The Justice, September 24, 2019

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The Independent Student Newspaper Volume LXXII, Number 4

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Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Waltham, Mass.

GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE COMES TO BOSTON

BRIEF Two graduate students stabbed near campus Brandeis and Waltham Police officers responded to an emergency call at 1:37 a.m. and found two Brandeis graduate students who had been stabbed repeatedly on Wheelock Road. The victims were transported to different nearby hospitals and are “expected to survive,” according to a press release put out by the Waltham Police Department.

At 2:28 a.m., the Brandeis student body received an automated call from the Brandeis Emergency Notification System alerting students of the stabbing. The call described the suspect as a white male of medium build wearing a black shirt and black pants with a white stripe. The notification system warned that the suspect might be near William F. Stanley Elementary School or on campus and that students should call the police immediately if they see someone matching this description.

According to a press release put out by Waltham Police, officers responded to a call reporting a man covered in blood breaking into a car at 3:34 a.m. An article published Monday morning by the Boston Globe says that the officers were able to identify him as the suspect and take him into custody by around 5:15 a.m. He is reported to be a 16-year-old Waltham resident.

On Monday afternoon, Vice Provost of Student Affairs Raymond Lu Ming Ou sent an email to the Brandeis community regarding the incident. “We were shocked

and saddened to learn that two of our graduate students were victims of a stabbing overnight,” Ou wrote. The email included links to resources for support on campus, including the Counseling Center, the Dean of Students Office and the Office of Graduate Student Affairs. “This is a challenging day,” Ou wrote. “As we send our best wishes for our students’ recovery, let’s also take an extra moment to extend kindness and compassion to each other.”

Shoshi Finkel ’20, who resides on Shakespeare Road about six houses down from where the incident occurred, told the Justice that she began to hear police sirens and see search lights through her window shades as she was getting ready to go to bed at around 2 a.m.

The lights and sirens stayed on for about an hour, during which time “we really knew nothing.

All I knew was that there was a stabbing on campus that was near [Stanley Elementary], so I knew it was near me,” Finkel said. “Oftentimes graduate life is mysterious to undergraduates, and it would be helpful to know more about the victims and how the student body can help them and the rest of the graduate community,” she said.

—Maya Rubin-Wish —Emily Blumenthal contributed reporting.

—Editor’s Note: Shoshi Finkel is an Arts Staff Writer.

CAMPUS SPEAKER

Former chair of the Fed speaks about 2008 crisis ■ Janet Yellen, former chair

of the Federal Reserve Bank, spoke to IBS alumni about the economy after the 2008 crisis.

By EMILY BLUMENTHAL JUSTICE EDITOR

Former Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank Janet Yellen cautioned against the deregulation of governmental oversight of banks in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, as well as the politicization of the Federal Reserve during a speech Saturday to a crowd of International Business School alumni and other community members.

Yellen, who chaired the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2018 under the Obama and Trump administrations, was the keynote speaker for Brandeis International Business School's 25th anniversary celebration weekend.

She previously served as the vice chair of the Federal Reserve System, chaired the Council of

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

Economic Advisors under the Clinton administration and was a business professor at the University of California Berkeley, among other positions.

Yellen spoke in conversation with Prof. Stephen Cecchetti (IBS), the Rosen Family Chair in International Finance at IBS. An independent Federal Reserve creating monetary policy is of the utmost importance to maintaining low, stable inflation and good economic performance, Yellen told attendees. The Federal Reserve, created in 1913 as a “lender of last resort” in response to numerous banking runs, has traditionally been an apolitical institution run independently of government policy. Yet despite this long-standing rule, the Trump administration has attempted to assert more political power over the Federal Reserve by demanding the lowering of interest rates amidst the present economic slowdown, Yellen said.

Yellen and three other past chairs of the Federal Reserve —

Photo: IVY DALL/the Justice. Illustration: NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

A GLOBAL MOVEMENT: Over 7,000 protesters convened for the Boston climate strike, and people around the world participated in a worldwide strike. Boston protesters marched from Government Center to the Massachusetts State House.

Brandeis students join Boston Climate Strike ■ Students missed their

classes on Friday to attend the Climate Strike in Boston.

By SAMANTHA GOLDMAN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Brandeis community members joined thousands of other individuals in the Boston Climate Strike on Friday to demand climate justice. Over 600,000 people marched across the United States and 4 million people marched around the world in hundreds of similar climate strikes.

An estimated 7,000 to 9,000 people attended the climate strike that took place in Boston — sources varied on the exact number in attendance. Boston’s climate strikers made a list of demands for Massachusetts policymakers and voiced demands that unified strikers around the world. Among the list of requests, students urged Governor Charlie Baker to sign a proposed

resolution which would declare a climate emergency for the state of Massachusetts.

The strikers used clever signage to their advantage in conveying their message. Students held signs that said “I’m sure the dinosaurs thought they had time too” and “this is not what I meant by hot girl summer.”

Sienna DeBenedittis ’21 and Rebecca Weiss ’21 were among the Brandeis students that attended the march. DeBenedittis told the Justice that “climate change scares me and I’ve learned a lot about it in my environmental classes at school,” and that it is “really important to come out here and do whatever we can.” Weiss added, “I think that it's important for people to go to big events like this because if some people decide to skip it, then a lot of people decide to skip it.”

The speaker portion of the rally lasted almost two hours, as the organizers had planned multiple speakers. The speakers came from diverse backgrounds ranging from college students to poli-

ticians, but they all stressed the importance of the climate strike and climate justice for all.

Michelle Wu, a member of Boston’s City Council and one of the speakers at the climate strike, stressed the importance of recognizing climate change. “We’re here because Boston is especially vulnerable,” Wu said. “Families will be displaced because of the rising seas. But most of all, we are here today because there is a bright, beautiful future ahead of us that we just need to grab hold of together and lift everyone up.”

Other speakers at the event included Gina McCarthy, who headed the Environmental Protection Agency under former President Barack Obama, and Mariama White-Hammond, a minister for ecological justice.

At the conclusion of the speaker portion of the strike, organizers directed people to march towards the State House. Attendees flooded the streets, chanting popular climate justice slogans like, “‘What do we want?’ ‘A Green New Deal.’ ‘When do we

See CLIMATE STRIKE, 7 ☛

See JANET YELLEN, 5 ☛

Brooklyn to Brandeis

Rose Museum Fall Exhibition Univ. President signs letter condemning strict immigration law

 The Justice spoke with Josh Shuster '23, a new student moonlighting as a music producer.

 The Justice talked to the co-curator of the Gordon Matta-Clark exhibition, Jessamyn Fiore.

By JOSHUA ALDWINCKLE-POVEY

By LUKE LIU

Brandeis archery shoots into action

ARTS AND CULTURE 19

By MEGAN GELLER

FEATURES 8 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

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Make your voice heard!

Submit letters to the editor to letters@thejustice.org

By MAYA RUBIN-WISH

NEWS 3

Have Democrats gone too far left?

By TREVOR FILSETH

COPYRIGHT 2019 FREE AT BRANDEIS.

FORUM 12 SPORTS 16

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS POLICE LOG MEDICAL EMERGENCY Sept. 15 — Both the University Police and BEMCo were dispatched to the Hassenfeld Lot to investigate a report of a party suffering from a laceration on the right hand. The party was evaluated by BEMCo staff and refused further medical attention Sept. 17 — BEMCo staff treated an unresponsive party in Reitman Hall. The intoxicated party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance for further care. A Community Standards Report was submitted by University Police, and the Area Coordinator on call was notified.

Sept. 17 — University Police and BEMCo staff responded to Reitman Hall where a student was being uncooperative with the area coordinator. When University Police arrived on scene, the party was calm, and the party was transported to the Brandeis Counselling Center for further care.

Sept. 17 — A party reported having a panic attack in Deroy Hall. BEMCo was requested to the scene where the party was treated with a signed refusal for further care.

Sept. 17 — A student requested BEMCo for another party with a wrist injury on the soccer fields near the track. BEMCo was notified and treated the party. University Police transported the party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. The Area Coordinator on call was notified.

Sept. 20 — A staff member was stung by a bee in the Epstein Building. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for care.

Sept. 20 — A party in Village B requested BEMCo. The patient was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance for further care with Advanced Life Support on board. The Area Coordinator on call was notified.

Sept. 20 — BEMCo staff treated a party in Ziv 127 for an unknown medical issue with a signed refusal for further care.

Set. 21 — There was a report of two intoxicated individuals in Gordon Hall. University Police and BEMCo responded to the scene, and the party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance for further care. One was transported from Gordon, and the other was found in Scheffres Hall. The Area Coordinator on call was notified and a CSR was submitted by University Police.

Sept. 21 — A party requested BEMCo for a past head injury in Shapiro Residence Hall. BEMCo treated the party with a signed refusal for further care.

Sept. 21 — A party requested BEMCo for a patient in the Foster Mods for a party with high blood pressure. BEMCo requested Cataldo Ambulance for a party having a seizure. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. The Area Coordinator on call was notified.

Sept. 22 — An intoxicated party in Ziv 127 was treated by BEMCo and was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. The Area Coordinator on call was notified and a CSR was submitted by University Police.

Sept. 22 — In Renfield Hall, an intoxicated party was treated by BEMCo and was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. The Area Coordinator on call was notified and a CSR was submitted by University Police.

HARASSMENT Sept. 18 — University Police compiled a report on an incident involving harassment by email in the Administrative Complex.

VANDALISM Sept. 20 — In the Gosman Athletic Complex, the driver side window of one of the University’s vans was smashed from the inside out. University Police compiled a report on the incident, and the Athletics Department staff will investigate the last usage of the vehicle.

—Compiled by Jen Geller

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n The information in the third to last paragraph in the Middle East lecture News article was attributed to Amy Singer. It was corrected to be attributed to Pascal Menoret (September 10, Page 5). n The News graphic that included information about the voters by residential quad ommitted 567 South Street which had 2 voters and Charles River which had 26 voters. Ziv and Ridgewood were not counted as the same thing. Ziv had 36 voters, and Ridgewood had 22 (September 17, Page 1). n A Forum article was updated to clarify that the Justice did not publish the email sent to the writer of the article that the article refers to (Sept 17, Page 12). n A Features article was updated to clarify that it is illegal to light fires in Sachar Woods (Sept 17, Page 9). n A News article was updated to include the fact that Yvette Sei contributed reporting (September 17, Page 3).

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

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CONSENT AND ICE CREAM: BOTH ARE COOL

WALTHAM BRIEF City holds mayoral primary

IVY DALL/the Justice

The Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center hosted an ice cream party on Thursday to promote consensual sex. Choosing from a number of flavors and toppings, students practiced giving and receiving consent with their ice cream bowls.

The city of Waltham had its preliminary elections for mayor on Tuesday, according to a Sept. 17 Waltham Patch article.

By the end of the day, the three candidates vying for mayor were winnowed down to two. Mayor Jeanette McCarthy, the incumbent, and Councillor At-Large Diane LeBlanc will move forward on the ballot in November. Melissa Downes was eliminated from contention.

McCarthy received 3,977 votes, which translated to about 62% of the vote, according to a Sept. 17 Waltham Wicked Local article. LeBlanc received 2,050 votes, or about 32% of the vote, and Downes received 344 votes, or about 5% of the vote. The rest were write-ins or blank votes.

There are more than 62,000 people living in Waltham, of which 34,232 are registered voters, according to the same Patch article.

6,429 people voted in this preliminary election, or about 19% of the registered voters and about 10% of Waltham’s total population, per the Wicked Local article.

If McCarthy wins the general election, she will be one of the city’s longest serving mayors, according to Waltham Wicked Local. According to Patch, she sent a memo earlier this year that indicated that she would not run, but she has since changed her mind. McCarthy said in a Patch candidate profile on Sept. 16 that the single most pressing issue in Waltham at the moment is “over development and its impact on our infrastructure and traffic.”

LeBlanc initially decided to run after McCarthy said that she would not run for a fourth term of office, according to a Sept.

9 Patch candidate profile. LeBlanc said in her candidate profile that the “main message” of her campaign was that she could provide change. She listed many issues as pressing in Waltham, including “improving educational outcomes for all of Waltham’s children,” “protecting our neighborhoods” and “creating affordable homes.”

The general election for mayor will be held on Nov. 5.

—Jason Frank

SENATE LOG Senate discusses end of contract with Sodexo, graduate student visa denials The Senate convened for its weekly meeting on Sunday, during which members discussed the Board of Trustees and listened to IfNotNow’s presentation for probationary status.

Executive Officer Reports

Zosia Busé ’20, the senior representative to the Board of Trustees, gave the Senate an overview of her role and responsibilities as a student representative to the Board of Trustees and announced several new developments discussed by the Board.

Her role is to “gain information from community members and filter it” to the Board of Trustees and report the Board’s meetings to the student population, she said. Meetings with the Board can often spark conversations about campus life, such as when Busé told Chair of the Board of Trustees Meyer Koplow that the Department of Community Living was charging high fees for damages to residence halls. As a result of this conversation, Koplow contacted the head of Campus Operations to address the issue.

Busé also announced that the University has ended its contract early with Sodexo, which will be finalized at the end of this fiscal year. Student concerns about both the quality and cost of the food, as well as allergy mislabeling were a significant influence on this decision. The University and Sodexo had irreconcilable differences during negotiations, Busé said, and could not agree on a compromise. Busé could not say for sure if dining workers would retain their jobs.

The Board of Trustees also discussed breaking down the wall separating Upper Usdan and Lower Usdan, Busé said.

The Board of Trustees is also focusing on the issue of international students being denied their visas needed to study at the University. Fifteen applicants to the Heller School of Social Policy were denied their visas for this

year. The applicants came from countries that she did not specify.

