeis Hoot

August 27, 2010

Summer writing: Brandeis professors pick up their pens

MCCAULEY (from p. 9)

something big and frightening was about to happen economically. I saw the political situation as background music helping to create the atmosphere the characters live in. And perhaps influencing their decisions and expectations more than they realize.

BH: It seems like the main character in your book has difficulty discerning what’s important to him (his job, his lover, his friend, his insignificant other). Do you think this is a common problem that Americans face?

SM: Like the main character in my novel, we all assign the role of “minor character” or “bit player” or “insignificant other” to certain people and pursuits in our lives—friends, lovers, jobs, pastimes. It often turns out that we’ve miscalculated and that the minor characters are in fact central to our lives. That discovery is what drives the climax of the novel.

McCauley isn’t the only Brandeis professor whose book was released this summer. Take a look at these new works.

Professor Michael T. Gilmore interprets nineteenth century American literature in a radical and new way. He claims that the issues of race and slavery at that time limited the language of authors. Gilmore closely examines texts from that time period along with providing readers with historical context.

BH: What projects are you working on currently or plan for the future?

SM: I’m working on a new novel, on adapting a story I wrote for the stage, and also a series of commercial novels that are being published under an assumed name.

Professor Caren Irr’s work focuses on more recent American literature. “Pink Pirates” shows how copyright law has made it difficult for female authors to declare ownership. Her text deals with authors such as Ursula Le Guin, Leslie Marmon Silko and many others.

PHOTOS FROM Internet Source

Arts Recommends What were your songs of summer? This summer, we couldn’t stop listening to this Big Boi’s album.

Big Boi has been a busy man this summer. In addition to his appearance on “The ArchAndroid,” he dropped a solo album that’s also in the running for best of the year. “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” proves yet again that Big Boi is the master of Southern hip hop, evolving his dirty funk sound through layers of dense production. Highlights include the synthdriven “Daddy Fat Sax,” the blippy electro-pop single “Shutterbug” and the ridiculously catchy album closer “Back Up Plan.” The best moment, however, comes courtesy of “General Patton,” which utilizes a choral sample from a Verdi opera to create the most grandiose track in hip hop history. “Sir Lucious Left Foot” is an aural treat, highly recommended for both the casual fan and the OutKast diehard .-AH

PHOTOS FROM Internet Source

IMPRESSIONS

August 27, 2010

Borde-nough

The Brandeis Hoot 13

Rolling the ’Deis on grades shouldn’t be encouraged

BY CHRIS BORDELON Columnist

This semester, unless Brandeis or state officials intervene, a new company, Ultrinsic Motivator, Inc., will begin to turn this school (along with a few dozen of its peers) into a demonstration of the basis for laws restricting gambling.

But if the world might benefit from such a demonstration, the reputations of Brandeis and other major universities would be badly harmed. By establishing a link between cash payments and students’ letter grades, Ultrinsic and its competitors threaten to create both real impropriety and an appearance of it that are beneath the dignity of higher education.

Ultrinsic, which markets its services through the website ultrinsic.com, provides undergraduates with ways to bet money on the grades they’ll receive. A student must first register with the company, providing Ultrinsic with information about his or her academic history and current class schedule. That gives Ultrinsic the data it uses to calculate the odds of a student achieving a particular grade or set of grades.

Students then choose one of two ways in which to risk their money. One possibility is Ultrinsic’s “Rewards” program. Students may bet on either a course grade or a semester grade.

A gambler who makes the grades wins a sum specified at the time of the wager. Ultrinsic makes money when students don’t make the grades they bet on.

Wager options available through the “Rewards” program are characterized as “incentives.”

For less motivated, less capable or incredibly foolhardy students, Ultrinsic offers “Grade Insur-

The Self Shelf

ance.” Purchasers bet that they will get a poor grade or set of grades. Ultrinsic pays a specified sum if the insured’s grades are bad enough; it makes money if the insured scores well.

Ultrinsic began operations last year at New York University and the University of Pennsylvania.

This year, it plans to operate at 34 new schools, including Brandeis.

The institutions at which the company will market its services include most of the best schools in the country. That’s by design.

Ultrinsic relies on these schools’ statistically confirmed reputation for maintaining a meaningful distribution of grades. They aren’t schools where everybody gets an A. Students at Ultrinsic’s target schools are used to competing for high grades and running the risk of failure. This competition, which doesn’t exist at all American colleges, gives Ultrinsic’s bookmakers something to work with.

Legal issues surrounding Ultrinsic’s activities have the potential to seriously limit the scope of its business. With respect to both gambling and the sale of insurance, what’s legal varies from state to state. Ultrinsic will likely be challenged by state attorneys general and gaming or insurance regulators.

But for Brandeis and other schools, what matters is not whether Ultrinsic is legal, but whether it is a desirable thing to have on campus. It isn’t.

The company’s effort to portray itself as a purveyor of “incentives” and “motivation” for undergraduates is self-serving and misleading. If that were Ultrinsic’s aim, it would not offer “grade insurance,” which rewards failure.

Moreover, if financial incentives

GRAPHIC BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot

encourage better student performance, then the massive burden of paying for college, whether borne by a student or imposed on his or her family, would surely count for much more than a bet in the tens or hundreds of dollars of the sort that Ultrinsic contemplates. The same could be said of the weak job market, or the trend toward outsourcing the whitecollar jobs that graduates covet to low-wage American contractors and foreigners.

But even if Ultrinsic motivates some students to do better, it is incompatible with the maintenance of high academic standards at schools like Brandeis.

Unlike students’ existing financial inducements to hard work,

with Ultrinsic, the specific grade awarded to a student determines whether money changes hands.

