VOL 5, NO. 9
OCTOBER 31, 2008
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
THEHOOT.NET
Aramark makes dining reforms BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor
The new copy of the “Know Your Rights” magnet
ing,” both of which were identified as inconsistent with Rights and Responsibilities. Item 19.8 of Rights and Responsibilities concerning advisors says an “accused student and the accuser in a hearing may each bring an advisor of his or her choice from the University community to provide passive assistance during the hearing” whereas the magnet
Students are now able to use their meals to purchase soy milk, Dannon yogurt and vegan noodle options prepared on site at the P.O.D. Market, along with the bananas, Bistro Salad, Roasted Turkey sandwich and the Tuna Sandwich at Einstein’s Bros Bagels, Dining services announced last Thursday. The expansion of the current C-Meal, which has already gone into effect, comes as part of a list of dining reforms announced by Dining Services as a result of biweekly meetings with the Student Dining Committee which have taken place throughout the semester. Other reforms include bringing the “5 and 5” menu, Deis Dip, and Sweet Potato Fries back to The Stein menu; having cage free eggs options at all dining locations; posting nutritional facts at
See RIGHTS p. 14
See DINING p. 14
The original copy of the “Know Your Rights” magnet
INFOBOX BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot
Know Your Rights magnet printing stopped BY ALISON CHANNON Editor
The printing of the Know Your Rights information magnets was cancelled yesterday after language discrepancies between the magnets and the Rights and Responsibilities handbook were identified. The magnets concerning the student conduct process were soon to be released by Union President Jason Gray ’10, Office of Student
Rights and Advocacy (OSRA) Director Laura Cohen ’09, and the newly selected members of OSRA. The text of the magnets has been changed to better align with Rights and Responsibilities, Gray said; however, the magnets have not been reordered. Gray announced the formation of OSRA at the beginning of October in order to provide “peerto-peer confidential rights-related advisory services.” The Know Your
Rights magnets are an effort to both “provide information about rights and publicize the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy,” Gray explained. The project will be the first for the newly formed OSRA. The original magnet featured seven rights, including the “right to an advisor throughout the Conduct process,” and “the right to see all evidence that will be used against you…prior to your hear-
seen in online communities like Facebook and YouTube, follows the basic tenets of user-interaction. All people have the ability to enter, and can make a contribution if they feel the community will be interested. As Jenkins said, “all [users] must believe they are free to contribute…and what they contribute will be…valued.” Thus, importance is based on the community, not the individual; yet the individual is the person who can decide whether or not it is worth the community’s interest or not. In this way, as Jenkins noted, people “are not just producers or just consumers, but some step in between.” This intermediate area between consumption and production speaks to the possibilities of the future as newer and newer technology become available. Jenkins said that communities such as those on YouTube are quickly aiding the ideal of collective intelligence. Jenkins explained, “we have a whole world where nobody knows everything. Everybody knows something…and what any given [community] member knows is available to anyone at an ad hoc basis.”
BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor
MIT professor says media culture is participatory BY ELI SEDRANSK Special to The Hoot
“We’re in a moment when media scholars have something to contribute,” stated MIT Professor Henry Jenkins at a Brandeis lecture on Thursday. His point to make: technology and media literacy is changing. Jenkins, the founder and director of the Comparative Studies Program at MIT, explained the essentiality of new media in the coming age, something already adopted by the modern youth. Jenkins was quick to point out some of the most prominent aides on the internet, including YouTube, as well as those who use it to get their names out, or simply to be part of the community. Indeed, Jenkins’ idea is that culture has become participatory in nature, fueled by the desire to contribute to the community and prove people’s worth. Jenkins’ poster child has been the popular Soulja Boy, whose usage of free downloads, blogs, and encouraging remixes and reenactments of his work have allowed him to become widely known. As Jenkins explained, he was able to “go from nothing at age 15 to…being at the MTV Awards,” all because of the open nature of his work. Participatory culture, a trend
INSIDE:
See MEDIA p. 13
Patrick speaks to Brandeis business school about Israel and green tech Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick spoke in Brandeis’ Faculty Club about green technology similarities between Israel and Massachusetts Tuesday night at a dinner for the Israel Cleantech Investor Conference hosted by the International Business School. At the conference, which was held in conjunction with the New England-Israel Business Council, the Government of Israel, the Israel Economic Mission to North America, and the Brandeis International Business School, both Massachusetts and Israeli start-up companies presented new technologies in alternative energy and energy efficiency. Patrick, who pledged to make Massachusetts “the Silicon Valley of green technology” during his gubernatorial campaign four years ago, discussed the similarities between the Massachusetts and Israeli economies, saying that the two states could make great partners in the world of green technology. “We, in this corner of the globe, like you in yours, are a wash in intellectual excellence,” Patrick said. Patrick also said that, with the nation’s failing economy, green technology is “our way forward.” “This is about the future of
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PHOTO BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot
DEVAL AT THE ‘DEIS: Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick walks with Jehuda Reinharz to speak at the Israeli Cleantech conference Tuesday night.
the planet, and that means that national and local governments must get involved,” he said. “It’s a great job creation opportunity, so we can be the ones not just to install wind-farms, but to build the turbines.” Patrick’s presence at the conference dinner attracted other prominent audience members such as Waltham Mayor Jeanette McCarthy and State Representative Peter Koutoujian, as well as Israel’s Consolet General, Nadav Tenir. Tenir, who also spoke at the dinner, said that Massachusetts and Israel have “a great connection.” “These are two sites with no natural resources but they have
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plenty of brain power,” he said. Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz, who lived in Haifa, Israel until he was a teenager, also spoke at the event. Reinharz also mentioned the nation’s economy, saying that “we are all poor in some respects, but we are all members of an intellectually affluent community.” “Even when the market falters, we remain rich in human capital,” he said. Also present at the event was the Board of Trustees, and Provost Marty Kraus, along with many members of the IBS community See DEVAL p. 13
THIS WEEKEND
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The Hoot
October 31, 2008
ED ITORIAL Established 2005 "To acquire wisdom, one must observe." Sri Kuehnlenz Editor in Chief Kathleen Fischman Editor in Chief
Alison Channon News Editor Bret Matthew Impressions Editor Ben Sacks Features Editor Chrissy Callahan Features Editor Kayla Dos Santos Backpage Editor Alex Schneider Layout Editor
Danielle Gewurz Copy Editor Jamie Fleishman Advertising Editor Ariel Wittenberg Design Editor Max Shay Technology Officer Napoleon Lherisson Photography Editor
Senior Editors Jordan Rothman, Zachary Aronow
FOUNDED By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman
Rights should stick to the Constitution, not the fridge
A
s part of an effort to inform Brandeis students of their rights on campus, the Student Union’s Office of Student Rights and Advocacy (OSRA) designed Know Your Rights magnets to distribute to the student body. The original version of the magnet intended to list items from the Rights and Responsibilities handbook concerning the student conduct process at Brandeis. One item on the draft of the magnet read, “You have the right to see all evidence that will be used against you at a date prior to your hearing,” illuminating the right to pre-trial discovery, guaranteed in the United States by the right of due process. As Director of Student Development and Conduct Erika Lamarre pointed out, however, the text on the card was misleading. In reality, Item 19.11 of Rights and Responsibilities says that “the accused student and the accuser shall have the right to view and question all evidence presented to the [University Board of Student Conduct] during the hearing.” The contrast between these two texts sheds light on a matter that needs to be addressed in the student conduct system at Brandeis. It is jarring to realize that the rights the administration gives students do not align with the basic right to due process historically upheld in the American judicial system. Many courses at Brandeis emphasize the importance of maintaining due process, historically and today. It is contradictory that the very institution that espouses these ideals in the classroom does not guarantee its students these rights on campus. Students should be entitled to a fair trial, which means having adequate time to review the evidence against them and prepare a response. This is an issue that the Student Bill of Rights attempted to reconcile. In the section addressing Right to Due Process and Procedural Fairness, the Bill states, “Students have the right to written notification of all charges against them, the name of the accuser, and the right to view any evidence or information that will be used during a hearing before the hearing.” While OSRA needed to change the text of the magnet in order to provide accurate information consistent with Rights and Responsibilities, this reflects a larger concern. The more pressing issue that this incident raises is not the lack of knowledge students have of their rights but rather the lack of rights students have within the Brandeis community. Perhaps, instead of changing the text on the magnet to match Rights and Responsibilities, we need to change Rights and Responsibilities to match the text on the magnet. SUBMISSION POLICIES The Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the general community. Preference is given to current or former community members. The Hoot reserves the right to edit any submissions for libel, grammar, punctuation, spelling and clarity. The Hoot is under no obligation to print any of the pieces submitted. Letters in print will also appear on-line at www.thehoot.net. The deadline for submitting letters is Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. All letters must be submitted electronically to editor@ thehoot.net. All letters must be from a
valid email address and include contact information for the author. Letters of length greater than 500 words may not be accepted. The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board. The Hoot is a community student newspaper of Brandeis University. Produced entirely by students, The Hoot serves a readership of 6,000 with in-depth news, relevant commentary, sports and coverage of cultural events. Our mission is to give every community member a voice. E-mail: editor@thehoot.net
Letters to the editor: To the Editor: To all the people who have the cojones to be open Republicans at a liberal university: you have my blessing. In a place where you bump into more political fanatics than religious ones, where your political viewpoints can earn your more disapproval than your sexual orientation, I’d say that the election is quite a touchy subject to argue about if your not within the paradoxical “left-winged mainstream.” The many so-called “liberalminded” ones out there fail to see the hypocrisy in criticizing the one or two rare conservatives that pop up at overwhelmingly leftist schools. They are not liberal in the traditional sense that they are opposing the traditional, conformist mindset; rather they are doing quite the opposite by adhering to the majority party among their peers.