IfNotNow

IfNotNow presented to the Senate to try to get probationary club status. IfNotNow is a “Jewish-led activist group looking to end Jewish American support for the occupation of Palestine,” IfNotNow chapter founder, Miranda Sullivan ’22 explained to the Senate. This semester, the group plans to host Shabbat dinners and do teach-in events to educate the Brandeis community about the group’s purpose. The group wants funding to hold film screenings and wants to have the ability to book rooms for events and meetings.

Foster Mods Senator Trevor Filseth ’20 and Class of 2020 Senator Scott Halper asked Sullivan about the differences between IfNotNow and Students for Justice in Palestine and JStreetU. SJP’s work is more broad, whereas IfNotNow focuses more on how Jewish institutions talk about Israel, Sullivan replied. IfNotNow differs from JStreet in that the latter takes stances on governmental policies, while the former does grassroots organizing and has only one stance — being against the “Occupation.” As a result of only having one official stance, Jews with varying perspectives can find a home in IfNotNow, Sullivan said.

Sullivan addressed the group’s relationship with Hillel, calling it “complicated.” She alleged that Hillel enforces a “one-sided narrative” on Israel. Hillel members come from across the Jewish spectrum and hold diverse views on Israel, according to the group’s Israel Guidelines.

Last year, IfNotNow taped a sign to a Hillel-sponsored Israel cube that read “Stop Lying to Young Jews.” Halper expressed concern about the group’s relationship with Hillel and IfNotNow’s conduct during the vandalism, which he said could be interpreted as one group under-

mining the other’s work. Rosenthal Quad and Skyline Senator Leah Fernandez ’22 responded that Halper’s thinking promoted homogeneity on campus.

The motion narrowly passed the two-thirds requirement for probationary status, with 13 out of the 19 senators present voting in favor.

Committee Chair Reports

Executive Senator Jake Rong ’21 announced the new Senate committee chairs. Filseth will chair the Facilities and Housing Committee; Halper will chair the Rules Committee; Leibowitz will lead the Services and Outreach Committee; Charles River Senator Oliver Price ’20 will chair the Sustainability Committee; Senator-at-Large Nancy Zhai ’22 will chair the Dining Committee; Racial Minority Senator Joyce Huang ’22 will chair the Social Justice and Diversity Committee; Class of 2022 Senator Joseph Coles will chair the Club Support Committee; and Senator-at-Large Josh Hoffman ’21 will chair the Health and Safety Committee.

Zhai’s Dining Committee met with Sodexo to discuss the availability of gluten-free and lactosefree options in dining halls. The committee has also worked with Einstein Bros. Bagels to list prices of every item, and with the Hoot Market to label the items eligible for the meal exchange. A new microwave will be installed in Farber Library so community members will not have to walk to Upper Usdan to heat up their food. Zhai said the committee also spoke to administrators about inconsistencies between the list price of an item in the Hoot Market and the actual price charged.

The Health and Safety Commitee will address alleged racism within departments, issues within the Brandeis Health Center and the Brandeis Counseling Center and a first-year sex education course “that is not just [Student Sexuality Information Services] talking about bondage,”

Hoffman said. He announced that he worked with the Title IX office to cut the time spent on cases by two-thirds.

Rong, the Senate representative to the Allocations Board, reported that A-Board discussed the transition to Slate, which will be rolled out by the end of the fiscal year.

The Senate voted by acclamation to confirm Liat Fischer ’20 as Co-Student Union Treasurer.

Senator Reports

North Quad Senator Krupa Sourirajan ’23 reported that her constituents want change “immediately,” including shower shelves and dry erase boards in lounge areas.

Halper and East Quad Senator Priyata Bhatta ’22 reported that they have been planning beautification projects for the Foster Mods and East Quad respectively.

Class of 2022 Senator Topaz Fragoso discussed adding an Asian restaurant to a Brandeis dining hall.

In its Executive Session, the Senate voted Sourirajan as the Senate Representative to the Community Emergency Enhancement Fund.

In a second, unprecedented Executive Session earlier in the meeting, the Senate voted to postpone its planned Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training due to “lack of attendance,” according to the Senate minutes, the set agenda for each Senate meeting.

“Remember, we need to be informed,” the minutes said.

—Emily Blumenthal —Editor’s Note: Justice Editor Gilda Geist and Editorial Assistant Sarah Katz are members of IfNotNow. They did not edit or contribute to this article.

—Editor’s Note: Senator-atLarge Nancy Zhai is a News Staff Writer. Foster Mods Senator Trevor Filseth is a Forum Staff Writer.

THE JUSTICE

REMEMBERING THE CARTER YEARS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

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BRIEF Univ. signs letter opposing strict immigration policy University President Ron Liebowitz, along with the presidents of 42 other Massachusetts colleges and universities, signed a letter addressing the members of the state’s Congressional delegation expressing frustrations with immigration policies that have hampered international students’ ability to study and work in the United States.

The signatories cited delays in the processing of visas for international students and in the program that connects these students with United States’ employers, as well as the increased demand for evidence of documentation from universities wishing to hire international employees, according to a Sept. 18 WBUR article. Students traveling with valid visas have had them revoked as they returned to campus from overseas or upon reentry to Boston Logan Airport.

The letter says that in 2018, over 68,000 international students were enrolled in Massachusetts colleges,

contributing more than $3 billion in tuition to the state’s economy, per the WBUR article. International students make up 19.9% of the Brandeis’ undergraduate student body. The recent changes could both jeopardize the educations of the international students and cause damage to the Massachusetts economy, the presidents noted.

“An environment that thwarts the opportunities for and contributions of these individuals is detrimental to the state’s economy, undermines the educational experiences of all Massachusetts college students, and stifles future innovation and business growth,” the presidents wrote in the letter.

Signatories included representatives from Boston University, Tufts University, Harvard University, Clark University, Northeastern University, Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Boston College, Smith College, Babson College and Emerson College.

—Maya Rubin-Wish

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEAN

QIYU HU/the Justice

AN INSIDE PERSPECTIVE: Stuart Eizenstat, former U.S. ambassador to the European Union and White House domestic affairs advisor to President Jimmy Carter, shared his thoughts on the Carter administration from his time in the White House.

Former advisor to Jimmy Carter talks about Carter’s presidency ■ Stuart Eizenstat spoke

about the strengths and weaknesses of the Carter administration.

By NANCY ZHAI JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Faculty, staff and students convened in Rapaporte Treasure Hall on Thursday for a talk by Stuart Eizenstat, the former U.S. ambassador to the European Union and White House domestic affairs advisor to President Jimmy Carter, about his book “President Carter: The White House Years.”

Eizenstat began the talk by introducing his book and recounting his time serving alongside Carter in the White House, which he described as Carter’s best history. As Carter’s key domestic policy advisor, Eizenstat was able to witness the pressure of high-level decision making in the White House. According to Eizenstat, however, the book is by no means a mere memoir of his time working with Carter, but a thorough assessment of the Carter’s administration’s successes and failures through the lens of his involvement in relations with the Middle East.

In particular, he argued that the public remembered Carter’s failures more than his accomplishments. Eizenstat emphasized the importance of Carter’s greatest accomplishment, which he said was his involvement in orchestrating robust international relations, such as peacemaking between Egypt and Israel in which he established a framework for peace treaties among Middle Eastern countries.

During Carter’s tenure, the nation’s economic downturn took its toll on Carter’s

public image, Eizenstat said.

He explained that Carter received overwhelming criticism, “obscur[ing]” his effort in making hard but visionary decisions to alleviate the consequences of a struggling economy. Carter appointed Paul Volcker as the Chair of the Federal Reserve, however, who served as his economic consultant and implemented several policies to expedite the end of stagflation, notably tightening U.S. monetary policy. Eizenstat, however, credited Carter for his nuance in high-level decision making, despite the fact that Carter faced heavy criticism from his advisers and the public as Volcker substantially tightened the monetary policy and imposed a “tough medicine” on the economy. He raised the federal funds target rate to stabilize the price level of goods and services, resulting in a precipitous decline of inflation from over 14% in 1980 to less than 3% in 1983.

This resulted in Carter losing to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election, intensifying the public’s criticism toward Carter.

In addition to Carter’s ability to make tough decisions, Eizenstat commended Carter’s humanitarian foreign policy, which he said reflects “respect for individuals and democracy,” regarding embassies as “the sovereign of people.” In 1978, he signed the Airline Deregulation Act, which substantially transformed the nation’s air transportation system by largely switching to low-carrier aircraft, allowing competing services in the market, and thus repealed the requirement for passengers to pay the exorbitant public utilities under the government’s supervision. Eizenstat also praised Carter’s stance on environmentalism because

of how it valued the views of consumers, describing him as a “consumer champion.” In the 1980s, he signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which mandated the preservation of Alaska National Park, in addition to doubling its size. According to Eizenstat, this act is recognized as one of the most influential pieces of legislation surrounding land conservation measure. Through his accomplishments, Carter proved himself to be a public servant and visionary president who was not only capable of making tough decisions, but genuinely understood “the pulse of the public,” Eizenstat said.

During the Q&A that followed, the audience raised questions regarding the repercussions of Carter’s presidency on the current political climate. In particular, one student was fascinated by whether Carter’s role in Israel and Middle Eastern relations impacted President Donald Trump’s military action against Iran. Eizenstat contended that there is “little credibility” to associate Carter’s involvement in Israel with Trump’s entanglement with Iran, as Iranians see Trump as not prepared to apply military force directly, but rather as imposing “devastating sanctions” that threaten Iran’s economy, instead of their military.

The event was sponsored by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Politics and the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies.

—Editor’s Note: News Staff Writer Chaiel Schaffel works for the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies.

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

As part of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management’s 60th anniversary, Dean David Weil sat down with Dr. Carmen Rojas Thursday.

Rojas is the co-founder and CEO of the Workers Lab, an organization that aims to experiment, innovate and build power for working people.

BRIEF Wellington Prize recipient uses winnings to see sloths Prof. John Wilmes (MATH) used the money that he won from the Wellington Prize to pursue his dream of seeing sloths in the Amazon Rainforest, according to a Sept. 16 BrandeisNOW article.

The Wellington Prize winner is randomly selected at the end of each year.

The Wellington Prize is an annual prize of $3,000 given by Brandeis University to an associate professor to use for any purpose other than academic research, according to BrandeisNOW. Wilmes and his wife, Madlen, traveled to Peru in July, where they spent a week canoeing along the Marañon River and camping in the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. According to Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism’s website, the reserve covers over five million acres of land and is the second-largest protected area in Peru. Apart from sloths, the jungle was host to a diverse population of wildlife, including birds, monkeys, piranhas and gray and pink dolphins that he saw “jumping out every 15 minutes,” Wilmes said in an interview with the Justice. Encountering settlements of people living in the jungle with limited access to electricity was “grounding” and thought-provoking, Wilmes said.

When asked why he was interested in sloths in particular, Wilmes said he was

drawn to their lifestyle of simplicity and intention. “If I had the opportunity to mostly spend my time eating and sleeping out in nature, that’s probably what I would do,” he said.

Sloths can be found in the jungles of Central and South America, where they live primarily in trees and consume a diet of rough foliage, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They face threats from predators such as jaguars and harpy eagles, as well as human factors like deforestation and poaching.

Being named in absentia seems to be part of the Wellington Prize tradition, as neither Wilmes nor any previous winner has been present at the final faculty meeting of the year when the award is given. Earlier that week, Wilmes also won a Teaching and Innovation grant to develop a course on oral communication and basic programming, and a National Science Foundation grant to research machine learning, according to BrandeisNOW. Wilmes spoke about his experience at the first faculty meeting of the year on Sept. 13, consistent with the Wellington Prize guidelines. The next recipient of the award will be selected in May. —Ari Albertson

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JANET YELLEN ADDRESSES ECONOMICS STUDENTS

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NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

5

BRIEF

Study finds sexual harassment to be a prominent issue in the medical field

LAUREN BERK/the Justice

A SOLID RESUME: Janet Yellen, the former chair of the Federal Reserve Bank, served under Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. She was also the vice chair of the Federal Reserve System, chaired the Council of Economic Advisors and more.

JANET YELLEN: Expert talks about state of U.S. economy CONTINUED FROM 1 Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Paul Volcker — wrote an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal defending the apolitical nature of the Federal Reserve. Referencing this opinion piece, Yellen said, “We feel strongly that monetary policy works best for the benefit of society at large, for [the] economic wellbeing of Americans when it’s made in this way.”

Politicizing the Federal Reserve, she said, would be a “grave mistake.” Markets tend to perform poorly when politics are brought into the mix, such as in the context of the Trump administration’s ongoing trade war with China. The trade war has weakened the global economy as businesses put their investments on hold in the face of economic uncertainty, Yellen said.

If the Federal Reserve were politicized, “we would have policy decisions that are motivated by the President’s electoral interests and may [boost] the economy in the runup to the election and then have high inflation later. They would eventually force a downturn and the economy would become more cyclical and would have lower performance,” Yellen told the Justice Saturday.

Yellen also spoke in depth about the actions taken by the Federal Reserve and governments in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and the impact of those decisions on the United States government’s current relationship with big banks.

At the outset of the financial crisis, The Federal Reserve and the Department of the Treasury made loans to large firms against good collateral, assets that serve as security for a loan. They also bought millions of mortgage-backed securities from the companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy mortgage loans and package them into securities, after the government took control of their finances.

The government has held control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the past 11 years, but the Treasury Department recently put out a plan to re-privatize the companies, according to a USA Today article.

While the Federal Reserve does not normally lend companies taxpayer dollars, tax dollars were the main source of funds for the loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as for the 2008 bailout of big banks and investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and the American International Group.

Cecchetti then asked if the United States economy is safer today than before the financial crisis.

