The Justice, April 9, 2023

COACH UNDER FIRE

Despite allegations of racism and misconduct, Carol Simon reinstated

■ Student-athlete community gathered on Tuesday, April 2 in light of recent investigation that concluded women's basketball Head Coach Carol Simon was not in violation of Brandeis standards.

By RANI BALAKRISHNA, ANNA MARTIN AND REBECCA SUAREZ

Although Brandeis prides itself on holding a strong commitment to inclusivity and diversity, the athletics department has faced several allegations of racism in the past six years, most recently against the head coach of the women’s basketball team, Carol Simon.

On April 2, the Athletics Department and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosted a “community gathering” in the Napoli Room in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. This gathering was a space for the Athletics community to share their frustrations and anger regarding the recent reinstatement of Simon. Director of Athletics Lauren Haynie sent an email on March 29,

detailing the results of the recent Office of Equal Opportunity investigation. The email stated that the investigation found Simon “not in violation of Brandeis standards,” but her history of alleged racism and abusive behavior stems from the complaints and witness statements of players.

An initial OEO investigation concluded in May of 2023 that Simon did violate Brandeis standards regarding those allegations. Her alleged racist comments and actions to players, assistant coaches and colleagues have persisted for years. Following this investigation, an article detailing the allegations and their results was published by Deadspin on July 31, 2023. This article prompted another investigation, which resulted in Haynie’s recent email on March 29 that concluded that Simon did not violate any Brandeis policies.

Simon was reinstated as head coach of the team in late March of 2024 after almost a year of paid administrative leave. The women’s basketball team was informed of her reinstatement in a Zoom meeting on March 28 with Haynie, and the Vice President of Student Affairs, Andrea Dine.

When asked for comment, Dine responded in an April 8 email to The Justice saying “My colleagues and I are aware of the concerns that have been expressed by the mem-

bers of the women's basketball team and we have been endeavoring to support the team as much as possible. Due to employee privacy rights, we cannot comment on the specifics of the situation.”

While Simon was on leave, assistant coach Jill Latanowich stepped up as Acting Head Coach to fill the role. She was the head coach for the 2023-2024 season, and when emailed by The Justice on April 3 she stated, “I’m proud of them. They continue to navigate and persevere — and I am here to support them through times of uncertainty. They deserve to be heard.” This response was received on April 4.

Simon has been the head coach of the Brandeis team since 1987.

Over her 37-year career, she has received many honors, including an induction into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Her current superior, Associate Director of Athletics Lynne Dempsey, was previously a student-athlete on her team. Simon is a well-known legacy in the department and holds a respected voice, and her reinstatement comes when another one of her former players was just hired as the next Director of Brandeis Athletics.

Many rumors regarding Simon’s inappropriate behavior have been

Brandeis admin reveals initial plans of new oncampus housing

for Campus Planning and Operations

Lois Stanley, are co-chairs of the project and have been working on it for around two years. Dine highlighted that Stanley has previously worked on the Tufts University campus as director of Campus and Capital Renewal Planning.

Over the past few years, Brandeis’ lack of housing availability has become one of the most frequently discussed topics on campus. According to Vice President of Student Affairs Andrea Dine, Brandeis administration has been making efforts to respond to these criticisms.

In an April 2 interview with The Justice, Dine discussed the University’s plans to build a new residence hall, expected to open no later than fall 2027.

Though the design of the new residence hall is not yet determined, Dine established that the plans to build it have been solidified. She and Vice President

MARCH

The goal for the new residence hall is to house 650 students, a huge undertaking. Where will the building go? According to Dine, new housing will likely be built either in the areas that are currently the X-lot, the T-lot or both. While this choice may come as a surprise, Dine explained that the increasing transition to remote work has caused fewer parking spaces to be necessary. In her words, “we’re not using parking the same way we used to when every single staff and faculty member was here every day, five days a week.” She clarified that a parking study will take place as a part of this project to more accurately assess the ramifications of building over one or both of the lots.

As designs for the building aren’t yet in existence, the style and layout of the new residence hall is currently

Take Back The Night: A march across campus

■ The anual event included a gathering against the sexual violence and walked through camous to the Lights of Reason.

By ALISHA ANDERSON JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On April 5 the Prevention, Advocacy and Resource Center at Brandeis University hosted their annual Take Back the Night event to raise awareness about sexual violence during National Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

TBTN is a global movement against sexual assault. According to TBTN’s website, the initiative began in the 1970s when more than 2,000 women representing more than 40 countries gathered at a Tribunal Council meeting in Belgium. The name ‘Take Back the Night’ refers to when women in the 1970s stood up and advocated for the “essential right of women to walk alone at night without fear of being raped, harassed, or otherwise harmed.” TBTN events have historically included marches, rallies and

protests in support of ending sexual violence in all of it’s forms. TBTN’s official mission is inclusive and welcoming in nature, aiming to “unite people from every background, belief and culture around the world to take a visible and vocal stand.” A group of around 10 committee members, along with large support from PARC, helped bring TBTN’s mission to the Brandeis community.

At 6:00 pm. students gathered in Rapaporte Treasure Halin Goldfarb Library. Committee members welcomed students at the door and provided attendees with snacks, water and free shirts. Upon arriving at the event, participants were encouraged to write a word that came to mind on a candle.

The event commenced with an introduction, an explanation of the history behind TBTN and a moment of silence. Speakers then transitioned to sharing poetry and quotes by survivors, including the two poems “They Think They Win” by Richard Dodd and “Gaps” by Abigail, as well as a piece by Aaminah Shakur called “It Wasn’t Your Fault.” All pieces spoke to the survivor experience, allowing attendees to engage with

SENATE LOG

Senate passes resolution to endorse a proposed Student Grief Absence Policy

In its April 7 meeting, the Student Union Senate began with committee reports, discussing the various accomplishments each committee has achieved over the course of the semester along with possible next steps to take in the Fall. Yoni Kahn ’24, the co-chair of the Social Justice and Diversity Committee, had the senate take note of a Mielle product pop-up shop taking place Thursday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mielle, a hair care company that promotes natural and organic hair products, will have a selection of hair products available for people with hair that is not typically carried in on-campus stores due to curly or kinky textures. This is the final event SOJO will be holding for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Student Union President, Noah Risley ’24, then proceeded to discuss a Senate Resolution put forward by Academic Advisor Kiernan Acquisto. Acquisto’s proposal is a new policy regarding grief-related absences for students, as Brandeis University does not currently have a bereavement policy applicable to all

POLICE LOG

DISTURBANCE

students making it an outlier in this regard. Currently, should a student’s life be affected during times of death and grief, their ability to travel and take appropriate time off is up to the whim of their professors. This proposed policy’s purpose would be to promote the general mental health and well-being of university students by allowing them the opportunity to grieve in applicable circumstances. This would include excused absence days, allowing all students who opt into the Grief Absence Policy to take five calendar days of absence to mourn, along with a traveling daysystem. Students may be granted additional days of absence to account for travel to and from their respective location, as follows:

1. Within a 150 mile radius of Waltham: no additional absence days

2. Within a 150-300 mile radius of Waltham: one additional excused absence day

3. Beyond a 300 mile radius of Waltham: two additional excused absence days

4. Outside the 48 contiguous United States: four additional absence days

The degree of relationship between a student and the individual they are mourning is broad, as Acquisto acknowledges that “significant relationships” often transcend biological family. Any students who wish to use the Grief Absence Policy must submit proof of death for any individual(s) being mourned to Academic Services and immediately notify them via email. The Senate passed a vote by acclamation to confirm this Senate Resolution.

Finally, Senate discussed the upcoming New Club of the Year award, which nominations are currently being submitted for. This award was created last year, and involves a process in which the Senate nominates a club and the entire Student Union votes on them.

Qualifications specify that to be eligible, a club must have transitioned from probationary to charter over the academic year. Last year’s winner, Brazilian Student Association, was successful due to high student interest, fulfilling a largely-unrecognized niche and informative and engaging presentations

given to the Senate.

As the academic year draws to a close, theSenate expressed its gratitude and appreciation for continued student engagement and feedback, along with an acknowledgement of the hard work the Senators and committee chairs have put in this semester. Risley concluded the meeting on a cheerful note, wishing everyone “a great summer.”

Apr. 3 —A call was made reporting a group of male students knocking on their door. An investigation is to follow.

Apr. 3—A party reported threats of their door being kicked in. The other party left as officers arrived. An investigation is to follow.

MEDICAL EMERGENCY

Mar. 30—A medical call was made for an intoxicated community member. The patient was transported to a local hospital for further care via ambulance.

Mar. 31—A party was reported to have a seizure. Medical personnel arrive on scene. The patient refused medical transport and medical treatment.

Apr. 1—A party reported having an asthma attack, requesting BEMCO. The patient refused medical treatment.

Apr. 2—A medical call was made for a party that fell and hurt their arm. The patient refused medical treatment.

Apr. 3—A medical emergency call was made by a party for abdominal pain and vomiting. The patient was transported to a local hospital for further care via ambulance.

Apr. 3—A medical call was made for a student feeling light-head. The patient refused medical treatment.

Apr. 3—A party called reporting that they were in a car accident while in an Uber. The patient was evaluated by BEMCO and refused medical treatment.

Apr. 4—A medical emergency was reported for a party that fainted. The patient was transported to a local hospital for further care via ambulance.

ADMINISTRATION

Apr. 2—A report was made of vandalism in a women’s bathroom. The report was cleared.

Apr. 2—Reports were made of vandalism in Bernstein Marcus. The report was cleared.

Apr. 4—A report was made of graffiti in Usdan Student Center. The report was cleared.

MISCELLANEOUS

Mar. 29—An area coordinator on call requested an officer on standby as they dealt with a complaint. No police action was taken.

Apr. 3—A report was made of vandalism in a bathroom. The report was cleared.

Apr. 4—A sergeant called grounds, reporting icy conditions. The report was cleared.

Apr. 4— Waltham Police Department forwarded a current student’s report. The report was cleared.

Apr. 4—A report was made of stolen earbuds. An investigation is to follow.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

■ A News brief incorrectly left out an editor’s note. An editor’s note was added “— Editor’s Note: Justice staff writer Ria Escamilla-Gil ’27 and Justice Editor Rani Balakrisha ’25 are Student Union senators and did not contribute to this article.” (April 2, Page 1)

■ A News article incorrectly stated “The decision to restructure academic departments occurred after the schedule of class offerings was already set in stone. Shoulson leads conversations with division heads and program chairs about how to efficiently adhere to student academic interests and cooperate with the financial updates.” It was corrected to “Shoulson plans to lead conversations with division heads and program chairs about how to efficiently adhere to student academic interests and cooperate with the financial updates. These conversations will result in determining how the university will achieve required cuts through adjustments to academic programs.” (April 2, Page 5)

■ A News article incorrectly stated “there are 260 tenured faculty with 230 off the tenure stream.” It was corrected to “there are 260 tenured faculty with approximately 140 off the

—Compiled by Lin Lin Hutchinson

tenure stream.” (April 2, Page 5)

■ A News article incorrectly stated “Shoulson that said.” It was corrected to Shoulson said.” (April 2, Page 5)

■ A News article stated “The University’s policies on hiring faculty and prioritizing undergraduate research experiences, as Shoulson said, aims to meet its goal of academic excellence” This sentance was removed from the article. (April 2, Page 5)

■ An Arts and Culture article incorrectly left out the remainder of the article ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’: A series in review. The ending is: “certain sacrifices detracted from the final product.” (April 2, Page 19)

The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Send an email to editor@thejustice.org

J-SAI : A variety of performers showcase their talents at the Japanese Student Association’s largest annual culture show. This year’s event was called “Game Start,” and featured musical performances, dancing and more.

Anita Hill on Affirmative Action and the future of education

■ During the annual Joshua A. Guberman lecture Hill explained what the end of affirmative action represents for the past and future of American education

By DIANE MEYER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On April 4, the annual Joshua A. Guberman Lecture, this year titled “Law, Policy and the Future of Social Justice: Lived Experience as our Measure of Equality,” took place at the Heller School for Social Management and Policy to honor Prof. Anita Hill (Heller)for her prolific social justice research and advocacy.

The Guberman lecture is a yearly tribute to the late Boston based attorney Joshua Guberman and is endowed by the Guberman family as a way to commemorate his legacy in law and social justice. Associate Prof. Rosalind Kabrhel (LGLS), who introduced the event, noted the omnipotence of Guberman’s legacy at Brandeis, pointing out that “nearly the entire faculty in the Legal Studies Department started their careers at Brandeis as Guberman fellows.”

This year, the Guberman lecture also served to honor Millie Guberman Kravetz, a former faculty member at the Heller School who passed away in September at the age of 103.

At the event, Hill was recognized as the Heller School’s David R. Prokrost Chair by Prof. David Weil (Heller), who lauded Hill as “a treasured colleague,” saying that she “always leaves one with a profound sense of optimism… [and is a] speaker of truth to power.” Speaking truth to power is an obvious conviction in Hill’s legal, governmental and academic career and was ever-present in her emphatic criticism and analysis of last year’s Supreme court decision regarding affirmative action.

On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause in the cases of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and SFFA v. University of North Carolina. Hill opened her lecture by observing that this decision and the “intensity and duration of the attack on such policies’’ represent “Americans’ unwillingness to reconcile with our racial history.” She stated that “in the [United States], equality has always been a contested concept, including before and since the 14th amendment was ratified.” The definition of equality has never been fully and rightly realized by both law and society and Hill believes that the legal end of affirmative action marks a profound redefinition of equality by the justice system. As a Professor of Social Policy, Law and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis, the far-reaching research she presented in her lecture followed the impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling on college campuses. The drastic consequences can be seen especially in Texas which has arguably experienced the most alarming repercussions after the passage of SB17, which on June 17, 2023 attacked DEI programs in the Texas school system. Hill decried this as a “failure to acknowledge that inclusion under the law is good for our democracy,” which was actually “a major tenet of Brown v. Board.” She views the Supreme Court’s decision as a massive step back as even “both conservative and liberals in the court [agreed at the time of Brown v. Board]... that an inclusive society was critical to democratic principles.” Now, what should be a fundamental value of inclusion seems to be

BRIEF

lost.