In fact, as Jordan Rothman brought up in his last editorial projected at the Bush Bashers on campus, attacking the Republican Party and the people associated with it has become something of a trend. Those not immediately hopping on the Obama-wagon risk their reputations with every questionable commentary they make. Liberals have had it hammered into their heads to accept all persons of varying creeds, races and sexualities as equals within humankind, unless those persons are registered Republicans, in which case they can be equated with the scum of the earth. I am not a Democrat, nor am I a Republican, but I am certainly thoughtful enough about my beliefs and the beliefs of others to be considerate when discussing politics. Actually, all of this is a bit unorthodox for me to be ranting about, because I usually
avoid discussing politics by all means for this very reason. I was brought up to be openminded to everything and to never impose my opinions on others. To go into an academic environment as sheltered as a classroom and witness my teacher proclaiming her political beliefs, as if everyone automatically subscribes to them as a prerequisite to the class, is absolutely absurd, if not appalling. I’m not trying to Obama-bash or anything with this letter; quite the contrary. I am just, as a means of protecting the few underrepresented students on campus, trying to urge a less obtrusive way of going about political debate. If you wouldn’t think twice about judging someone based on their sexuality or religion, you shouldn’t based on their political party, either. - Samantha Shokin ‘12
SEA Change
Comparing the candidates' environmental stance BY ADAM HUGHES Staff
On November 4, this country will elect the occupant of the most powerful position in the nation and perhaps the world -- the Presidency of the United States. While there are many factors that go into making an informed vote, we at Students for Environmental Action believe that climate change is potentially the most crucial issue for the long-term good of humanity, and as such, we recommend that it be among the strongest elements you consider when voting next Tuesday. And while SEA does not endorse specific candidates, we want to devote this column to looking at each candidate's position and policies on enivronmental issues to help focus attention on them. Obama's comprehensive energy and environment plan is titled New Energy for America and can be found in full at http:// my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy. Obama's focus is on expanding renewable energy in a way that stimulates the economy. In the short term, he wants to provide temporary relief for high gas prices by establishing a windfall profit tax on oil companies that will be used to fund a $1,000 emergency energy rebate for families. He will target the practice of oil speculation and release some oil from the strategic petroleum reserve. The focus of his long term goals is to ensure that 10% of America's electricity use comes from renewable sources by 2012 and 25% by 2025. He will also pursue energy efficiency by weatherizing one million homes every year, a move which he believes will reduce electricity usage by 15% from its projected levels by 2020. Obama supports the development of clean coal technology and will focus on contructing the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline. To fight climate change, Obama will demand that fuel economy standards increase by 4% annu-
ally and will provide $4 billion to domestic automakers to retool their plants. He will create a new $7,000 tax credit specifically for purchasing hybrid cars with the goal of putting one million of these vehicles on the roads by 2015. His National Low Carbon Fuel Standard will cut 10% of the carbon in fuel by 2020 and will put the country on a path to phasing in 60 billion gallons of biofuels by 2030. He will demand that all land leased to oil companies goes into immediate production but will take heed of environmental and infrastructure concerns on any new drilling on American land. Obama supports a cap-and-trade policy for limiting carbon emissions that will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% in the next 42 years and will engage with the UN to a greater extent to solve climate change as a worldwide problem. Republican John McCain's energy plan is The Lexington Project; it is online at http://www. johnmccain.com/Informing/ Issues/17671aa4-2fe8-4008-859f0ef1468e96f4.htm. The Lexington Project is focused on ending the United States' dependence on foreign oil by 2025. McCain supports both loosening restrictions on offshore drilling to expand both the oil and natural gas production of America. He will offer a $5,000 tax credit for the purchase of automobiles with no carbon emissions and will strengthen the penalties for manufacturers that defy CAFE fuel efficiency standards. He also encourages the use of alternative sources of electricity, pledging to give $2 billion every year toward developing clean coal and building at least 45 new nuclear plants by 2030. McCain intends to promote energy efficiency by greening federal government buildings and updating the national electricity grid. He opposes a windfall profits tax on oil companies but supports increasing the penalties for oil speculation. McCain's climate change policy
is at http://www.johnmccain.com/ Informing/Issues/da151a1c-733a-4dc1-9cd3-f9ca5caba1de.htm. It is centered around a cap-andtrade system that uses a series of progressively greater goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 66% by 2050. Emissions permits would be auctioned off, and a portion of the money earned would go to environmental research and development. McCain intends to build a green economy through allowing companies to "bank" their permits until it is most economically feasible to employ them and through creation of the Climate Change Credit Corporation, an agency that will adjust the number of allowed and auctioned permits as the economy allows. He wants to engage India and China in structuring environmental agreements to ensure their rapidly growing economies remain environmentally responsible. Libertarian Bob Barr's energy plan focuses on harnessing the free market to cut energy prices. Independant Ralph Nader would eliminate all government subsidization of oil, nuclear, electric, and coal mining companies to allow green start-up companies a chance to compete. Cynthia McKinney of the Green Party wants to concentrate the creation of new green jobs in underdeveloped communities to provide economic stimulation. Constitution Party nominee Chuck Baldwin does not prioritize energy or environmental policy in his platform. Regardless of who you vote for, make sure that the environment is at the forefront of your concerns. Hold candidates accountable for keeping their environmental promises, both on a presidential level and down the ticket. At this critical period for attacking the growing climate change crisis, we must ensure that the United States leads the way in the development of a sustainable global economy, and that process has to start on November 4.
October 31, 2008
The Hoot
3
IMP RES S IONS
Worried about a career? Go ahead! Dive right in! BY ANDREA DINE Special to The Hoot
There are moments in our lives when we feel paralyzed, when situations appear daunting, even insurmountable. Many seniors are expressing that very feeling when they talk about their post-graduation plans. Students have agonized, “Do I have enough time to figure out what I want to do and find a job before May?” and “How do I figure out if I want to go to graduate school; how do I apply and pay for another degree?” M a n y , trapped by the immobility of fear, have delayed taking any action. This need not be the case. There are circumstances, both present and past, which can guide us through this predicament. In October, Thomas Friedman spoke on campus about his book “Hot, Flat & Crowded” which tackles the current and future implications of the environmental crisis. In his speech he quoted Amory Lovins' eulogy for Donella Meadows, a Dartmouth-based environmental expert and writer, stating, "When asked if we have
enough time to prevent catastrophe, she'd always say that we have exactly enough time—starting now.” Dr. Meadows’ words moved individuals beyond immobility, inspiring a generation of environmental researchers and advocates. Midrash relates that during the Exodus, when the Israelites reached the Red Sea, the waters did not part for Moses. The Israelites stood trapped at the banks of the sea not knowing which way to turn, on the edge of transitioning to a new stage of development as a people. Perhaps the anxiety you are experiencing, thinking about the questions your family will ask around the Thanksgiving table about your future plans, is not dissimilar. The waters remained still until Nachshon ben Aminadav took the first step into the sea and waded up to his neck. At that moment the sea parted and he and the Israelites safely crossed. Facing a challenge, particularly one that lies in the path of creating a new life, is daunting. Taking positive action not only helps you along your path, but
Figuring out what to do after graduation is neither a catastrophe, nor a trap.
Book Of Matthew
PHOTO COURTESY OF Andrea Dime
may also inspire others to follow. Figuring out what to do after graduation is neither a catastrophe, nor a trap. To move forward in your decision-making process, you could start with something as simple as making an appointment at Hiatt to explore what you might want to do, or creating a resume. Or, you could attend Hiatt’s Senior on Sunday, November 16 from 1 to 5 p.m. during which
you could learn how to explore possible career paths, find jobs or apply to graduate school. Visit Hiatt’s website at www.brandeis. edu/hiatt to learn about the resources available to you and look for Hiatt’s weekly column here in The Hoot. Choosing a professional path or starting a full-time job search may at times seem as insurmountable as solving the environmental cri-
sis or parting the Red Sea. You are not alone; Hiatt is here to help. If you are asking, “Do I have enough time…” or “What do I do next…” the answer is as follows: You “have exactly enough time—starting now.” Take the first step. Andrea Dine is the Associate Director of Career Development of the Hiatt Career Center.
The Cuban Embargo: A brief comment on a ridiculous policy
BY BRET MATTHEW Editor
On Wednesday, October 29, 2008, the United Nations General Assembly voted on a non-binding measure that urged the United States to lift its 46-year embargo on Cuba. The measure was passed by an overwhelming majority of 185 nations in favor. Only three nations opposed the measure (the US, Israel, and Palau), while two nations abstained (Micronesia and the Marshall Islands). This vote marked the seventeenth straight year in which the UN has passed such a measure and the seventeenth time that the US has refused to comply. According to President Bush, who discussed the issue during a speech in Florida, "We will change our policy when the people running Cuba free people of conscience from the prisons. But until then, we won't change." I have three problems with this decision. My first problem is that politically, this embargo has been a flat failure. Every Cold War President since Kennedy has upheld this policy on the grounds that the US was punishing what was essentially a Soviet outpost off our shores. This hurt the Cuban economy, aided the growth of anti-US sentiment, and in all likelihood forced
them to form even closer ties with the Soviet Union. When the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union collapsed, the US government lost a good reason to uphold the embargo, but continued to do so regardless. Cuba, badly in need of trading partners, has turned to China, Venezuela, and Bolivia, nations that are not particularly friendly to us. This is not a good way to make friends, folks. My second problem is that the embargo has done the most damage to those in Cuba who have the least ability to change their country’s behavior. By preventing Americans from visiting Cuba, investing in its economy, or even buying Cuban goods, the government is taking away thousands, if not millions, of dollars that could bolster the Cuban economy and improve the lives of its citizens. On the other hand, the Castro brothers have been doing just fine for years, with or without the US. They have no incentive to give in to US demands of a free Cuba. In fact, the more our policies hurt the average Cuban, the easier it is for Raul and Fidel to use the US as a scapegoat and maintain control. Finally, my third and final problem is that the US is abusing its position as a superpower by refusing to listen to the UN. Yes, the
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY Andrew Hogan/The Hoot
recent measure was non-binding and technically does not directly affect US foreign policy. But at the same time, international consensus like this does not happen everyday and should not be ignored. We expect all other nations to listen when the UN tells them what to do and there is no reason why we shouldn’t do the same. Oth-
erwise, one of the world’s greatest means of international cooperation will be rendered useless. When President Bush leaves office in January of next year, his successor will face the question of the Cuban embargo. America will once again have an excellent opportunity to help a society free itself from lead-
ers who will be forced to explain their mistakes instead of simply blaming the US. We will be able to shirk the lingering shadow of the Cold War and actually make a friend in an increasingly antiAmerican world. In short, we should have lifted this embargo years ago. But better late than never, I suppose.