Yellen responded that with the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010, the U.S. saw large improvements in regulating its banking system. The Dodd-Frank Act’s reforms included increasing the liquidity threshold for banks, which would require banks to keep more spare liquid assets, or cash, on hand; and requiring them to undergo stress-testing — computer simulations to test a bank’s ability with its current levels of capital to withstand a financial crisis.

Dodd-Frank also addressed shadow banking, one of the main culprits behind the financial crisis.

Standalone investment banks like Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers operated as shadow banks, meaning that they worked outside of the scope of regular banking regulations. Shadow banks operate like regular banks, and have runs that trigger panic among investors because of a lack of liquidity in case of failure. The failure of shadow banks and subsequent investor panic was one of the main causes of the 2008 financial crisis. Though Dodd-Frank has enabled the Federal Reserve to more easily identify and oversee shadow banks, the practice is still a problem and needs further oversight, Yellen said.

Thanks to these reforms, mortgage lending is now safer, Yellen said, but the American economy is still vulnerable in many of the same ways that caused the crisis because of holes in Dodd-Frank.

Yellen told the Justice that she views insufficient regulation of shadow banking, “an absence of tools to address rapid credit growth … [and] the loss of [the] ability of the Fed to make emergency loans to non-banks like they did to AIG and Bear Stearns” as vulnerabilities in the U.S. government’s oversight system.

To avert another crisis, Yellen said, the United States needs to emulate other countries’ financial stability councils, which stop potentially destructive market bubbles from forming. While the United States has a Financial Stability Oversight Council, established under Dodd-Frank, the council has almost no power because of deregulation.

Despite the problems with DoddFrank and deregulation of governmental oversight measures, Yellen does not see a financial crisis in the immediate future.

“I think that if the economy turns down, there will be a lot of bankruptcies that will make the downturn worse. I don’t think that will cause a financial crisis, so I’m not worried about a financial crisis now,” Yellen told the Justice.

The event carried a bittersweet undercurrent, though, with the announcement of the Rachel McCulloch Endowed Scholarship, in memory of the late Brandeis economics and IBS professor. McCulloch was the director of IBS and founded its Ph.D program, according to a June 22, 2016 BrandeisNOW article announcing her death.

Yellen, a good friend of McCulloch’s from their time as the only two female faculty in Harvard University’s economics department in the early 1970s, extolled McCulloch’s accomplishments when announcing the scholarship.

“Rachel was a distinguished economist who made enormous contributions to the field of international economic policy. She weighed in on virtually all of the major trade policy debates of our times, the future of the World Trade Organization, the impact of trade on income inequality” and many other important trade policy decisions, Yellen said.

She continued, “Rachel’s work reflected wisdom and good common sense. She knew all the issues in the literature, but also was endowed with an uncommon policy acumen, someone whose advice was sought by policymakers and prominent think tanks, because she got the answers right.”

At the event’s conclusion, IBS Dean Kathryn Graddy presented Yellen with the Dean’s Medal in recognition of her contributions to the field of economics.

“Professor Yellen has set the highest possible standard for what it means to succeed as an economist. But even more importantly, there is no public figure that I know that has demonstrated more integrity, intelligence, and leadership,” Graddy said.

IBS’ 25th anniversary celebration weekend included a variety of panels and workshops geared toward IBS alumni in attendance, such as “Cybersecurity” and “The State of Asset Management,” as well as a celebration in Boston.

—Editor’s Note: Justice Editor Natalia Wiater and News Staff Writer Nancy Zhai work for IBS. They did not edit or contribute to this article.

Sexual harassment can create an uncomfortable work environment in any profession, and the medical field is no exception. With the number of women enrolled in United States medical schools exceeding the number of men enrolled for the first time in 2017 and then again in 2018, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges, research is being conducted to learn more about how women are treated in the medical profession.

The results of a study on sexual harassment in the medical field, headed by Dr. Linda Pololi, a resident scholar at the Women’s Studies Research Center and distinguished research scientist at the University, were published in the American Journal of Medicine on July 11, according to a Sept.

17 BrandeisNOW article.

As the director of the National Initiative on Gender, Culture and Leadership in Medicine and the CultureChange director of the CChange Mentoring and Leadership Institute, Pololi’s work is about improving the overall culture of academic medicine.

The BrandeisNOWarticle highlighted one research program her team conducted on sexual harassment experienced by female medical residents.

In an interview with the Justice, Pololi said that for ten years her team was doing research on the overall culture of academic medicine between residents and faculty, and included in a survey was a question specifically about sexual harassment. In the past, Pololi only compiled data about sexual harassment, but as part of this study, she analyzed that data. The survey included the statement, “I have personally experienced unwanted sexual comments, attention or advances by a superior or colleagues at my institution.” The residents and faculty had to answer whether this had been true anytime within the last two years, longer ago than the past two years or not at all.

According to the study, the data was collected from 1,700 residents via survey at 14 dif-

ferent medical institutions across the United States. 51% of the respondents were women, and Pololi said that only the data of the female residents was analyzed. According to the research paper, 12% of women who were completing general surgery residencies, seven percent of women completing internal medicine residencies and 2% in pediatric residencies reported sexual harassment by their superiors or colleagues. The highest levels of sexual harassment were reported by residents who identified as LGBTQ. Pololi told the Justice that 19% of those who self-identify as LGBTQ have experienced harassment in the workplace. Ultimately, such harassment caused women to be “less energized by work and [have] higher levels of ethical or moral distress,” per the BrandeisNOW article.

Pololi told the Justice that it was to be expected that pediatrics saw the lowest levels of sexual harassment among residents because 70% of pediatric faculty are women. By contrast, in internal medicine and surgery, 36% and 19% of faculty are women, respectively. However, the number of women in internal medicine and surgery is on the rise. Between 40 and 45 percent of residents entering these fields are women, Pololi said.

Pololi emphasized that by improving the overall culture in academic medicine, which is what C-Change aims to accomplish, the practice of medicine will improve for all.

The other authors of this paper were Brandeis’ Senior Research Scientist for C-Change Dr. Robert Brennan, Brandeis’ Senior Research Associate for C-Change Dr. Janet Civian, The Committee of Interns and Residents Policy and Education Initiative Program Director Sandra Shae, Assessment Program Manager at Yale School of Medicine Emma Brennan-Wydra and Professor of Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College Dr. Arthur Evans.

—Jen Geller

LOVE YOUR BODY

SARAH KATZ/the Justice

The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance held “Love Your Body Day” on Friday. This event promoted body positivity and radical love, while addressing issues of fat-phobia and the stigmatization of queer bodies.

Meeting: Tuesdays at 8:15 p.m.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

7

CLIMATE STRIKE: Brandeis students convene among thousands in strike for climate justice NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

BEARY DEDICATED: Sabine von Mering (ENVS), dressed as a polar bear, handed out slips of paper to students promoting the strike.

CONTINUED FROM 1 want it?’ ‘Now!’” Attendees waited by the State House gates until some eventually made it inside the State House, where banners were dropped and signs were held high.

Despite Congress taking steps to pass the Green New Deal, Lisa Gorelik ’22 said that “there’s been a big lack of even acknowledgment of the climate crisis” among lawmakers.

Prof.

Sabine von Mering (ENVS), who organized the Brandeis delegation to the climate strike, agreed, telling the Justice that “our legislators in the [Massachusetts] State House are too dependent on fossil fuel money to enact the kind of sweeping legislation we urgently need to turn the ship around.”

In an interview with the Justice, von Mering said, “I didn’t just go [to the climate strike]. I walked around in a polar bear costume for weeks ahead of the strike.” The reason she did all of this and more, she said, was “because history shows us that change requires collective action, and the only way for us to know

that this is the change we all want is to get together.”

Gorelik told the Justice that in her Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies class, they discussed how “the face of poverty is feminine and how disproportionately women are going to be affected by climate change because they are also affected by poverty.”

Miranda Sullivan ’22, another attendee of the climate strike, told the Justice, “If you want to fight for women, you also have to fight for the climate and for all people. … I think it’s all linked and for me, it’s important to get out [there] and show that I care.”

The climate strike on Friday isn’t the last of the protests that will take place for climate justice, with another strike scheduled for Sept. 27. Friday’s climate strike was organized by the Fridays for Future network, while the Sept.

27 strike is part of Earth Strike, “a general strike to save the planet,” according to Earth Strike’s website.

—Editor’s Note: Justice Editor Gilda Geist participated in the Boston Climate Strike. She did not edit or contribute to this article.

IVY DALL/the Justice

GENERATION Z REPRESENTS: Multiple generations gathered to advocate for climate justice, including students from local middle and high schools.

IVY DALL/the Justice

EMPOWERING SPEAKERS: Before the march portion of the demonstration began, speakers took the stage as strikers listened to their messages.

IVY DALL/the Justice

CREATIVE SIGNS: Many strikers brought handmade signs that expressed their passion for the issue.

Background Courtesy of Creative Commons. Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

8

features

TUESDAY, SETEPMBER 24, 2019 ● FEATURES ● THE JUSTICE

just

VERBATIM | SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR

I tore myself away from the safe comfort of certainties through my love for truth — and truth rewarded me.

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1755, Chief Justice John Marshall was born. In 1896, author F. Scott Fitzgerald was born.

Antarctica is bigger than Europe and is considered a desert because it experiences so little rain.

Jamming with Josh

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

COMMUTER STUDENT: Josh Shuster ’23 travels home to New York weekly for his job as a music producer.

Meet Josh Shuster ’23, who balances his Brandeis life with his musical career.

By JOSHUA ALDWINCKLE-POVEY JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It’s said that Bostonians spend 500 days of their lives commuting. That may sound nasty, but perhaps Joshua Shuster ’23 can beat that with a weekly commute between Waltham and New York. This first-year isn’t commuting back to the Big Apple out of homesickness, but because of his work there as a music producer.

Hailing from Brooklyn, Shuster’s family originates from Ukraine. Growing up, music was a taboo career for him: “Russian values lean more towards doctors and lawyers; those are the only legitimate careers,” he said. But Shuster’s Brooklyn upbringing eventually led him to find a love for music.

That day came fairly recently, only around a year ago, Shuster said. “It’s really recent because most of the people I’ve been working with on the production aspects have been doing it for about six or seven years. … I was just sitting with my friends listening to an old Matt Norris song, and we were talking about how crazy the production on that song was. I was like, ‘I could probably do that.’” One download of some music production software later, Shuster found himself producing music for the first time.

The entire production process starts with his manager. Shuster explained that his manager will tell him, “‘This person wants this type of beat.’ If you listen to hip hop, every artist has a signature beat that they prefer. He’ll then ask me to make a beat pack for that artist, usually around 15-20 minutes. Either I send it to them like that and the studio process doesn’t involve

me, or sometimes I go to the studio and the artist sits next to me whilst I make the beat.” He says that the production process involves both a scientist and an artist — one is concerned with the technicalities, the other is concerned with the art. Production involves both roles working together, though Shuster prefers to stick to the artistic side, saying, “I’m a naturally creative person.”

A job like Shuster’s requires routine and sometimes comes with challenges. Besides getting schoolwork done early during the

NOAH ZEITLIN/The Justice

PRODUCER: Between other Brandeis activities and having fun, Shuster can be found hard at work.

Design: Grace Sun/the Justice, Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

week, he made himself a promise that every single day he’d make at least five beats. “At first it was difficult, but now I can produce a beat,” as in an instrumental for a song, “that’s ready for any artist in about ten minutes.” Shuster added that at Brandeis, it’s been harder to keep his promise since he’s making the most out of being on campus. He’s also on the men’s fencing team, and spends any remaining free time going to the gym or hanging out with friends.

Shuster says that he’s making the

music he’d listen to, saying, “I feel like I’m doing something different through mixing genres. As a producer, it’s not my job to make the perfect sound. I’m making this for the consumer listening on their phones, and they don’t care if I use gain staging. They care about how it sounds and makes them feel.” Shuster considers his job to be “pushing his tastes” and introducing what he’d enjoy to listeners.

For Shuster, music is personal. Besides being influenced by Kanye West (who Shuster believes revolutionized production) and Mac Miller, music has played a key role in Shuster’s mental health journey. Responding to Shuster’s past traumatic experiences, his therapist suggested that he associate music, specifically Mac Miller’s, with happiness. “I can say that Mac Miller saved my life, and if I could help just one person get through a horrible time with something I made, then I’ll know I’ve done my job and I’ve done it well,” he said, continuing, “Music, above everything, makes you feel. I want to make my impact on music somehow. I want people to say of me, ‘That guy was cool.’”

One might wonder why a passionate music producer would choose Brandeis. For Shuster, the decision to attend the University had nothing to do with production. Instead, he was seeking a career in business.

Brandeis is, however, treating him well, with the caveat that he has to travel to and from New York every weekend to produce.

His hopes are high for his future in music production, and he’s taking strides toward making Brandeis work for him, taking a particular academic interest in the Music and Business majors and getting involved in plenty of activities beyond fencing, including the Campus Activities Board.

For the future beyond college, Shuster is optimistic. “I’m a music lover; that’s why I’m doing this. It’s just great to be able to listen to my favorite artists and hear my production and this artist rapping over it — it’s one of the best, most indescribable feelings. It’s crazy to me how that happens.” Make no mistake — if hip hop’s your thing, this won’t be the last time you hear Shuster’s name.

THE JUSTICE ● FEATURES ● TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

9

NEW

ents

uirem old req

REQUIREMENTS

The core of Core A new Brandeis curriculum greets the class of 2023.

By TALIA ZITNER JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On its website, Brandeis poses a provocative question to prospective students, “What does it mean to be educated in the 21st century?” Their answer is simple, it’s the Brandeis Core. As of fall 2019, all new students must complete the Brandeis Core requirements in order to receive their degree. The requirements include a first year experience and courses of foundational literacies; school of thought; global engagement; health, wellness, and life skills.