A school’s whole system for evaluating student work will then be compromised by the appearance of impropriety.

Students at prestigious schools may often disagree with an awarded grade, but they generally have no basis on which to conclude that grades were awarded unfairly. Ultrinsic will change that.

Few professors or teaching assistants will stoop to the level of accepting students’ kickbacks for grades that will ensure a payout from Ultrinsic. But Ultrinsic places more leverage in the hands of bribe-givers, creating a greater opportunity for wrongdoing.

The appearance of impropriety thus created will be compounded immeasurably if even one venal student bettor pays an impecunious grader and receives a mark unfairly.

If just one grade is revealed to have been sold in this way, a school’s whole grading system will be compromised. The ones who get caught will seem to be just that—merely the ones who got caught, the tip of the iceberg.

Ultrinsic’s money increases the likelihood of such a scandal.

Brandeis and its peers shouldn’t allow Ultrinsic to jeopardize their reputations.

Grade-gambling companies’ books are perhaps the only kind that shouldn’t be welcome at a university.

Friendly advice to fresh first-years

BY ALEX SELF Columnist

GRAPHIC BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot

As I sit in my castle cell and gaze out the window at a true New England summer (pouring rain and a howling wind off the ocean), it hits me: My days as a wide-eyed first-year are over.

And it was quite a different story when I first came to Brandeis one year ago.

For it was one summer ago that I was scrambling to move everything into my room, pick up my WhoCard, and figure out exactly what I was doing. During my first night at Brandeis, I discovered exactly how difficult it was to accommodate two separate sleep schedules in the same room and just how valuable air conditioning was. From there, I found myself engulfed in a whirlwind of cookouts and icebreakers as I slowly accustomed myself to college life.

Yet I had my share of problems.

At first, I was trying to meet

anyone and everyone–trying to figure out where my friends were in the crowd. The main fault I found with orientation was that, with the deluge of icebreakers, one would meet someone one night, and then they would be gone once the event was over. For example, at an ice cream social, I hung out with a group of people and by the time I had learned their names, the social was over, and I would never see them again.

Perhaps that was more of my fault than anything else, but either way, my first few days at Brandeis were fraught with fear and self-doubt. Fortunately, however, my floor was a collection of the friendliest people I have ever met. I found that by simply leaving my door open, I had made a number of friends who lived only a few feet from me. My fears of finding myself isolated in my new surroundings slowly subsided.

If I could only give one piece of advice to the incoming first-

years, it would be to leave your door open both literally and figuratively. Make no mistake, your friends are here. It is just a matter of finding them. Openness is the best possible strategy.

Meanwhile, I signed up for about ten clubs. I had no comprehension of the disastrous time commitments I was getting into nor did I realize that I would only stay with half of the clubs I joined.

My overpowering urge to get involved in activities at Brandeis unavailible to me in high school spurred me to indulge my every interest.

Within a few weeks of the activities fair, I would shed half of these, and I have continued pruning ever since due to the strenuous input required for each club.

I slowly realized that there was always something going on at college and that artificially filling up the hours was not only unnecesSee FIRST YEARS, p. 15

14 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

August 27, 2010

Altered Consciousness

No peace in sight for Middle East

BY RICK ALTERBAUM Columnist

After 18 months of shuttle diplomacy and indirect proximity talks headed by Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell, the Israelis, led by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and the Palestinians, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, have agreed to negotiate a two-state solution via direct talks. Will they succeed? I can respond with a definitive no.

Some on the left may say that the cause of this is the “occupation”—that the growing Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria make a Palestinian state impossible to create. However, this reasoning ignores the fact that both at Camp David in 2000 and at Annapolis in 2007, the Israelis offered to end settlement growth past the green line and to give the Arabs upwards of 90 percent of Judea and Samaria and all of Gaza.

Additionally, the Netanyahu government recently issued a settlement moratorium, closed check points and took down road blocks in the territories, illustrating its flexibility on this issue. At the same time, Israel is rightly wary of making additional unilateral concessions that, based on prior disengagements such as the ones in Southern Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005, will weaken its security and diplomatic position, dramatically worsen the lives of the settlers and empower its Arab foes.

Instead, the primary obstacles to culminating direct talks lie elsewhere. First, the 1949 armi-

stice lines, or the 1967 borders, are indefensible and leave Israel lacking for strategic depth. Indeed, in some areas, only approximately 10 miles separate the Mediterranean Sea and Judea and Samaria, making Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, among other cities, easy targets for Palestinian rocket fire.

Second, the Palestinians refuse to demilitarize, or to at least agree to measures that can guarantee Israeli security and decrease the potential of militants and extremists to access arms that can be used for offensive purposes.

Third, the Palestinian Authority indoctrinates its citizens with Anti-Zionist, Anti-Semitic propaganda that incites them to violence and terrorism and makes them psychologically unable to peacefully coexist with their Jewish neighbors. This is not to mention Hamas, which takes this despicable behavior to an even further extreme.

Fourth, the Palestinians refuse to grant Israel the legitimacy it seeks by acknowledging its role as the Jewish state. In this sense, they deny thousands of years of history and tradition and the need for Jewish self-determination. Also, this complements their demand for a “right of return,” in which thousands of Palestinian refugees would swarm into Israel and destroy it through demographic means.

Fifth, Israel lacks legitimate partners to negotiate with. Mahmoud Abbas’ term of office expired nearly two years ago, and he lacks a popular mandate. Additionally, while his party, Fatah, rules over Judea and Samaria,

Hamas runs Gaza, and ir has turned it into a virtual terrorist state and Tehran proxy on the Mediterranean.