The Hoot accepts submissions to the Impressions section on any topic of consequence to any member of the campus community. Our mission is to give every community member a voice. The views expressed in the Impressions section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Hoot’s editorial board.
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October 31, 2008
IMPRESSIONS
The Hoot
Shopping For Truth
One Tall Voice
Memoirs of a conservative: Fantasy Families: More important than Part Three our own?
BY CHRISSY CALLAHAN Editor
ILLUSTRATION BY Alex Doucette/The Hoot
BY JORDAN ROTHMAN Editor
I am really pissed off. About two weeks ago, when most of you were probably home for the Yom Kippur holiday, the John McCain stickers on my door were vandalized. These advertisements were innocent endorsements of my support for the candidate, and this act of vandalism represented a true crime against my property. On one of the stickers, this craven individual wrote, “douchbag, homophobe” and on the other sign, “sucks.” On both stickers, there were cross outs and other marks as well. This instance of intolerance is unbelievable. From a community that supposedly respects all viewpoints, this act is an incredible episode of bigotry. For a community that embraces diversity, it represented a shunning of that very ideal. It is amazing that people don’t see the hardships faced by conservatives on the Brandeis campus. Many of my compatriots are afraid to speak out, as they can’t stand the judgment and criticism they would receive. In a place where the term “Republican” is a dirty word, many do not want to come out and publically declare their sentiments. This is a horrible condition. The Brandeis community, in its bigoted stance, has shunned an important commodity from the marketplace of ideas. How can a genuine discussion be well rounded if all you hear is the same old droning of liberal propaganda? Republicans add to diversity, conservatives provide a valuable viewpoint. Yet we are crapped upon and criticized even though we do the community a service by expressing our beliefs. I was recently quoted in an article by the Boston Phoenix on this very topic and advise you to check it out on-
line for a longer explanation of my sentiments on this topic. Furthermore, the academy is horrible in this arena, as it does not allow a genuine free flow of ideas. I am talking beyond mere “Bush-bashing.” Recently one of my residents complained that she was assigned Barack Obama’s autobiography to read in her composition class with an endorsement for the candidate by the professor. Many of my conservative colleagues have told me that they have been graded down on papers for conveying their right-leaning ideas. And numerous individuals have become annoyed that professors in the Classics or Fine Arts departments are going off their curriculums to bash Republicans and endorse liberal candidates. This is insane! How do you effectively allow people to reach full intellectual growth when you are shoving propaganda down their throats? How can you allow individuals to discover their own views when you punish one position and endorse the Liberal side of things? Furthermore, I would just like to get off my chest how unfairly people have treated the Republican candidates in this campaign. Only in America could someone call John McCain a “douchbag.” He has dedicated his life to serving our country and has served five years in hell as a prisoner of war. I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for this man, and to convey loaded insults at him is disgraceful to how our country treats their public servants. And yes, I do like Sar-
ah Palin. Her story is populist and her meteoric rise to power is truly impressive. Many have focused way too much on the Republican Vice Presidential candidate in this election, when this position really has little power in the national political scene. And no, McCain won’t die. That view is truly shortsighted indeed. But back to Palin. Many have been up in arms due to a few mistakes in interviews and other indiscretions she made. At least she doesn’t plagiarize speeches like a certain other VP nominee. At least Palin never said her now running mate was the “first mainstream AfricanAmerican who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” like Biden did last year. I also think past the criticisms that Palin is unintelligent and unfit for office. Anyone who can rise in politics as quickly as she did is no dumb cookie, and the fact that she has such a humble background connects her to the American people. Stop letting biased media or SNL convince you otherwise, the feeding frenzy on this woman is unwarranted. Use your own head and see that Sarah Palin is not the devil many have painted her out to be. So this is the third installment of my memoirs of a conservative at Brandeis. I am sorry for the jumbled format of it all, but bear with me; my mind is so full of anger and vengeance! I hope this piece can nevertheless help you see the hypocrisy and bigotry expressed by many members of the Brandeis community.
Only in America, could someone call John McCain a “douchebag”
Is my family more important than yours? To me, sure. To you, probably not. Would any of you care if my neighbor got shot? Would you read about it in the news or would I have to tell you about it first? Now what about Britney Spears? What if something happened to her or her children? I’d be willing to bet that news of this tragedy would ooze down to nearly all of us. Maybe we wouldn’t all be glued to the TV, but I’d like to say that we’d at least be aware of what was going on. Such is the case with the recent tragedy in Jennifer Hudson’s family. In case you h a v e n’t already heard, the mother and brother of this Academy Award winning singer and actress were found shot to death in their Chicago home last week. Hudson’s nephew, initially deemed missing, has now been discovered murdered also. As is the case with today’s rapidly moving media forces, there have been constant updates to the ongoing story. I was shocked when I first heard this story and as a human being, my heart goes out to Hudson and her family in this very difficult time. But as a journalist and as a student, I also find myself criticizing the media coverage of this tragedy. While this is a tragedy and is deserving of media coverage to a certain degree, it’s also a sad reality check about our cognizance of local tragedies because what about the other victims that go unreported? What about the voices that go unheard? Who’s to say that the life of one victim is more important than the next? And who’s going to ask these questions? This latest tragedy has got me thinking about these very questions. And since two of my journalism classes discussed this very issue of media coverage of celebrity news in the same day I figured the topic warranted a column at the very least. When one of my professors asked the class what happened to Jennifer Hudson’s family the other day, I knew. I knew not because I religiously follow celebrity newsthe opposite is actually true-but because the story has been so prevalent in this week’s news cy-
cle that it’s been hard to escape. But when she asked about a local shooting in Boston, I had no clue what had happened. I couldn’t help but ask myself when it was that the everyday person in the public decided that a celebrity or their family was more important than the rest of us. I’m not going to sit here and say that I never read celebrity gossip because I think that’d be impossible for any of us to say, and I’m guilty of it myself. So, why do we cover so many celebrity stories and yet so many of us don’t know what’s going on in our own backyard? All at once the answer seems so simple. Sometimes it’s just so hard to keep track of what’s going in the world these days and oftentimes when scanning the latest headlines after a long and hard day, many of us will just click on something light that catches our interest. Maybe we’re all just so wrapped up in our own lives that we need a little escape from reality and celebrity news-whether it’s triumph or tragedy-provides us with that. People often say they ‘identify with’ or ‘relate to’ certain celebrities. But after all, aren’t everyday people living miles away from us a lot easier to relate to than some far-off celebrity you’ll most likely never meet or know? And yet it’s no lie that the people who get swept under the rug, who get thrown to the last page of the paper (if they’re there at all) are more like you and I than any celebrity. For this very fact we should demand better from two sources: our media and ourselves. Because, as one of my classes discussed the other day, without a public desire for the type of news we really need, the news industry simply cannot provide it. And I know the media can’t cover every local tragedy but maybe we should start to care a little bit more about the deaths of our next-door neighbors rather than the celebrities we don’t even know. This is not to say at all that a story like that of Hudson’s personal tragedy doesn’t warrant coverage because it certainly draws attention to important issues of crimes in the United States, but the fact that we have forfeited our hometown pride for fantasy seems to me to be the news of the day.
But after all, aren’t everyday people living miles away from us a lot easier to relate to than some far-off celebrity you’ll most likely never meet or know?
October 31, 2008
IMPRESSIONS
Naomi Narrative
Porn for the masses: No tissues necessary BY NAOMI BARTH Columnist
Porn isn’t just hot sweaty bodies going at it. Or a twosome that becomes a threesome that becomes a foursome. I watch porn every night. Sometimes in the company of friends. My guy friends watch porn too. No use of their left hands necessary, no tissues needed for the cleanup. We both watch it on HBO. I get it on demand, whenever I’m in the mood. When I want it, how I want it. After a long day I take a bubble bath, bring Mr. Goodbar into bed with me, and turn the TV on. An image of Carrie fills the screen, sauntering through her city in stilettos. Guys watch it Sunday nights at 10. They usually watch it together, with no talk about it being too homoerotic. A click of the remote brings Vince, Drama, Turtle and E cruising Hollywood Blvd in a pimped out Maserati. Sex and the City puts together spectacular clothing, fabulous New York City lifestyle and true-blue best friends to create a fantasy world. Not to mention the constant stream of drop-dead gorgeous men, one night stands, casual encounters, dates, and lovers. The poor girl will envy the fashion, the friendless woman will envy the girl talk, the horny girl will envy the sex. Much like female-friendly porn -think well endowed men of XYZ racial group-Carrie and Co. allow women to act out their wildest dreams. A crazy night of passion with the ripped construction worker isn’t happening for the dowdy housewife. Yet videotapes to that effect are easily within her reach, with the help of a handy Visa card. She merely waits for her husband’s bowling nights, pops in her copy of “Construction Worker and his Drill,” and lets the screw gun do its work. Similarly, Carrie’s Manohlo Blahnik’s and Page Six sexcapades aren’t happening for Mrs. Joe Sixpack. She’s got her beer drinking deadbeat of a husband, her job waitressing and her bills to pay. She’s not hailing a cab to the newest French fusion restaurant on a Tuesday night. She’s not sleeping her way through New York City’s 30+ male population. She doesn’t have Miranda’s brains, Carrie’s spunk, Charlotte’s pedigree or Samantha’s sex appeal.
