VOL 6, NO. 3
S E P T E M B E R 11 , 2 0 0 9
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
TMI: Guest speakers explore internet’s effect on journalism
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Student advised to leave campus after contracting a probable case of H1N1 BY TRISHNA MITRA Special to The Hoot
At least one Brandeis student is suspected of having the H1N1 virus, more commonly known as swine flu. The student left campus yesterday morning after being “strongly advised” to do so by the university
Health Center after she presented with a high fever and other flu like symptoms, the student said in a phone interview. It is not confirmed that the student, who wished to remain anonymous, is infected with the virus because the Brandeis Health Center is unable to test for the flu.
The student said she was further advised to avoid getting tested elsewhere for the virus because of a backlog in supply of Tamiflu, the drug used to treat H1N1. The university’s response to this student’s potential infection See H1N1, p. 2
Usdan prices raised, in line with national trend BY SEAN FABERY Special to The Hoot
PHOTO BY Andrew Rauner/The Hoot
TMI: Harvard Law Professor Charlie Nesson describes how the internet has impacted copyright law.
BY ROBIN LICHTENSTEIN Staff
Students, professors and experts came together yesterday to explore the effects of modern technologies like facebook and twitter, on democracy, journalism and communication at the Ethic Center’s “TMI: Social Justice in the Age of Facebook” conference yesterday. The validity and ethics of the new digital media was hotly debated throughout the first day of the conference. Jeffrey Scheuer, an Independent Commentator on Media and Democracy, discussed his general distrust of the digital media under the title “Free to be Excellent? The Costs of Being Informed in Digital Age.” The session was moderated by Prof. Maura Jane Farrelly (AMST), Director of the Journalism Program at Brandeis, and also included Ariel Wittenberg ’11 as the student respondent. Scheuer said as a media critic, he considers journalism’s most important function to be its democratic function. But, as someone who is “techno-skeptical from a civic standpoint,” Scheuer noted the dangers that the ease of accessing tools of “citizen journalism” pose, citing in particular the (untrue) rumor spread over the summer via Twitter that Harrison Ford had drowned. “Our tools are only as smart as we are,” said Scheuer.
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His point was met with challenges from the audience when one audience member noted that people tweeting from Iran beat CNN to the headlines about the country’s turbulent election in June. Sheuer countered with an argument of quality control, stating that there are certain limits to citizen journalism. Scheuer favored educating future citizen journalists, though he was skeptical of the sustainability of the current print news business model, “I want to teach kids to be media literate. I want civics to be an SAT test. I want people to understand the news system before they get to college,” he said. He also advocated a non-profit model for media as the answer to all of new media’s woes, a way of creating independent media free of pressure to write the stories that will make money. In stark contrast to Scheuer was Charles Nesson, the William F. Weld Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and Founder and Faculty Co-Director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University. Nesson is currently representing Joel Tenenbaum, the defendant in one of only two Napster copyright infringement cases to come before a jury. Nesson, in the opening session moderated by Prof. Laura J. Miller (SOC) discussed “Is the Internet a Human Right?” Nesson noted the difference between tangible property and the
See TMI, p. 3
Food prices at the Usdan Café and Boulevard have risen in response to a price analysis conducted over the summer, marking one of several changes to Brandeis dining since regular service resumed last month. Several items have been affected by the change. A 24 oz. soft drink, which would have cost $1.29 last year, now costs $1.39, A plate of pasta from the Boulevard now costs $4.29, a ten cent increase. The prices for pancakes, salads, and pizza have also increased. The increases occurred in the aftermath of a complete price analysis conducted by Aramark, the university’s food provider, which took into account competing prices both in the Waltham area and at nearby universities. “We work[ed] closely with University administration on this subject and [tried] to keep any price increases to a minimum,” Michael Newmark, Director of Dining Services, told The Hoot in an e-mail message. Newmark stressed that the price increases were minimal, and wrote that no price was increased more than 20 cents. Over a hundred items had no cost increase, Newmark wrote. Despite such assurances, some students have voiced displeasure with the increases. “If they raise the prices, they should also give us a higher dollar value for meal equivalency. It’s become harder to use meals without going over the limit and using points,” Ben Henig ’12 said. Newmark pointed to new combo meals available at various stations, none of which surpass the lunch equivalency of $7.10, as a solution to this problem. More items have also been added to the C-Meal program, including additional kosher options. Not all items, however, are included in these combo plans. Newmark also countered the
The upside of Brandeisian style Diverse City, page 8
PHOTO BY Max Shay/The Hoot
belief that costcutting was behind other changes in Usdan, most notably the decision to transform the staff-run Home Zone into the new Comfort Classics selfserve station. Instead, he said the move was an “operational change” made in order to grant customers “greater flexibility and convenience.” Brandeis is not the only university affected by rising food costs, as schools nationwide have implemented changes in their dining programs. Boston College, like Brandeis, has raised prices on select items. Harvard, on the other hand, has completely eliminated pricier items from its dining halls in the last year.
Tweeting in Usdan, tweeting in the classroom Features, page 12
GRAPHIC BY Andrew Ramirez/The Hoot
Major universities nationwide, including Louisiana State University, have raised prices of meal plans by nearly seven percent, and according to a study conducted by The Economist, global food prices as a whole have increased over 75 percent since 2005.
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