Therefore, Abbas cannot serve as an adequate representative for the Palestinians, and Hamas refuses to negotiate with Israel, does not accept its right to exist and is adamantly opposed to any peace agreement that legitimizes the Jewish state.

Sixth, the Iranian nuclear program, Syria and Hezbollah serve as major distracting concerns for Israel, and they collectively make its leaders very cautious about making land and security concessions to the Palestinians.

And finally, what will the nature of a Palestinian state be? Will it be led by a truly moderate government, as supposedly advertised by Abbas and Salam Fayyad?

Or will it, like Gaza, be taken over by terrorists and used as a launching pad for missiles and rockets into Israel? Without the Israeli military presence in Judea and Samaria, will there be enough security forces present to prevent this from happening? These questions are, at the moment, impossible to answer.

Instead of a two state solution, I advocate that Jordan incorporate the Arab portions of Judea and Samaria, while Egypt takes over Gaza. Jordan and Egypt are reasonable states that have signed peace treaties with Israel and have a proven track record of competence, stability, cooperation and moderation.

Yes, the Palestinians have nationalist ambitions. However, in my view, the well-being and se-

PHOTO COURTESY Internet source

curity of Israel is infinitely more important than creating the 23rd Arab State. Furthermore, the Palestinian identity is primarily an Arab fabrication and a propaganda tool that has been used against Israel since the 1960s. Therefore,

instead of holding direct bilateral talks between Netanyahu and Abbas, the U.S. should invite Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah II of Jordan to negotiate a trilateral solution to this century-old conflict.

Freedom should be free

BY ELIZABETH CRANE Special to The Hoot

George W. Bush once said “the wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom.”

Despite being bombarded with the word “freedom” ever since I began reading newspapers, I have only recently thought about how ludicrous it is to use that word to justify acts of war.

During the past nine years, the United States, the “leader of the free world,” has engaged in operations with appealing titles such as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Not only do they make us feel self-righteous and just, they help silence criticism because no one wants to argue against liberty and human rights. What this freedom actually means, though, remains unclear. One could argue, as the United States does, that our international missions aim to secure freedom and democracy where it doesn’t exist.

But is it freedom if a foreign power invades, asserts control, and stages an election? If we

support the idea of a free market and Iraq just so happens to have oil, what kind of freedom are we actually seeking, and for whom?

The goal of freedom has become a deceptively nasty way of masking both the horrors of war and dangerous policies at home.

When our government constantly reminds the American people that our troops are “fighting for your freedom,” it becomes much easier to justify unilateral military action, invasions, civilian deaths, weapons of mass destruction and the deaths of the poor soldiers themselves.

First, the government convinces us that we want this vague and undefined freedom; then, it convinces us that the best way to achieve it is by waging war against our enemies abroad, but also against our civil liberties at home. Astoundingly, Americans can accept legislation like the PATRIOT Act or show support for racial profiling in the name of freedom, even though both directly infringe upon our constitutional rights. The government’s motive for using those kinds of terms is obvious, of course. It’s much easier to drum

up support for any policy as long as the voting public believes it is just, free and American.

The unbelievable part is how incredibly detached some people have become from the true meanings of the words they casually throw around. It is completely commonplace to see conservatives protesting against gay marriage, government health care and the idea of a Muslim president, while they are simultaneously supporting the Iraq War, the use of corporate money in elections and Arizona’s draconian anti-immigrant laws, all in the name of freedom.

People who use that word to back up their political positions tend to implicitly mean that freedom is good, but only as long as they are personally OK with its usage. That means they celebrate religious freedom for Christians, but denounce Muslims’ rights to build mosques; support freedom of political association, but vilify “socialists;” push for free markets, but seek to prevent free movement of labor across borders; glorify personal freedom, but attempt to limit the rights of women to

get abortions, gays to get married or workers to join unions.

That kind of “freedom” means nothing, and yet it has become a justification for much of our national and foreign policy.

After 9/11, President George W. Bush famously asked the question, “Why do [the terrorists] hate us?” His answer? “...

Because they hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and disagree with each other.” No, Mr. Bush, terrorists do not hate us for our supposed freedom.

They hate us because of the disrespect, cruelty and indifference we’ve shown for so many years in the Middle East. They hate us for failing to withdraw troops from Saudi Arabia, the holiest of Muslim countries, after the Gulf War; for asserting a unilateral right to intervention; for pursuing harsh sanctions against Iraq that directly led to the starvation of thousands of children; for allowing Palestinians to suffer in the name of support for Israel; for our discriminatory treatment of Muslims in our own country and for

attempting to police the world when there is no one to police us. Drumming up support for the war by preying on the public’s sympathy for freedom distorts political will and weakens the ability of the public to express a clear and informed opinion, especially about our foreign policy. After years of struggles, failures and deaths in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we appear to be no better off, either abroad or at home, for our government’s attempt to justify its undemocratic, and certainly not free, approach to war.

We would at least be better off if we began to question the word freedom, which we hear so often without really hearing it at all.

Then maybe we would start to wonder if war makes the American people more free or less free, or if the families of dead civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan feel more free or less free, or if the post-9/11 world regards the United States as more free or less free. If we think more about this term that can mean so much, but also nothing at all, we might reach a better definition worthy of respect.

August 27, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

IMPRESSIONS

15

For the love of newsprint!

BY DESTINY D. AQUINO Editor

This year, The Wall Street Journal became the most widely read newspaper with 2.1 million readers. According to the U.S. census, there are 300 million people in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal readership includes foreigners.