While newly implemented this year, the Brandeis Core has been in the works for many years. “The Brandeis Core was actually approved by the faculty and Board of Trustees in the spring of 2018,” said Elaine Wong, senior associate dean of Arts and Sciences for Undergraduate Education. “This is a rethinking after more than 20 years of what Brandeis graduates and students will need in order to succeed after they graduate and to ... help students understand what Brandeis values,” Wong said. Core was designed and created with the intention of rounding out the education that Brandeis students receive. In order to determine the new requirements, “There was a faculty committee,” Wong said. “There were two students that actually participated on the committee as well.”

The results of this can be seen in

the way that certain requirements have been altered or changed since the new Core was implemented.

“For example, the students were not as happy with the physical education requirement and they said they really needed more life skills, so we changed the physical education re-

“

This is a rethinking after more than 20 years.

DEAN ELAINE WONG quirement to health, wellness and life skills,” Wong said.

Thus far, Core has only directly impacted the class of 2023 and students who have transferred into the fall 2019 semester. Perceptions of the requirements vary from student to student, “I think it’s a way to standardize learning for everyone because everyone comes from different educational backgrounds so everyone has the same footing, ... specifically with UWS,” said Alessandra Flores, a first year intending to major in International and Global Studies. “Every school has some sort of core curriculum, so I was kind of assuming Brandeis would have one,” she said. Others are somewhat unsure of what Core really is. “It’s

about taking classes from different fields to have a broad view of the different fields that Brandeis offers,” said Hriday Talreja ’23.

However, some students expressed displeasure with the idea of taking classes outside of their field.

“I just don’t understand why I have to take English classes when I’m a Bio major,” said Cole Nelson, a first year. “I didn’t even know [Core] existed until I got here,” he said. “I don’t know enough about it. They keep on talking about it but never about what it is. ... They’re just like, ‘Core’,” he said.

To other students, the requirements have provided insight into skills that could be beneficial to all areas of study, “Part of the class [I’m taking] fulfills the digital literacy requirement because we have to build a website and it’s 20% of our grade, ... so I have no idea what I want to do but knowing how to make a website will probably be helpful in like anything I want to do,” said Amy Jarkow ’23, who hasn’t decided on a major yet.

Brandeis’ new Core requirements will shape the way future Brandeis students receive their education.

This represents a fundamental shift in the way students will experience an education at Brandeis and the effects of these new requirements will only be visible as the years go on.

— Editor’s Note: Eliana Padwa works for Academic Servcies and did not participate in the editing of this article.

Graphics courtesy of Creative Commons. Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

10 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 ● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE

Justice

the

Established 1949

Brandeis University

Jocelyn Gould, Editor in Chief Jen Geller, Managing Editor Avraham Penso and Natalia Wiater, Senior Editors Andrew Baxter, Hannah Kressel, Yvette Sei, Judah Weinerman and Maya Zanger-Nadis, Associate Editors Emily Blumenthal and Gilda Geist, News Editors Eliana Padwa, Interim Features Editor Gabriel Frank, Forum Editor, Megan Geller, Sports Editor Luke Liu, Arts & Culture Editor, Noah Zeitlin, Photography Editor Yael Hanadari-Levy, Layout Editor River Hayes, Copy Editor, Lily Schmidt-Swartz, Interim Copy Editor

EDITORIALS

Honorary degree selection process needs reform On Sept. 12, University President Ron Liebowitz sent an email to the Brandeis community requesting the community to submit nominations for honorary degree recipients to be celebrated at the 2020 commencement exercises.

The President described an honorary degree as a great way to recognize and commend the achievements of figures who have been highly influential in academics, politics, the arts and through activism. In the past, the University has maintained a website through which anyone could submit a nomination for an honorary degree recipient, but this year’s decision to send an email ensures that the Brandeis community is aware of this opportunity.

This board welcomes this new trend, and President Liebowitz and the administration deserve praise for their willingness to listen to the community and involve them in deciding whose accomplishments the University chooses to formally recognize, as these decisions can alter the University’s international profile.

The University has previously awarded honorary degrees to many distinguished individuals, including high-profile figures. such as current Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, former President John. F. Kennedy and former Israeli Prime-Minister Golda Meir.

However, this board urges the Brandeis community to proceed with caution during this nomination process, as the credibility of those receiving honorary degrees, and thereby the credibility of the University, can be called into question if the process is not taken seriously.

Prior to the 2019 University

commencement exercises, one Justice Forum writer noted that several intended recipients had close ties to the administration and the University Board of Trustees, raising suspicions that the ostensibly democratic selection process was little more than an exercise in selfcongratulation. Two recipients, Perry Traquina and Barbara Mandel, were members of the Board of Trustees during the time in which the administration had re-evaluated its selection process for honorary degree recipients. Additionally, Mandel and her family already have influence over the University’s endowment and physical appearance, as the Mandel Center for the Humanities was named after her husband Morton, and the auditorium within it was named after her. The writer correctly, in the opinion of this board, reached the conclusion that the University was pandering to its donors and top financiers rather than selecting community-nominated individuals of significant intellectual, cultural or artistic merit. This conscious decision on the part of the University equates donating a lot of money with the lifelong pursuit of virtue.

This board has two chief recommendations for the University and its greater community: first, the University should reconsider its process for selecting who earns these coveted awards, and should create a process that ensures that community input and values are prioritized. Second, the greater community should contribute their ideas to the selection process while maintaining cautious optimism in light of the past mistakes that the University has made in this regard.

In a Sept. 17 email, the Department of Community Living announced that fire drills would be occurring over the twoweek period following the email. During these drills, the City of Waltham’s Fire Marshall will be asking DCL staff to enable them to “enter rooms at random,” and if any prohibited items are found, the items “will be confiscated at that time and a member of [DCL] staff will follow up,” the emails stated. But what does “random” mean? Will DCL staff also be entering rooms, or only accompany the Fire Marshall to the door? This board recommends that DCL make this process as transparent as possible — especially given recent controversy over DCL Health and Safety Inspections.

DCL staff are currently working to change the room inspection process, and announced in a Sept. 18 email that they are assembling a group of students, community advisors and DCL staff to evaluate and improve the process. The working group was initially announced in an Aug. 29 email from University Provost Lisa M. Lynch in the context of “respond[ing] to issues raised last spring by the #StillConcernedStudents group.”

At their protest last spring, the group called for an independent investigation into racial bias in DCL conduct violation reports, as well as mandating informed consent for room inspections. While the University is working to revamp the inspections process, they have not heeded the calls for an independent investigation into issues of potential racial bias. Given

DCL’s unresponsiveness to the more hardhitting of these demands and the current climate surrounding room inspections, it was unwise of DCL to turn fire drills into an opportunity to inspect student rooms — at least, that is how it appears.

While this board appreciates that DCL notified students about these impending room entries, the department should have taken the extra step to make it clear to the student body why the entrances are occuring. Presumably, a combination of state and federal laws, as well as University policies, dictates the terms of fire drills such as these — but this should be clearly explained. Section 9.4 of the Brandeis Rights and Responsibilities governs the University’s right of entry into students’ rooms but doesn’t clarify policies during fire drills, a step that board recommends.

DCL did not emphasize in the email that student rooms will be entered. Several lines of the email were bolded, but entry into student living spaces didn’t warrant such treatment. Considering rooms are private spaces, students should have the opportunity to at least be fully aware of the fact that their space will be entered, no matter how much right DCL has to enter. Should a student read the subject line and skim the email, only reading the eye-catching bolded text, they would completely miss the crucial part. Given the sensitive climate around student privacy and punishment, this was irresponsible. Fire safety is crucial — but so are student rights.

Transparency required in room inspections

HARRISON PAEK/ the Justice

Views the News on

Last Sunday, The New York Times published an essay based on an upcoming book written by two of its writers that includes a new allegation of sexual assault against United States Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The piece details alleged misconduct by Kavanaugh during a residence hall party at Yale University — though the alleged victim declined to comment and later said that she did not remember the incident, which The Times did not report. Some Democratic representatives are calling for Kavanaugh to be impeached, while other senior Democrats have pushed back against the idea. Do you think the Times was right to publish this allegation in the way it did? How should the government respond to these allegations?

Daniel Ruggles There are many issues to be found with the Times piece, namely its conflation of elitism with debauchery and the seemingly endless distractions from Justice Kavanaugh’s legal fitness.

While convincing, the most credible and public accounts of the Justice’s alleged sexual assaults from Dr. Blasey Ford failed to motivate the Senate (and, on its own behalf, the FBI) to block his nomination. In this, many (myself included) see a degree of moral error. Many dogmatic conservative judges are available for the president to nominate to our highest court, thus why support such a deeply flawed candidate? Absurdly enough, this is a war of morality. The Religious Right, fueled in part by landmark cases including Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v.

Hodges, are on the cusp of redefining civil liberties in America as we know them, and the immorality of the president and his nominees are inconsequential obstacles to this end. While The Times dutifully points towards flaws in this cognitive dissonance by lambasting morally corrupt leaders, chasing weak allegations distracts from both honest reporting and a thorough analysis of conservative grand strategy in the Supreme Court.

If Democrats are seriously concerned with Justice Kavanaugh’s fitness for office, pursuing a dismissed claim is likely the wrong move.

Daniel Ruggles is a PhD candidate in the Politics department at Brandeis.

Prof. Zachary Albert (POL) The political response to this new allegation is entirely unsurprising.

As with most scandals, the parties have circled the wagons, attacking either the ethics and veracity of the allegation or the integrity and potential removal of the newest Supreme Court member. The topic of the Supreme Court — as if we needed more evidence — has become a politicized issue. We have already seen several Democratic presidential candidates calling for the addition of Supreme Court members. Impeachment of Kavanaugh seems a remote possibility at this time, but his controversial presence on the Court might make calls for structural changes increasingly popular among Democratic voters. More generally, a discussion about how we select justices — for life, at random intervals, and in increasingly partisan ways — seems warranted, especially in light of the process that brought us Kavanaugh in the first place and that make the stakes of his removal so high for both parties.

Zachary Albert is an assistant professor in the Politics Department.

Prof. Maura Jane Farrelly (AMST) First, the New York Times did report it. The original version of the piece did not mention that the alleged victim’s friends said she didn’t recall the incident. The Times, however, not only updated the piece, it published a correction, drawing readers’ attention to the omission. If your standard for judging a news outlet as “credible” is that it has never made any mistakes, you will never find credibility anywhere. What matters is how a newspaper makes mistakes — and how it handles the mistakes it makes.

That being said, the omission was unfortunate, given the scrutiny the Times is under right now — and, of course, the obvious political implications of the story. I have no definitive thoughts on how the government should respond.

But certainly no one at the Times should resign, nor should the Times be sued over it, both of which the president has called for.

Maura Jane Farrelly is an Associate Professor of American Studies specializing in religion in America and American Journalism.

Photos: Brandeis University/ Zachary Albert/the Justice

THE JUSTICE ● FORUM ● TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

11

Loughlin admissions scandal reveals double standard

By ABIGAIL CUMBERPATCH JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

We’re living in a time when obtaining a college degree has never been more valuable, and has also never been more expensive. The act of being admitted to the nation’s top universities has turned into a bloodbath between high school students from all across the nation. Millions of students nationwide are asking themselves the same question, “How can I make myself standout from my peers?” Being a recent high school graduate myself, I am fully aware of the competitive nature of my generation. Just a few months ago I was one of those students vying for a spot at one of the many elite institutions.

However, in light of recent news headlines, it seems that high school seniors are not the only individuals competing for a spot at accredited universities; parents have inserted themselves in the competition by attempting to maximize their children’s chances of getting accepted.

Currently, the nation awaits to hear the fate of actress Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli as they face charges for falsifying records in order to get their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, into the University of Southern California. In a nation becoming increasingly competitive over many different things, can one understand Loughlin’s rationale behind her actions, despite them being deemed morally and legally unjustifiable?

The scandal first unfolded in March 2019, when Loughlin and her husband Giannulli were busted by the Justice Department for allegedly paying $500,000 to get Oliva Jade and Isabella Rose onto the USC crew team, ensuring their admittance to the school. Typically, if an athlete for a specific sports team is successfully recruited by a school, admittance is guaranteed.

However, both Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose were not participants on any crew team prior to entering college, and they had no intention of joining it once admitted. During this time, the Justice Department discovered 50 other individuals were involved in a nationwide college admissions scandal. One of the most notable cases was actress Felicity Huffman’s, who allegedly paid $15,000 to enhance her daughter’s SAT scores. To these individuals, money is clearly no object. However, what is even more shocking is that many of the accused operated as if they were never going to get caught. After all, bribing college officials in exchange for college admittance has been happening for years and is rarely, if ever publicly reported.

Actions have consequences. Although the Federal Justice system is flawed, this college admissions scandal reveals that even the

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

most famous public figures can’t escape the repercussions of committing such a serious crime. From the day the news broke, Loughlin and Giannualli’s lives have been in a tailspin.

The scandal has ravaged their careers; Loughlin was not only dropped from the final season of Netflix’s Fuller House, she was also sued by former Oakland-area teacher Jennifer Kay Toy for $500 million. Toy believes the actions of Loughlin and Huffman has contributed to her son Joshua’s rejection from USC. As for Giannulli, Target has publicly cut all ties with the fashion designer.

Olive Jade has also been suffering the consequences of her parents’ actions firsthand.

In May, it was revealed that she was aware of her parents’ actions but thought their actions were justifiable considering the rejections she received from the other California schools she applied to. Olivia’s admittance makes me question whether her parents should have been more worried about their daughter’s moral compass over which college she attends in the fall. Not only was she dropped from a partnership with Sephora, but her highlighter

palette was also pulled from store shelves.

Although the celebrities have been publicly punished for their actions, their legal consequences remain questionable. On Sept. 13, actress Felicity Huffman’s fate was determined when the judge sentenced her to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine and one year of supervised release with 250 hours of community service.