In taking the longitudinal approach to understanding the pervasive discrimination in America’s education system, Hill called back to the very clause affirmative action is said to violate in the 14th amendment. She said that the “14th amendment was a compromise that chose legal equality over social equality,” because during its ratification, “the idea of equality was hotly contested” in terms of what it meant as a bare minimum leveling of the legal framework of the U.S.. Ratified in 1868, three years after the end of the civil war, the 14th amendment extended the legal rights, granted by the U.S. The Constitution’s Bill of Rights, to all male American citizens regardless of race. But Hill said that “[Americans] didn’t know even after ratification what equality under the law actually meant… [which has a] chilling effect because those of us who have read the law, who have lived in society… What we got was equality under the law,” which is decidedly different from its actual implementation in a system that is foundationally racist. Equality as an idea, an ideal or a construct was not informed by lived personal experience at the time of its definition by the 14th amendment. The Equal Protection clause was “clearly a compromise… [and because] the principles were debated by a group of undemocratically elected white men, [it was] a compromise about the conception about what the law was going to be,” and could not possibly solve the issues of racial inequality in the U.S. at that time, or contend for the future. The language of the 14th amendment and the equal protection clause did not give proper coverage to the fact that “racism was and is a prevailing factor and condition in our society,” according to Hill. Today, the originalist approach to interpreting the Constitution allows for decisions such as the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action to happen because of the inceptively “anemic” definition of equality.

“From the very beginning of equality being discussed [by the government]..., we were left with a question about what it really means,” and this question was legally left to the Supreme Court. Hill said that this is “where [the question of equality] has been and where it will continue to be forever.” The Supreme Court is supposed to protect equality under the law “but ultimately does not… because we have given so much control over the language, [which is] so contradictory [to the supreme court].” The task of deciding what the language of the Constitution means and then also applying it to the very ideas in the Constitution leaves room for potentially dangerous interpretation. Hill said that the “idea that you have women and black people waiting in the wings [during these decisions] to see what their fate is going to be,” shows the disconnect between reality and the ideal. Both before and since the establishment of the Equal Protection Clause, disenfranchised minorities “didn’t know how any of us were going to be protected,” because of unconscious constitutional bias, said Hill. “Lived personal experience” is key to Hill’s understanding of what equality should be. To her, this means recognizing that “people are feeling the weight of these decisions in their personal lives.” She quoted former Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s explanation of “rank discrimination” being the systemic and arguably foundational bigotry and inequity that exists in the U.S. and cited this terminology as an important context for the lived personal experiences of minorities. Hill observed that “the damage that has been done by rank discrimination… has gone unacknowledged [and] has compounded over the years.”

Examining this rank discrimination historically, Hill used Texas as a case study in showing how racist policies in education have left an unyielding legacy. Discriminatory education poli-

Student Union constitutional amendment updates and upcoming elections

On April 3, Carol S. Kornworcel, the Student Union Secretary and hief of Elections, sent out an email detailing future election information, including open seats as well as constitutional amendment updates.

According to the email, constitutional amendments 1-7 (out of 10) passed. This means that midyear international and Myra Kraft Achievers Program seats will remain as they were. In regards to the racial minority position, the email stated that “following the initial vote, continued conversations with administrators made it clear that these positions are unable to move forward as written.” However, the email also stated that the Student Union will “work quickly to clarify these positions and make necessary revisions so we can continue to advance our work related to [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.]” The email also contained information for students looking to run for positions in the Student Union. Information sessions for those looking to run were held on Thursday, April 4, Friday, April 5 and Sunday, April 7. According to the email, anybody looking to run for

cies began in the Texas school system in 1848 after its annexation when they “established de facto segregation by separating Mexican students from American students,” according to Hill. Even though the Supreme Court decision in the 1954 case of Brown v. Board legally undid the hundreds of years of racial inequity in education by forcing schools to integrate, generational social disparity is still evident in divisions in community lines today. This shows that legal decisions do not always find full realization in reality. Hill said that the “reason that [she] thinks [Americans] need to think about this is because the experience that students have [in Texas now] didn’t begin with their entrance into elementary school, it [began] all the way back to 1848” when they were burdened with “school buildings that were inhabitable, and cultural and structural barriers,” that impact’s today’s education system still. Hill determined “that is what generations of rank discrimination come too,” and recognized that this was “exacerbated by the 1976 Supreme Court case San Antonio v. Rodriguez,” that “not only locked in class discrimination by refusing to acknowledge class as a protectable category but locked in racial discrimination at the same time” because of the wealth gap between Black and White Americans. Given this historical weight to educational discrimination, Hill said that it is “no surprise that Texas is the center of the conversation about educational equality” today.

According to Hill, after the Supreme Court’s

decision against affirmative action which essentially “redefined equality” in its interpretation of the 14th amendment according to Hill’s analysis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott was quick to “prohibit state colleges and universities from practicing [any] forms of DEI,” by signing SB17, which closed DEI offices on college campuses, as well as diversity training and any promotion of equitable access to education. Hill said Abbot’s actions, especially in the wake of Texas’ historical disparity, will be known for its political as well as legal impact. She elaborated that “American history is replete with cases that the US supreme court got wrong… and [she] believes SB17 will be in that line of cases… including [for example] Plessy v. Ferguson, in which denying education to women and Black people was deemed good for the community.”

On the widespread impact of the end of affirmative action, Hill said that “the sweep of these decisions has gone way beyond the language of the court,” as “legal decisions and state policies will likely perpetuate discrimination.” In her research, she reasoned that the “wave of antiDEI policies” in states, illustrated by the passage of “more than 100 bills to regulate DEI in

BRIEF

office must have attended at least one of these info sessions. The open positions for next year are as follows: president and vice president; secretary; head treasurer; chief judicial officer; Board of Trustees, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and Alumni Association representatives; senators at large; class of 2025 senators; class of 2026 senators; class of 2027 senators; international student senator; and Allocations Board representatives.

Any students with questions are encouraged to email studentunion@brandeis.edu and to keep themselves updated through the Student Union Instagram.

— Editor’s

On April 1, the Prevention, Advocacy, and Resource Center sent out an email with details and events concerning Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the U.S., which started on April 1. The email started by recognizing that “sexual abuse, sexual assault and sexual harrassment impact all members of our community, both directly and indirectly,” and “all of us have a role to play in creating a culture of care, support, and safety.”

The email then outlined some of the events that will be taking place throughout the month of April. These include Mindful Moments on Wednesday,

the current legislative session,” is an effort to “erase identity”. She found that it is “not just about student services or admission policies… the loss has been to knowledge transmission as well as production…, [as] what is happening in addition to the anti-DEI movement [is the] limitation of the study of topics relating to identity,” such as critical race theory, which is also applicable to grades K-12. These consequences of the court’s choices in interpreting the language of the 14th amendment “will change education and it will also change research.” Bringing the issue back to a context of personal experience, Hill hypothetically appealed to the future of society saying, “I am concerned about where my children will go to school, where my grandchildren will go to school and what they will be able to learn when they go to those schools. And I think that’s what we should be worried about.”

As “an opportunity to confront the issues of today,” Hill sees affirmative action as a way to assess what former Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall meant by his idea of “complete equality.” Justice Marshall drew upon the lived experiences key to understanding inequality in its social ramifications to form theories about equality and to inform his decisions, explained Hill. “His practice of storytelling [as a way] to illustrate [the effects] of equality deepened awareness [about] race-based disparities” and serve to remind “that the supreme court has to ‘narrow the gap between the ideal and the reality of people’s lived experiences.’” In contrast, the Court’s decision in SFFA v. President & Fellows of Harvard College Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina UNC outlines a “race neutrality theory of equality… [insinuating that] the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race means to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” While this offers an overly simplistic and ignorant view of the history of race in America, Hill said she believes that “we must bring reality closer to theory and democratic principles.” Building this understanding of equity into a theory of equal protection under the law “will not be color blind,” and will require Americans to “be open and candid about racism.” Understanding “inclusion as a critical point of our democracy” and institutionally investing in this through educational policies such as affirmative action and DEI programs is crucial if the United States is to “live up to its promise” of equality.

Hill still decided to adopt an optimistic outlook as she thinks that “we have the pieces that we need to understand what equality under the law can mean today.” This necessitates drawing upon the “understanding of the crucial loss that society will experience if we don’t get there.” She referenced the mobilization of students at the University of Texas as an example of crucial social justice work. Hill maintained that students in Texas are strongly “convinced that they can change the course of their education… and change the state in which they are residing… [by] investing their time and energy into changing the narrative.” Students have the right to “make the education that they receive the education that they entered the school to receive.”

Ending the lecture on a reflective note, Hill remembered her parents, who raised 13 children in Oklahoma during the era of Jim Crow. She knows her parents died in a better world than they entered and urged the audience to “think about your own parents and how the world is a fairer and safer place because they have lived through some of the worst times.” By “think[ing] about the changes [that] past generations were able to see and project[ing] that forward to the change we hope to see… we can all be hopeful.”

Unveiling the unseen: Confronting book bans and educational censorship

■ Young-adult fiction author Julian Winters and Dr. Tanisha Lavette Williams

Discuss book censorship in an event hosted by COMPACT.

By MOMOCA MAIRAJ JUSTICE PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

On April 3, the Samuels Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation hosted a discussion on book bans with author Julian Winters, student organizer Cameron Samuels and Dr. Tanisha Lavette Williams, a Brandeis Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Racial Justice, Education, and the Carceral State.

Samuels is a leading activist in the movement against censorship in Katy Texas who testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2023 on the topic of banned books.

In 2023, 4,250 different books were challenged to be banned, especially in libraries and schools, many of which included those that centered on marginalized voices or about topics related to race, religion, gender identity or sexuality. The talk, funded by COMPACT’s Maurice J. and Fay B. Karpf and Ari Hahn Peace Awards and the ENACT Educate and Advocate Grant, was planned about a year in advance.

Winters is a young-adult fiction author who focuses on Black, Indigenous and people of color and LGBTQ+ narratives. His motivation to begin writing originated from the lack of representation in his school books. As a queer Black man, he was disheartened by the lack of Black protagonists in books. When there were Black characters, they were often stricken by tragedy. In those books, “anyone who is BIPOC or queer are just a narrative in someone elses’s narrative,” Winters said. “Those readers need to know that things like joy and growth exist … we don’t exist to be the lesson for someone else’s story.”

In the discussion, Winters credited his experience with reading as the source of his passion for writing. “That [the representation of characters with the same identity as him] was a hard weight to carry as a teen … I started writing on my own to change that narrative,” he said. “One of the greatest things in having to read those classics was that it made me angry enough to fix what I was seeing.”

Winters explained the misconception that book bans aren’t actually preventing individuals from reading books. “Books aren’t cheap — it’s hard to watch when books are continuously pulled from [school and library] shelves,” he said. “For some that’s the only way they’re accessible.” Those who claim otherwise and are initiating the bans, he stated, are from privileged positions who have the freedom to buy a book privately at their own discretion. Young students often do not have the safe space to explore the themes of these banned books, many of which represent some part of their identity. “When you put students or readers in that position, it makes them hide away from who they are,” he explained.

Williams touched on the impact of censorship within schools and its effects on learning. “When we censor what students can learn or read, it impacts curriculum,” she said. “This sterilization / altering of voice that has been ever present [and] it’s a moral tax that teachers have to bear.” While there are some teachers who outwardly oppose it risking legal consequences, others teach it quietly while the rest follow the regulations in place. One anonymous teacher in Texas, has a secret bookshelf in her classroom with banned books on queer and marginalized narratives.

Williams also explained the balancing act of parents’ right to make decisions for their children and censorship. “It gets very nuanced and the law tries to make sense of that,” she said. “No matter what side we sit on, to take into consideration that every child has to go to school, every child is different and has a different upbringing, and that the child belongs to some families that also has beliefs about what that child should and should not learn.”

Winters shared his own story regarding why he believes representation is vital in literature. While he was in school, he described himself as a “very reluctant reader,” attributing this to the lack of representation in literature and shared he did not read books for himself again until his early 20s. His experiences with books taught him “who I am is wrong … I made myself smaller and smaller,” until he found books he identified with: “Books literally saved my life,” he recalls.

Winters emphasized the importance of interacting with those who are not comfortable with banned books and do not understand the issue in their censorship. While personal conversations may feel insignificant, he explains that they are the first steps to broader change. “You have to be okay with starting small; you have to be okay with being vulnerable, and then sharing these things he said.”

Samuels touched on the possibilities that they felt were represented in their school libraries. “I know that if there were books in my school library that reflected my experiences, I’m sure I would’ve been able to discover myself, learn about experiences that are also unfamiliar to me and see the world as a bigger picture, build compassion and connect with others,” they said.

Book censorship points toward a larger pattern in educational censorship that affects all Americans and can be framed as a civil rights issue. “Education is a system that touches just about everyone in this country.” Williams stated how there is a “holistic polarization” in education and explained how a diversified curriculum, such as critical race theory, is necessary to evaluate how the presence of race and racialized hierarchies in America can be examined. She further elaborated on the importance of critical race theory in schools, citing ideas such as whiteness as a property, race’s manifestation in law, and intersectionality.

Winters hopes that young writers are able to use their anger at issues they see around them. “I don’t want you to just internalize that anger. I want you to use it, to fire you to do the thing you want to do,” he said. “When the world expects you to lose … to quiet the power you already have …take that fire and let it burn.”

Brandeis enjoys partial solar eclipse

■ Students, faculty and community members gathered to observe this natural phenomenon occurring from many vantage points around campus.

By SOPHIA DE LISI JUSTICE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

On April 8, the Brandeis community watched a near total eclipse elapse in the sky between 2:15 p.m. and 4:39 p.m., reaching peak coverage at 3:29 p.m. Community members mainly congregated on Fellows Garden, Chapels Field and the Carl J. Shapiro Science Center’s deck to get a glimpse of the phenomenon. Since the eclipse’s path of totality traveled over Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, Waltham and the rest of western Massachusetts saw the eclipse at 93 percent totality.