It has been all over the news for years now that the newspaper business is dying. The Boston Globe, still one of the 25 mostread papers, was inches away from shutting down in 2009, and lay-offs are increasing at newspapers all around the country.

“The newspaper as we know it will not be alive in twenty years,” Alan Murray, executive editor of The Wall Street Journal, said last spring. Ironically, he was speaking to a room full of the brightest student journalists from across the country.

I happened to be one of the journalists in that room, so you would assume if the head of the only newspaper with increasing readership tells me that the business is dying, I would change career paths while I could. But it’s not that easy. Journalism is not just a job or a profession or whatever word you want to use to describe what someone does for a living (not that journalists are making a living nowadays).

If you manage to get a job as

a reporter, probably in a metropolitan area, your starting base salary is about $35,000 per year (my college tuition is $53,000 per year). Luckily for me I don’t plan on doing this for the money; I do it because I love it, because I didn’t choose journalism—it chose me.

When I tell people that, they react in different degrees of horror. There’s the “well honey, you do know that’s not really a career anymore,” the “oh, why don’t you go to law school, same skills but you actually do something,” and my favorite “so you really haven’t figured things out yet and decided this fits ‘unil you do?”

Sorry to burst your bubbles, folks, but really, I promise I’m sure. But, I’m all set on what I’m doing with my life, thanks.

In my first year of high school ,my English teacher, Mrs. Clark, asked the class to write their obituaries. I didn’t do very well on that assignment; I didn’t know what to write. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Senior year she asked me again and this time I had an answer, “I want to make a difference and create change in a lot of people’s lives. I want people to remember who I am on more than just the day they read my obituary and for generations,” to which she said “how do you plan to do that?” “I’m going to be a writer,” I told her.

Advice that’s fresh FIRST YEARS (from p. 13)

sary but eventually harmful.

Nonetheless, the clubs I have participated in have provided me with some of the best times I have had at Brandeis and I would strongly urge any incoming firstyear to get involved. Just don’t join eight of them and expect to have any time … ever.

The first day of classes was a wakeup call for everyone. The atmosphere beforehand had been one of a summer camp but it quickly morphed into one closer to school. It was difficult to settle down but the first homework assignments brought everyone back to Earth. For me, however, college still had a somewhat playful atmosphere even after classes had begun and to some extent, it never lost it.

It seemed that everyone was managing to have fun even as they were getting their work done.

Nonetheless, the first month was rather hard on me due to the unexpected difficulties of living on your own. These obstacles included stress, homesickness, procrastination and, of course, cleaning duties. Yet I persevered and eventually settled into the insane schedule that would characterize my time at Brandeis.

A typical day included waking up at 8:30 in the morning to go to breakfast with a friend (this also conveniently made sure we were both awake and on time for class), and then going to class for much of the day. After this, I would eat dinner with friends and, if it was a

weekday other than Friday, go to a club meeting of some sort. Then, I would sit in my lounge procrastinating for a while or hang out in a friend’s room before starting my homework, usually well after midnight. I would then repeat my schedule the next day and this would take place four days a week.

Let’s just say sleep was not a huge priority.

Interestingly enough, although my work habits eventually got better, my sleep habits did not and it would not be unusual to find me awake at three in the morning even when I did not have to be simply out of force of habit.

Nevertheless, I was able to settle into a routine (as strange as it was) and the year began to fly by. Before I knew it, it was winter break. Shortly thereafter, or so it seemed, I was saying my goodbyes and heading home for the summer.

Now I find myself back at Brandeis, and it is all so methodical. I arrived and met up with friends for dinner before unpacking and writing this article. There was none of the scrambling, panic or adversity that I had faced a year ago. A new year has begun and yet it feels like a continuation of last year–as if I have only been on a short break and moved to a different locale.

Perhaps the passing of time will dawn on me more heavily in the weeks to come, but for now I reflect back on my first day at Brandeis as if it were yesterday.

My only fear now is that I will be walking across the stage in a tasseled cap and gown tomorrow.

PHOTO COURTESY Internet source

I don’t expect masses of people to remember me, or that I will cause huge change. I want the remembrance that comes with reading a newspaper clipping on a piece of microfiche in the library from 1887, or the story that touches one person and makes them think just a little bit differently about something they were so sure about. I want to leave those sorts of marks on the world.

News tells the story of the people. It records time in a way that still makes sense hundreds of years later. It is simple and precise, yet influential and effective. It is a marker of change from the printing press to the television, from

the television to the Internet and to whatever comes next. News is the way information is conveyed to the masses.

Whether it’s the story of the marine who died fighting for his country, the high school football star’s draft offer or the politician who scammed his town out of money, thesestories come from people like me. The news comes from the storytellers, the journalists.

So you tell me newspapers are dying; the news isn’t. You tell me I’m not going to make money; you ask me where am I going to find a job.

There’s always somewhere to tell a story. Whether the masses

are reading, listening or seeing the news, it needs to get out somehow. Just who do you think gets it there? Computers can do a lot of things but they can’t talk yet, they can’t walk, and they can’t get you a story.

So the news may not be read at the breakfast table anymore, it may not pay all the bills, but it’s not about that, it’s about a calling. It’s about wanting to know your doing something people care about. Its about loving what you do.

Yes, the journalism industry is changing but the people that go into are not. It’s not a job like the rest. It’s an adventure, every moment of every day, it’s a lifestyle.

Sexcapades

Breaking up and making up, Brandeis style

BY SOPHIE RIESE Columnist

It’s the first week of your first year, welcome! If you’re anything like I was, you’re scared witless about making friends, getting along with the roommates in your forced triple, finding your classes, eating the food ... and the opposite sex in general. During orientation, you probably looked around to see if there was anyone cute, and asked your Orientation Leader about parties, frats and if people really go to Student Sexuality Information Services.