Her actions hurt the admissions of another student who would have had a better chance of being admitted if Huffman had not tampered with her daughter’s application. For this, Huffman’s punishment will only last for a year, simply because she pleaded guilty. However, does her admittance of guilt reveal a woman truly ashamed of her behavior?

The actions of these individuals infuriate me. However, at the same time, I am not a parent. I don’t know what it is like to worry about someone else’s future besides my own.

In times of desperation, our rationale goes out the window. Many individuals, including myself, can talk about how much the actions of these women upset us, but if we were in their positions of power, wealth and influence, would

the same idea cross our minds? Would those ideas later turn into law-breaking actions?

If the college admittance process drives experienced, wealthy adults to commit unspeakable crimes, imagine what it does to those who have neither status nor wealth.

Parents who don’t have the means to pay for SAT tutors nevertheless bribe their child’s way right into the front door of the university.

Lower income students who exhaust every free resource and work their absolute hardest to gain admittance come to find out that financial privilege makes all the difference in applying to college.

Currently, Loughlin and her husband continue to deny accusations. Since they continue to plead not guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit mail fraud, each are facing up to 20 years for each charge for a maximum sentence of 40 years behind bars.

Loughlin and her husband are either really confident in their defense team, or they believe they have done nothing wrong. Whatever their rationale, the outlook is not positive.

Democrats’ swing to the far left is cause for serious concern Trevor FILSETH

SANITY The traditional logic surrounding presidential runs is that one should campaign as a moderate, because the American electorate is understood to be a bell curve with small wings and a large center. This strategy remained fairly consistent until 2016, when Hillary Clinton, by most accounts a pragmatic centrist, was defeated by Donald Trump, who pandered almost exclusively to the far right.

How did this happen? Working-class resentment, deleted emails, Russian hackers and atrocious campaign strategy all played a role, but the Democrats’ new consensus seems to be that an ideological firebrand has a better chance of winning than a milquetoast centrist. If it worked for Trump in 2016, so the argument goes, it should work for them in 2020. This, more than anything else, has been the guiding principle of the current Democratic primary, which increasingly resembles a do-over of 2016 that progressives are determined to get right.

This time around, Hillary’s spiritual successor is Joe Biden, who continues to top the polls despite a general lack of enthusiasm for his campaign. Although Biden has remained relatively scandal-free, he’s much older than Hillary was; in January 2021, he’ll

be seventy-eight, and would be by far the oldest president we’ve had (coming in second and third are Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan, so make of that what you will). The former vice president is also notoriously gaffe-prone.

My favorite line from last week’s debate was him declaring that “nobody should be in jail for a non-violent crime,” which was either a verbal misstep or a clever attempt to secure the critical Bernie Madoff endorsement.

A few other candidates — Amy Klobuchar, John Delaney, Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock and all the others you’ve likely never heard of — have spurned the far left, forgoing ideas such as “Medicare for All” and emphasizing the values of bipartisanship. That’s the first thing they have in common. The second thing they have in common is that they are all losing; they either poll in the low single digits or have already dropped out.

As for the better-known candidates — Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Beto O’Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, Julián Castro, Bernie Sanders and so on — they’ve all adopted solidly progressive platforms. To use the earlier analogy, all of them hope to fill the shoes of 2016 Bernie, who (so the argument goes) could have beaten Trump in November if the DNC hadn’t rigged the primary in Hillary’s favor. The problem each of these candidates faces is that none of them are 2016 Bernie, not even 2020 Bernie; none so far have unified progressives behind “a future to believe in,” as Sanders did three years ago.

In the absence of that crucial, inspiring vision, the leading challengers are moving

further and further to the left, substituting progressive purity for inspiration. This ought to be a little alarming. For years, Republicans have been making a strawman of the progressive left, suggesting that all Democrats are in favor of open borders, free healthcare and gun confiscation. For years, most Democrats have denied these things; now, the frontrunners’ policy platforms increasingly resemble the strawman.

To use the example of gun control, President Obama constantly reiterated his support for the Second Amendment, saying that he only wanted to take guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them. Contrast that with Beto O’Rourke, who on Thursday admitted, “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15.”

No strings attached, no preconditions; if you’re a law-abiding gun owner, well, too bad.

Whether or not you think this is a good idea — and, given recent events, I think it’s worth discussing — this is undoubtedly a seismic shift in Democratic ideology.

There are other examples. For years, Democrats have denied Republican accusations that they are in favor of “open borders,” but last Thursday, all ten on the debate stage agreed to decriminalize border crossings if elected. Most also support a singlepayer, “Medicare for All”-type healthcare system. Perhaps the most striking difference between this year’s crop of Democratic leaders and 2016’s is on the issue of reparations for slavery. In 2016, Obama, Clinton and Sanders all agreed that the idea of reparations was impossible to implement. That caveat doesn’t

seem to bother the progressives of 2020, almost all of whom support H.R. 40, Sen. Cory Booker’s bill to establish a commission on the issue. Views on what exactly “reparations” would consist of differ, but a simple cash payment to the descendants of slaves is an incredibly unpopular idea, and the suggestion that it might happen under a Democratic administration could even end up giving Trump a second term.

For the record, I think Trump will lose in 2020, no matter who the nominee is; three years into his reign of error, it’s hard to believe that anyone to the left of Genghis Khan will vote for him again. But beating Trump isn’t the only thing that matters; even if we take it as a given that the Democratic nominee will win, that candidate will have the thankless task of governing the United States for the next four years.

A big part of that task will be ending our long national nightmare and trying to restore some semblance of order to Capitol Hill, and that always entails bipartisanship. If our next president governs from the far left, it will endanger his or her chances of working with the opposition, and we’ll be stuck in the same gridlock we’ve been in since 2010. That will still be an improvement from what Trump has done, but not nearly as much of one as we need.

Ultimately, the question voters need to ask of their candidates isn’t, “Who can win the election in November?” It’s, “Who can best run the country in January?” So far, it doesn’t seem like anyone has the answer.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE

FORUM

University donations are noble but in need of scrutiny

By VANDITA WILSON JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Around every campus one can see the names of the University’s benefactors. From buildings, wings and hallways to sculptures and even benches, I’ve often wondered who the people are behind the names. I’ve even thought to myself, “Oh, if I donate enough money, I too could have a chair or at least a leaf on a tree named after me.”

But, as they say, there is no such thing as free money. We’ve seen the news about the Sackler family, whose name adorns wings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and previously at the Guggenheim and Smithsonian. The original Arthur Sackler was known for being a physician and for promoting Valium through advertising, one of the first to market drugs directly to physicians. The Sackler family name is now inextricably intertwined with that of Purdue Pharma and OxyContin, and is now accused of lighting the fuse that spawned the opioid crisis.

In the mid to late 1990s, members of the Sackler family, who were at the time very involved in the day to day operations of Purdue Pharma, insisted that OxyContin was not as potent as morphine, even though it was several times stronger. Their continued denial of any involvement in the opioid crisis, even though they pled guilty in 2007, has stunned and outraged the American public.

In the mid 1990s, Purdue Pharma (bought by the three Sackler brothers in 1952) began manufacturing and marketing oxycodone as a painkiller that was safer than other narcotics due to its time-release properties. Marketed as OxyContin, it soon became the go-to prescription to treat pain. The company deceived regulatory agencies, the medical community and patients about the addictive nature of this drug. Moreover, they continued to market and sell this drug. At the same time, Sackler family members started moving their money out of Purdue Pharma into other legal entities and offshore accounts. Does this somehow taint Dr. Arthur Sackler’s image or his good deeds and donations? Someone has to be held accountable, and the root of the opioid crisis seems to stem from Purdue Pharma, which is why they’re being targeted.

Many institutions, such as Tufts University, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Britain’s Tate Museums have, in the wake of information coming out in the past few years, have announced that they will reevaluate their relationship with the Sackler family, and are considering

returning any unused gift portions. Some have stopped taking donations altogether and some have returned them.

The other high roller name that has been prominent in the news lately has been Jeffrey Epstein. He has given money to the Ohio State University, Harvard and the Massachussets Institute of Technology, and the controversies have been coming non-stop. As more and more details are revealed, we are finding that other big, influential individuals and companies were also directed to donate at Mr. Epstein’s behest.

Some of the trails have been resolved, and a letter dated Sept. 12 from President Reif to the MIT community stated that Ito told senior members of Reif’s staff that he (Ito) believed Epstein had been rehabilitated. Additionally, Ito stated that the money was spent on general research, and that Epstein’s name could not be associated with the gifts. However, the more disturbing part is the coverup; some donors didn’t want their association with Epstein documented alongside their contribution. Some schools listed the donations as anonymous. The problem with that is that there is at least one person in the office who knows exactly where the money came from.

But one cannot launder bad money into good by making donations.

The schools also want the money to continue their lofty research or to open new shiny buildings. Sometimes donations are used to fund scholarships that go towards tuition, which, the schools bemoan, covers only a fraction of the actual cost of general operations. Given the fact that small contributors are unable to give even the minuscule quantities they used to, these large donations seem to be just the thing to whet the insatiable appetite of the higher education system. It seems almost impossible for them to say no.

And yet, so much good is done with the money: students in need of financial aid (of which I am one) get scholarships, and as a result research continues, salaries are paid and the lights stay on. So the cycle lathers, rinses and repeats itself into perpetuity.

Full disclosure, I’m a small-time donor to my high school as well as to my undergraduate alma mater. I’ve solicited funds from my classmates for both. My name isn’t on much of anything except a license plate and a domain name.

What is the responsibility of the school in soliciting funds? How much background research

AMANDA PYUN/ the Justice

must be done before monies are accepted? What is the responsibility of the development office, which is such an odd name for the fundraising arm of a school? What is even being developed?

Film? Land? Isn’t the role of this office to ask for donations? To periodically assemble a team of volunteers to do the dirty work and then get the credit? Do they write grants? Don’t they host gala events and then shyly have a basket for cash or Venmo payments?

The manipulation games being played here are astounding. I have seen the tear-jerking ads saying that for the price of a cup of java I could help a child. Be like so and so, I am told, and feel good about yourself as you write this check to your school.

I myself have written these emails. Why do I donate? Up until the recent tax law changes, I donated because I wanted to have a direct association with places I was giving money to. I wanted my small donation to “count” for something, versus the 50 bucks here and there for other good causes. I wanted to set a good example for my classmates, and I hoped that my

leadership level of donation might encourage them to donate more as well. The list goes on.

As it turns out, MIT has a donor database and in it there are semi-detailed records and notes.

Epstein was listed as a “disqualified” donor after his conviction in 2008. Luckily, I’m qualified to give money to my school. I feel blessed to be able to give even a little money, as now I’m in a different school and am amassing student loans up the wazoo. I’ve been asked to be on the “gift” committee yet again, on which I shall serve with pleasure. But I’m neither the donor nor the solicitor that MIT has to worry about.

Most people can’t give much money. And the 8020 rule or 90-10 rule holds true. It’s the big bucks donors who account for most of the donations.

These folks have to be vetted, but they are wined and dined by folks in the administration. And, what they contribute evidently does count for something. We all know the exorbitant cost of tuition and every other expense at a school: faculty, facilities, support staff, the list goes on.

Without these mega-bucks, higher education in the USA would come to a standstill.

Kamala Harris’ campaign failures resemble Rubio in 2016 Judah

WEINERMAN CHATTERBOX

Unless you’re perennial front-runners Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders or the ascendent Elizabeth Warren, it’s tough to be a Democratic candidate for president. With the troika of the former vice president, the left-wing folk hero and the plan-touting senator eating up almost all available political and media oxygen, the other 20-odd candidates looking in are shut out in the cold. No one has felt this deprivation quite like California Senator Kamala Harris, once pegged by many as the odds-on favorite of the race.

Harris assembled a strong record as District Attorney first of San Francisco and then the state of California before transitioning to national politics, quickly making herself known to a national audience with her tough questioning of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Her unique background as the daughter of Indian and Jamacian immigrants and focus on identity politics resonated with a Democratic electorate that increasingly puts a premium on issues of intersectionality and discrimination.

Before the race had even truly begun, she had the backing of many of California’s top Democrats and influential party members across the nation.

After a victorious first debate in June where she pounced on Biden’s problematic history with school busing and longtime collaboration with segregationists to great effect, it seemed like Harris was due for her breakthrough moment, in the same fashion as the previously dormant Warren’s surge earlier in the year. For a brief moment, primary polling reflected the pundit and donor class’ longtime hopes in the California senator, with three major polls showing her in a confident second place behind Biden.

That momentum was not to last. After a series of underwhelming debate performances, public waffling on key proposals and campaign

promises, and a more general failure to find an audience, Harris’ momentum faded fast. In a few short months, she went from hotshot to afterthought: a Sept. 17 Focus on Rural America poll finds Harris in a distant sixth place in Iowa behind struggling Minnesota Senator and serial binder thrower Amy Klobuchar, a 13-point drop from the organization’s post-debate July survey.

In even more foreboding news, a Sept. 16 Emerson poll shows her in a moribund fifth place in the all-important state of California behind Andrew Yang, the entrepreneur and Universal Basic Income enthusiast who has held no prior political office and has the corresponding deer-inthe-headlights look on policy questions to show for it. Anything less than first place in California would be perilous for Harris: finishing behind the likes of Yang and Beto O’Rourke would be disastrous. Well, what happened?

Harris is currently stuck in a sort of no-man’s land, seen as too ambitious and unproven for the moderate set and too draconian and easily bought for the party’s left. In other words, she’s too left-wing for the centrists and too centrist for the left-wingers. In some sense, Harris risks becoming a repeat of Marco Rubio’s failed 2016 presidential bid, wherein his supposedly strong credentials and ecumenical ability gave way to an unfocused and unmoored campaign that appealed to neither faction within the Republican party at large and landed with a thud.