“What happens in a solar eclipse is, the moon, as it turns around the earth, gets into a perfect position to block the sun. … Our moon is exactly the perfect distance from us to be as big as the sun in the sky,” Astronomy Club president Rebecca Spinner ’25 said in an April 8 interview with The Justice. Since the moon and the sun become the same size, the moon can perfectly obstruct the sun from the earth, completely blocking the sun from a limited vantage point across the planet — which is the path of totality. All areas not included in the path of totality see the eclipse from an angle, which is why any other location sees a partial eclipse, as demonstrated in Waltham.

Spinner explained that the shortage came as a surprise to her. She said that after the Department of Student Engagement contacted her and asked if she had pending plans, she purchased about 500 eclipse glasses, and DSE contributed 100 additional glasses. Spinner gave 50 of these glasses to the Physics Club for its eclipse picnic.

“There were a lot of glasses, I really thought it would be enough,” Spinner said emphatically. Rather than expecting people to stay for the eclipse’s entirety, she assumed they would stop for about thirty minutes, return the glasses and continue on their way.

“I really didn’t expect people to camp out on the lawn — if I did, I would have gotten 1000 or more,” Spinner expressed. “I’m really happy that there was so much excitement for things like this, but I didn’t expect it.” She said that in the days leading up to the eclipse, no one reached out to her about it until the morning of, insinuating that most people did not realize that the event was occurring until the last minute.

The last solar eclipse that was visible from the U.S. took place in 2017, but this eclipse was noteworthy because it passed over more densely populated areas and spent a longer period of time in totality, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration writes.

Spinner recalled watching the 2017 partial eclipse in Germany, the path of totality running through Svalbard. Her school organized an eclipse-watching event where they supplied protective glasses.

”But this [eclipse] was completely different,” she said, having traveled to Vermont to see its full totality, rather than Waltham’s 93 percent. “It’s a completely different thing. I would say it was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.” She said that experiencing a full eclipse is worth doing at least once.

The next total solar eclipse to cross the U.S. from the West to the East coast will occur in 2045 — the two projected to happen in 2033 and 2044 will only cover specific states in their paths of totality.

Starting at 2:00 p.m., the Astronomy Club and the University’s Department of Student Engagement handed out free protective glasses to observe the eclipse. Despite the eclipse, looking at the sun directly can still threaten serious eye injury, per the National Air and Space Administration. With this precaution in mind, students started to line up in Fellows Garden far before protective glasses were being distributed. By 1:55 p.m., the line reached the Volen National Center for Complex Systems. By 2:15, there were no more glasses available, leaving the remaining observers to share them among themselves.

SOLAR ECLIPSE: Monday’s solar eclipse, viewable from Brandeis at 93 percent totality.

JONAS KAPLIN/The Justice

DISCUSSION: Author Julian Winters and Dr. Tanisha Lavette participate in pannel on banned books with student leader Cameron Samuels.

BRYAN WOLFE/The Justice

SOLAR ECLIPSE: Students gathered on Chapels Field to view the partial eclipse

INVESTIGATION: Athletes on women's basketball team remain concerned with Simon

filling the halls of Gosman. According to the Deadspin article, inappropriate statements and actions have been primarily based on racism against Black players on her team and fostering a toxic environment for all players. Simon has allegedly used the n-word and other racist terms when speaking about Black men. Witnesses have also stated that she utilized offensive gestures. According to the Deadspin article, Simon did not apologize following this incident where she said the alleged racial slur. The article also reported that she has also been heard mocking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and in general, speaks negatively about Black people in a way that is not comparable to how she speaks about white people. According to a witness in the Deadspin article, Simon also has a reportedly better relationship with the white players on the team.

Selenya Gonzalez ’24, a Black student-athlete, is the final player left from the class of 2024. Her class started with six players and all but Gonzalez have either quit collegiate basketball or transferred to another university.

During the April 2 gathering, the women’s basketball team presented a united front and read from impact statements and letters that were sent to the Brandeis Board of Trustees. The statements were read with emotion and the room was filled with fellow student-athletes, Haynie, coaches and other athletic administrators. These statements related frustration over the mishandling of the situation by administrators Dine and Haynie.

The impact statements were read with emotion and the room was filled with fellow student-athletes, Haynie, coaches and other athletic administrators. Other student-athletes spoke out in support, and the team iterated that they would collectively quit if Simon were to come back and coach.

Throughout the gathering, there was confusion as to who carried the jurisdiction on the recent decision. Haynie reported that “it is a group decision” and it falls on the Board of Trustees, other administrators and President Ronald Liebowitz to fully reinstate Simon. However, the confusion and lack of transparency on the decision stems from clear miscommunications between higher administrators, players and the Brandeis Athletics Department. While Haynie has had some responsibilities and played a direct role in these issues, she did not have all of the answers and did not receive direct or clear communication from her superiors.

On Feb. 29, the Women’s Basketball team met with President Liebowitz for answers regarding the then-ongoing investigation. The entire team was present and was met with vague statements, uncertainty, and unclear steps for the future. The purpose of the meeting was to educate the University President on the matter and advocate for the team’s needs, and the gathering on April 2 had the same purpose. Following the gathering, there was a sense of optimism amongst the team, accord-

ing to Forward Molly James ’26 — many more people were made aware of their struggle for equitable coaching and the near abuse they have endured.

A copy of the impact statements sent to the Board of Trustees and a request for a third OEO investigation, based on gender and racial discrimination under Title IX, were given to The Justice, and we thought it prudent to highlight more experiences of racism the team spoke about.

According to the players’ statements, the 2022-2023 season saw five players quit midseason, and Simon fostered a harmful environment through her toxic relationship with thenassistant coach Aseem Rastogi. The Justice reached out through a colleague of Rastogi, but he did not send a comment. In an April 6 interview with The Justice, James said there was a “lack of trust” between coaches and players, and “that player-to-coach dynamic is not at all there with [Simon].”

Simon told the last Black upperclassman of the team, Gonzalez, that she would “never recruit an all-Black team” which Gonzalez had never requested her to state, but Simon “proudly and intentionally” expressed it according to Gonzalez. Players spoke of misery, anxiety, a lack of equality and a failure of the administration to hold those accountable despite captains and players voicing concerns earlier in the season, mid-season and during the investigation.

Forward Brooke Reed ’26, voiced her frustrations and anger with the Brandeis administration for turning a blind eye and “neglecting” the needs of the team. In Reed’s eyes, the “insensitive” return of Simon caused her to state “I am not [Simon’s] player, I refuse to wear the Brandeis name on a jersey while it remains synonymous with the utter dismissal of racial insensitivity and a lack of care for women.”

Racism violations and complaints are not a new challenge for the Brandeis basketball community to face. Previous head men’s basketball coach, Brian Meehan was fired by the university in 2019 due to his verbal abuse and racist remarks.

Following these remarks, the Office of Equal Opportunity was founded and athletic administrators, including Dempsey, were demoted or fired. An extensive investigation was conducted and this concrete action has not been mirrored in the current issue at hand with the women’s team. In fact, the former Vice President of Human Resources, Robin NelsonBailey, was found to be collateral damage in the Meehan investigation and was successful in her lawsuit suing the University for $2.46 million dollars. Nelson-Bailey was partially blamed for the lack of investigation into the allegations of racism against Meehan when she had no role in it and accused the school of racism towards her. In a previous Justice article covering the lawsuit, “she was one of three people demoted, all of whom were women, and was the only non-white woman. Nelson-Bailey was also the only Black woman to hold an upper-level position at Brandeis at the time.”

PLANS: Additional housing to be built

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As designs for the building aren’t yet in existence, the style and layout of the new residence hall is currently unknown. Additionally, Dine discussed the possibility of multiple buildings, spanning across one or both of the parking lots. Dine explained that this building will most likely be “flexible” in terms of which class year it will be built to house. Looking ahead, she anticipates that this project will be one of the early steps of a long-term effort to slowly renovate and replace all of Brandeis’ current housing.

Currently, Brandeis is in the process of choosing a designer and architect for the building. Dine and Stanley are looking specifically to find candidates whose priorities for the new hall align with theirs. These priorities include sustainability, accessibility and accommodations, spaces for community building and student input throughout the design process. Dine is especially hopeful about the prospect of creating a space designed to foster community development. “What does it look like to have a space that has a dedicated community purpose?” She asks.

According to Dine, the project team will start looking for students to participate in the process as soon as the beginning of summer break. She elaborates on the elevated role of student input in the process, noting

that it is unusual for the Division of Student Affairs to be involved in campus construction in the first place. In her words, “we mean business when we say it needs to be a student-focused building.”

Dine also detailed the finances involved in creating a new residence hall. The majority of the initial funds to build this new building were raised through Brandeis Institutional Advancement. According to Dine, the loans from the remaining costs will be paid using revenues from the building’s room fees once it opens. She anticipates that balancing the cost of the residence hall and all of its intended goals will be a challenge.

Other challenges that Dine anticipates involve the physical process of building a residence hall in the parking lot area. In addition to concerns about having fewer parking spaces on campus, Dine points out the physical difficulty of having to break through the concrete and evaluate what type of buildings is possible to construct in the space that is left.

Though the project has a long way to go, Dine expressed her excitement about the new residence hall coming into fruition. According to her, one design team has nicknamed the project “Ridgeline,” playing off of the already existing Skyline. “I think we have creative minds at the University that can come up with more exciting names,” Dine commented.

The women’s basketball team submitted a Human Resources complaint that calls out National Collegiate Athletic Association and University Athletic Association standards. Both their OEO and HR complaints filed on April 2 demanded equitable coaching staff in comparison to the Brandeis men’s basketball team.

Experienced and completely new coaching staff are integral to the demands of the team, as the men’s team’s coaching staff reportedly has 40 years of experience, whereas the acting coach Jill Latanowich only had one year of experience and assistant coach Lauren Rubenstein has no prior coaching experience according to player’s statements. The Title IX violation at stake is that the team was denied equitable coaching and was not given the same resources as the men’s team.

Simon’s coaching statistics are listed below, as seen in the team’s HR Performance Management complaint of her:

“Since 2010, 132 wins, 171 losses (win ratio of 43.5%)

Over the last 10 years, 111 wins, 142 losses (win ratio of 43.8%)

Over the last 5 years, 47 wins, 76 losses (win ratio of 38.2%)

In the UAA conference:

Since 2010, 43 wins, 125 losses (win ratio of 25.6%)

Over the last 10 years, 37 wins, 103 losses (win ratio of 26.4%)

Over the last 5 years, 14 wins, 56 losses (win ratio of 20%)

Over the last 3 years, 7 wins, 35 losses (16.7% win ratio)

Over the last 2 years, 4 wins, 24 losses (14.3% win ratio)

The last season Coach Simon coached 1 win, 13 losses (7.1% win ratio)

The data reveals a concerning trend of declining performance under Coach Simon’s leadership. Most concerning is the lack of improvement over time and instead just the opposite, indicative of systemic issues in coaching and team management.”

The team repeatedly expressed feeling “unprepared,” “humiliated,” and not set up for success in the 2023-2024 season, and James said that meetings with Haynie and Dine about Simon’s performance in the past year did not yield the support and action they had hoped for. New York University sits at the top of the UAA women’s basketball standings, reflecting the resources and success that a four-member coaching staff, plus a Director of Basketball Operations and a manager brings to the team.

Throughout all of their impact statements, players continuously stated their passion and love for basketball, as seen in guard Lulu Ohm ’25’s statement “Basketball isn’t just a passion for me. It’s a part of who I am. The sacrifices that both myself and my teammates made and continue to make for this program are not reciprocated.” Ultimately, however, the majority of the team is prepared to walk away if Simon returns as the head coach of the program.

The language around her return remains unclear, as Haynie said in the April 2 gathering that it is Simon’s choice to return, but in her email inviting student-athletes to the gathering said “The investigator interviewed multiple witnesses and gathered and reviewed evidence over the course of six months. Upon the completion of this investigation, it was determined that Coach Simon had not violated any Brandeis policies. As a result, she is being reinstated as the Head Coach of Women’s Basketball.”

The overall theme of the team’s experiences is summed up in the ending of forward Mollie Obar ’25’s statement, where she wrote, “We are all exhausted. We are exhausted from being ignored and treated like trash by this university. We deserve better.”

Gonzalez reiterated the team’s exhaustion, but determined fight for justice, saying in her impact statement “For me, silence has never been the answer, and neither is quitting on this fight. As I’ve said before, I am exhausted, but while attempting to heal from an environment that has scarred me, I am unwilling to witness more generations of young women encounter the same experiences.”

Gabe Haithcock ’25, the President and CoFounder of the Brandeis Student-Athletes of Color Group and member of the men’s varsity soccer team, commented “As a student-athlete of color, it brings me a lot of distress to see the university’s decision to bring Carol back. I’d like to say that the university does a great job of supporting racial diversity and equality throughout the campus but it’s decisions like these that undermine those ideas and highlights the racist and discriminatory undertones that many universities are founded upon. It’s embarrassing that the University can’t take definitive actions against Carol, whose actions have harmed the well-being of our students. Our students are in a vulnerable state because the University has failed to protect their virtues, beliefs, and values that we as a Brandeis student body stand for.”

When asked for comment, the President of the Student Union, Noah Risley ’24, stated that they “stand behind the women's basketball team completely and do not want to see Coach Simon reinstated. If there’s anything I can do in my last few days in office, I’m happy to help. Every student-athlete should feel comfortable with and supported by their coach, and it’s a shame that hasn’t been the case for WBB the past 2 years.”

The Board of Trustees met on Monday, April 8 and meetings are confidential so The Justice was unable to obtain any results or further information from the Trustees.

As of press time, The Justice reached out to Carol Simon for comment as well as to President Liebowitz and OEO. None of the parties responded with a statement and Simon’s automatic email replied that she was out of the office.

the purpose of TBTN and contextualize the significance of the event. Due to the sensitive nature of the event, PARC peer advocates and professional staff from Racial Equity Action Challenge at Heller were present and were easily recognizable via name tags and glow stick necklace. Priya Sashiti ’24 — PARC’s peer advocate and committee member— in her opening remarks, was sure to encourage participants to reach out to these resources, recognizing that “there is no reason too small to reach out about, and no threshold needed to access support.”