But for that half hour that she tunes in, she’s got it all. One minute she’s prudish Charlotte, the next she’s sluttish Samantha. One second she’s cynical Miranda, the next she’s happy-go-lucky Carrie. She’s outfitted at Bendel’s, eats at Nobu, lives on the Upper East Side. Gorgeous with a great body, she's basically got Sex on Demand. Not an episode goes by without a graphic play by play. We see Samantha and her sex swing, Charlotte and her steamy gardener, Miranda’s thrill of doing it in public places, and Carrie’s political guy who likes to be peed on. It gets pretty kinky. Not to mention, they’re not afraid of showing all this. The reruns on TBS clean it up to a PG-13 level, but the original HBO version is proud of its R rating. Sarah Jessica Parker is immune (maybe something in her contract? A jealous Matthew Broderick?) but I’ve seen Samantha and Miranda topless more times than I cared to. The guys are not immune and male rear nudity is definitely there as an enticement. It’s got the hot fit bodies, glistening with sweat. It’s emotional porn for any woman who doesn’t have the whole package, and frankly that’s all of us. Their lifestyle is all-around fabulous. And for half an hour you and I can escape our humdrum lifestyles and dive right into theirs. Guys fill their porn quotient with Entourage. Four best friends from working class Queens find themselves in the bright lights of Hollywood. Vince’s pretty face gains them access rather than his superb acting skills. It’s not a tall order; he stands there looking pretty and makes his millions. The rest coast on his success. They’ve got the mansion, the swimming pool, the access to the coolest clubs. They toke jays and play videogames by day, and pursue tail by night. Instant gratification’s the name of the game. Vince scores all the time, what with his dentist’s dream of a smile, flashing green eyes, and black tousled hair. His star persona and “in” with the glitterati world trickle down to his friends, who get more ass than they would by their own merits. And what ass it is! The models, the socialistas, aspiring actresses. A snap of the fingers brings them running. Leggy and curvy. Sensual and promiscuous. All too willing to shed their clothing and
jump into Vince’s bed. Like Sex and the City, it's predicated on strong friendship. A bromance. They live together, they roll as a foursome in their Hummer. Even with the pursuit of women, when push comes to shove its “dicks over chicks.” There will always be another girl, another model type wanting to get into Vinnie’s pants. But they’re family, they migrated from sketched out Queens Blvd to decked out Hollywood Blvd together. They’ve got each other's back. Vinnie puts his crew over his career time and time again. Despite the pimped out flashy lifestyle, they’re just a tight knit, vaguely Italian family from the streets of Queens. It’s a nice life. Get rich quick and easy, live in LA with buddies, the ultimate life of nonstop bros and hos. Joe Sixpack can dream, but there’s no way in hell he’ll ever live the life. He’s got the 9-5, he lives in Kansas, he has a wife who’s too tired to ever put out. And when she does she’s thinking of color schemes for the bathroom, not the cute beer belly her hubby’s growing. Going out means the same old neighborhood bar, maybe hitting on a cute co-ed who gives him the finger in reward for trying. No trysts with Victoria Secret models. Horny, frustrated, depressed, he has his left hand to keep him company. He’s not getting the hell out of Oshkosh anytime soon, he’s never making more than $7.15 an hour, and he’ll never get to try that new sex position. The biggest thing that’ll happen to him this year is the bathroom will be redone in a shade of mauve. And he doesn’t know what the fuck kind of color mauve is! Maybe his wife will be so excited over the new color scheme that her excitement will spill over into the bedroom. If he’s lucky. That’s what’s keeping him going. But for half an hour on Sunday nights he gets to roll with Vince in Entourage. His wife’s nagging fades into the background as he turns up the volume, rocking out to the “Superhero” theme song. He’s about to enter a male fantasy world and he’s gonna enjoy every minute of it.
The Hoot
5 October
Let the truth sting: Learn to be honest
BY ARIELLE KAPLAN Special to The Hoot
Throughout my first few years at Brandeis, I’ve learned a lot about human nature. For one thing, we will always protect ourselves first before helping someone else. We will revert back to our baser instincts when faced with a difficult decision and generally take the easy way out. We are emotional beings and will often make choices which we wouldn’t have if we were thinking rationally. In spite of all that, I think the most painful thing I’ve learned is that we are all liars. You would think that as an actor, which in some ways is really just “lying for a living,” I would have come to this conclusion earlier. However, I have a certain naïveté about people and I always try to rationalize what they say or do into something not so bad when in fact, it is just as hurtful and painful as I try not to believe. Because I have this outlook on life and as I make it a habit to be as truthful as possible, I generally walk away from these situations with less faith in humanity and a chunk taken out of my happy little existence. A friend of mine, who knows me very well—sometimes better than I do—can always tell when I’m making a feeble attempt to be dishonest. Every time I try, he just sees through it and waits until I give up and shamefacedly speak the truth. I can never get away with anything because I wear my heart on my sleeve, so to speak. Consequently, I trust too much,
hide too little, and get hurt more than I’d like to admit. But the truly sad part is, I never learn. My Disney-esque blind faith in humanity, which hasn’t been completely destroyed yet, continues to lead me into painful situations. I believe that even though the truth hurts, the combination of lies that people use to cover it and the subsequent revelation of the hidden truth is much more painful. Even just the realization that one has been lied to in the first place is enough to make an already terrible truth worse. Trust me, the truth is always better than the lies we tell others in order to hide it and the ones we tell ourselves so we feel like we’re protecting them or being the better person, hiding the scary truth from them. There is a quote from a popular television drama, Grey’s Anatomy, which I think sums up this point: “Protecting me? That’s not how to be my person. That’s not what we do. You know that.” It’s an interesting way to put it: “that’s not how to be my person.” If you are lucky enough to be someone’s person, you protect them from the greater pain and the big bad world with the truth the first time around. You consider their feelings. You take a hiatus from the pastime of lying. Yes, we are still all liars on some level, but when we substitute honesty once in a while, this Disney princess faith in humanity is slowly rebuilt. So why not let the truth sting? I promise, it’ll hurt less than the alternative.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is This You? Then Write for The Hoot Impressions! E-Mail Bret Matthew at bmatthew@brandeis.edu
6
October 31, 2008
The Hoot
FEATURES
ELEVEat-ing girls to their full potential BY CHRISSY CALLAHAN Editor
$25. That’s the price of a dinner out with some friends. To some, it might be petty change; to a young girl in Senegal it’s a future. Sitting in a car with her Senegalese host mother on her way to deliver books to girls at a local school, Allyson Goldsmith ‘10 realized just that and was struck by how little stood between a young girl and her dreams. “I [couldn’t] believe that the price of going to dinner is stopping these girls from achieving their dreams,” Goldsmith said, recalling her initial shock. To attend high school, students in Senegal must first pass a national High School Entrance Examination. Sounds easy enough, right? Here’s the catch: to take the exam itself, the government requires something t h a t half of Senegal’s children lack: a • Only 2 birth out of 3 child ren certifiin Senegal ha ve cate. An books for scho ol educa• Half of the ch ildren t i o n in Senegal lack that rebirth certificate s s e arch • Most fa m ili es shows in Kaolack liv e could on less that $2 a a d day and a bi rth vance certificate co sts their the equivalent ecoof $25 U.S. nomic situation is out o f the reach of many families in the poverty-ridden township of Kaolack, Senegal because they simply cannot afford the $25 birth certificate. Or maybe they can, thanks to Goldsmith and the nonprofit organization she formed, ELEVEate. During the summer of 2007 as an intern for Women’s Health Educations and Prevention Strategies Alliance in Kaolack, Senegal, Goldsmith developed and led courses in computer skills, English and civic awareness at a school for girls. Struck by the monetary limits preventing so many girls from attending secondary school, Goldsmith decided to follow her favorite Gandhi quotation and “be the change [she] “wish[es] to see in the world.” In Senegal, Goldsmith’s host mother Madame Sanokho, whose responsibility was to increase the number of girls who remain in school and complete high school, had previously told her about the challenges girls faced. But like the saying goes, seeing is believing and seeing for herself made all the difference for Goldsmith when she visited a local school. Struck by these girls’ yearning to learn, Goldsmith felt compelled to help them. And though her 10 weeks in Senegal were up, her time with these girls was fresh in her mind. In an email interview conducted in French, Madame Sanokho emphasized the importance of ELEVEate to her community and also Goldsmith’s passion. During Goldsmith’s time in Senegal, Madame Sanokho said, “she was very sensitive to the problems of the girls…We are thankful to know Allyson and I pray each day for the success of ELEVEate. My child is very wonderful. I’m very delighted to speak of my relationship with Allyson who is a very sincere girl with a big heart who loves to help the girls.”