Although Harris has made her background as district attorney a centerpiece of her campaign, her record on criminal justice is less of a strength than a millstone around her neck, as left-wing activists have taken her to task for policies seen as cruel and ineffective. One clip of Harris excitedly describing her policy of jailing parents for their children’s poor school attendance has come under particular scrutiny, with Harris laughing as she describes the lives of poor families she threw into chaos. In a moment where the “law and order” approach is less popular with Democrats than ever, it’s a bad look for the woman the left refers to as “Copmala.”

Furthermore, other attempts to gain inroads with the progressive set have continually failed, as Harris has failed to keep a consistent position on key progressive policies such as Medicare

for All and college debt forgiveness, with her opinion seemingly changing from one event to the next. No one likes a flip-flopper, and Harris has sure been doing a whole lot of flopping. Even if she remained on-message, many activists point to her use of big-money events and PACs that Sanders and Warren have scorned as proof that she remains institutionally and morally tainted.

Any attempt to win over the progressive and left-wing voters who propelled the campaigns of Senator Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has definitely failed.

That leaves Harris with the party’s centerleft wing, but many older moderate and liberal Democrats are already committed to Biden, still loyal to his legacy under President Obama and promises of a return to normalcy. The largely moderate base of older Black voters the Harris campaign hopes will carry her to victory in South Carolina have shown little to no sign of abandoning Biden, who enjoys a 27-point lead in a recent Monmouth University poll of the state’s primary voters. Barring a spectacular Biden implosion before the end of the year, which is actually likely to help Sanders far more than it aids Harris, older rural and suburban voters in both Black heartlands and the Rust Belt aren’t going to be her savior.

Deprived of the consistent support from both the party’s activist youth and its older stalwarts, Harris’ current base is instead largely limited to the white, urban professional class that formed the base of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.

While that highly engaged demographic exerts quite an influence on the primary process, Harris is only getting a sliver of that. Among highly educated Democratic voters, Elizabeth Warren remains the clear favorite, leaving Harris to quarrel with Pete Buttegieg for the remainder. For Buttegieg, a small-city mayor who has wildly exceeded expectations by even getting this far in the primary, that’s nothing to be ashamed of, but the Harris campaign clearly didn’t expect to be fighting for scraps with the mayor of South Bend, Indiana at this point in the race.

In another eerie parallel to Rubio, Harris is now counting on a difficult two-part strategy to salvage her flagging campaign: doing well

The opinions expressed on this page are those of each article’s respective author and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Justice.

enough in Iowa to hang on until her home state of California, then scoring a strong victory in the nation’s most populous state to pick up momentum coming out of Super Tuesday. As reported in a Sept. 18 Politico story, Harris is funneling all the cash and staff she still has on hand into Iowa in the hope of a comeback victory in the state’s caucus, going as far as to joke to a collegue in Washington that “I’m fucking moving to Iowa,” per the same Politico story. If Iowa is to be a must-win for Harris, being neck and neck in support with billionaire vanity candidate Tom Steyer isn’t going to cut it.

When Rubio tried the same exact trick with both Iowa and his home state of Florida, it went rather poorly. Any momentum Rubio had left after a series of humiliating debate performances — the infamous “Marcobot” thrashing he received at the hands of Chris Christie remains an all-time debate stinker — vanished after a third-place Iowa defeat behind Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Whatever hope Team Rubio had left completely evaporated after Florida, when Trump whalloped the hometown senator by nearly 20 points. The day after, Rubio resigned from the race and headed back to the Senate, keeping alive his proud legacy of forgetting to show up to most votes. Given Harris’ own public foibles and collapsing poll numbers, anything less than a second-place visit in Iowa could spell an early exit before the California primary even rolls around.

As her fundraising numbers continue to dry up and Warren continues to eat into her support, Harris is running out of time to win over a Democratic electorate hell-bent on getting Donald Trump out of the White House.

In attempting to win over a broad swath of Democratic voters, Harris has created a confused and often contradictory message that has no natural base and no compelling case for why she deserves to be either the Democratic chance to unseat Trump nor the future President of the United States.

Before packing her bags and moving to Des Moines, perhaps the California senator should ring up her colleague from Florida and find out what the downswing of a presidential campaign can do to a person.

THE JUSTICE ● SPORTS ● TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

THE KING

ARCHERY: Team looks eagerly to upcoming competitions CONTINUED FROM 16

Shamrock Shoot. Finally, the team has plans to send either three or four members to the compete in the U.S. National Outdoor Collegiate Championships in Chula Vista, CA, on May 14-17, 2020.

Awards Last year, Baker received the All-American Academic Team Award. This award is given out to

13

any collegiate archer that places in the top quarter of their division at the Indoor Nationals and has a GPA of at least 3.6. LaBre was especially proud, since this was the first time that anyone from Brandeis had received this award.

With the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo coming up, next year may bring another increase in membership to the Archery Club team as the sport once again gains worldwide exposure.

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Photo Coutesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

ROYALTY: LeBron “The King” James has played in some of the most important basketball games in recent years.

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PRO: U.S. team could fall, if problems not addressed CONTINUED FROM 16

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easily see Brazil or Canada beating them. Brazil almost beat them this year at the end of the qualifiers, and Canada has more NBA players than ever and could easily field a team full of NBA players. Both of these teams are serious threats to take that second wild card spot, forcing Team USA to play in the FIBA world qualifying tournament. This tournament takes place about one week into the NBA playoffs. NBA players on good teams won’t be able to partake in this tournament because they will be playing in the NBA playoffs, especially because more than half of all NBA teams make the playoffs. If you thought this year’s crop of players was bad, only two of them were not on playoff rosters, Harrison Barnes and Kemba Walker. This world qualifier tournament would be absolutely destroyed, and have no time to practice or build chemistry. The chance of the USA making it out of that tournament is incredibly low, meaning Team USA would not be able to compete in the Olympics. An Olympic Basketball

tournament without Team USA — it would be like a burnt steak. Yes it’s still steak, yes it’s still good, but it's tough to chew on.

How do we fix it? I’ve seen lots and lots of really bad ideas. The one that people are giving the most traction to is letting the players who go to FIBA get priority in making the Olympic team. Imagine telling LeBron “The King” James he can’t come to the Olympics because Joe “Joe Harris” Harris said he wanted to play. This idea is bad. LeBron James is not going to go play FIBA ball and put that extra stress on his body just to guarantee himself a spot in the Olympics.

Instead, a better idea is sending the exact same team of G-League players that qualified for the FIBA tournament to play in it, maybe save a few spots for any NBA superstar that wants to join, but other than that let the boys who qualified for the tournament play in the tournament. They already have chemistry from the previous tournament and previous tournament prep, G-League players are still amazing players compared to what most teams can field and they would still be

coached by Gregg Poppovich, famous for making scrubs play amazing. Another idea that would work is giving five players priority on making the Olympic team; we would see a lot more upper-mid level NBA players join to try and get one of those five Olympic spots, and we wouldn’t have to cut any true top tier talent for an average player. For last year's team, this would give roster spots to Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell, Myles Turner, Khris Middleton — and I’m not sure who that last spot would go to. That open last spot would hopefully attract the CJ McCollumn, DeMar DeRozen and Tobias Harris level players who are insanely good but wouldn’t stand a chance at making the US Olympic team.

All in all, USA basketball is still at the top of the game, but if Team USA doesn’t get creative with solutions to their problems, they could find themselves not even making the Olympics. For a team that has medaled in every single Olympic competition, except in the 1980 Moscow games, it would be incredibly shameful to not even make the tournament.

XC: Team attends University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Cross Country Invitational CONTINUED FROM 16 ’22 placed 17th for the Judges with a time of 25:53.22. There was then a 34-person gap in Brandeis before Dan Curley ’20 placed 51st for the

Judges with his time of 26:53.00.

Alec Rodgers ’20 was not far behind, placing 61st with his time of 27:09.38 .Casey Brackett ’23 placed 75th with a time of 27:40.08, making him the final runner for the Judges to place

in the top 100. Several other runners for the Judges did place in those following the 200 mark.

Looking ahead, the teams will face a variety of opponents. While the Judges only had one meet in

September, they will have two different matchups in October.

The first will be Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Keene State Invitational, and the second will be on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Connecticut College

Invitational. The team will not face any University Athletic Association rivals until November, so the team has two more opportunities to sharpen their skills before racing against other teams in the UAA.

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Illustration by MORGAN MAYBACK/the JUSTICE; Photos by ANDREW BAXTER/the Justice, ADAM PANN/the Justice, CLEMENTS PARK/the Justice, MORGAN BRILL/the Justice; NADIA ALAWA, IRA BORNSTEIN, CREATIVE COMMONS.

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THE JUSTICE

JUDGES BY THE NUMBERS

● SPORTS ●

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2019

15

VOLLEYBALL

MEN’S SOCCER UAA STANDINGS

Chicago Rochester Case WashU JUDGES Carnegie Emory NYU

TEAM STATS Goals

Overall W L D 3 0 4 5 2 0 4 2 2 3 2 1 3 2 2 4 3 1 3 3 1 2 4 1

UAA Conf.

W L D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

UPCOMING GAMES: Tuesday at Wheaton College Saturday at Mitchell College

Will DeNight ’23 ties Jared Panson ’22 with two goals.

Player Goals Pct. 2 .714 Will DeNight 2 .714 Jared Panson 1 .625 Max Breiter 1 .583 Noah Gans .571 Assists .563 Dylan Hennesy ’20 leads the .500 team with 3 assist. .357 Player Assists Dylan Hennesy 3 Michael Burch 1 Noah Gans 1

WOMEN’S SOCCER UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Goals

Case WashU Chicago Rochester Emory JUDGES NYU Carnegie

UAA Conf. Overall W L D W L D 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 1 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 5 2 0 0 0 0 5 2 1

Pct. 1.000 .750 .750 .700 .667 .667 .625 .500

UPCOMING GAMES: Tuesday vs. Wellesley University Saturday vs. Emmanuel College

Makenna Hunt ’22 leads the team with 6 goals.

Player Goals Makenna Hunt 6 Juliette Carreiro 4 Daria Bakhtiarti 2 Jessica Herman 2

Assists Juliette Carreiro ’22 leads the team with 3 assists.

Player Assists Juliette Carreiro 3 Daria Bakhtiarti 2 Jessica Herman 2 Katie Hayes 1

VOLLEYBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS Kills

Chicago Emory Carnegie WashU NYU JUDGES Rochester Case

UAA Conf.

W L 3 0 3 0 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 0 3 0 3

Overall W L 13 1 11 1 13 2 11 5 12 3 3 9 7 9 4 11

Pct. .929 .917 .867 .688 .800 .250 .438 .267

UPCOMING GAMES: Friday vs Joger Williams University Oct. 3 vs Worchester Polytecnic Institute

Emma Bartlett ’20 leads the team with 120 kills.

Player Kills Emma Bartlett 120 Belle Scott 117 Amelia Oppenheimer 76 Kaisa Newberg 48

Digs Emma Bartlet ’20 leads the team with 108 digs.

Player Digs Emma Bartlet 108 Belle Scott 106 Melissa Borgert 96

CROSS COUNTRY Results from the UMass Dartmouth lnvitational on Sept. 21.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

5-Mile Run RUNNER TIME Mark Murdy 25:30.2 Mathew Dribben 25:53.2 Dan Curley 26:53.0

5-Kilometer Run RUNNER TIME Erin Magill 18:54.5 Bridget Pickard 20:13.5 Hannah Walsh 20:47.3

UPCOMING MEETS:

Oct. 5 at Keene State Invitational

THU LE/Justice File Photo

DOUBLE DEFENSE: Kaisa Newberg ’22 provides a towering defense against Bowdoin College on Sept. 8, 2018.

Brandeis goes 1–2 in UAA competition ■ The Brandeis volleyball team hosted the first of three University Athletic Association matches.

By MEGAN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

This past weekend, the Brandeis volleyball team hosted the first of three University Athletic Association Round Robin matches. The schools in the Round Robin were the #2 ranked Emory University Eagles, the #12 ranked Carnegie Mellon Tartans and the unranked University of Rochester Yellowjackets.

The Judges’ opening match on Sept. 21 was against the Emory University Eagles, the defending national champions. The Judges were no match for the Eagles who easily defeated them with set scores of 25–12, 25–12, 25–17. This was the Judges first University Athletic Association competition of the season.

The Eagles jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back, walking all over the Judges in the first and second sets. In the third set, the Judges tied the Eagles at 4–4 for a short time and even took

the lead at one point. However, the Eagles answered back, and from this point, dominated the set.

Emma Bartlett ’20 led the Judges offensively with eight kills, three digs and five block assists for 10.5 points. Belle Scott ’21 had six kills, one dig, Marissa Borgert ’21 had 13 assists and Kaitlyn Oh ’22 had 13 digs. As a team, the Judges had a hitting percentage of -.040, six blocks, 24 digs and one ace.

In the Judges’ second match of the day, the Carnegie Mellon Tartans took the match 1–3 with set scores of 17–25, 25–15, 25-11, 25–19. This was the Judges second UAA competitor and second loss of the season.

The Judges took control early on in the first set, and though the Tartans were able to come back briefly and tie the set at 10–10, the Judges responded back, taking the led, which they never relinquished, winning the set 25– 17. Amelia Oppenheimer ’23 had five kills and Scott had four to led the Judges. The Judges had a total of 12 kills and only three errors in 35 attacks. However, in the next two sets, the Tartans regrouped from their loss and took control, winning each set convincingly.