After the reading of written pieces from PARC members, a student speaker led participants through a self-care activity involving stress-putty and other anti-stress related objects that were handed out at the beginning of the event. Participants were encouraged to close their eyes if comfortable, focus on breathing and asked to shift their attention to particular sensations such as the object in their hands or the clothes touching their skin. With this practice, the event leaders sought to ground participants in a moment of mindfulness and bring awareness to the present. At the end of the activity, attendees were given a moment to reorient themselves. Speakers then ended the initial gathering with closing remarks and gave further instructions for the march through campus which would conclude the event.

A group of 21 attendees accumulated at the back door of the Rapaporte Treasure Hall, donning signs in solidarity with sexual violence survivors as well as lit electric candles. A few of the signs read “Consent is not Sexy, it’s Mandatory,” “We Support Survivors of Sexual Violence” and “Shatter the Silence, Stop the Violence.”

At around 6:40 p.m., the march through campus began. The group moved quietly down the hill towards the Shapiro Science Center, around the SCC and finished at the Lights of Reason. Participants in the march were asked by one of the committee members to “move in a peaceful and quiet manner” because “in doing so, we foster a sense of reflection, community

and safety in reclaiming the night, while also being mindful of those who may be intentionally avoiding this event for any reason.” A golf cart was stationed at the Lights of Reason to aid in the walk back to main campus as an accessibility support for attendees. At 6:45 p.m., the event concluded, and participants were reminded to take care of themselves as they dispersed. In previous years, the Brandeis TBTN event was characterized by a similar march through campus where students could take moments of self-care and reflection at stops along the way. TBTN had a new format this year: attendees first gathered indoors to reflect and listen to speakers before the march began. “This year, we wanted to do something different of having a space before the march that felt more private,” said Sashiti in a post-event interview with The Justice. Elaborating on the changes, she said, “A little bit more of, like, building a community before we went out and marched.”

Maya Ungar '25, a Peer Advocate on the PARC team, reflected on the event in a postevent interview with The Justice, remarking, “I was very happy with how it turned out.” She spoke to this year’s specific changes, saying, “we focused this year on the space before the march and the written word like poems,

just features

It’s time to lock in: Social media detoxes in an age of declining attention spans

Goldfish are believed to have longer attention spans than the average human, who can hold uninterrupted focus for only eight seconds. More and more people are taking to social media detoxes to impr ove attention and fight addictive cycles. The Justice spoke with two students who shared their experiences with social media cleanse s.

By GRACE DOH JUSTICE EDITOR

Many of us have been sat down by a teacher, friend or a concerned parent to watch “The Social Dilemma.” The documentary came out in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, when virtually all communication was online. It exposed how social media companies specifically design algorithms that nurture addiction and increase screen time by providing instant gratification. Since then, most users have become aware of the consequences of using smart technology in an attention economy that profits off of our decrease in concentration. In a November 2020 survey of people from ages 14 to 24, over half of respondents said they’ve deleted or thought about deleting their social media accounts or app.

The practice of “digital detox” has grown in popularity over the years as users attempt to break free from addictive social media habits. In a study where 31 young adults limited their social media use to 30 minutes a day for two weeks, researchers found that the experiment improved phone and social media addiction, sleep, satisfaction with life, stress, perceived wellness and supportive relationships.

Anna Schneider ’26 recently took three weeks off of social media. Anna shared that prior to the detox she felt overwhelmed by school and noticed that she was spending a lot of time online, particularly before bed. She deleted Instagram and Tiktok, the only two social media apps she regularly uses.

“Honestly I wasn’t even using them to be social, I was just consuming content,” she said.

Anna spoke about how without Instagram, she was more inclined to reach out to her friends directly. “At first I missed Instagram because I love posting on my Close Friends story, but being forced to text people instead of using my story like a blog was nice. I had to actually reach out to people to share funny stuff/pictures instead of just posting it,” she shared.

Eden Ikonen ’25 deleted TikTok several weeks ago. On their reasoning for this decision, they said: “I realized that I was spending hours a day scrolling, which would leave me feeling drained and unhappy.”

Another reason for their TikTok detox was the consumerist presence on the app. “I was growing tired of the excessive consumerism and advertisements everywhere on the app — even after blocking the TikTok shop hashtag I would still get videos of people promoting drop shipped products all the time,” they explained. “Like let me touch grass,” they added — a phrase that means “to go outside; enjoy nature (used especially as an exhortation to spend less time on electronic devices),” as defined by Dictionary.com.

Echoing the “touch grass” mantra, Anna shared that she spent more time outside doing other activities besides social media consumption. “When the weather was nice I mostly just sat outside and read for like four or five hours.” She noted how the screen activities she did partake in were slower forms of digital media: “When the weather got bad I honestly played a lot of Pokemon,” — a Nintendo DS game.

Both Anna and Eden shared that the ways in which they spent their free time became more meaningful. “I think not consuming media was honestly really good. I just had to sit with my own thoughts a lot. I think I got a lot more creative,” Anna stated. Similarly, Eden reflected, “I find myself more easily doing

other, non-social media things when I have time to myself, which I find more emotionally fulfilling.”

Within one week of deleting TikTok, Eden’s average daily screen time halved, having gone from eight hours a day to four. They added, “I do feel like there is some FOMO [fear of missing out], and I find that I spend more time on Instagram now than I did before, but overall I’m glad I deleted it and I feel less inclined to doomscroll in my free time.”

Like Anna and Eden, current college students are part of the first generation to have grown up with smart technology. They are the first to have learned through experience that the problem starts young. A United Kingdom survey conducted in 2012 — when most of Generation Z were in pre-elementary or early elementary school — studied the lowering attention spans of children. The survey polled 410 teachers and 2000 parents of children aged between two and 11. The survey showed that 91 percent of teachers believe children’s attention spans are becoming shorter as they opt for screen-based activities over conventional reading. Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield says that this is the first proof of a link between shorter attention spans and technology.

According to a study done by Microsoft, the average time that humans are now able to maintain uninterrupted focus is eight seconds, whereas goldfish are able to maintain at least nine seconds of concentration.

“Wait Until 8th” is a pledge started by concerned parent Brooke Shannon who wanted to encourage parents to rally together to hold off on giving their kids smartphones until at least 8th grade. The “Wait Until 8th” website reasons that smartphones should be delayed because many technology executives enforce the same rule in their homes.

The website references an article in the New York Times about Steve Jobs and other Silicon-Valley executives who waited until their children were 14 years old before they allowed them to have a phone. When they did get a phone, they were able to make calls and text, but they were not given a data plan until age 16.

“If leaders of digital giants like Google, eBay, Apple and Yahoo are delaying the smartphone then should this not give us pause? Executives that flourish on the success of technology are protecting their children from the smartphone. Should we not do the same?” the website reads.

These days, when you reach adulthood, or even high school, it is necessary to have a smartphone and social media apps in order to complete the most basic communication-based tasks. Having to be surrounded by smart technology all the time is a new reality that affects everyone. Greenfield thinks that our brains will adapt to this new reality for better or for worse.

“We know that the human brain is exquisitely evolved to adapt to the environment and it follows therefore that if the environment is changing in an unprecedented way, then the brain would change in an unprecedented way,” she explained in an interview available online.

She continued, “If we place this very sensitive and vulnerable and impressionable brain into a new environment, let’s say one that’s only two dimensional and only offers two senses — sound and vision — then we might expect some different changes; that’s not to say they’re going to be universally good or universally bad.”

Although the changes that are to come as we grow increasingly dependent on technology are unpredictable, what we can rely on is the fact that we will adapt to this new reality, as Greenfield emphasized. People are beginning to evolve with the development of technology and find subtle ways to resist its negative effects.

Users are adopting self-accountability measures and learning to prioritize mental and physical wellness over screen-time, and digital detoxes are just one example.

As a final note, Anna said: “I would definitely advise other people to at least delete one social media app especially if they feel stuck in a mental health rut.”

Housing gems in the library: Visiting the Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections department

On April 14, The Justice spoke with Chloe Gerson, Reference and Instruction Archivist who works at the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections.

You may have walked past it when hunting down a quiet study spot on the second floor of the Goldfarb Library: the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections. Right past the reference desk, down the stairs to the second floor of Goldfarb, it lies behind the glass door: the past of Brandeis summarized in glass displays, featuring a picture of the first graduating class to previous school merchandise from the 1980’s. Funding was provided by Leonard L. Farber for the department in 1997. The department was inaugurated in the year 1998 and named after Farber’s son, Robert. The University had been collecting archival items for a while beforehand, but now had a centered location in which to store them.

On April 14, The Justice spoke with Chloe Gerson, who works with the University Archives and special collections as the Reference and Instruction Archivist. She handles requests for the University archives and special collections from all over the world and leads instruction sessions. Gerson has led class sessions for various subjects, such as legal studies, anthropology, foreign language classes, sociology, University Writing Seminars and more.

Gerson shared that people will usually say that the most rare thing the university special collections has is Shakespeare’s first folio. She also stated, “We got things in all types of languages from all over the world, in tons of different subjects. We have some very interesting, interesting things.” Starting with a papyrus document from 120 A.D., documents from the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s, the university archives and special collections continue to collect, now having to use an offsite stor-

By RIA ESCAMILLA-GIL JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

age location. “Space is always an issue, and we have to get creative about it.”

When asked about her favorite part of the job, Gerson replied, “You know — I love the hunt. I love hunting for things, I love working with people. It’s nice to connect people with things they are looking for, things people didn’t know they were looking for.”

Since the archives are not browsable, it is usually through requested collections that anyone will find interesting documents and artifacts. Students may use the “Finding Aids Database” on the Brandeis Library website to look beforehand to see if anything that they need or are interested in is available. Another way of looking at the archives in an effective manner would be to email Gerson beforehand regarding the topic you are interested in so that those collections are ready when you arrive.

Gerson loves opening up the “world of archives” to students, “showing them that it is accessible, that is for them and not just people with four PhD’s.”

Reflecting on a memorable experience during an instruction session, Gerson recalled a student had been looking at a Planned Parenthood pamphlet from the 50-60s time period and shared that his grandmother was in the chapter. It was a connection to an archived document he had no previous idea about.

Gerson shared that interactions like these that make her position so rewarding. “Everytime that somebody leaves a class and they say, ‘Wow, that was really exciting, thanks,’ or when people stay after a class and then they are like, ‘How do you get into this field?’ it’s opening up a world that people didn’t know existed or know that they could exist in.”

When discussing who can come to the archives, Gerson stated “All you need to be is interested. We’re open access, anybody can come here.” She also shared that people come from all over the world, including places like the Netherlands and Switzerland, for all sorts of reasons, from projects to books that are planning to be published.

She also explained that people come from so far away because the archives hold a very unique collection with artifacts that cannot always be digitized. This can be a result of lack of consent from the donor or sensitive conditions that make it unable to be scanned, such as a book being bound too tightly.

“We had someone come all the way from California to look at our Joan Crawford awards collection and had brought his nephew with him, and his nephew was taking pictures of everything, pictures of

him holding up the awards. And so we brought out this correspondence that we have of her and between Abram Sachar, the first [Brandeis] president and he was like, pumped. It was so nice to see him so excited about being able to touch something that was Joan Crawford’s,” Gerson recalled.

When asked what she wished more people knew about the University Archives and Special Collections, Gerson shared she wished “For more people to know that they are totally allowed to come here. We love for people to know that we exist, feel how paper was made in the 1700s, just because they want to.” While located inside of the

Justicethe

Brandeis during the summer:

While Brandeis is always loud with the bustle of busy students running from classes to clubs, the summer is filled with silence. Without the clubs and friend groups of a traditional academic year, the summer is the time when Brandeis is eerily quiet. In this editorial, we aim to provide some pieces of advice to those of you spending the next few months in Waltham.

First, we acknowledge that it can be easy to become absorbed in your studies without the usual clubs and campus events. While focusing on studies is important as a student, the board urges you to spend some time thinking about potential hobbies or activities that will allow you to find a work-life balance when the clubs you usually enjoy are not in session.

We would also like to touch on the lack of availability of dining options during the summer. Sherman Dining Hall will be your only source of sustenance for the coming months. We encourage you to work on varying your diet, as eating fresh foods like fruits and vegetables will allow you to feel better.

If you are not used to the Massachusetts summer heat, plan on spending the majority of your studying time inside. Luckily, many of the Brandeis buildings are air conditioned; that said, we recommend investing in a strong fan. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water. Dehydration can lead to fainting and dizzy spells. Be sure to wear sunscreen when outside to avoid burns!

courses, $1,950 for two-credit hour courses or two-credit hour lab courses and $750 for one-credit hour courses. While the summer school tuition is high, financial aid might be hard to grant. As Brandeis offers need-based grants, scholarships, and loans there are restrictions on where it applies. Even with the high tuition fee, it is sometimes necessary for students to take the limited summer classes to graduate on-time.

course registration begins on

April 16, so it’s time to create your schedule for next semester. Taking the time to craft the perfect schedule can make all the difference in having a successful semester. As such, this board would like to provide a few tips and reminders to make sure this process goes smoothly for you.

First and foremost, log into Workday to check for registration holds. If you have any, they’ll appear in a box on your dashboard titled “Awaiting Your Action.” Make sure you complete these tasks before your scheduled registration period or you will not be able to register for classes on time. The next step is to create a saved schedule. Though not required, making one is especially useful because come registration day, you can register for all of the classes in your schedule with just the click of a button. A schedule can be created in Workday in the academics section. You can make just one, but this board recommends you have a backup schedule or at the very least, a list of backup classes in case you aren’t able to get all of the ones you want. Though you make saved schedules in Workday, the user interface isn’t the best at allowing you to visualize your schedule. As such, it can be helpful to use a college schedule maker or Google Calendar to do so.

Now that you’ve handled all the administrative items, it’s time to pick classes! There are a lot of requirements to complete including those for your majors and minors as well as the Brandeis Core. It can be useful to keep track of which requirements you’ve completed via a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet will also be extremely helpful for planning out which classes you’d like to take in future semesters. This will help ensure you aren’t forgetting any requirements that you’d have to rush to fulfill in your senior year.