Maybe you went to a party, even though you weren’t supposed to; I certainly did when I was a firstyear. And so now classes have started, and it’s almost the long weekend, and the question is: Is it better to go through college single or hitched up?

Some people will jump on me for this. After all, it’s not always a choice. You might get here, meet someone and pine after them for four years with little or no result or you might get here and marry the first person you meet. However, it’s certainly a question that deserves some consideration, and one that will garner different answers from different people.

As an incoming first-year, I planned to start the year off single, despite having dated some-

GRAPHIC BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot

one from home for about three months. A junior at another school, he agreed with me: I deserved the full college experience, and that meant starting my firstyear year off, well, fresh. Orientation hadn’t even ended before I decided that pursuing our budding relationship was more important to me than potentially

meeting a Brandeis guy.

But, most people I know who began college in relationships were single within a couple of months. This is not to say all relationships end–a close friend of mine is still dating the same guy she was dating in 10th grade–but See BREAKING UP, p. 16

16 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

August 27, 2010

Book of Matthew

Sustainable eats, part one

BY BRET MATTHEW Editor

According to the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, the average American meal travels an estimated 1,500 miles from farm (or, more likely, factory) to plate.

In order for this process to work, hundreds of trucks, ships, and planes need to burn thousands of tons of fossil fuels, polluting our atmosphere with even more unnecessary carbon dioxide. On top of that, food growers resort to a number of sketchy means of keeping their fruits and vegetables fresh for long periods: sometimes they are heavily processed in factories or irradiated; other times they are picked while unripe and later ripened artificially with gas.

Doesn’t sound very healthy, does it?

It gets even worse when you consider the state of the world.

As you read this, chemical runoff from giant, corporate-run farms are poisoning our waters and killing marine life just as effectively as the BP oil spill. And the planet is in pain already: beginning to feel the early effects of global climate change, which most scientists say will get much worse.

There was a time when most of the general public remained blissfully ignorant, content to

wander into the grocery store and pick out whatever foods looked the tastiest and easiest on the wallet. Luckily (and hopefully not too late) public opinion is shifting and more people are steadily turning to locally grown food. Many of the benefits are obvious. When you buy your groceries from the farm stand down the street instead of the supermarket across town, you not only reduce the amount of fuel you ultimately consume, but you also strengthen the local economy by keeping more money within your community—and less in the pockets of agribusiness owners. And yes, the food is much fresher.

Brandeis students can do our part as well. Of course, we don’t have much in the way of local farm stands, and those of us who cook our own meals have in the past been limited to Hannaford for most of our produce needs.

But times are changing, at least during the fall semester, when students will be able to sign up for a program called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

A CSA is a “farm share” program, in which customers purchase a share of a local farm in return for a portion of that farm’s produce. In order to bring such a program to campus, Brandeis partnered with Warner Farm, a nearly 300-year-old family farm in Sunderland, MA. For $200 split between us ($25 per week

for eight weeks), my roommate and I will receive a weekly delivery of produce that will feed between two and three people, according to Brandeis Sustainability Coordinator Janna Cohen-Rosenthal.

Financially, it’s not a bad deal, and a safe investment. CohenRosenthal said that Warner Farm would be able to contract out to other local farms in the event of a crop failure so that the farm will still be able to supply its shareholders. Plus, since we won’t be allowed to choose what kind of produce we will receive, we’ll have an excuse to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables that we might not have thought of otherwise. And the best part is that we’ll be able to pick up our food deliveries right here on campus, without having to drive anywhere.

I look forward to firing up my stovetop and oven to cook these fresh ingredients. While I eat, I plan to use further installations of this series to take a closer look at the need for more local food and the possibilities of making change happen.

Meanwhile, if you live in a housing unit with a kitchen, I strongly encourage you to find a friend and sign up for the Warner Farm CSA. The deadline for sending in the money is Aug 30, and the link to the sign-up form can be found at www.thebrandeishoot.com/links/CSA.

Should first-years be single and ready to mingle?

BREAKING UP (from p. 16)

most do. The factors of location, maturity and making new friends all change the dynamic in a relationship when it’s carried over from high school into college.

Additionally, when I look back, if I had been single that first semester, I would have made more friends, sooner, and I would have had an easier time hanging out with the guys that I later tried to do something with.

None of these things are necessarily preferable (I didn’t really figure out what I wanted from a guy, or my friends, until I was a junior), but it is something I think about.

College is about having experiences, meeting people and making choices. By senior year, of course it’s easy to look back and say, “I should have done that differently,” but in the moment, you don’t know. You can’t know. In sex and relationships, you can never know for sure. And you have to give things a chance, just in case.

Of course, there are benefits to being single–when my ex surprises me by flying out from Colorado, he doesn’t have to sleep on the couch, and if my best friend and I

stay up until 5 a.m. talking, I can crash at his place without worrying about what my boyfriend would think.

But maybe these perks of singledom are exactly WHY I’m single.

Any new guy in my life might think of my best friend or my litany of exes as something to contend with or worry about, without realising that the people in my life would rather see me happily hooked up than be able to visit me.

The choices you make about sex and relationships in college should be the ones that make you happy.

Even if your roommate, or your friends, think you’re making the wrong choices, it’s up to you to know what is okay for you.

And they don’t have to be the same choices you make for the rest of your life, or even just for the rest of the year.

Some people think they want to be in a relationship, and spend all of college single, whereas others think they want to be single and spend all of college in one relationship or another. You just have to find people who are out to make the most of what they’re given.