The fourth set was completely different with the two teams

trading points back and forth until Bartlett went on a service run and the Judges scored four points in a row. In order to stop the Judges momentum, the Tartans called a timeout and then came back to with 5–0 run. The score was now 16–14 and the Tartans managed to hold off the Judges and win 25–19. Overall in the match, Oppenheimer had a career-best .229 hitting percentage, careerhigh match of 14 kills with only six errors in 35 attempts. Oh had 19 digs, Borgert had 33 assists and two aces and Bartlett and Scott each had nine kills. As a team the Judges had a hitting percentage of .105, 5 blocks, 49 digs and five aces.

On Sept. 22 the Judges met their final opponent in the first UAA Round Robin competition. The games were tight, bouncing back and forth. Finally, at the end of the fourth set, with the score tied 2–2, the Judges were able to defeat the Yellowjackets in the fifth set by a score of 15-8. The success of the Judges was an all-around team effort.

The Judges are now 3–10 for the season and 1–2 in the UAA. They will be hosting Roger Williams University on Friday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SOCCER

Recent games result in a tie for the men and one win and one loss for the women Women’s team The Brandeis women’s soccer team lost on Sept. 17 to the Tufts University Jumbos by a score of 2–0 at Gordon Field, after struggling to create scoring chances up front. The Jumbos’ goals came exactly 45:00 apart in the 37th and 82nd minutes from Sophie Lloyd ’21 and Liz Reed ’21. Outshot 18 to 11, and nine to four in efforts on target, Brandeis was still in the game until the Jumbos put the game out of reach eight minutes from time.

After a fairly even opening half hour with a few chances at both ends, Lloyd fired the 18th ranked Jumbos into the lead from the top of the 18 yard box after being picked out nicely by Reed. The Judges had some runs going forward,

mostly through Juliette Carreiro ’22, but despite a number of half chances and crosses in front of goal, never came notably close to equalizing.

They were still pushing until Lloyd turned provider and Reed’s shot was reached by Richardson, only for the ball to clatter off the inside of the post and into the net. Before that, the Judges had an injury scare in the second half of the game when Carreiro came off second best in a head-to-head collision, but was able to return to the game despite spending a while on the turf. Overall, it was a fair result, as some determined defending from the now number #13 Division III ranked Jumbos who kept the Judges’ attack at bay all afternoon.

Brandeis got back to their winning ways on Sept. 21 at the weekend away to the Lasell University Lasers, thanks largely to a brace by Makenna Hunt ’22. The Judges outshot the host Lasers 19–9 and were two goals to the good in the 9th minute of play after Hunt’s 8th minute opener was succeeded by a finish from Daria Bakhtiari ’21 48 seconds later. Ruby Siegel ’23 scored from the corner of Caroline Swan ’23 just after the break, and Hunt concluded the rout with an impressive finish in the 66th.

Brandeis is back in action at home on Gordon Field on Sept. 24 against the Wellesley College Blue as they look to build on an encouraging 5–2–0 start to the season.

Men’s team Honors were even at Western New England University Golden Bears after a thrilling encounter that saw six balls cross the goal line but only four count for goals. Shots were 16–14 in favor of the Judges while both sides managed seven attempts on frame. The Golden Bears, entering the match at 5–1–0,opened the scoring from the spot in the 10th minute, only for the Judges to turn it all the way around before halftime. Jared Panson ’22 scored his second consecutive goal for the Judges from Michael Burch ’22 in the 20th while Adam Kulick ’23 pounced on Panson’s rebound two minutes later to open

his Brandeis account. The hosts equalized from a set piece on the hour mark and that would be all the scoring for regulation time.

In the first period of overtime, the Judges had a goal chalked off for offside, one of eight occasions on which they found themselves in such a position, before the Golden Bears had one of their own ruled out for handball. Brandeis, now 3–2–2 on the season, plays next away against the Wheaton College Lyons on Tuesday before concluding their four match run of road fixtures next weekend against the Mitchell College Mariners.

⁠— Jonah White

just Sports Page 16

BRANDEIS SOCCER'S ROUGH SEASON Brandeis women’s soccer wins one of two games while the men tie their only match, p. 15.

Waltham, Mass.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

PRO SPORTS

READY, AIM, FIRE

U.S. team must up their game ■ The 2019 FIBA World Cup team was without a doubt the least talented team the US has ever fielded for any basketball event.

By JONATHAN SOCHACZEVSKI JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

United States basketball. The phrase brings imagery of some of the most amazing collections of talent the world has ever seen.

Amazing teams such as the Dream Team of 1992, where Magic Johnson came out of retirement to join arguably the greatest collection of talent ever assembled with Team USA basketball looking forward with 11 of 12 players and three of the four coaches eventually being added to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The redeem team of 2008 where Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul dominated every match en route to a “competitive” 11 point win against Spain — their closest game all tournament — earned redemption for their previous bronze medal finish.

The 2019 FIBA World Cup team was without a doubt the least talented team the US has ever fielded for any basketball event since NBA players were allowed to join international play. The United States’ seventh place finish was the worst in USA basketball history; they were defeated by Team France in the quarter finals and Team Serbia in the consolation bracket. Both of these teams featured only four NBA players, whereas Team USA featured an NBA player at every spot.

What went wrong? Everyone dropped out. James Harden,

Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, CJ McCollum, Tobias Harris, Kevin Love, Eric Gordon, Paul Millsap, Andre Drummond and Zion Williamson all dropped out. Kyle Kuzma, Marvin Bagley, Bam Adebayo and many more players were added late and still dropped out. DeMar DeRozen’s head coach in the NBA, the legendary Gregg Poppovich, was the Team USA coach and he also dropped out. The last player to drop out, Kyle Kuzma, came to Australia with Team USA, played in their games and looked like an integral cog, then dropped out because of an ankle injury. The lack of continuity Team USA faced for FIBA competition made it a lot harder for them to compete with teams such as France, Serbia and other non-American teams that have been playing together every single summer since those players were 14 to 16 years old. Team USA couldn’t even have the same team for a week before the tournament. I understand what Pop was trying to do by taking so many of the Celtic players — he was trying to build up on their chemistry instead of starting from complete scratch.

Now I know what you, the reader, might be saying: “It’s Team USA; they’ll still have LeBron and KD, they will come and win the Olympics, who even cares about FIBA.” If Team USA can’t win their FIBA games, they might not make the Olympics.

This is a problem. Team USA snuck into the Olympics because of their geographical location, as the Americas get two team bids for the two highest team finishes in the Americas region. If Team USA continues to fail to send players to the FIBA World Cup, we could

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CROSS COUNTRY

Judges attend second meet of the season ■ The men's and women's

teams placed seventh and 13th, respectively.

By JEN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

The Brandeis Cross Country team faced off against other universities at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 21.

Present at the meet were schools Suffolk College, Assumption College, Bridgewater State University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Regis College, among others. This was the Judges’ second meet of the season for both the men and women. Last we saw the teams, they recognized the shoes they had to fill with the graduation of Emily Bryson ’19 and Julia Bryson ’19.

Here, the Judges continued to step up to the plate and push to be the best they can be.

The Brandeis women placed 13th in the meet and 10th amongst the DIII colleges. One race the Judges took part in was the women’s fivekilometer run, where the women had a strong showing, but failed

to place in the top 10. Suffolk’s Emily Manfra placed first with a time of 17:51.72, and it took just over an additional minute before a Brandeis runner placed. Erin Magill ’22 placed 13th in the race with a time of 18:54.59 and the next Brandeis runner did not finish for another minute and a half, as Bridget Goddeeris ’23 placed 68th.

The number of runners who placed in between Magill and Goddeeris proved that it was clearly a very tight race. Afterwards, Hannah Walsh ’22 placed 98th with a time of 20:47.33. No other Brandeis runner placed in the top 100 out of 263 in the race.

For the men, the Judges placed seventh as a team in the meet and fourth among the DIII colleges.

One of their events was the fivemile run. Mark Murdy ’21 was the top finisher for the Judges in this race placing eighth with at time of 25:30.21. This was less than a minute after the first place finisher, Trinity College’s Weyessa McAlister. Overall, the men placed a substantial number in the top 100 finishers in this race. It was not long before Matthew Driben

See XC, 13 ☛

Photo Courtousy of BRANDEIS ARCHERY CLUB

LET IT FLY: Brandeis archery secretary Arlyss Milne '22 draws back her bow and aims for the bullseye in a match last year.

Brandeis archery soars into semester ■ The archery team brings a

welcoming environment for anyone who wants to join, and there is no minimum level of commitment.

By MEGAN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

The Brandeis team is growing and getting more successful every season. Many aspects of popular culture have contributed to the increase in the popularity of the sport, including movie hits such as “Robin Hood,” “The Archer,” Tomb Raider,” “Wonder Woman,” “The Avengers,” “The Hunger Games,” “Kubo and the Two Strings” and Disney’s “Brave.” The Brandeis Archery Club team has continued to increase its membership yearly.

Welcoming atmosphere One aspect of the archery club is that they are welcoming to all members, regardless of their skill set in the sport. "No experience necessary" is what team members tell new prospects, and most of their members had no meaningful experience prior to signing up at the Involvement Fair. As Captain Wes Baker ’20 said, “Anyone who wants to join is able to show up to club practices where members from the team provide instruction and equipment to use completely free of charge.” Club practices

are on Tuesday and Thursday from 6-8 p.m. and Sunday from 4-6 p.m. and the competition team practices on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 6-8 p.m. During the indoor season, practices are in Multipurpose Room of the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center.

Once the outdoor season starts, the practice times change slightly and they use the club sports field for longer distance shooting. What is important for prospective club members and present club members to know is that they can practice as little or as much as they want⁠— no minimum level of commitment is necessary when being a club member. However, when a member obtains more experiance and when they are able to shoot a qualifying score, they are invited to join the competition team. Accepting the membership to the competition team is again entirely voluntary, but more serious members have this as their first goal.

The team Member of the competition team, members have more commitment responsibilities. They are required to be present at every competition practice, which are the two hours following club team practices, and to begin looking into purchasing their own equipment. As a side note, the club does have relationships with large retailers, so equipment can be bought at a discount. Having your own equipment is necessary for tournaments. For the 2019-

2020 season, there are 30 club members, including five graduate students and approximately nine competition members.

The archery club’s coach, E.G. LeBre is a major reason that we are able to exist as a club sport according to Baker. LeBre has been in the worldwide archery community for decades. He is one of the coaches of the U.S. Paralympic Archery Team and was one of the coaches for the U.S. Archery Team at the World University Games that took place recently in Italy, where Lebre received the 2018 National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award.

Bonding Outside of the practices the team holds several bonding events from movies nights to an occasional party. Also, bonding occurs on long van rides and at hotels for competitions. Members eat together and generally hang out between events, encouraging each other before their next competition and sometimes just goofing around.

Competitions This year, the Archery team’s first tournament of the season is in Fall River, MA, for "The BOO" shoot at Buckley Family Archery on Oct. 12. In total, the team expects to compete in at least three tournaments this semester. Next semester, Brandeis will host a tournament on March 14, called the

See ARCHERY, 13

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September 24, 2019

Vol. LXXII #4 Vol. LXX #2

September 12, 2017

just

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Stein Night Waltham, Mass.

Images: Noah Zeitlin/the Justice. Design: Sarah Katz /the Justice.

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TUESDAY, THE JUSTICE SEPTEMBER | ARTS24,| TUESDAY, 2019 I ARTS JANUARY & CULTURE 31, 2017 I THE JUSTICE

FILM REVIEW

Film critic apologizes for underestimating Jennifer Lopez

By MENDEL WEINTRAUB JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

When “Hustlers” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 7, it seemed to have one thing working in its favor: Jennifer Lopez. Otherwise, the film’s path to release was a murky one: it was dropped by original financer, Annapurna, right before production began; it had a packed, eight-week production schedule and there were rumors of a behindthe-scenes feud between stars Constance Wu and Lopez; all that added to the fact that a movie about strippers doesn’t exactly invite high expectations. And yet, against all odds, “Hustlers” has exceeded all expectations, currently sitting at a 79 on Metacritic and holding a score

opening for a female-directed film since “Wonder Woman.”

So, why all the rage for a movie about strippers?

Put simply, “Hustlers,” which is based on the 2014 New York Magazine article “The Hustlers at Scores,” is not a stripper movie.

The film’s director and writer, Lorene Scafaria, cleverly made a film about the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis under the guise of a “stripper movie”.

Yes, the characters at the center of the story are all strippers, but Scafaria’s lens is about exploring a world that pushes women into the profession.

When we first meet Wu’s Destiny, the film’s main character (circa 2007), she has started stripping to support her aging grandmother.

But, contrary to popular belief,

Photo Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

PLEASANT SURPRISE: Even though she is a popular entertainment figure, few people expected a prize-worthy performance from Jennifer Lopez. They were proven wrong. of 88 percent on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. When the film opened last week, it shattered all early projections and raked in a whopping $33.2 million, becoming J-Lo’s highest live-action opening of her career, and the biggest

stripping is not a quick-cash job: Destiny loses most of her earnings to payments she has to make to her club’s deejays and security guards.

When the stock market crashes in 2008, her situation only devolves into further financial shambles;

Destiny struggles to make ends meet on her own and her stripping venue has a significantly smaller clientele. Destiny’s plight feeds into to her fascination with Lopez’s Ramona, one of the club’s most indemand performers. After seeing Ramona do an elaborate pole dance, Destiny pursues Ramona in the hopes of learning the ropes. The maternal Ramona is quick to take Destiny under her wing, inviting her to share a mink coat with the timeless line, “come inside my fur.”

However, Ramona’s kind gesture quickly evolves into a moneymaking scheme, in which Ramona, Destiny and a colorful, merry band of fellow strippers begin to drug their powerful Wall Street clients and ring up large sums on their credit cards.

Once the film delves into the criminal aspects of its plot, it puts itself at risk of making its characters wholly unsympathetic.