When crafting your schedule, it’s also important to keep in mind other factors, such as the time of day or the professor teaching the course. Requirements should always be the priority, but if possible, choose a specif -

ic time for your class that you know you’ll attend and a professor with good ratings. Don’t take an 8 a.m. class unless you are certain you’ll be able to wake up early! Information on professors can be shared via word of mouth from friends or upperclassmen or through resources like Rate My Professor. The key is to create a balanced schedule that is manageable for you on a daily basis. In the event a class you desire fills up quickly and you’re placed on the waitlist, don’t fret. Reach out to the professor and explain why you want to be in the class — many times, they’re understanding and willing to add an additional seat. Taking a proactive approach is the best way to ensure you get in. It’s also worth showing up to the first day of class next semester to express your interest.

This advice is for all students, but especially for first-years: have fun and take advantage of the liberal arts! Brandeis offers classes in so many disciplines and the benefit of going to a liberal arts college is getting to experience all of them, so take something that doesn’t directly relate to your major. As an underclassman, you might find something you like and decide to pursue more of it. Classes like these can be fun and exciting, and also help you complete the Brandeis Core. Make sure you look on Workday or the Brandeis Course Catalog to see which core requirements each class fulfills. Some classes can even knock out a few requirements at the same time to help you finish the Brandeis Core even faster.

While the course registration period can be a stressful and confusing time, we hope this information will be helpful for your course registration endeavors. When in doubt, resources are available online and through your academic advisor to help answer questions. This board wishes you the best of luck in securing the classes you want and that you don’t have to wake up at 8 a.m. next semester!

This board would also like to urge the University to expand transportation options for the summer. Without the regularly scheduled BranVans, students are left stranded and having to walk in the heat to both classes and the dining hall. An increase in transportation would cause campus to be a more pleasant place overall.

If you are taking summer courses at Brandeis, plan ahead. There might be issues with registration so reach out ahead of time if you experience any. In contrast to other semesters, many of the summer courses are online, giving those who are not on campus during summer a chance to fulfill their major requirements or Brandeis Core requirements.

Although Brandeis claims summer courses to be “an economical way to advance toward graduation,” since they are offered at a reduced rate compared to the normal academic year, the classes, though some of them are online, are all very expensive. Students would need to pay $3,700 for normal four-credit hour

For international students, asynchronous online classes might be beneficial if they’re in a time zone other than eastern standard time , since they can watch the classes when convenient instead of getting out of bed or staying up until midnight or even later. However, the 2024 summer semester put restrictions on hiring teaching assistants. Students must be in certain states to be able to TA for classes. For example, if a student is in the state of California or outside the U.S., they are not eligible for TA positions. This policy might be a serious issue for international students since office hours will be scheduled based on eastern standard time. Office hours might not be available to them during the day, with no other accommodations being offered. This rule undermines the purpose of having online summer course, leaving international students who could have completed their coursework during daytime hours to stay up incredibly late. This board encourages professors for online summer courses to try to schedule various office hours during later time periods so they are more accessible to students in different time zones.

Ultimately, though the experience of taking summer courses may not be ideal, this editorial board does acknowledge that summer classes can be beneficial for many Brandeis students. Taking courses over the summer can help to reduce courseloads during the normal academic year, thus helping to diminish some of the stress felt by students as they balance school work with clubs and other responsibilities. Only you can decide whether or not taking summer courses is the right decision for you, and we hope that the advice provided in this editorial can help you in this endeavor.

Beyond the bookshelf: The threat of book bans in conversation with Julian Winters

By CINDY NIE JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

In the dystopian world of Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” the thought of books going up in flames and being forbidden to the public felt like a chilling work of fiction. Yet little did I know, it’s a reality echoing louder today and not a once-fictional scenario.

Recent reports from ABC News show a disturbing trend: nearly half of the books targeted by bans in recent times revolve around LGBTQ+ themes and people of color. Additionally, according to Poets, Editors, Novelists (PEN) America, the 2022-2023 school year saw an alarming surge in censorship, particularly centered on discussions about race, history, sexual orientation, and gender. It’s not just a few isolated incidents; it’s a nationwide epidemic with more book bans currently recorded than ever before.

This isn’t just about what books students can or can’t read. It’s about the kind of society we want to live in — one where diverse voices are celebrated, not silenced.

In a recent interview with The Justice, bestselling author Julian Winters shared insights into the impact of censorship on LGBTQ+ and Black, indigenous, and people of color literature. Reflecting on his involvement in Lambda Literary’s LGBTQ+ Writers in Schools program, Winters addressed the decline in opportunities for authors to engage with young readers due to mounting censorship pressures. Winters revealed, “Since the rise in book bans, I’ve seen fewer school visits year over year.” He attributed this decline to educators’ fears of backlash for hosting authors with books associated with BIPOC and LGBPTQ+ narratives. Personally affected by these trends, Winters acknowledges his privilege

as an established author. He recalls his high school days, where access to books beyond those provided by the library or assigned in class was limited by financial means, “I didn’t have money to buy those hardcover novels.”

These personal encounters inform Winters’ understanding of the impact of book bans, particularly on younger readers. He noted, “It’s hard to watch as these books continuously be pulled from shelves because I know the people that identify that way or see themselves in those pages, and [libraries are] the only access they’re going to have to those things.” This underscores the real impact of book bans on students’ access to diverse narratives, an impact often overlooked by adults seeking to censor narratives by taking books out of context.

In addressing the out-of-context censorship surrounding diverse narratives, Winters offers insights into the real impact of book bans on students’ exploration of personal identity. He highlights the failure of adults to recognize the repercussions of such actions on young readers, compelling them to shy away from celebrating their identities in public spaces.

“These adults don’t recognize that when you put the teens or these young readers into that position, it makes them want to shy away from who they are,” Winters asserts. He underscores the importance of safe spaces in schools and libraries, where students can freely explore and celebrate their identities without fear of judgment or censorship.

Winters draws attention to the irony of the situation, citing the example of the Netflix series “Heartstopper,” which originated as a graphic novel. Recalling his own experiences following the series’ development on Tumblr, he emphasizes its profound impact in resonat-

ing with diverse audiences despite featuring two white protagonists from the United Kingdom.

“It was healing. It was wonderful to see those things,” Winters reflects. However, he expresses dismay at the series being among the most banned in schools and libraries due to its portrayal of themes like homophobia and bullying. He condemns the tendency to misconstrue such narratives as inappropriate for younger readers, rather than addressing the underlying issues they confront.

“We’re taking these things out of context, this wonderful, beautiful story,” Winters laments. He calls attention to the misplaced focus on censorship instead of addressing the real-world issues reflected in literature.

By labeling uncomfortable topics as inappropriate, Winters argues, society fails to confront and address the systemic problems they represent.

Winters’ mission as a writer is to change the narrative and create main characters that center on the identity of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. For him, writing became a means to fill the void and offer representation to marginalized voices. Winters’ states, “One of my things I hope to convey is that we exist in these spaces and therefore we should exist on the page.”

Winters believes that it is essential for marginalized characters to be at the center of literature whether as the hero of the story, the love interest, or even just being normal. Winters says, “I think that the biggest part for me is a lot of queer and BIPOC people when they’re portrayed in the media. It’s almost like they have to climb this big hill in order for them that happy ending. And I want to write more

stories where we just get to do normal things.”

Prior to enrolling in my first college course on Asian American literature, my literary journey lacked the voices and stories of notable Asian American Pacific Islander authors. Throughout middle and high school, the absence of characters who reflected my heritage left me yearning for representation. It wasn’t until I stepped into that college classroom that authors like Maxine Hong Kingston and Chang-Rae Lee were introduced to me, marking a pivotal shift in my reading experience.

This exposure to diverse narratives illuminated the profound impact of representation in literature. It underscored the importance of seeing oneself reflected in the stories we read, validating experiences and identities that had previously felt marginalized. While there has been some progress in recent years, with an increasing number of AAPI authors featuring protagonists from diverse backgrounds, there remains a glaring gap in the availability of such literature within the educational curriculum.

Winters’ insights underscore the profound impact of representation in literature and the urgent need to safeguard the accessibility of diverse narratives for young readers. As we confront the challenges of censorship, his words serve as an important message of the power of storytelling in shaping identities and fostering empathy.

As we navigate the literary landscape, it is imperative that we continue to advocate for inclusivity and representation. By doing so, we not only enrich the reading experiences of individuals from all walks of life, but also foster a more compassionate and inclusive society.

Ragini Kannan

■ The Justice sat down with one of the most successful pitchers in the University Athletic Association — who is only a sophomore — to learn more about her experience and wins on and off the field.

By JORDAN GREENAWAY

On March 24, 2023, the Brandeis Judges opened up University Athletic Association conference play against Carnegie Mellon University on Marcus Field. Ragini Kannan ’26, a first-year righthanded pitcher for the Judges, gave up a home run to Koko Sagae of Carnegie Mellon in the second inning to snap her 20-inning scoreless streak. Despite this setback, Brandeis would go on to shut down Carnegie for the remainder of the game. Kannan completed the rest of the game giving up one run, giving her a dominant stat line of six innings pitched, one run given up, and seven strikeouts. Brandeis went on to sweep Carnegie in all four games that weekend. Her stats on the season after this conference start were electric. She had only given up three runs all year, all on solo home runs, and she showcased an elite 38-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Kannan reminisced on the game against the Tartans, saying, “Going into the game, I was really nervous because that was going to be the first time I ever pitched against a UAA opponent. Coming into the game I already knew that the UAA was one of the strongest conferences in Division III, so I wanted to go out and do my job and have my teammates’ backs by starting off strong.”

In the 2023 season, Brandeis Softball relied on Kannan a lot to carry a majority of the pitching load throughout the season. Out of 58 appearances from the Judges’ pitching staff, Kannan accounted for 23 of them. Her partner in crime, Alex Cohen ’24, who was a junior pitcher and designated player during Kannan’s freshman year, made up another big bulk of appearances with 19 outings to the mound. Cohen described the experience of being a 1-2 punch with Kannan as “awesome” and added, “while it did leave a bunch of pressure on both of us to go out and perform every day, it made us that much more locked-in for every time we got in the game. I attribute a lot of my success to Ragini last year for keeping me grounded and motivated to do as well as she was doing every time I went out there.”

Kannan did not disappoint on the mound last year. She ended the year second in the UAA in wins, third in total innings pitched and fourth in

’26: A standout both on and off the field

Earned Runs Allowed. She also racked up an impressive 132 strikeouts — third most in Brandeis history. Kannan’s 15 wins are the eighth most in school history for a single season. Kannan’s notable achievements include third-team All-Region honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association earning first-team All-UAA team, and to cap it off won Female Rookie of the Year — an honor given to the top two first-year competitors at Brandeis.

As the awards began to pile up, Kannan described it as a “surreal experience” and said “it still doesn’t feel real to this day.” She showed her true character and humility by saying, “Those awards that I won aren’t ending my career and I still have a lot more things to learn, things that I can achieve and things to work on to become an even better player to help my team out even more.”

Bells Burdenski ’26, who was one of Kannan’s freshman counterparts, described her work ethic as “one of one.” Burdenski added, “Ragini is probably one of the hardest workers I know. We could have one off day during the week and she’ll still be at Gosman getting a lift in, pitching or doing some recovery and I’m inspired by her hard work and dedication to the team.”

Dani Bishop, the head coach for Brandeis Softball added, “I knew throughout the recruiting process that Rag was going to be an impact player for us. Her preparation, work ethic and results gave us confidence in her.” Kannan is also a leader on the field, even as an underclassman, and Bishop attributed that to her “consistent performances, dedication and being a great teammate, [which] led to her teammates trusting her and respecting her.”

Being a leader and a great teammate are two qualities that Kannan’s teammates truly embrace about her. Tristan Boyer ’25, who was a sophomore catcher during Kannan’s first season on the Judges said, “Working with Ragini has always been such a positive experience. She’s receptive to feedback, asking me about her spin, break and pace on her pitches. She’s always looking to get better and in return pushes me to get better also. It’s remarkable.”

Burdenski also piled on the praise and had great things to say about the kind of teammate Kannan is by saying, “Ragini is the kind of teammate you want to have with you on and off the field. Whether it’s during a tough day at practice, on the field playing, in the locker room or on travel trips she always has the best energy and will always pick you up when you need it.”

Kannan is equally as impressive off the field. She values being well-rounded and always takes an academics-first approach to her daily life. She said, “After I won my Rookie of the Year award, I went to go see my non-athlete friends and I told them about the award and one of my friends looked

me in the face and said, ‘Congratulations, but you have a final tomorrow to study for. Don’t forget, it’s always academics first.’” Having a circle of friends that keep her focused on the “end goal” is something Kannan deeply embraces about her non-athlete friends.

Other than academics, Kannan is the vice president of the Student-Athletes of Color Group and the director of management for Branda on campus. She described one of her biggest goals as being a “role model” and “someone younger girls of color can look up to in the softball setting, as softball is a predominantly white sport.” She also said that she “hopes that other brown girls from predominantly white areas know that they do have the potential to do big things, because there were a lot of things that could have stopped me, such as the way that white parents would talk down to my parents who are immigrants, or personal racism I have encountered with girls from other teams or even my own teammates. However, pushing through those things got me to where I am today.”

Kannan embraces humility, hard work and leadership, and strives to be a role model for young girls who look like and face the same challenges as her. This passion subsequently led her to have a historic first year, and despite a rocky start for the Judges, her stat line is equally impressive.

The Judges went 2-2 with Carnegie Mellon this past weekend in Pittsburgh, and Kannan’s ERA stands at 2.93, with 1.36 Walks and Hits in Innings Pitched. Her record on the mound in 2024 is 5-4, and she continues to persevere through a strained muscle injury. The Brandeis softball team takes on Wellesley College at Wellesley this Wednesday, April 10. The Judges’ next home game is on Friday, April 12 against Emory University at 3:00 p.m. Go cheer on Kannan at Marcus Field and see her pitching prowess for yourself!