While you were out....

Check out what happened at Brandeis over the summer at

www.thebrandeishoot.com

SPORTS

August 27, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot 17

PHOTOS BY Ingrid Schulte/The Hoot

ACE: Steven Milo ‘13 and Nick White ‘11 practice their ground strokes for the fall season.

Men’s tennis on the rise

BY KARA KARTER Editor

To the Brandeis men’s tennis team, the 2009-2010 season was one to remember. After finishing in fourth place in the University Athletic Association’s annual tournament–the team’s best result under current Head Coach Ben Lamanna–the squad earned itself national recognition. The 30th ranked Judges are the first Brandeis men’s tennis team to have earned a national ranking

since 1989.

“The coaching staff works hard and the guys work hard, so I think it’s really a tribute to everybody,” Lamanna told The Hoot.

For the Judges, who finished at 9-10 last season, their national merit likely derives from a comefrom-behind victory against the University of Chicago in April’s UAA tournament. Brandeis defeated Chicago, the 15th-ranked team in the country, by a 5-4 margin.

The record-breaking 20092010 roster returned only four of 12 players from the year be-

fore. Three rookies–Steven Milo ’13, Dave Yovanoff ’13, and Fred Rozenshteyn ’13–started for the Judges.

For their play as a doubles pair, Milo and Yovanoff were given second team All-UAA honors.

With minimal roster turnover and the continued improvement of his players, Lamanna–in his sixth year as head coach–doesn’t feel that his team has reached its peak.

“I’ve stressed personal development, individual improvement over the summer. Maybe putting on muscle, maybe taking off

weight ... I saw those improvements … since the guys have come back so I’m pretty optimistic about this year.”

The team will be led by senior Simon Miller, winner of the tiebreaking third set in the tournament match against Chicago.

Playing primary at second singles, Miller went 17-10 last season.

With seven weeks of “tough” tennis against accomplished opponents in the fall portion of the season (starting Sept. 10th with the Middlebury Invitational), Lamanna is looking for his team to get some good work in.

“It’s mostly a developmental seven weeks … [Middlebury] won the national championship last year.”

A week later, the Judges head down to Providence to take part in the Brown Invitational. They will be the only Division III team to play in the tournament.

Unintimidated, Lamanna has faith in his roster. “[Last year] we set a culture, set a foundation for the program in a way. These guys know what it’s like and they know what it takes … [they] are ready to perform at the top level of D-III.”

Women’s tennis seeks national ranking

BY KARA KARTER Editor

The Brandeis women’s tennis team is back, boasting new players, key veterans, an award winning coaching staff and a whole lot of depth.

“One of the biggest things that hurt us towards the end of [last] year was a lack of depth,” head coach Ben Lamanna told The Hoot.

After senior starter Emily Weisberger ’10 went down with a torn ACL, “we lost some of our depth and it was tough to recover from that,” explained Lamanna, who, along with assistant coach Payum Payman, earned University Athletic Association (UAA) Coaching Staff of the Year honors for his work with the men’s team.

The Judges were left with only six players–including Ariana Sanai ’10, who played hurt for the second half of the spring season–on the active roster.

Skip to today. With a ninewoman roster–five returnees and four first-years–the team is much deeper than last year.

The depth exists not only in quantity, but also in the roster’s playing ability.

“Things are looking good.

Over the course of my six years with the women’s program we get a step better every year … and this year’s no exception to that.”

Sophomore Faith Broderick is coming off an impressive first-year campaign in which she went 9-3 at second singles and 14-10 overall.

Rachel Rosman returns for her senior season as one of the

winningest players in team history. Rosman owns a career record of 50-23 in singles, including a stellar sophomore season in which she played to a 15-4 record. She is 3334 for her career in doubles competition and earned a pair of UAA Athlete of the Week nods last season.

Rosman’s co-captain, Mackenzie Gallegos ’11 is “a great doubles player,” and “a real rock for [the team].”

The veteran pair will be expected to set both a pace and a culture for the rest of the squad. Per the six-year head coach, the team is in good hands.

“Rachel and Mackenzie set a great tone. They’re always in tip top shape and they work really hard. I’m excited to have them mold the new group of four girls coming in. [They]

should shed positive influence on the team’s younger players.”

The Judges were ranked as high as 26th last season before falling out of the national rankings at the end of the year. Lamanna believes he has the roster to get Brandeis back to where it was before injuries took their toll.

“Now’s the time to develop and see what we can do in some of these tournaments, to develop good doubles and depth. That’s what it takes to be good in DIII. 2 D’s. Depth and doubles.”

The objective? Simple.

“We gotta get back into the national rankings.”

The Judges begin their quest to do so when they host Wheaton (MA) College on September 15. The match begins at 3:30 p.m.

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18 SPORTS

The Brandeis Hoot

August 27, 2010

Men’s cross country tops in preseason rankings

BY KARA KARTER Editor

New England’s top ranked Division III cross country team is about to return to the track. The Brandeis men’s cross country team was named the region’s best in a preseason poll, conducted by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. At the conclusion of the 2009 season, the Judges were ranked fourth in New England.

“We hope to challenge for [a] regional title and be one of the top teams in the country in 2010” head coach John Evans wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot.

All seven members of the squad which competed at nationals remain at Brandeis; the team boasts much the same lineup as that which finished last season ranked 24th in the nation. Co-captains Paul Norton ’11 and Dan Anastos ’11, as well as Devon Holgate ’11, Ben Bray ’11, Kerwin Vega ’11, Zack Schwartz ’11, and Sam Donovan ’11 make up a “very strong senior group.” In 2009, Norton proved one of the top cross country runners in the nation, placing third in regionals and seventh in nationals while earning All-American honors along the way. The Amherst native is Brandeis’s first cross country All-American since 1999.