After an email to her parents asking for some financial backing after a life-changing summer experience, Goldsmith formed ELEVEate, a nonprofit organization based in Virginia. Based off of the word ‘élève,’ French for student, ELEVEate seeks to elevate girls to their potential through education. Based on research highlighting the economic and social benefits of secondary education to girls and their families, ELEVEate provides girls with the finances, role models and resources to help them achieve their goals. Five main programs form the basis of ELEVEate: Birth Certificates, Public School Supplies, Kaolack Summer School for Girls (KSSG), Summer School supplies and Health Awareness and Promotion. ELEVEate’s first and most important program, Goldsmith said, is one that provides birth certificates to girls because doing so “not only gives them education but it also provides • Within a year, them acELEVEate ra cess to ised enough money healthto purchase care, the birth certificates for right not 139 girls in Kaolack to be ex• A girl in ploited, Africa's annual the right earning rises by 15 pe to vote and rcent to 20 percen the right t for each additional to actually year of education be a citizen she receives. [and] exist.” Similar to illegal aliens in the United States, Senegalese children without a birth cer- tificate aren’t accounted for in the eyes of the government. Within one year, ELEVEate raised enough money to provide birth certificates to 139 girls. In addition to its birth certificate program, ELEVEate empowers girls through the influence of strong female role models and sponsors the Kaolack Summer School for Girls whose pilot program this summer included 300 girls. Free from traditional female roles of subordination to men and instances of sexual harassment by male teachers, KSSG fosters a safe learning environment for the girls grades nine through 12 who attend. Taught by only women, the school not only provides girls with “positive role models, it makes them more comfortable and willing to ask questions and really engage in” the material, Goldsmith said. Two of ELEVEate’s other programs provide school supplies for the girls in the public schools of Kaolack and also the girls attending KSSG. ELEVEate’s final program, the Health Awareness and Promotion program, provides girls with the knowledge necessary to follow nutrition-rich diets and sound sanitation practices in addition to reducing the rate of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and water born parasites among the inhabitants of Kaolack. But Goldsmith can’t do it alone and she has enlisted the help of her fellow Brandeis students such as Lauren Ehrlich ’10. Working with Goldsmith has helped push Ehrlich to work to her full potential, she said. “She’s just really inspiring. She just really makes you want to do the best job you can do because she’s so passionate about everything and she just makes you sort of really excited about what you’re doing.”
It’s this passion that fuels Goldsmith’s work. And even though balancing school with running ELEVEate certainly requires her to sacrifice a bit of personal time, you won’t hear her complaining. “I wouldn’t want to have all that free time because this is something I love doing so I think it all balances out because honestly I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t do all of this,” she said. “I think that it’s become just very core to who I am and I wouldn’t give that up so I think the most rewarding part is knowing that I have a positive effect on people’s lives whether I meet them or never meet them, it’s knowing that somewhere out there I’ve improved their lives or at least I’m trying to.” If you ask the girls who recently decided to stay in school and pursue their dreams thanks to ELEVEate, Goldsmith certainly has done just that. “It’s so good to know that it’s actually having a positive impact,” she said, a smile lighting her face. In the future Goldsmith hopes to expand ELEVEate to help more girls and create a mentorship program through which older girls who have benefitted from ELEVEate’s programs can counsel y ou n g e r girls. And making sure ELEV E a t e ’s programs are commu n i t y driven is always in the back of her mind. “ T h e m o r e c o m munity driven it is, the more sustainable PHOTO COURTESTY Allyson Goldsmith it is and the more ELEVATE: Allyson Goldsmith '10 started her own Non-Governmental Organization to they’ll be buy birth certificates for Senegalize girls (shown above). Without a birth certificate, e x c i t e d children in Senegal are not allowed to attend school. about it,” in Live Campus, a Brandeis-based countryshe said. In addition to running ELEVEate, Gold- wide initiative to raise $1.5 million to fund smith is also Executive Director of Positive a millennium village in Africa. In the future, Goldsmith hopes to atFoundations, a Brandeis club dedicated to tend graduate school for public policy and eradicating extreme poverty by supporting would love to see ELEVEate join the ranks the United Nations Millennium Developof other major education-based NGOs. ment Goals. She is the PF representative to Goldsmith envisions herself working for the Millennium Campus Network, a group an NGO headquarters and to keep running of Boston-based college groups with similar ELEVEate. In the meantime, she’s content goals to fighting poverty and is also involved
October 31, 2008
The Hoot
7
Beyond Israel: Jewish students explore the four corners of the world and themselves BY NAOMI BARTH Staff
Brandeis University and the State of Israel. What a combination. Both full of Jews, both established in 1948, both characterized by the colors blue and white. It’s like a match made on JDate. With the undergraduate student population estimated to be 50 percent Jewish in any given year, it’s no surprise that Israel is a popular study abroad location for many Brandeis students. Spending time in their ancestral homeland allows students to strengthen their religious and cultural Jewish identities. Yet there are plenty of Jewish students who explore unchartered territories on their semesters abroad. Leaving no stone left unturned, Jewish Brandeis students have studied in every continent other than Antarctica, according to Brandeis study abroad office. When confronted with the difficulties of adjusting to a new county, they are faced with the additional difficulty of navigating their Jewish identities within this new context. A host of questions arise, challenging their level of observance, their conceptions of themselves and their views on Judaism. For a number of globetrotting students, the ability to practice and explore their Judaism played a key factor in choosing their study abroad location. In considering spending time overseas, Ben Winchel ‘09 considered the advice of friends who had studied abroad in Melbourne, Australia. This common trend of networking with alumni of the program often proves successful. “We often encourage students to be in touch with past program participants who share that same identity, to seek advice and see what their experience was like,” Assistant Director of Study Abroad Eowyn Greeno said. Knowing it had a strong Jewish community and access to kosher food, Winchel was confident in his ability to maintain his level of observance in Melbourne. Although Shabbat and holiday observance limited some activities, for the most part Winchel felt that his religion did not hold him back. Finding kosher food posed some obstacle while traveling, but his willingness to pack basic sandwiches allowed him to stay true to dietary law. The camaraderie of Avi Nussbaum ‘09, a fellow participant on the program, was helpful in approaching the same Jewish issues with him. Rather than detracting from his religious commitment, Winchel’s time abroad reinforced his Judaism “I was proud of myself that I could go somewhere where a lot of people weren’t Jewish,” he said. Winchel was in a unique position to ex-
plain his religion to both fellow program members and locals. Characterizing Australia as a “laid back multicultural country,” Winchel found people to be open to hearing about his religion. Halfway across the world in Spain, Jules Levenson ‘10 is currently studying abroad in Toledo. An observant Jew, he is living with a Gentile host family, as he was unable to secure a Jewish household with whom to live for the semester. This less-thanideal setup takes considerate planning, and Levenson has his own dishes, utensils and food separate from the family. His host family is amenable and understandin, and he is not made to feel socially isolated. That being said, explaining Shabbat and other rituals proves difficult. In search of a Jewish outlet early on, Levenson sought out the warm and welcoming religious community, spending Shabbat and holiday meals with them. He also attends daily prayers, helping him to strengthen his ties to the Jewish community. Although the Jewish community is active, it is small. “There are not that many Jews in Spain,” Levenson commented. “Those who are Jewish keep a low profile. I wear a baseball cap,” Levenson said, referencing the custom of wearing of Jewish men wearing a yarmulke as a sign of devotion to God. When in the synagogue Levenson wears his yarmulke, a visible sign of Judaism, but he will not wear it out in the streets. “It’s very much a personal decision what a student would choose to disclose or not to disclose,” Greeno said, describing identity choices while abroad in a location that is perhaps less than hospitable. “There are certain aspects of one’s identity that are visual to others, and some that are not. For those that are not, it can be a student’s choice.” Heading South, Rachel Lewis ’09 had what she defines as a “rich, positive Jewish experience” that added dimensions to her overall time abroad. “My religious identity fueled my choice to go to Capetown, South Africa,” Lewis said. “Going to a place with a strong Jewish community helped me grow as a person and as a Jew.” Although Lewis did have a positive expe-
PHOTO COURTESTY Jules Levenson
OY VEY-CATION: Jules Levinson '10 wears a hat in place of a Yarmulke while studying in Toledo so as not to bring unwanted attention to his Judaism.
rience with the Jewish community, initial feelings of isolation and rootlessness were overwhelming. “When I first got to South Africa I felt like I had no roots. The next morning I started to pray. It became my constant, my connection back to home,” she said. Prayer helped Lewis overcome the adjustment phase in going abroad. Although she began out of pragmatic considerations, the value has lasted and she continues to pray daily. Having always encountered the Jewish directive of “tikun olam,” or “repairing the world” in her education, seeing her Jewish community’s involvement in providing shelter for Zimbabwean refugees allowed the concept to leave the theoretical realm. A minor participant in the cause, Lewis saw the realities of social justice on the ground through the eyes of her religious community. Headed North to the contentious Middle East, Alex Halpern ‘09 discovered new dimensions to her Judaism while studying abroad in Amman, Jordan, where “it was hard to be a Jew, for obvious reasons.” “No one knew I was Jewish, “said Halpern. “When asked what religion I was, I
When I first got to South Africa I felt like I had no roots. The next morning I started to pray. It became my constant, my connection back to home. --Rachel Lewis ‘09
said I was Christian. I was uncomfortable expressing my Jewish identity.” With religion being such a contentious issue, Halpern wanted to immerse herself in Jordanian society and not have her religion be a factor. This proved difficult, though, as she was unable to leave her identity behind. “You’re more hyperaware that I was Jewish than at Brandeis, where I don’t really have to think about it,” she said. Feeling a certain lack, Halpern conducted a secret Passover seder with another Jew on the program. Making do, she dried out pita over a flame to make it resemble the cracker-like matzah. “Neither of us practice or would normally do that when we are in America,” Halpern said of herself and her friend. “We felt we needed to embrace that part of our identities more. I don’t practice regularly at home or at Brandeis, but I felt myself wanting to when I was abroad. It made me appreciate my Judaism more, and become more aware of it. ” A committed Zionist who has spent time living in Israel, hiding her religion on a daily basis was not nearly as difficult as hiding her political sentiments. “We watched Al Jazeera every day,” Halpern said. Anti-Semitic and Anti-Zionist rhetoric was prevalent. Inescapable. Seeing how fervently the Jordanians believed in their historical narrative was eye opening for Halpern. Yet it was at odds with the Israeli narrative to which she had always prescribed. Testing what she had believed and challenging assumptions. Questing for truth on her Jordanian journey.