— Editor's Note: Sports editor Rani Balakrishna ’25 is a member of the Brandeis softball team and did not contribute to any part of this article.

NCAA: The final showdown of college basketball

On April 7, South Carolina defeated Iowa 87-75 to win the national championship. Their victory marked the program’s 3rd title and the 10th team in history to complete an undefeated season. Kamilla Cardoso was voted as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. It was Cardoso who was the engine for the Gamecocks, averaging 16.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. In the championship game, she scored 15 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, a career high.

"Kamilla Cardoso was not going to let us lose a game in the NCAA tournamentShe played through an injury, she played like one of the top picks in the WNBA draft and her teammates did something that no teammates have done for anybody who went to the WNBA in our program. They send her off as a national champion. So this is history for us," said Dawn Staley, head coach for South Carolina.

Catlin Clark scored a game high 30 points fell was not enough to uplift the Hawkeye’s to champions. On the defensive end, South Carolina outrebounded Iowa 18 to 7.

While Clark may have ended her collegiate career without a national title, her individual accolades have left a profound impact on the sport of basketball. With Clark projected to be the first overall pick, perhaps she will be the one who ushers a new era of women’s basketball.

Men's Conference

No. 1 Purdue and No. 11 North Carolina State Purdue University put an end to North Carolina State’s miraculous run to advance to the championship game. Purdue maintained the lead throughout the game. The final score was 63-50. This game marked NC State’s first time reaching the Final Four since 1983 and the 6th time in which an 11th seed made the semifinals. NC State’s journey was not easy. They knocked out No. 6 Texas Tech University, No. 14 Oakland University, No. 2 Marquette University, and No. 4 Duke University respectively just to receive a matchup with No. 1 Purdue.

Still, the heavy underdogs, NC State, did not go down without a fight. Graduate student DJ Horne poured in 20 points, junior guard Jayden Taylor added 11 points, and senior forward DJ Burns Jr added 8 points.

Despite the quiet night for Burns, it was he who

had generated the most buzz throughout the tournament. The 6 9," 275-pound athlete’s unique physique and play style for a man of his stature caught the attention of many fans, including National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic. Jokic, who was late to a postgame press conference because he was watching Burns score 29 to take down Duke, praised Burns: “I think he’s so skilled. Especially lefty, I’d love to be lefty. It seems like his teammates love to play with him, so (he’s) got to be a good guy.”

As described by Burns himself, “I watched a lot of Hakeem Olajuwon growing up. I just ended up with a Zach Randolph body.”

Ultimately, it was Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers that prevailed. Purdue was determined to prove themselves as legitimate contenders after falling to Fairleigh Dickinson University in the first round last year. The team faced lots of postseason success, with victories over No. 16 Grambling State University, No. 8 Utah State, No. 5 Gonzaga University, and No. 2 University of Tennessee. During the tournament, Edey has been putting up averages of 28 points and 15.4 rebounds per game, including a 40 points 16 rebounds masterclass over Tennessee. These outstanding performances have earned Edey a consecutive Associated Press Player of the Year Award. Edey posted 20 points and 12 rebounds to take down NC State. Purdue will face UConn for the national championship.

No. 1 University of Connecticut and No. 4 Alabama

The University of Connecticut defeated the University of Alabama with a final score of 86-72. Alabama played quality basketball, sinking 11 out of their 23 made three-pointers. In the first half, the game was back and forth, with Alabama up by one point. UConn was simply better, for they took control over the second half. The well-rounded Huskies squad had all five of their starters end the game with double digits in points.

Alabama’s loss should not be overlooked, for this was the first time the program made the Final Four. Along their route, they were victorious over No. 13 Charleston, No. 12 Grand Canyon, No. 1 University of North Carolina, and No. 6 Clemson respectively. In arguably their toughest matchup, Alabama scrapped a victory in the game versus UNC in a quadruple overtime thriller, thus potentially ruining the brackets for many sports fans. UConn streamed through the tournament, knocking out No. 16 Stetson, No. 9 Northwestern, No. 5 San Diego State, and No. 3 Illinois in a dominant fashion. To put into perspective UConn’s dominance, their 14-point victory over Alabama was the smallest margin thus far in the tournament. With UConn and Purdue, two No. 1 seeded teams, set out to face each other, who will win it all? Can UConn, the reigning champions, defend their title? Or will Zach Edey lead Purdue to their first championship in the program’s history?

UConn ended up prevailing over Purdue, 75-60, making them the first team in 17 years to win back to back titles. The Huskies tie the UNC

Tar Heels for the third most championships in Division I men’s basketball history.

Photo courtesy of SAM SCHACTER

STRIKE OUT: Kannan steps off the mound in the Judges' spring training trip.

UNDERDOGS: Despite impressive numbers from Zach Edey, the Purdue University Boilermakers lost.

Men’s tennis falls to New York University on senior day for Walters and Basye

SOFTBALL TENNIS

WOMEN'S TOP FINISHERS UPCOMING GAMES:

MEN'S TOP FINISHERS

STANDOUTS Singles

Three basketball players earn CSC Academic All-District Honors and 92 Judges receive UAA All-Academic Honors

Three players on the Brandeis basketball teams were named to the College Sports Communication (CSC) Academic All-District Team for the 2023-2024 season. On the men’s side, Ryan Power ’24 was honored, and on the women’s team, Francesca Marchese M’25 and Katherine Vaughan ’26 both took home the award.

To be selected for the AllDistrict Team, the CSC requires that student-athletes maintain a 3.50 GPA for the year and either play in 90 percent of their team’s games or start in 66 percent of them. For Power and Marchese, it is their second straight year receiving the award.

All three Judges were also selected as finalists for the CSC Academic All-America ballot. National honorees will be announced on April 16.

Power played in 22 of 25 games for the Judges this season, averaging 7.3 points and 3.7 rebounds. He averaged 2.5 assists per game, good for second-best on the team and eighth-best in the conference. On the defensive end, he ranked seventh conferen -

No. 3 - Chicago Sky: Cameron Brink

ce-wide in steals per game. Power, a Health: Science, Society, and Policy major, has been selected to the Dean’s List six times, is a three-time honoree of the University Athletic Association All-Academic team, and received the Charlie Napoli ’58 Scholar-Athlete Award in 2023. He has a GPA of 3.84, as of this year. Power will enroll at Tufts University Medical School next year. Marchese averaged 5.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game while starting and playing in all 25 contests for the Judges this year. She tied her career-high in points this season, scoring 15 in an 88-72 win at Salem State University. Marchese is a Business and Psychology major currently pursuing an M.B.A. at Brandeis. As of 2023, she has been selected to the Dean’s List four times and the UAA All-Academic team three times. She finished her undergraduate career with a GPA of 3.70 and was also a recipient of the Stephen J. Cloobeck ’83 Endowed Fellowship for Entrepreneurship. Vaughan was second on the

women’s team in scoring, averaging 7.9 points per game; her 5 rebounds per game was good enough for third best. She also set the single-season blocked shots record for the school, with 40. As a Sophomore, Vaughan has a GPA of 3.78 and is yet to declare her major. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester of her Brandeis career and was named to the UAA All-Academic team this year. She will study abroad in Madrid next semester with a focus on Spanish Literature and History.

Additionally, 92 Judges were named to the 2023-2024 winter UAA All-Academic team, meaning they were both sophomores in academic standing and maintained a 3.30 GPA.

— Miles Goldstein

if the Wings decided to add her to the roster with their No. 5 pick.

Doubles Dylan Walters '24 and Tommy Harrison '26 lead the team with a record of 7-3. Wednesday vs. the Coast Guard Academy

OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Lika Bolkvadze '27 and Bhakti Parwani '25 lead the team with a record of 7-4. Doubles Bhakti Parwani '25 and Rebecca Suarez '26 lead the team with a record of 14-2.

If any team can get Brink with a No. 3 pick, it is a no-brainer for them to choose this defensive powerhouse over any other options in this draft. The Chicago Sky was eliminated in the first round of playoffs by the defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, last season. Defense in the paint was a major problem for them during the series and throughout the entire 2023 season. By drafting Brink, the 2024 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, the Sky will be able to upgrade their rim protection and find a replacement for center Morgan Bertsch, while shooter Maria Mabrey and former all-star Diamond DeShields provide scoring energy from the perimeter.

No. 4 - Los Angeles Sparks: Kamilla Cardoso

It is the Sparks’ turn to choose again! And Cardoso is the optimal choice for the squad. She is a 6’ 7” center from the University of South Carolina and averages 14 points and nine rebounds this season. Her outstanding height will immediately place her as the second tallest player in the WNBA, just behind Olympic Gold Medalist Brittney Griner. Another advantage of

Cardoso, thanks to her height, is that she can score under the basket with limited space to operate. She is not a stellar offensive rebounder. However, if she gets the ball in the restricted area, it is likely that she can give you a bucket with ease. Cardoso will bring the Sparks some great defense around the rim and would be an immediate offensive threat in the paint.

No. 5 - Dallas Wings: Aaliyah Edwards

The Dallas Wings need a good traditional point guard to direct the traffic on offense. Unfortunately, this is not something that this draft class has to offer. Other analysts have predicted that the Wings will trade this pick away for a point guard or other assets. However, if the Wings want another system player who can add value to their defense, Aaliyah Edwards from UConn will be a great pick at the No. 5 place. After four years playing under legendary coach Geno Auriemma, Edwards excels in being at the right place at the right time. Whether it is setting a solid screen for a scorer or stepping up to protect the paint, Edwards has been the foundation of UConn women’s basketball during her collegiate career. I would not be particularly surprised

Prospects of Reese, one of the brightest stars in women’s college basketball, do not look good in the WNBA draft. This is mainly because of her offensive deficiency — marked by her 47% field goal percentage and 11% accuracy from three this season. Her well-known rebounding talent will also likely be less influential when faced with WNBA-level rebounders. I predict that Reese will be drafted at the No. 6 to No. 8 in this class. The 2024 WNBA draft class is filled with future superstars. Other names worth mentioning include Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State University), McKenzie Holmes (Indiana University), and Dyaisha Fair (Syracuse). Tune in on ESPN on Monday, April 15, to celebrate these college basketball players’ successful careers and congratulate them on their entrance into the WNBA.

Results from the Amherst Spring Fling on April 6.

UPCOMING MEETS: 1500m TJ Carleo '26 earned first place with a time of 3:53.96

Sports just

BRANDEIS MEN'S TENNIS PHOTO STORY

Men's tennis hosted New York University on Saturday, April 6 and lost to the Violets on Senior Day, p. 14.

A note from the editor regarding Carol Simon and BWBB

The recent trials and tribulations that the Brandeis women’s basketball team has gone through is a moving, heartbreaking story. I encourage all readers to read the news article on page one titled “Despite allegations of racism and misconduct, Carol Simon reinstated” covering head coach Carol Simon’s reinstatement and allegations regarding her reported racist and abusive misconduct. The Brandeis women’s basketball team’s story is well worth the read, and the article is meant to educate the Brandeis community regarding the recent investigation that concluded and shed light on the topic.

I think the allegations and conclusion of the Office of Equal Opportunity’s investigation come at a particularly prudent time when women’s collegiate basketball is making national headlines, and so are their coaches. Dawn Staley, the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year,

NCAA

BASKETBALL

Final March Madness Recap

■ With the 2024 March Madness tournament nearing the end, here are some key takeaways from the Final Four and championship rounds.

By JEFFREY WANG JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Women’s Conference

No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 University of Connecticut

Caitlin Clark, Iowa State University’s superstar, cemented herself as the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s all-time leading scorer on March 3 in a victory over Ohio State University. She surpassed 3,667 points, a record set by Pete Maravich in the 1970s. Clark’s scoring prowess persisted as Iowa entered the postseason. Iowa's biggest challenge occurred in the Elite 8 against No. 3 Louisiana State University, a team that the Hawkeyes fell to in the finals last year.

According to ESPN, an average of 12.3 million viewers tuned in to this rematch. This not only became the mostwatched women’s basketball game but also the most-watched college basketball game broadcasted by ESPN’s network. Led by Clark’s 41 points (which included 9 three-pointers), Iowa pulled away with a 94-87 victory.

After the game, Louisiana State University star Angel Reese announced her decision to turn professional. Clark had declared for the Women’s National Basketball Association Draft earlier in February. Both players’ phenomenal gameplay, as well as their large fan base, has led to what many people, including WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, speculate to be a “MagicBird event”. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, a rivalry that began in the 1979 NCAA championship game, became a focal point of entertainment for the National Basketball Association in the 1980s. Many are now wondering whether Clark and Reese produce a similar effect and revive viewership for the WNBA.

Iowa’s success continued, defeating the University of Connecticut in the Final Four 71-69. This time, Caitlin Clark, who was held to 21 points, was not the star of the show. Instead, attention was diverted to UConn forward Aliyah Edwards. With 7.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter, UConn were down 69-70 and were in need of one more basket. The ball was successfully inbounded, but the play was soon disrupted by the officials when Edwards set what appeared to be an illegal screen. This call would cost UConn a trip to the finals and sparked controversy on social media.

Despite the disappointing loss, UConn star Paige Bueckers viewed the situation through another lens.

recently led the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks to a national championship, and she boasts a record of 109-3 over the past three seasons. It is coaches like Staley who are experienced, humble, win-oriented and who have good relationships with players that truly see success in collegiate athletics. Without this kind of coaching, sports come to a standstill. I have seen my fair share of different types of coaching, but in my opinion, Simon has clearly crossed a line.

The majority of the team has said in impact statements sent to the Board of Trustees and obtained by The Justice that they will quit if she comes back, which speaks volumes about her abuse of power. This is a story that deserves the full-fledged attention of everyone in the Brandeis community, regardless of your connection to sports or not.

All female athletes at Brandeis deserve equity, and I en -

"Everybody can make a big deal of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses a basketball game. I feel like there were a lot of mistakes that I made that could've prevented that play from even being that big," Bueckers told reporters in a post-game conference. Bueckers’ willingness to take accountability even in the midst of an important loss exemplifies her tenacious nature. She was the No. 1 rank in the 2020 class by ESPN, even ahead of the likes of Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. After an impressive freshman season, injuries started to derail her career to the point where Bueckers sat out the entire 2022-2023 season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Coming into the 2023-2024 season, Bueckers picked up where she left off as she averaged 21.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.7 steals and 2.3 steals per game. Following the loss to Iowa, Bueckers told fans that she would be returning to UConn for the 2024-2025 season. Buecker will be entering her senior season next year.