Juniors Chris Brown and Marc Boutin were All-New England in 2009 and are expected to be “major contributors” to the team’s success. At last year’s regionals, the pair finished 18th and 32nd, respectively.

Freshman additions Ed Colvin and Taylor Dundas are “worth looking out for,” as is Alex Kramer ’13, who did not run cross country his rookie year.

The quest to earn Brandeis’ first regional title since 1991 begins Sept. 3, as the Judges start their season with an alumni meet at Weston High School.

FACEOFF: (Above) Sam Ocel ‘11 dribbles by a defender.

PHOTOS BY Max Shay/The Hoot

Coven has high hopes for men’s soccer

BY KARA KARTER Editor

The 2009 season was a frustrating one for the Brandeis men’s soccer team. The squad played its way to a 6-10-2 record, dropping seven games by a one goal margin.

Michael Coven, now entering his 38th year as the team’s head coach, wasn’t looking to make excuses.

“We want to improve… last year wasn’t a good year. We definitely have the ability to be a much better team. We’re just looking for improvement.”

The Judges will be primed for a turnaround in 2010. And Coven believes he has the roster to get it done.

“Central defenders Ari Silver and David McCoy solidify the defense. They both started for a couple years and are very very solid.”

Both Silver ’11 and McCoy ’11 earned University Athletic Association honorable mention last season Last season’s freshman of the year, midfielder Sam Ocel ’13, will be resigned to the sidelines for with a torn meniscus in his knee. Coven is hopeful that Ocel–who is scheduled to have surgery on Sept. 1–will

be available by midseason. However, with the full severity of the injury unknown, it is clear that other players will need to step up to fill the void. Coven highlighted midfielders Lee Russo ’13 and Joe Eisenbies ’13 as players he’ll be looking at to pick up their play.

“They’re both very hard, dedicated workers. I’m sure they’re going to be two of our better players.”

And, of course, if Ocel is able to return “that would be a huge boost,” said Coven.

The addition of central midfielder Theo Terris ’12, a transfer from Boston University, is expected to further boost the team.

“He’s a wonderful player, one of the top players we’ve brought in over the past six, seven, eight, nine years. He is special.”

In 2007, a year after leading ConcordCarlisle High School to the state title, Terris was named the Boston Globe’s All-Scholastic Player of the Year.

Equally impressive is Brandeis’ forward corps. Alexander Farr ’12 led the Judges with seven goals last season while Matt Peabody ’13 netted four in his freshman campaign. Steve Keuchkarian ’11, who has had “moments of brilliance,” in limited

minutes, will have time to shine.

“We’re looking for him to score our goals” said Coven.

Nick George ’14 and Ben Applefield ’14 are part of a “very good” freshman class.

George was named high school All-American and Applefield All-New England at forward and midfield, respectively.

With three capable starting goaltenders: 2009 starter Matt Lynch ’11, 2008 starter Taylor Bracken ’11 (who missed last season due to injury) and improving Blake Minchoff ’13, there is plenty of skill in net.

And plenty of reason to believe that 2010 will bear fruit to a revival.

“This is a good group. A young group– so I think they’ll make some mistakes as young teams do–but there’s a lot of enthusiasm. The talent is pretty darn good. [There are] some good good soccer players here.”

The team kicks off its season against Rutgers-Camden as part of the Adidas Kickoff Classic at Wheaton on Sept 4. For those who can’t wait that long to see the Judges in action, there will be a preseason game against Framingham State on Friday, August 27 at 7 p.m.

Women’s cross country ready to run

BY KARA KARTER Editor

Qualification is the goal for the Brandeis women’s cross-country team in 2010.

Needing a top five finish to advance to nationals, the Judges finished sixth in New England regionals last season. In 2010, the Judges are looking to move up in the ranks.

The key to the team’s success may be Grayce Selig ’11, a two-time All-American.

Running as an individual, Selig–the first Brandeis woman to reach nationals since 2003–placed 26th in regionals and 172nd in nationals last fall. Selig, along with Alyssa Pisarik ’12, was named All-New England in 2009.

Marie Lemay ’11, Hannah Lindholm ’11, and Emily Owen ’11, and juniors Kate Warwick ’12, Erin Bisceglia ’12, and Monique Girard ’12 are returning runners who could have a positive impact.

At last year’s regionals, Pisarik was 32nd to cross the line, while Lemay finished 43rd and Warwick 57th.

Seventh-year head coach John Evans cited Ali Kirsch ’14, Amelia Lundkvist ’14, and Victoria ’14 Sanford as freshman “to look out for.”

The ladies begin their season against Southern Maine on September 3 at Weston High School.

August 27, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

SPORTS

19

Volleyball looking to bounce back in 2010

BY KARA KARTER Editor

After playing to an 18-17 record last season (including a disappointing 2-9 in conference play), the Brandeis volleyball team is looking for a spike in success in 2010.

A trio of All-UAA honorees hopes to get them there. After sitting out her freshman year due to injury, Paige Blasco ’11 achieved All-UAA status for the second consecutive season in 2009. Blasco, an outside hitter, led the Judges with 3.41 kills and 2.80 digs per set, third and 16th highest in the UAA, respectively. She tallied 11 double-doubles on the season.

Paige’s twin sister, Abby ’11, has gone AllUAA in each of her first three seasons at Brandeis. Brandeis’ setter, the conference’s 2007 Rookie of the Year, averaged 0.41 service aces and 2.59 digs per set last season.