Write for Hoot Features! Email chriscal@brandeis.edu or bsacks@brandeis.edu
12
October 31, 2008
The Hoot
N E W S Israeli author describes identity in writing
Princeton Prof. Appiah accepts Gittler prize all universities because he thought of it as a place that was particularly committed to the connecIn front of a full crowd in the tion between scholarly work and Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Brandeis teaching, and the pursuit of social celebrated the inaugural ceremony justice.” for the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Appiah began his address by first Prize on Monday with a speech thanking Brandeis and the award from its first recipient Professor committee and remarking that he Kwame Anthony Appiah. was “particularly glad” the award The $25,000 prize awards “out- is not just named in honor of Gitstanding and lasting scholarly con- tler but also his mother Toby, betributions to racial, ethnic and/or cause of the impact of his mother religious relations,” according to on his childhood. the prize’s website. “Like most people, I owe a lot to Appiah, who currently holds the both my parents, but my mother Laurance S. Rockefeller University was the person who really gave us Professorship of Philosophy in the our moral education,” Appiah told University Center for Human Val- The Hoot. “I feel very much shaped ues at Princeton University, has by my mother.” made contributions in his field Appiah then focused on his idea through of “cosscholarly There’s an important place for mopolibooks, tanism,” t h r e e universities in the world of social the same n o v e l s , justice, and in particular for a idea that an an- scholarship in trying to advance t i t l e s notated his latcollection social justice, trying to understand est book of prov- the problems that the world faces, – Coserbs from the sources of division in the world mopoliAshanti, t ani s m : Ghana, Ethics in and es--Kwame Appiah a World says, poof Strangems, and ers. reviews. Ap p i In an interview with The Hoot, ah spoke about cosmopolitanism Appiah said it would be, “an un- as a “stoic philosophical ideal… derstatement” to describe his sur- of the openness to others that I prise in receiving the award. learned from my home family, an He added, “if I hadn’t gotten it ideal…that can help guide the huthen I probably would have been man community.” interested once it was announced Three of the fundamental because it’s about things I care thoughts that form Appiah’s defiabout and I’m interested in…I was nition of cosmopolitanism come very surprised and of course de- from the Greek philosopher Dilighted and honored.” ogones, who lived 24 centuries Appiah acknowledged his con- ago. nection to the values of Professor The first idea is, “we do not need Gittler, a sociologist who taught, a single global government,” secamong other places, at Duke, the ond, “we should care about the University of Rochester, Yeshiva, fate of all our fellow human beBen-Gurion in Israel, and Hiro- ings, not just those in our own poshima in Japan. litical community,” and third, “we “As I understand it [Prof. Git- can take good ideas from all over tler] believed as I do that there’s the world, not just from our own an important place for universi- society.” ties in the world of social justice, The ceremony particularly atand in particular for a scholarship tracted students from the Heller in trying to advance social justice, School’s Sustainable International trying to understand the problems Development program. Prof. Mathat the world faces, the sources of ria Green brought her Rightsdivision in the world,” he said. Based Approaches to DevelopPresident Reinharz introduced ment class to the speech instead of Appiah at the award ceremony giving an exam that was assigned calling the prize “a source of in- for Monday. spiration and encouragement for Youness Tihm, a student in Prof. scholars at home and abroad.” Green’s course, said he enjoyed the Reinharz told the story of a call talk and expressed a keen interest he received from Gittler 12 years in Professor’s Appiah’s “philosophy ago to ask if Brandeis, a university to how people should interact.” with which he was not associated, Musue Haddad, also a SID stuwould award this prize. dent, remarked that it was “very Appiah noted, “Brandeis should wonderful hearing the initiation be pleased and proud really that of a new idea of cosmopolitanism someone who wasn’t a Brandeis and coming face to face with [Apalum and who wasn’t a teacher at piah].” Brandeis picked this university of BY JAMIE FLEISHMAN Editor
PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot
MEET THE AUTHOR: Israeli writer Etgar Keret discusses his short stories and his literary journey. BY GINA GOTTHILF Staff
Etgar Keret first decided to be a writer when his brother picked up dog poop with one of his stories. That decisive moment lent him the epiphany that catalyzed his career as an author, he explained at a Meet the Author event Tuesday. “You can’t touch the essence of a story,” he said. “You can’t ruin it with poop.” Thirty years later, the awardwinning Israeli author and filmmaker visited Brandeis Monday and Tuesday to discuss and publicize the unblemished essence of his latest collection of short stories, The Girl on the Fridge: Stories. The event was part of a Meet the Author series of events sponsored by the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies. During his two-day visit to Brandeis, Keret attended a screening of his Palme d’Or winning movie, Jellyfish, presented a creative writing workshop, spoke to Hebrew language students, delivered a public lecture on his writing, and signed autographs. Perhaps it is his unique use of language, relishing the subtle nuances and dichotomies of modern Hebrew slang, that captivate scholars all over the globe. For Israelis, Jews and other eternal misfits, perhaps it is the ease with which one can identify with his pensive characters who never fully belong. But for the majority of the Brandeis community present at his events, it was probably Keret’s persistent soft-spoken nature, his self-deprecating humor and humility that were most captivating. Having been expelled from three or four army units, Keret explained that his talent was not apparent from an early age. “My commander once said that he believes that every object or person in this world are good for some-
thing, but that he just couldn’t figure out what I was good for,” he recounted. But besides the humility and the self-proclaimed accidental genius of his work, Keret’s stories are lined with his intricate analysis and deep understanding of the Israeli identity. Modern Hebrew slang, he explained, contains the paradoxical identity of the country and its people. “It’s a country with the most ancient roots, but also a young country that is forming itself and looking for its identity. You feel this intrinsic tension in the language,” he said. Due to his understanding of the Israeli identity as fragmented, Keret understands and boasts of the limits of his work. “People ask if I’m the voice of young Israelis,” he said, “and I say that it depends what Israelis they are talking about. Is it the young Israeli-Arabs? Orthodox Jews? Settlers?” According to Keret, no writer is able to represent the present Israeli society in its fullness, in the way that writers of previous times, such as Amos Oz, have done. Keret identifies more with Jewish writers than Israeli writers, however. “Israel may have the best army in the world, but Jews are funny,” he said. “I prefer to be funny.” Ironically, other young Israelis may feel the same way. “[Keret] uses humor to get out of situations, just like I do,” said Ariel Levy ’09. In his talk, as well as in an interview, Keret addressed this week’s most heated topics: politics and the economy. The recession, he said, affects him most in that it gives him inspiration for stories. “It’s very interesting to watch,” he said, thanking his profession for existing independently of the fluctuations of the market. As for political issues, Keret purposely addressed them vaguely and from an Israeli perspective. He
said he finds it peculiar that many Israeli fiction writers write from a position of authority, promoting their political positions. “Hi, I’m Etgar Keret, the author,” he joked. “Vote for Shmul?” “I’m not that kind of writer, I don’t write from a position in which I think I know better than my readers. When you write fiction, it’s all about ambiguity and complexity,” he said. Reality, in comparison, is mostly pragmatic. Therefore, it is puzzling that people view authors as pragmatic authorities, since “all they do is sit at their computers thinking about things that don’t exist,” Keret said. Keret himself is not the paragon of concern for practical matters. A philosophy and mathematics student at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Keret said that he rarely attended his first classes each day because he consistently failed to wake up. His nocturnal shifts in the army, he explained, had interfered with his circadian system. His excuse to the professor was that he stayed up late, each night, writing stories. The professor, in return, asked to read said stories. That excuse, it turns out, placed Keret’s stories in the publishing room for the very first time. So much for “the dog ate my homework.” As for the dog that helped Keret make the biggest decision of his professional career, that one would certainly have eaten his stories if he’d had the chance. On the fateful morning when Keret and his brother decided to take the dog out for a leak, his brother was so involved in the story that he neglected making stops for the dog to carry out his business. “The dog was going ‘boing, boing, boing,’” Keret recounted. “Thankfully for the dog, I write short stories.”
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October 31, 2008
NEWS
The Hoot 13
Journalism prof. discusses Students left out of Patrick’s speech book on Paxil investigation DEVAL (from p. 1)
BY SARAH GILSON Special to The Hoot
A former reporter for the Boston Globe and Miami Herald, and Pulitzer Prize nominee for investigative journalism, Prof. Alison Bass (AMST) is now a published author. Bass spoke about her new book, Side Effects: A Prosecutor, A Whistleblower and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial Wednesday at an event sponsored by the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism. Bass began her talk around 6:00 that evening by briefly summarizing the events that led to her investigation into the prescription drug market. In the nineties, Bass worked as a reporter for the Boston Globe. By chance one day, she received a call from a woman by the name of Donna Howard, a.k.a the whistleblower. Howard, an Erin Brokovichesque woman in her own right, worked as an assistant administrator in the psychiatry department at Brown University. She told Bass she had compelling evidence to support her theory that there was a misappropriation of funds in the department dealing with the testing of pharmaceuticals, specifically Paxil, a drug in the same class as Prozac and Zoloft. Essentially, Howard told Bass, the FDA was paying Brown University to do clinical research on Paxil in the hopes of promoting the effectiveness and safety of the drug to a younger demographic. However, Howard discovered through documentation that, in fact, the research was not being conducted and the university was keeping the money. Further, the drug had shown tendencies to generate suicidal thoughts in users, an aspect of the research that
failed to be reported. Bass, referencing her reaction to Howard’s discovery, recalled thinking “this can’t be real.” The two women met up at a Burger King, and Bass began printing articles in the Boston Globe about the claim, which was firmly supported by evidence Howard had received at Brown. Soon, Bass noted, “up and coming” prosecutor Rose Firestein got involved, and eventually it became a full out investigation. After her explanation of the background to the story, Bass opened the floor to questioning. Questions ranged from “What else could the FDA have done?” to “Where does your story go from here?” One person inquired, “have you ever spoken at Brown University?” which elicited laughter from the crowd. Amused, Bass replied that, no, they declined her offer to speak at their bookstore. Bass also commented that she felt that since the beginning of the Bush presidency, there was more of a focus on protecting the welfare of drug companies, instead of people. Therefore, the FDA has become more lax when it comes to the regulation of clinical trials for prescription drugs. Consequently, numerous other drugs, including the painkiller Vioxx, have been under similar investigation, as people slowly discover the potentially life-altering (and rarely mentioned) side effects of certain drugs. The book has already received a tremendous amount of praise. The Washington Post said that “Bass’ narrative bristles with data without fraying into tedium. And she underlines the gravity of hiding patients’ injuries. Side Effects is long form journalism at its best.”