No. 1 South Carolina and No. 3 North Carolina State

The University of South Carolina entered the 2024 tournament with a mission. After losing to Iowa in the 2023 Final Four, the team repeatedly said they “never want to have that feeling again and would never overlook another opponent.” So even when South Carolina was favored to win this matchup, they made sure to finish what they could not have last year.

In North Carolina State University’s first time reaching the Final Four since 1998, South Carolina dominated in a 78-59 blowout win. The Gamecocks’ lineup features a well-rounded squad. Kamilla Cardoso, forward for South Carolina, led the way with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting, along with 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.

“I think when all of us zone in, nobody can stop us because we can get the post-ups, we can shoot the 3, we can drive, so when all of us are playing in the same rhythm, nobody can stop us,” said Cardoso after the game. Cardoso, nicknamed “Killa Milla” by her teammates, had injured her knee in the second quarter before returning to the game in the third quarter.

In a postgame conference, South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins told reporters that Cardoso “was gonna be okay. She's a warrior. She's not gonna let a little injury like that affect her. She's gonna push and she's gonna be ready for Sunday.”

As South Carolina reaches the finals for the second time in three years, the team will need every bit of rest to overcome Iowa for the national championship.

Championship Update

courage you to read the story on page one in full, so that you may fully grasp the situation and significance of the statements from players. As a student-athlete of color myself, I do not take the University’s decision to reinstate Carol Simon lightly, and while this note is editorialized, the news article I co-wrote is not. Our article seeks to cover the facts of the story and give voice to the players. I hope that Brandeis truly hears their concerns and implements changes accordingly. The team’s voice deserves to be heard, and I hope that you turn to the front page and check it out.

STARS DECLARE FOR THE DRAFT

Predicting the top five picks of the 2024 WNBA Draft

have all declared that they entered the draft. As a dedicated fan of the WNBA and women’s college basketball, I present my personal prediction of the top five picks of the 2024 WNBA draft.

No. 1 - Indiana Fever: Caitlin Clark

As we enter the Final Four of March Madness, Brandeis women’s basketball has garnered unprecedented attention. A historical Monday night on April 1 featured matchups between University of Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers and University of South California’s JuJu Watkins and between Louisiana State University’s Angel Reese and University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, with the latter duel attracting record-breaking viewership of women’s college basketball. 12.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the Reese vs. Clark showdown in the Elite Eight, and ESPN reported that 14.2 million viewers watched the UConn vs Iowa Final Four matchup. The electric game garnered the most views of any basketball game — college or professional. Thanks to these college superstars, there are arguably more women’s basketball fans now than ever before.

The 2024 Women’s National Basketball Association Draft will be held on April 15. Clark, Reese and Brink

This pick does not warrant much explanation. Clark has been the sensation of women’s college basketball since her debut, when she dropped 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the University of Iowa. The Indiana Fever might not have been successful in the past few seasons, but they have recruited some talents, such as sharpshooter Katie Lou Samuelson and drafted former University of South Carolina star Aaliyah Boston. Clark is the obvious No. 1 pick in this draft class for what she has accomplished in her college career — three-time scoring leader, two-time Naismith College Player of the Year, First-team All-American every season, all-time Division I leader in scoring … the list goes on. And, just in case the Fever needs other reasons to draft Clark, her staggering long-range shooting ability can create space for Boston to score more efficiently in the paint, while her amazing court vision can easily locate shooters like Samuelson and Lexie Hull off transitions. It will be exciting to see what Clark can do in the WNBA, and she is sure to have a future impact on women’s basketball.

No. 2 - Los Angeles Sparks: Rickea Jackson

Rickea Jackson is a 6’ 2” senior forward playing for the University of Tennessee. She averaged 20 points and eight rebounds in the 2023–24 season. Jackson can score from posting up, pulling up for mid-range jump shots and driving to the paint off a catch. While she is not a great ball handler, her ability to attack the basket and score is arguably the best of this draft class.

Jackson, however, is a somewhat contentious pick. Following my article ranking best women’s college basketball players in 2023, I am once again going against the predictions from ESPN and CBS Sports, who both chose Brink as the No. 2 pick for the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks are absolutely winning the 2024 WNBA draft with their No. 2 and No. 4 picks. They do need some size in the paint, but it was the lack of an aggressive scorer at the wing that prevented the Sparks from major success last season. Their guard position is stacked with talents such as Zia Cooke and Lexie Brown, but these guards struggled to penetrate the defense and get into the paint in the 2023 season. The Sparks are going to be left with either Brink or South Carolina center Kamilia Cardoso to choose from with their No. 4 pick. I would risk losing Brink to draft Jackson to add to the team’s offensive caliber, especially after the departure of Most Valuable Player in 2016, Nneka Ogwumike.

Rani Balakrishna

Photos: Owen Chan/The Justice. Design: Jonas Kaplin/The Justice.

Waltham, Mass.

randeis F F estival

The past, present and future of folk music

By ESTHER BALABAN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

iconic performers like Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, The Lilly Brothers — who were credited for bringing bluegrass to New England — the “Mother of Folk,” Jean Ritchie as well as other famous voices. This year’s festival happened in conjunction with the Create@Brandeis Craft Market at the Sherman Function Hall on The Festival of the Arts’ “Super Sunday” from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. As the musicians were playing, you could hear vendors discussing their products with customers and see children running around, playing on the colorful inflatable shapes set up for seating. The unity and love of the Brandeis creative community felt palpable in that room.

The festival began with the band “So Blue,” consisting of guitar player and vocalist, Devon Gardner and double bass player, Adam Gurczak, along with a featuring musician on the mandolin. “So Blue” embodied modern folk-pop music along the likes of Noah Kahan and Gregory Allan Isaakov. They started with a cover of Nick Drake’s “From the Morning.” The combination of instruments really stood out, and they once again proved how underrated of an instrument the mandolin is. They then moved on to three songs from their recently released Extended Play “In Water and Waves.” Their first song, “Left too Deep” took inspiration from Robert Frost’s “The Oven Bird,” featuring a jovial composition and showing off their musical prowess. “Milwaukee” was a slower song that featured an incredible mandolin solo, making me wish the mandolin was a permanent part of their band rather than just a feature. “Puzzle Pieces” included a beautiful bass solo that added a classical element to the typical folk song. Their discography included typical folk themes of love, heartbreak, and detachment. I would highly recommend giving their EP, “In Water and Waves” a listen if you are a fan of folk music.

Tim Mann embodied classical folk from the 70s and 80s. He gave the audience a first listen to a lot of his unreleased songs that will be seen on his upcoming record. Some of his more energetic songs were reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, whereas his slower songs had some elements of the talking blues that Bob Dylan dabbled in. One of my favorite songs of his was described as a tribute to folk music with mentions of classic folk musicians and lines that discussed “stealing from Bob Dylan” and “plagiarism,” poking fun at the inspiration he took from other artists. His music can be found on Bandcamp and there will be new songs released soon.

Brandeis alumni Lizzy Hilliard ’22, best known for her song “Thumbelina,” which amassed an impressive 230,000 listens on Spotify, added a soft, ethereal voice to this festival. She performed some songs from her newest releases which she first started writing during her time at Brandeis while living in the Ziv

Quad. Her light and airy voice provided a beautiful contrast to the deeper, earthier sound of her guitar. Her second song was more mysterious and intriguing, showing her range in composition. She played a few songs from her new album, “growth vol. 3,” that can only be described as lovely. “if you were a worm (bonus track),” a song that is currently blowing up on Spotify with 90,000 listeners, was incredibly charming and romantic, a perfect song for the new love that spring brings. During one of the breaks between songs, Lizzy expressed her love for metaphors and this love is highly apparent in her creative songwriting. I’d highly recommend giving Lizzy’s album a listen and supporting the future of contemporary folk music.

“Too Cheap for Instruments,” Brandeis’ female and non-binary folk acapella group, performed next. “Too Cheap for Instruments” actually sparked the resurgence of the Folk Festival 12 years ago after it went on a brief break. They began with the wholesome “Puff the Magic Dragon” where their voices blended beautifully together for the nostalgic song. The next song was “Téir Abhaile Riú” by Celtic Woman which was made more powerful by the chorus of female and non-binary voices. Both songs were fun and whimsical, full of adventurous spirit and beautiful high harmonies. Simon and Garfunkle’s “Scarborough Fair / Canticle” involved more complex harmonies, bringing in deeper registers and overlapping lyrics. They then went to more contemporary folk, featuring Olivia Rodrigo’s folk-rock song “Can’t Catch Me Now” from the movie “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” which demonstrated the current resurgence of folk music with its bluegrass songs that brought many people to the genre. The group truly showed off their composition skills in the ending section, leaving the audience impressed.

she quoted for the chorus. The lyrics included “the purpose of the government is to protect the minority of the opulent from the majority” and mentioned whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and current issues such as the overpopulation of prisons. It is highly refreshing to see the folk traditions being preserved and repurposed for contemporary activism. This was followed by a happier song called “Provincetown” that Means had to “get out of the way” before getting back to business. The next song, “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” by Emilie-Claire Barlow was the jazziest with great fingerpicking strategies. Means’ original song “Time to Tear it All Down” returned to the political messages, advocating for tearing down our corrupt systems and building something new and true while referencing the classic American song “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” which served as one of the defacto anthems before the adoption of the “Star Spangled Banner.” She explained that protest songs, marches and rallies are all based on love before playing her song “Color of the Skin,” inspired by racebased discrimination her father observed while growing up in the South during the Jim Crow laws. The next song “Sing for Love” repeated “I will fight for justice I will sing for love” while mentioning topics like white supremacy, gun violence, free breakfast for children, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., etc., not mincing any words or censoring herself on these pivotal and relevant subjects. The final song, “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong was a more overt message of love to end the show with a sense of hope.

Brandeis Roots Music Ensemble drew the biggest audience of the day, starting their performance with “God Put a Rainbow in the Clouds” by The Hayes Family featuring the solo voice of the bassist and the harmonies of the entire band. The mandolin, guitars and double bass were

Pamela Means started with Dean Martin’s “Bésame Mucho” which included an incredibly pleasing guitar part with Latin-jazz-esque solo sections. Her soulful voice was an incredible compliment to the earthy guitar. The next song was prefaced with the Leonord Bernstein quote “music can communicate the unknowable” — an excellent introduction to a song that honored the folk tradition of political activism. Means wrote the song ‘with’ James Madison, America’s fourth president, who

heavily featured in this upbeat classic gospel song with a bluegrass twist. The next song was a classic country song from the 1950s, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” by Kitty Wells that shares the important maxim of “Too many times married men think they’re still single / That has caused many a good girl to go wrong” and that “It’s a shame that all the blame is on us women,” lines that the women in the crowd seemed very much to agree with. Throughout many of the songs, cellist Nata-

lie Greenfield played solos that lent an air of elegance to the songs of the common people. The next song, “Big Sciota” by Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas and Russ Barenberg bounced the melody from violinist Helen Croteau to cellist Natalie Greenfield to guitarist Lance Rothchild and finally to the mandolinist, Prof. Taylor Ackley (MUS), before all coming together to form an interweaving consolidation of instruments. The group introduced Ackley’s mentor, bluegrass musician Buddy Meriam, to the stage to perform Grateful Dead’s “Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad.” Lance Rothchild showcased his incredible vocal ability, sounding exactly like a recording you would hear from the 1950s. Buddy Merriam had a breathtaking mandolin solo and Ackley switched over to playing the banjo, adding to the classic American vibe of the song. The final song, “Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone” by the Carter Family began with a beautiful acapella section, demonstrating the vocal prowess of the entire group on top of their incredible musicianship. The Brandeis Roots Music Ensemble is by far my favorite group I’ve experienced at Brandeis, and I would highly recommend checking them out this Friday, April 12 at 8:00 p.m. in the Slosberg Recital Hall for their “Roots Music Ensemble Concert.” The final performance of the day spanned generations with Buddy Merriam on mandolin, his student, Ackley, on mandolin and banjo and his student who is currently working on his PhD at Brandeis, James Heazlewood-Dale, on double bass. Merriam and Ackley both showcased the mandolin’s capabilities and entire expressive range with their mastery of the instrument throughout the performance. They played many bluegrass standards like “Body and Soul,” “Honey You Don’t Know My Mind” and a collection of other songs that truly embodied the bluegrass genre. Buddy recounted some memories with his own mentor, Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass who created the name of the genre from his band, Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys — named after the grass in Monroe’s native Kentucky. Monroe gave Merriam the song “Frog and a Lily Pad” to record before Monroe himself recorded it. Merriam and Monroe met at a festival and on the same day of their meeting, Merriam was struck by a bolt of lightning, leading him to lose his hearing for months. “Frog and a Lily Pad” was an impossibly fast song supported

by the deep bass, which was incredibly quick in its own right. It was a joy to hear and a feat of musicianship seeing their fingers fly across the fretboards with inhuman speed. They then explored bluegrass jazz with David Grisman’s “E.M.D” standing for “eat my dust” which Grisman described as “dawg music.” The bass led the jazz section and the mandolins kept the bluegrass spirit in a fun and energetic combination of genres. Ackley’s powerful, old-timey vocals summoned a nostalgia for a different time in American music history throughout his two performances. They honored Brandeis’ history by playing some of the songs that were featured in the first Folk Fest such as Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, it’s Alright” and a song from Don Stover who played with The Lilly Brothers. After the trio finished with a Monroe song, “Big Mon” and a Merriam song, “Monroe Special,” the audience began chanting for one more song, and the musicians gracefully obliged. For the final song from Ackley’s new album, Ackley’s wife, and his son, Calvin, joined the trio on stage. Twoyear-old Calvin stole the show with his dancing, the audience breaking out in cheers when he climbed up on stage. With Ackley’s wife harmonizing with him on the last chorus and the audience clapping along, we are reminded of the tradition of folk music being passed through families and small social groups and in that moment, we all felt like we were a part of the Brandeis folk social group, made to carry the tradition of folk through our lives both in and out of Brandeis and reminding us of the magic of music to form community.