KICK OFF: Tiffany Pacheco ‘11 goes for a header.

She registered 15 double-doubles and one triple-double to lead Brandeis.

Nicole Smith ’11, the team’s middle blocker, topped the UAA by averaging 1.16 blocks per set and finished second in the conference (and 20th in the nation) with a .366 hitting percentage.

Rookie Yael Einhorn ’14, the Courier Post South Jersey Player of the Year, will back up Abby Blasco at setter. Bella Hu ’13 and Aviva Berezin ’12 are not new to Brandeis but new to Brandeis volleyball; they also join the team for the 2010 campaign.

The squad plays its first game of the season Sept. 1. The Judges take on Babson at 7 p.m. before hitting the road for three games at that weekend’s Springfield College Invitational. Last year, Brandeis defeated Babson 3-0 in the season opener.

PHOTOS BY Phil Small/The Hoot

Women’s soccer excited to kick off new season

BY KARA KARTER Editor

Could this be the year for the Brandeis women’s soccer team?

After a successful 2009 in which the squad went 10-6-5 overall (3-3-1 in conference play) and earned its third consecutive berth in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Finals, there is optimism that 2010 will be even brighter. “[We] are going to be awesome this year,” head coach Denise Dallamora wrote in an e-mail to The Hoot.

Despite the departure of All-Americans Melissa Gorenkoff ’10 and Hilary Rosenzweig ’10, Dallamora believes that the “very strong” firs-year class will help the returning veterans achieve a new level of success– and perhaps a trip to the NCAA tournament.

“Doing well in our conference and in our

regional competition [will help us qualify],” explained the 31-year head coach.

Senior forwards Sofia Vallone and Tiffany Pacheco are expected to direct the offensive attack for the Judges. Last season, Pacheco led the University Athletic Association in shots taken while potting nine goals and six assists. Vallone scored six times and added three helpers for Brandeis.

The defensive line will be anchored by Taryn Martiniello ’11, Ali Maresca ’12 and Fran Shin ’12, “solid players and great leaders,” wrote Dallamora.

Francine Kofinas ’13 as well as newcomers Katie Weil and Leah Sax will be looking to justly replace Rosenzweig with great play between the pipes.

The Judges play the first game of the 2010 season at MIT (12-6-2 in 2009) Sept. 1 at 4 p.m. Brandeis has defeated MIT in the season opener in each of the last three years.

BLOCK: Becca Fischer sets up for a spike.

PHOTOS BY Phil Small/The Hoot

20 The Brandeis Hoot

HOOT SCOOPS

August 27, 2010

Intro to Law(rence)

By Jon Ostrowsky, Editor Brandeis Presidential-appointee Frederick Lawrence smiled at the nervous and excited first-years as he moved from room to room in Deroy Residence Hall while firstyears crammed personal belongings into their new homes. This was, after all, the start of the same long and life-changing journey for him too.

As music blasted from one end of the hallway, his wife, Kathy, and son, Noah, also greeted students and their parents. Lawrence looked like he belonged.

In between all of the handshakes and conversations with first-years, he remarked on his family’s background in teaching. His mother, two of his grandparents, his wife and his brother have all been teachers, just like him.

“There’s a lot of teachers in my blood … it’s a family profession in a way, “ Lawrence said.

After serving as a professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at The Boston University School of Law in the 1990s, Lawrence became Dean of The George Washington University School of Law. But to understand Lawrence is to know him as more than just a teacher or a dean or an administrator. Prior to his time at GW, Lawrence practiced law in a private firm, Dwyer & Collora, LLP. In the 1980s, he also served as a U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and he currently sits on the board of the Anti-Defamation League.

His interest in law stemmed from a desire to succeed, but also to improve society and the world.

“Lawyers were involved in changing a lot of the laws of how we constitute ourselves in society, and so I was drawn to the exciting opportunities to be able to do well [and] to do good,” he said.

“The transition from assistant U.S. attorney to academia is not as much as you’d think, because a government lawyer doesn’t take a side,” Lawrence said. “A government lawyer is trying to get the

right result, the result that makes the most sense.”

As a practicing Jew, Lawrence said he believes that his role at the university is identical to his personal experience with religion.

“I’ve been an observant, practicing Jew my whole adult life, but at the same time that’s not my profession,” he said.

At Brandeis, he plans to draw from his Jewish faith just as he has in his previous careers. While he believes Judaism, along with other religions, has a role to play in people’s lives, he says it should only be to include people.

“It’s an enormous plus for the community because it gives us a great basis and it is something that can be used to broaden out into the community. So it’s not a way to exclude anybody. It’s a way to include all people, that’s the first thing.”

With an entourage, including Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer and Senior Vice President of Communications Andrew Gully, escorting him around the dorms at his new home, Lawrence recognized that much of his time during the next few months will be just as busy as his past Sunday morning. While preparing for his start as president on Jan. 1, he will also be busy traveling down to D.C. to wrap up his career at GW Law. Beyond law and teaching, Lawrence said he likes to spend time hikin, and will enjoy climbing the New England mountains, with Kathy. If he’s not on the mountains he can be found reading, but his most exciting hobby is singing.

Although he is rather unknown on campus, that will surely change once the school year begins. Lawrence is no stranger to students and their mission at Brandeis.

According to Lawrence, “Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall said that a lawyer is either something of a social engineer or something of a social parasite.”

At Brandeis, Lawrence hopes to be the former.

NEW PREZ: Brandeis President Appointee Frederick Lawrence greets first years as they move into Deroy Residence Hall in Massel Quad. Like his ‘fresh’ counterparts, this will also be Lawrence’s first year on campus.