Registered to vote in Waltham? Want to fulfill your civic duty but don’t want to walk? Jump on the Student Union’s Election Day Shuttle! Pick up the shuttle at Shapiro Campus Center to Banks Elementary school at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.
and Israeli and Massachusetts green entrepreneurs, along with a delegation of 11 Brown University students, who heard about the event from Cleantech founder, Jonathan Shapira. Only three Brandeis undergraduates attended the dinner. Neither SEA, nor any of Brandeis’ many Jewish or Israeli groups were invited to the event, which had a $75 registration fee. Jacob Bockelmann ’09, who heard about the event because he is the Senior Undergraduate Student Representative to the Board of Trustees, said he enjoyed Patrick’s speech because he had not heard the comparison between Israel and Massachusetts before. “The two states have a lot more in common than I thought,” he said. Liz Piper Goldberg, President of Hillel at Brown University said that she enjoyed the speech because “it proves that Israel can be helpful and that it isn’t just a political issue. This is beyond politics, it’s more important,” she said. Despite the lack of undergraduate attendance at the event, Patrick said he believed that the university was the perfect place to hold a conference about MassachusettsIsraeli green technology collaboration because “Brandeis is a great citizen.” Reinharz agreed, saying that not only does Brandeis have an intrin-
PHOTO BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot
DEVAL AT THE ‘DEIS: Massachusetts governor spoke at Brandeis on Tuesday.
sic connection with Israel because both the university and the state were founded in the same year, but that Brandeis also has a strong commitment to the environment. Reinharz cited his signing of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, along with Pulitzer Prize Winner
Thomas Friedman’s ’72 visit to Brandeis two weeks ago as evidence of Brandeis’ commitment to green issues. And, as if to prove his point, Reinharz, as a parting gift, gave Patrick a signed copy of Friedman’s book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded.
MIT professor argues in favor of new media tools and participatory culture MEDIA (from p. 1)
As technology brings everybody closer, opportunities become available. He noted that the idea of a Renaissance Man in the modern age is a fallacy, simply because everybody can now help each other in an effort to make progress for the entire community. Some may not have this chance, though, as schools cut funding and create limitations on learning the new technology, creating a participation gap directly related to fear for children’s safety. Things such as time-limiting children, creating bandwidth limits, and blocking blogs and YouTube-type sites caused Jenkins to lament the “absurdity of not being engaging with the new media,” instead choosing to cut things out in a crusade “led by fear and anxiety of change, not reason and logic.” These judgments disallow the pervasion of New Media Literacy, the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content within context. And for Jenkins, this is necessary, as nothing is autonomous anymore. He alluded to Moby Dick being drawn from the Bible, and how rewriting the same story occurs constantly. So if everything is simply a reflection of something before it, YouTube, the land of remixes, may be the most vital tool people have.
PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot
THE POWER OF THE NET: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Henry Jenkins cites Soulja Boy and his rise to fame through blogs and free downloads as the epitome of the power of the web in a lecture sponsored by LTS Thursday afternoon.
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October 31, 2008
NEWS
The Hoot
Dining services reforms hampered by struggling economy DINING (from p. 1)
Quiznos and Einstein Bros Bagels; adding low sodium sauce to the Wok Station at Sherman Dining Hall; including eggs and omelets made to order at Sherman Dinning hall starting at 9:30 on the weekends and introducing a new sandwich and salad cycle, including the Italian Sub for Usdan Boulevard’s Kosher To-Go program. Student Dining Committee Co-Chair Jenna Rubin ’11 said that the committee made “what counts as a meal” their largest priority. While the committee did make some headway on expanding the C-Meal, Rubin said that ultimately the committee’s goal is to “make everything that’s a meal count as a meal.” Rubin said that the committee had originally hoped to make all salads, yogurts, fruit cups, and sandwiches count as a meal at Einstein Bros Bagels, as well as all preprepared food and frozen microwavable meals sold at the P.O.D. Market. This would make dining easier on those with eating restrictions, such as being vegan or kosher, and would make dining more convenient. “Grabbing a lean cuisine and curling up in your room to study during finals is great in the winter, but you can’t do that on a meal,” Rubin said. Rubin also said that the committee wanted what counts as a meal to be consistent throughout all dining options, citing the fact that while in Usdan students can buy yogurt parfaits and fruit cups with a meal, at Einstein’s, they have to use points. “It’s also a health issue. In Usdan you could buy five bags of cookies and that counts as a meal but at Einstein’s you can’t count a yogurt parfait or a fruit cup,” she said. “You can get a bagel, but that doesn’t fill a meal, but then your only options were
PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot
C-MEAL PROGRAM: Yvett Diaz ‘12, rings up a student under the expanded the C-Meal program which now includes certain salads and sandwiches with meals at Einstein’s. Students, however, still cannot purchase Einstein fruit cups with meals.
to get two bagels. We want you to be able to get a bagel and some fruit.” One possible reason why Dining Services did not concede to all of the committee’s requests is cost. According to Rubin, for every item that counts as a meal that is not made by Aramark, Brandeis’ food supplier, Aramark must pay a commission to the company that produces it, making it less cost effective for a fruit cup at Einstein’s to count on a meal
than one made by Aramark at Usdan. Rubin’s Dining Committee Co-Chair Jenna Brofsky ’10 speculated that the commission is probably the reason why Einstein’s Bistro Salad is the only salad to count on a meal under the reforms. “It’s the only salad without meat,” Brofsky said. “Meat’s expensive.” “Dining services has their reasons, and we have ours,” Rubin said. “It’s a give and take, and it’s a political process.”
Know Your Rights magnets put on hold RIGHTS (from p. 1)
uses the phrase “throughout the conduct process.” This text will not be changed. Item 19.11 of Rights and Responsibilities says that “the accused student and the accuser shall have the right to view and question all evidence presented to the [University Board of Student Conduct] during the hearing.” The original Know Your Rights magnet says students have the right to “see all evidence that will be used against [them]…prior to [their] hearing.” The Student Bill of Rights, released last semester but not accepted by Lamarre and the university administration, states that students have “the right to view any evidence or information that will be used during a hearing before the hearing.” The new magnet says that students have the “right to see all evidence that will be used against you at your hearing,” as opposed to before. Lamarre remarked, “it’s not that [items I and IV of the first Know Your Rights magnet were] totally wrong, it’s that they’re misleading.” “Jason and I” wrote the text of the magnet, OSRA director Cohen explained, “several of the rights are pulled directly from Rights and Responsibilities.” Director of Student Development and Conduct Erika Lama-
rre “looked at the text and has agreed with the majority of [it],” Cohen said. “I was not involved in the creation of the magnet,” Lamarre said. “A draft of the text was run by me last week and I gave it some critique.” Lamarre explained in an interview Thrusday afternoon that no changes were made following her meeting with Cohen. Lamarre explained that the Union’s original magnet was “slightly” inconsistent with Rights and Responsibilities. “I think the [magnets] are more based on the Union’s Bill of Rights than it is on R and R.” While Lamarre said “the concept is excellent…it’s possible that students could become confused about elements of the conduct process and hearings based on what they read on the magnet,” she continued. Lamarre pointed to item I of the original magnet guaranteeing the right to an advisor during the conduct process and item IV of the original magnet concerning evidence as problematic. Gray decided to “tweak” item IV after meeting with Cohen and Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer Wednesday, he explained. “We’re changing number four so that it aligns with [Rights and Responsibilities].” “If a comment [Lamarre] brought up is valid, we’ll tweak it,” Gray added. “Our goal is to give correct and accurate informa-
tion.” While Gray has made changes to the magnet text, ultimately, “[I want] Rights and Responsibilities to reflect the Student Bill of Rights.” A reconciliation of the Rights and Responsibilities and the Student Bill of Rights remains a project for the Union. However, at present, “as OSRA, we of course want to have a really great relationship with Erika’s office. Collaborating on certain things is really beneficial to both of our offices,” Cohen added. Lamarre agreed. “I’m optimistic that it will be a partnership where we both learn a lot.” Members of OSRA and Lamarre will meet in the next week. “In the past, attempts at providing advisors through the conduct process have been very adversarial with staff,” Gray said. “This year,” he continued, “we’ve done it in a way that isn’t…by filling a void of students helping students.” Lamarre commented, “a few years ago, there was a difference in how students were experiencing policy and students felt they needed more advocacy.” “I don’t think that’s the case with the current community,” she continued, “I think students and the personalities in my office have a more harmonious relationship.” “At times, there’ll be conflict but as long as we have good communication, things will be fine,” Gray said.
The committee had less success in expanding the dining halls’ hours. While Brofsky said the committee still hopes to extend Einstein’s Saturday morning hours, the country’s failing economy posed an obstacle. “We’ve had to get creative,” she said. “We have to ask them to change hours around instead of just adding hours. We’ll just have to continue to push for it next semester.”