In general, this year’s Folk Festival was chock-full of talented musicians. Many of the performances featured the mandolin, making the festival feel a bit like a love letter to the mandolin, a highly underrated instrument. I’d like to sincerely thank the Director of Arts Engagement and Communications, Ingrid Schorr, Blair Lesser Sullivan and all of the staff behind the Festival of the Arts for their work in creating this incredible week celebrating the arts at Brandeis. I would highly recommend everyone check out some of the remaining events of the festival happening through

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FOLKS PLAYING FOLK: Three generations of professors and performers perform bluegrass classics to close out the Folk Festival.

“Y ou can come to this museum 100 times and see a different thing ever Y time Y ou come

WNDR’S NEW INTERACTIVE ART EXHIBITION OPENS IN BOSTON

n Alongside reporters from several other student newspapers, The Justice explored WNDR’s new immersive art museum’s creative and complex installments, learning about the ingenious minds behind them.

After opening locations in San Diego and Chicago, WNDR (pronounced as “wonder”), a chain of interactive art museums, opened its doors in downtown Boston, inviting student journalists to explore and document its 21 exhibits on April 3. These exhibits combine artistry with breakthrough technology, shifting reality through unique lighting and sound techniques to immerse visitors within their respective themes. WNDR enlisted independent artists as well as its own creative team to generate these interactive attractions.

credible optical effects partnered with human movement. These pieces launch visitors into the incredible experiences up ahead, featuring “Untitled, by You,” a generative Artificial Intelligence exhibit that creates artwork based on guest requests; a Living Gallery where pre-recorded actors on small screens will only interact with you if you stop directly in front of them; and fascinating interactive dance floors, just to name a few.

The WNDR museum hosts over 25 exhibits, with each artist emerging from a variety of educational and artistic backgrounds. Yayoi Kusama for example, the infinity room’s creator in WNDR, is a 95-year-old creator from Japan. Her artwork captures her “obsession with the infinite” as she grapples with her mental illness and relationship with the world around her. Andy Arkley, the creator of “Glorious Vision of a Rainbow” studied animation and elec-

The museum boasts a sequential walk-through setup, starting and ending in the eclectic gift shop. Two of the shop’s walls are decorated with large light emitting diode flowers, created in partnership between children “in the lives of” WNDR employees and interior designer Andrew Alford. We had the opportunity to meet and speak with Giancarlo Natale, WNDR Boston’s general manager.

Beginning the quest through the dark museum corridor, your senses are immediately unaware of the experiences to come as you tread over WNDR’s pressuresensitive Light Floor. In the early stages of the tour, you will be met with intense audio and visual exhibits. In one room, there were a series of artistically strung wired cables that produce a variety of sounds and relayed conversations, only uncovered by holding your ear to a metal can. Once your eyes adjust, you see a new exhibit, MPO-1, which is an interactive “time machine” that boasts in-

tronic music at Evergreen State College and now works to incorporate his findings into musically visual pieces of all mediums. This piece allowed guests to create their own tunes using Arkley’s isolated sound bites; these sounds corresponded with specific visual cues on the wall.

We’d like to shine a spotlight on three exhibits in particular that we believe encapsulate the true essence of the museum.

INSIDEOUT was among the first completely immersive attractions we encountered. It was a collaboration between Berlinbased artist Leigh Sachwitz and flora&faunavisions design studio. The exhibit is located in a dark room with a smaller, transparent shed in the middle of it. There are seats and a table inside of the shed with benches surrounding it on all sides. The room’s audiovisual technology is obvious no matter your vantage point, depicting thunderstorms, lighting through strobe lighting and sound effects.

WNDR’s website explains that Sachwitz and flora&faunavisions designed the space to reflect her childhood memories of experiencing thunderstorms in a garden shed in Glasgow, Scotland. The exhibit expresses a storm’s temporary nature, the thunder and rain effects subsiding after several minutes. Slowly, warm light began to gradually break into the room, constructing the visage of a glowing sunrise that encompasses the room’s entirety. The IRIS exhibit, positioned amongst an artistically populated room towards the last few stops of the museum tour, will catch your eye immediately — no pun intended. Littered across a widescreened corner of the room are hundreds of close-up images of human eyes. The projector screen is in constant movement, rotating individual images of the irises to showcase each one up close. A large sign below reads: “Your eye is an artists’ lens. Explore the depths of your own beautiful creation by letting our custom setup capture the intricacies and patterns only your eyes possess.”

As we got closer to the exhibit, we discovered that the individual images were of the museum-goers themselves! Each passing visitor has the chance to sit down in front of the exhibit in an optometrist-esque setup and have a photo taken of their eye. Each day, the photo cache is cleared and the exhibit is recreated with the eyes of the new museum-goers. We even learned of the individual iris patterns, as the notions of the flower, jewel, stream and shaker designs are listed below the gallery as well.

Natale said it best, asking “When do you ever get an opportunity to see your pupil — your eyeball — up close and personal like that? Like, that is super cool, next level and something that kinda surprises everybody.” This served as an incredibly intimate experience, allowing all visitors to be integrated into the museum’s infrastructure in a unique way.

The last exhibition we are highlighting is Yayoi Kusama’s “Let’s Survive Forever.” This installation is a room with floor to ceiling mirrors affixed to every wall — including the ceiling — filled

with reflective spheres scattered around the floor and suspended from the ceiling. On their website, WNDR explains that these spheres are made of stainless-steel, and that the mirror room is lit by LED lights that change color, creating a “kaleidoscopic effect” because of how the spheres and mirrors alter the lights.

The middle of the room also holds a tall, reflective column with multiple peepholes that allow you to see inside of it. Looking inside the column shows an intricate expanse of silver spheres reflecting one another, reminiscent of the kaleidoscopic effect Kusama intended.

These techniques created an endless atmosphere, offering a new angle to observe yourself and your surroundings at every turn. However, the museum does not give you a lot of time to explore and reflect on the images you discover. Each party is only allowed 60 seconds in the mirror room, intentionally giving attendees extremely limited time to absorb the new and shocking landscape they found themselves inside. Having previously faced very few “rules” regarding interacting with exhibits, this served as a uniquely wonderful experience.

Natale explained that this time limit gives a deeper meaning to

the exhibit by being such a temporary experience. “That’s Kusama’s request. It’s a split second of infinity, and then it ends,” he said. “If you have too much infinity, it’s not robust. So I love the inspiration behind it — I think it preserves the beauty of the exhibit.”

This room is one of 20 mirrored rooms created by Kusama, her first spanning back to 1965. The silver spheres inside are a reference to her “Narcissus Garden” installation from Venice Biennale in 1966 where Kusama sold mirrored balls on the side of the road. “It was a commentary on the art market, and today it’s a reminder that narcissism predates selfies,” the website reads.

WNDR’s appreciation for Kusama doesn’t end there. While the organization’s Chicago location shows Kusama’s “Dots Obsession” exhibit, the Boston museum also features an Obliteration Room, created by WNDR Studios. The Obliteration Room was designed as an homage to Kusama’s affinity for polka dots in her fashion sense and body of work. To the side of the gift shop, this room is at the bottom of a short staircase, featuring assorted statues of balloon-animal dogs. Most of the area, including the floor, walls and railings were white — save for overlapping multi-colored polka dots covering nearly every surface.

Before leaving the WNDR museum, we inquired excitedly about the future of the museum and upcoming hopes for incoming projects. Although Natale is unable to share the details, he clarified that they are worth coming back for as soon as WNDR announces them.

“We treat everyday here like a festival,” said Natale. “We just keep on transforming, and adding and changing,” he expressed.

“That’s like the coolest thing ever because you have a museum that’s here 365 days a year, if the same exhibits stay then that’s not really a good experience — the first experience is going to be really good — but the fact that we have a plan to keep on changing and evolving is really cool.” Natale specified that all WNDR museums have unique exhibits between the three locations, all of which continue to shift and evolve with time.

Photos: MARINA ROSENTHAL/The Justice. Design: NEMMA KALRA/The Justice.

ART GAZING: Museum goers observe the multi-media artwork INSIDEOUT, which features a dark room with a transparent shed in the center.

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: The exhibit, IRIS, includes a slew of pictures of the eyes of other individuals who visited with WNDR.

Top Ten STAFF’S

Top 10 Trench Coats

By LAURYN WILLIAMS JUSTICE DEPUTY EDITOR

1. Black fleece trench (an everyday classic)

2. Purple snake print trench (70’s inspired, best worn on a night out)

3. Pink trench (beautiful pop of color for spring)

4. Cream trench (Olivia Pope cosplay, I bought it after binge watching “Scandal”)

5. Green snake print trench (purely for cute decoration, absolutely no warmth but who cares when you’re serving)

6. Black leather trench (inherited from my mom, very fun and boxy)

7. Striped quilted trench (perfect for -40 weather, but very 1930s newsie boy)

8. Flower printed trench (Granny core a must for when I am running errands, but never for a night out)

9. Zara beige 2021 trench (very cute, but no pockets!)

10. Dark blue trench (Have had it for years, reminds me of being 14 during freshman year of high school)

By DAHLIA RAMIREZ JUSTICE STAFF ARTIST

RACCOON? RACKETEERING? RAKU!

By MAEVE COAKLEY JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

I had the pleasure of attending the Raku Firing event held by the Department of Fine Arts on April 7 as a part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. Raku is a technique used in firing ceramics that originates from Japan in the 16th century. Raku involves making ceramic pieces, glazing them with a special lead based glaze and firing them to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. The pieces are then removed from the kiln and allowed to cool either in open air or a reduction chamber. The resulting pieces are unique and unpredictable due to the Raku technique’s exposure to carbon, whether in the air or in a reduction chamber. Carbon molecules bond to the clay, creating a matte black finish with a wide variety of effects on glazed portions of the piece. Glazed portions can take on crazed, iridescent or glossy qualities.

Through globalization, the Raku technique has spread throughout the Western world, gaining intense popularity from viral videos on Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter). The Raku process has become a jaw-dropping, exciting and a once in a lifetime experience for ceramicists everywhere. Luckily, the Brandeis Department of Fine Arts collaborated with local artist and Raku specialist David LaPierre. Over the past month, the Fine Arts Department and David’s studio have provided materials and instruction on the raku process, culminating in the final firing that I attended. The firing process is incredibly handson, requiring people to wear flame-retardant clothing as they operated tongs to remove red-hot ware from the kiln. Then

the tongs were used to place the pieces in reduction chambers filled with pine clippings and straw. After sitting in the reduction chambers for 30 to 40 minutes the pieces were removed and cleaned. I was very impressed watching people remove pieces from the kiln.

Many members of Brandeis Pottery Club made multiple pieces for the Raku firing, bringing together academics and extracurriculars. During the firing, I had the opportunity to talk to several Brandeis Pottery Club executive board members, many of whom were participating in the physical firing process. A member of Pottery Club’s executive board shared a few words, saying, “Y’know, this experience really is a great opportunity to highlight the fact that the Department of Fine Arts really looks out for the wants of its students.” I also spoke with Pottery Club e-board member Susanna King ’25, who said, “I got to play with fire and I really enjoyed it!” The Pottery Club itself made over two hundred pieces of pottery during the process.

In the organized chaos that is the Brandeis University campus, students often find it difficult to exercise their creative side. Events like these are important to enhancing the overall quality of student life. Between the last rainy week and this fiery morning, it seems like the Leonard Bernstein Festival of Creative Arts is heating things up on campus. I encourage everybody to go and check out the other events listed on the Department of Fine Arts website to take full advantage of the opportunities this week.

“…they revealed a fire that makes all timeless music forever contemporary.”

- Sunil Freeman, The Washington Post

and Maurice Ravel’s “String Quartet in F major” in Slosberg. All marveled as first violinist Prof. Andrea Segar (MUS), second violinist Prof. Julia Glenn (MUS), violist Prof. Mark Berger (MUS) and cellist Prof. Joshua Gordon (MUS) played with impeccable technique and flawless synchronization. Up close, one could see the eye contact among the musicians, particularly between Segar and Glenn. At every change of phrase, they passed a knowing look, a shared secret between their eyes. Throughout the piece, Berger was especially enthusiastic, often jumping in his chair with the sharp downbeats. At the beginning of every movement, all four musicians would breathe together to synchronize their entrances, marking the start of yet another beautiful movement. Under the warm stage lights and in the soft silence of the Slosberg auditorium, their playing was truly ethereal.

“Serioso” introduced the quartet’s incredible technique and artistry. The sheer precision of Segar and Glenn’s playing, melding with Berger and Gordon’s harmonic support, carried throughout all four movements. The first hosted elegant yet dangerous melodies, balanced by the second’s romantic gentleness. Jolting the audience out of our daze, the third movement sliced the air with jagged, desperate notes, then

melted into a warm, lovely melody. The final movement brought all these aspects of beauty and violence together, leaving the audience applauding long after the musicians had walked off from bows. The quartet then played “seeking all that’s still unsung,” a contemporary “collection of musings on circles & songs,” marking its world premiere. The various movements weaved between slow, eerie melodies and jarring, violent refrains. Rhode incorporated spoken excerpts from Greta Thunberg’s speech at the 2021 Youth4Climate Conference in Milano, as well as plenty of movement around the stage. “seeking all that’s still unsung” introduced audiences to nuanced structures of quartet music and novel forms of melody. “String Quartet in F major” had both the gentle melodies of a summer day and the harsh pizzicato of a winter’s night. Throughout the first movement, the musicians let bloom an aesthetic of lost melancholy, of craving for things as they once were. The second movement began with rapid pizzicato interlaced with Segar’s flowery tones, balanced with Gordon’s soft, sleepy melody in the third movement. Everything wrapped to a close with a fiery final movement filled with erratic runs and haunting countermelodies.

At the final breath of silence, the audience roared with applause. The musicians bowed, wearing proud smiles as they exchanged knowing looks. It was truly another excellent performance.