Students appointed to Office of Student Rights and Advocacy Four students have been appointed to the Office of Student Rights and Advocacy, the office’s director Laura Cohen ’09 explained. The Office of Student Rights and Advocacy was formed at the beginning of October by Union President Jason Gray ’10 to provide peer advisory services for students. The new members include Coordinator for Academic Integrity Vanessa Kerr ’11, Coordinator for Residence Life Anna Hanley ’11, Coordinator for Campus Safety Brandon Chu ’09 and Coordinator for Speech and Protest and Senator for Class of 2011 Lev Hirschhorn. “Every undergraduate was allowed to apply,” Cohen explained. “We were looking to put a lot of younger kids in… we want people to continue the office” after Cohen and Gray graduate. “Each of them will be handling issues in their own office,” Cohen commented. Kerr explained in an e-mail, “OSRA wants to ensure that all students on campus are aware of what their rights are as members of the Brandeis community, in order to make informed decisions and to be adequately educated if ever faced with the judicial process.” She added, “as the Coordinator for Academic Integrity, I will be able to function as a resource not only for students facing the judicial process for matters of academic honesty, but also to educate students concerning what Brandies means by ‘academic integrity’ and which actions are considered in violation of University standards.” Hanley, whose position deals with residence life issues, commented via e-mail, “I think this position is important because if students have a problem with damage billing, or are unsure of their rights pertaining to dorms and residential life, I, along with the committee, am there to inform and help them in the process.” --Alison Channon
October 31, 2008
SPORTS
The Hoot 15
SPO RTS
Women’s soccer misses the kick By ADAM HUGHES Staff
The power Roger Williams women’s soccer team came into Waltham with a 14-2 record and left with a narrow victory over the Brandeis Judges. The game was hallmarked by strong goalkeeping; a total of 13 shots were fired on the Judges’ Hillary Rosenzweig ’10 and the Hawks’ Jen Garside ’10, but only one was able to find the back of the net. The first half was a scoreless deadlock, with the two teams tied in the number of shots and shots on goal. Neither side was able to maintain any offensive momentum, and the action shifted frequently from one side to the other. The tie was broken in the 53rd minute by Roger Williams rookie Laurin Pendleton with an unassisted breakaway that stretched over half the playing field. The goal was her 11th of the season and held up to become the game winner. The second half was less phsyical and more active than
the first. Brandeis earned six corner kicks and twelve shots, but Garside’s four saves preserved the lead. Junior Melissa Gorenkoff was the offensive leader for the Judges; her six shots lead the team, though only one was on goal. Kaitlin Oldfield ’12 contributed four shots, and Alanna Torre ’12 put all three of her shots on net. Pendleton’s three shots on goal paced the Hawks. Brandeis moves to 9-6-1 on the season, including a 2-2-0 conference record. The Judges are doubling their opponents in goals 30-15, but their scoring has been inconsistent; they’ve scored a total of 3 goals in their six losses. The defense has been much stronger. Opponents have scored more than one goal only four times and more than two goals only once. Hillary Rosenzweig’s goals against average is a remarkable 0.89, and she can boast of a .813 save percentage. Brandeis’s next match is a home game today at 5 pm against Emory University.
Batista leads Judges in winning streak By ZACHARY ARONOW Editor
The Judges picked up their second straight win Tuesday, besting sloppy conditions thanks to Jaime Batista’s ’10 eighteen yard blast and goal keeper Sean O’Hare’s ’12 four saves gave them the 1-0 victory over visiting Lasell in their non-conference season finale. Originally meant to be on the road, the sloppy weather forced the venue change to Gordon Field where the game took 82 minutes before leading scorer Ben Premo ’09 one touched the ball to Batista to pick up the win. The goal is Batista’s third straight goal in as many games. Premo’s 21st career assist moves him into sixth place all time on the Judge’s career scoring list with 93 points, just one shy of
fifth place held by Matt Murphy ’98 (goals are worth two points). Brandeis outshot the Lasers 8-5 in the game though Lasell was more accurate with all but one shot requiring O’Hare, making his first start since Oct. 8 and picked up his first win since Sept. 17 against WPI. Lasell’s keeper Matthew Bruninghaus had three saves on the night. Having concluded the non-conference portion of the schedule, the Judges take on Emory University on All Hollow’s Eve at 7:30 and then take on Carnegie-Mellon on November 2nd for their regular season home finale. Brandeis wraps up their season Nov. 8 at NYU.
Hilary Rosenzweig wins defensive player of the week By ZACHARY ARONOW Editor
Brandeis Judges goalkeeper Hillary Rosenzweig ’10 earned her second career UAA award, co-defensive player of the week of Oct. 26. The Florida native earned the award on the back of her seven save
shut out win 3-0 over Bowdoin College October 23 3-0. The win was her 14th career shutout which ties her third in school history. At the time of the award, Rosenzweig held a 9-6-1 record with 61 total saves and an .813 save percentage. Both totals places her top five in the UAA as well as her 0.69 goals against average.
Celtics return home to Boston to celebrate championship with win By JOSH GELLER Staff
“We Love Ya, Paul!” The words rang out from the balcony as Paul Pierce gave a heartfelt thank you speech to the loyal Celtics fans that came out Tuesday night to celebrate a championship. When Bob Cousy retired, the silence of the ceremony was broken with the same words. Bill Russell got the phrase as well when his number was retired. Pierce finally joined the promised land of Celtic champions and is now up there with the legends of the parquet floor. Fans that came out to the game were first treated to an impromptu dunk contest. After all, when the Cleveland Cavaliers play a team, LeBron James goes dunk crazy in warm-ups. When warm-ups ended, LeBron left, along with the lights. Then a video montage of last season was shown, concluding with the image of all-time Celtic leading scorer John Havlicek leading an array of Celtic legends to the court while carrying that formerly elusive 17th championship trophy. The Celtics went 21 seasons without a championship. The previous longest drought came in the 10 seasons before Cousy and Russell brought that first championship to Boston in 1957. Fans were then treated to watching the proud Celtics walk over and get their new championship rings. Newly crowned President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge got a large ovation. Larry Bird and Kevin McHale might have been better players during the 1980’s, but Ainge now has the only executive ring of the three. A highlight of the ceremony came when they announced
free agent Scott Pollard to get his ring. Pollard was in the front row of the crowd, but appeared to have a mental lapse and had to run over to get his ring after a pause. The ring ceremony concluded with a proud Paul Pierce holding his hand with a shiny emerald addition up to the crowd. Then the game started. Pierce and company were clearly distracted in the first half as they never got a lead. LeBron took a commanding lead for the Cavaliers and suddenly things weren’t so high in Boston. But in the third quarter the Celtics took the lead for the first time and the game became a heated back and fourth contest. Pierce wiped away the pre-game tears and scored a game-high 27 points. The Celtics won 9085. Perhaps the best highlight of the game though came after the third quarter ended. Lucky, the Celtic mascot, was doing dunks off of a trampoline and decided he needed a special ball holder. Out of the crowd he pulled Red Sox star Kevin Youkillis. Youkillis held the ball up as Lucky jumped over him and dunked, putting the crowd into a frenzy that got the Garden crowd to highdecibel levels which never lowered. The look on owner John Henry’s face seeing his prized infielder in harm’s way was simply priceless. The Celtics now have a NBA leading 17 championship banners hanging in the rafters at TD Banknorth Garden. It hangs majestically in between a banner with retired numbers and the 1986 banner. If the Celtics defeat of the Cavaliers is any indication, they better make room for an 18th.
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The Deis Board TEAM MSoccer
LATEST SCORES October 28 v. Lassell W 1-0
NEXT GAME October 31 v. Emory 7:00 pm November 2 v. Carnegie Mellon 1:30 pm November 8 at New York University 1:30 pm October 27 v. Roger Williams L 0-1 October 31 v. Emory 5:00 pm November 2 v. Carnegie Mellon 11:00 am November 8 at New York University 11:00 am October 24 v. Wellesley at Hall of Fame Tournament L 0-3 October 31 v. Baruch 7:00 pm October 25 v. Bowdoin College at Hall of Fame Tournament W 3-0 November 1 v. Geneseo State 12:00 pm v. Williams at Hall of Fame Tournament L 1-3 v. Moravian 2:00 pm November 1 at UAA Championships in Atlanta, GA October 25 at Keene St. L 122-172 November 1 at WPI 4:30 pm October 25 at Keene St. W 174-125 November 1 at WPI 4:30 pm
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October 31, 2008
The Hoot
W E E K end F U N Spotlight on Boston
Nov. 2, 2008, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, 2008, 8 p.m. GoreFest VI: Comic Con: Sunday, 180 Berkley St., Boston ImprovBoston Theater, Boston Get in the Halloween spirit and see this gory musical! Be a part of this new Boston traditon. Cannibalism, haunted ships, and violence are abound in "Boatload of Blood." Don't wear your good clothes. $17 for students. www.improvboston.com
You know you know you had a favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Now meet the creator at Boston's 4th annual comic con! Along with Peter Laird, Bernie Wrightson, creator of Swamp Thing will also make an appearance. Tickets are $10/person.
www.bostoncomicon.com
What's going on at Brandeis?
Dungeons and DragQueens: Fall Fest Variety Show:
ILLUSTRATION: By Alex Doucette/The Hoot
MusicFest:
Saturday, Nov. 1, 10:30 p.m. Shapiro Campus Center Don't miss out on Trisk's annual Halloween dance! Wear your costume and dance the night away in this dugeonthemed dance. Free naughty goody bags for attendees.
Sunday, Nov. 2, 1 to 4 p.m. Recital Hall, Slosberg
Another good event to take the family to this weekend. A variety of Brandeis musical talents will perform, including the Wind and Jazz Ensembles and the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra.
Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, 8 p.m. Levin Ballroom, Usdan
Is your family coming up this weekend? Take them to this Fall Fest event, which showcases Brandeisian talent. A cappella and dance groups will perform at this entertaining event.
BET's Fall Show: Friday, Oct. 31, 2008, 9 to 11 p.m. Shapiro Campus Center Theater
Watch the Brandeis Ensemble Theater's interpretation of this classic play, "Six Characters In Search of an Author." The play explores what it means to be human and to create art. Photoes courtesy of Google images and stockxchnge
COMICStrips Sleazy
Insert Comic Here
By Matt Kupfer
By Anthony Scibelli
Floppsie
By Grace Alloy-Relihan