Scafaria manages to avoid this by exposing the sleazy behavior of the hustlers’ victims. Indeed, they are men who have been drugged and robbed, but the same men experiencing such a fate have, for example, referred to Destiny, who is Asian American, as “Lucy Liu.” Without legitimizing their criminal actions, Scafaria makes the circumstances that lead Destiny down her dark path understandable.

Among Scafaria’s more interesting choices is the music that plays over the movie. Rather than predictably resorting to poppy music that would play in clubs, Scafaria includes multiple classical pieces to accompany the story. It is a small aspect of the film that makes it stand out, as it perfectly complements the operatic tone of the story.

“Hustlers” also benefits from not overutilizing its cast. Appearances

Photo Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Instead of taking on more comedic characters that audiences are familiar with from her, Constance Wu chose to pick up a challenging role.

by Cardi B and Lizzo are brief but memorable, while more significant supporting turns from Keke Palmer and Lili Reinhart diversify the age spectrum of the ensemble.

However, the film’s biggest asset is still Lopez’s confident performance, which is no doubt her best. She brings a singular air of sexiness and control to Ramona that makes it impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Scafaria’s script certainly helps, as it gives its characters comprehensible motivations for their serious crime, while completely transcending

the lunacy of its premise. Wu is serviceable as Destiny, though she is far outshined by Lopez. She really is that good; so much so that I feel the need to end this review, not on a complimentary note to “Hustlers” — which is 100% worth the price of admission, by the way — but on a personal apology to Jennifer Lopez.

To Ms. Lopez: I am sorry for underestimating you, in spite of my long-standing consciousness of your talent. May you win an Academy Award for your performance in “Hustlers.”

MUSIC

Excuse me, do you have a moment for jazz?

By SHOSHI FINKEL JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Have you ever walked through the OlinSang American Civilization Center and the Mandel Center for the Humanities and heard music carrying through the halls? It could be coming from your own AirPods, or it could be a concert in the “Music at Mandel” series — free concerts for the Brandeis community that occur seven times each school year.

This past Wednesday saw (or heard?) the first “Music at Mandel” concert of the semester.

“Jazz in the Afternoon” was performed by acclaimed jazz musicians Bob Nieske and Billy Novick in the Mandel Atrium. You may know Nieske as the professor who leads the Brandeis Jazz Ensemble, but he has also been performing interpretations of American jazz standards

with friend and fellow musician Novick in local joints for over ten years. Their set this week included mostly songs from the Great American Songbook, the canon of notable and influential jazz and pop standards of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. I didn’t know most of the songs by name, but found myself humming or tapping along to many familiar melodies found within them. Novick mentioned to the audience that he used to think their listeners would find it strange to hear jazz songs on just an upright bass and clarinet, without an instrument that relies on chords like a guitar. Now, he says, he hears their renditions as “true counterpoint,” referring to the Renaissance musical tradition of two voices in harmony, from which much of modern classical and jazz music has evolved.

The musicians also told the audience that they love the freedom with which they can build off

familiar tunes and improvise when there are only two of them onstage.

I enjoyed the familiarity of the American tunes from composers like Richard Rogers and Irving Berlin. Halfway through the set though, the duo played a more modern Italian jazz tune, “Estate.” This song was made famous worldwide by the Brazillian jazz tradition of Bossa nova in the 1960s, and it had a more modern, moodier feel than the older, traditional jazz songs played at the concert. The set also included a few musical theater standards, such as “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face” from “My Fair Lady.”

It was a delight to be able to drop everything on a Wednesday afternoon, when I would normally be grabbing food in Sherman or “studying” in the library, to listen to talented and knowledgeable musicians for 45 minutes.

Stopping to hear some jazz brought me a little stretch of peace and enjoyment in the middle of a hectic weekday. Plus, there was a free lunch.

I was surprised to see very few other Brandeis students present in the audience. The rows of chairs set up in Mandel Atrium were full, but almost entirely with older folks from the surrounding community. A van parked out front on Loop Road seemed to have shuttled some audience members from a local nursing home. I spoke to Debra Rosenstein from the Brandeis Music Department, who helps organize the “Music at Mandel” concert series.

She hopes that students will take advantage of the concerts happening on campus, many of which are free to Brandeis students. I couldn’t agree more. The next “Music in Mandel” concert will be on Oct. 3, featuring the Lydian String Quartet.

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

DUO FOR A DECADE: The duo musicians have been performing together for over a decade.

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

JAZZ ACROSS TIME: From classic pieces to modern songs, the audiences got to enjoy the history of jazz in one session.

Design: Sara Fulton/the Justice

THE JUSTICE I ARTS & CULTURE I TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

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ROSE ART MUSEUM

A conversation with Jessamyn Fiore Photos by VERA SHANG/the Justice

MUSEUM NEXT DOOR: Gordon Matta-Clark believed in spaces’ ability to bring people together, just like what the Rose Art Museum did last weekend with the celebration of its fall exhibitions opening.

REBEL AGAINST TRADITION: When the mainstream art shows refused to show his photos of graffiti, Gordon MattaClark opened his own show. He was one of the first artists to recognize graffiti as a form of art.

DECONSTRUCTION: One of his grandest projects was to remove a part of the wall of an abandoned factory, to make it a “sunand-water-temple.“

CONTINUED FROM 20 JF: Also when they were renovating it, he did one of his very first cuttings, where he removed part of the wall to expose the counter. And then he showed that cutting with a photograph of it in his first exhibition at 112 Green Street alongside the Bronx floors. So he really treated FOOD restaurant as it was a business; it was a place to eat, but it was another extension of his art practice.

And in general, even before FOOD restaurant, he used food in his art. So he did a piece underneath the Brooklyn Bridge called Garbage Wall that we have a film here [at the exhibition]. The film is called “Fire Child.”

He was invited by Alana Heiss, who went on to set up P.S.1, to do this site-specific project under the Brooklyn Bridge. At that time there was a very large homeless encampment there. So for the opening, he roasted a pig underneath the bridge to invite everyone, and to invite the people who live there and to invite the homeless people to come and eat, because he saw food as the great equalizer. So if you invite someone to come share food with you, you can bring people into an art experience, who might otherwise feel like they’re on the outside of that. It’s a way to invite them in and to begin a conversation, and to make them feel included. Gordon really wanted everyone to be able to participate in the art and have conversations about it and feel welcome to it. So food is a great way of doing that.

JAC: Something we see in a lot of Gordon’s art projects, from graffiti on the Berlin Wall to cutting off a part of a building in the middle of the city, is the openness towards the public. What is Gordon’s view on putting one’s self out in the public when creating art?

JF: He was definitely a proponent of it. He was in fact very interested in student movements at the time. In particular, there was a group when he was in Italy, a group of students that occupied I think a big factory building in Milan. … He loved what they were doing and you know, seeing them as young people trying to take control of their society and their state, and he offered to cut an Arc de Triomphe in the wall of the factory that they were occupying to show his support. But they were like, “Who are you? We are not interested in that at all, thank you.”

He wasn’t just saying, “I will go out and do these things and get this attention.” He was very interested in what other people were doing. So like with the graffiti — he wasn’t going out and making graffiti. He was taking photographs of the graffiti that was there, and then trying to show it to everyone else. He loves the idea of particular young people being involved, being empowered, making their mark, expressing their wants and expressing also what made them angry, like if they’re pissed off by the state. Again, like I said in the story, you also have to remember that the Vietnam War was going on then. There was a huge amount of protests that were happening. … I think if he was around today, and I hate playing that game, but I do think he would always have been supportive of young people making their work and having their voices heard, standing up for what they believe in, and making their mark and not to be afraid.

A lot of the gestures he made and projects he did are like he presents a question, or like he points out a problem, or an issue. He says, “Alright here’s my solution, possible solution, but what’s yours. Here’s my try but can you do better.” So in that way I think it’s very generous, and I think that’s why he’s had such a profound influence on younger artists, generation after generation. Because he’s not somebody who said, “You know I did this and this is the way it has to be done.” He’s someone who said, “Okay, I see this is a problem, this is a failure and the way of thinking about our space and how we relate to one another isn’t working. So I’m going to propose a different way we can look at this.” But maybe you could do that, and you can make it better, and you can take that same idea and do something else with it. … It’s more of a conversation rather than just saying, “Well here’s what I think and that’s that.”

JAC: In America, there are cities that are two hundred years old. In other places like Asia or Africa, some cities are only a few decades old. If Gordon Matta-Clark was alive today and were given a city to design, what would be the thing that he would incorporate into his blueprint?

FOOD AFTER ART, OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND: Hungry after seeing all the exhibitions? Delicious cookies and fruit punches are waiting for you outside of the museum.

JF: I think a lot of his projects and what he was trying to highlight or bring in was the people living in an urban environment; sometimes they just end up being put into boxes. They are given very limited space to call their own, and they are also given very limited interaction with the elements around them, like light, water, nature and neighbors. You know, he was very interested in the spaces in the city that weren’t being used or occupied, like the air or the underground. He was very interested in green spaces and how to create gardens, kind of before community gardens. He had all these proposals for what he would call Gorilla Gardens, where in the middle of the night, just show up to an empty lot and put a garden in there. Then people would wake up with this beautiful green space. Him and Robert Smithson did a proposal together for a project called “Floating Islands” on the Hudson, which they would take barges and plant gardens in them and have them sail around the island for people to be able to experience these parts floating on the water.

I think that’s the general thrust about architecture, in particular the kind of high modernist architecture, is like, “How do we create these places to live that is stripped back to the essentials?” And I think Gordon was more concerned with “No. Architecture is every element of where you are in relation to the water and the air and the light and the greenery. How do you move throughout your day? What are the different spaces that you occupied or could occupy? And also how do you transform your own space?

The importance of people having the ability and the power to be able to do that. So I think if he was placed in a city, and a city that is being newly built, I think that these would be the kind of questions he would be asking: ... How does one in daily life move through an urban space and what are the potentialities? How can we transform that space so that you can interact with and access these essential qualities of living?

— Luke Liu

Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

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THE JUSTICE I ARTS & CULTURE I TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

INTERVIEW

JUSTARTS SPOTLIGHT ON THE ROSE

By BRITTNEY NANTON JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITTER

This fall, the Rose Art Museum has a new exhibit called Into Form. Bringing together a large variety of different pieces, including works done on paper, sculptures and videos, Into Form creates an interesting dynamic between geometric and abstract works which makes walking around the museum an interesting experience.

When I toured the exhibit, I couldn’t help but find myself in awe of all of the pieces of art. One piece in particular that caught my eye was Leon Polk Smith’s 1965 piece “Torn Drawings.”

At first glance, I didn’t think much of the piece until I took a step closer to capture the details of his work. The wrinkled edges of the paper, the white that seemed to pour itself between the paper, all breathed more life into an otherwise basic background.

Almost eighty years ago today, a famous American artist by the name of Leon Polk Smith discovered the art of deconstruction — the artist had torn apart pieces of paper and then placed them back together to create something beautiful. Smith himself had stumbled upon the beauty of tearing apart paper by accident. Inspired by the interesting break in color, he began to incorporate deconstruction of paper into his art. One of the things I started to think more about when viewing this piece was the ways in which Smith tore the paper apart. I can imagine the gentle hand that he must have used, letting the paper glide naturally as if to let the art create itself.

If you were to ask me why this piece, out of all the other ones, reached out to me the most, I probably wouldn’t have a clear answer. Could it be the simplicity of it all?

Or maybe I was drawn to the contrast between the bright colors and the white lines, all varying in different sides, that broke the once unified color apart? I’m still trying to find a concrete answer. All I know for sure is that “Torn Drawings” is an interesting piece of work that’ll also leave you with an endless list of questions.

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Jessamyn Fiore Photo Courtesy of JESSAMYN FIORE

Smith, Leon Polk, “Torn Drawings”. 1961. Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

SARAH KATZ/the Justice

“I sing in the shower a lot. People in my hall hate me.”

JustArts&Culture: Why don’t we start with something nice, the artistrun resturant FOOD. I recently read an article about restaurants in San Francisco having a hard time because of the rising rent. What’s the idea behind this restaurant, where artists make food for themselves?

VICENTE CAYUELA/the Justice

SUDOKU

Sarah Katz/the Justice

By Samantha Goldman JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

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Jessamyn Fiore: Just to give a little bit of background on it, FOOD restaurant opened in the fall of 1971, but a year before in the fall of 1970, this alternative art space called 112 Green Street opened. This was the first independent art space in SOHO. It wasn’t a prestigeous white cute gallery. It was still rough. It had been a former rag picking business. Gordon Matta-Clark and his friends Jeffree Lew started this and invited all these artists to make site-specific sculptures, to do dance performances, music performances, all kinds of things. And that was a reflection of this kind of interdisciplinary community that was hanging out then.

But like I mentioned, [in SOHO] there weren’t a lot of restaurants.

There weren’t a lot of places to go out to. And with FOOD, basically the artists themselves decided to open this restaurant. So the idea behind it was yes, it was a restaurant, but it was a place that if you needed a good meal that was cheap, you could eat there. Or if you needed a job, you can work there.

And there’s a lot of artists that when they first arrived in New York City, were told “Go to FOOD Restaurant.

They’ll give you a job and you can meet people.” So it really became this kind of extension of this art world. They also did something that was very different than your traditional restaurants, where on Sundays they would have special meals and a lot of times they would be food performances. So it’s saying like this is a restaurant but we’re also going to make it another creative venue and do experiments with food.

So Gordon, for example, did a meal called Matta Bones, for everything that he made in the meal was on the bone he would have everybody eat and then he would take the leftover bones, clean them, drill a hole through it and put it on a string so you could wear them home like a necklace.

JAC: I also read that this is one of the first places in New York that served sushi.

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This week, justArts&Culture spoke with Jessamyn Fiore, who was the co-director of the Matta Clark Estate.

She co-hosted the “Anarchitect: A Conversation on Gordon Matta-Clark” on Saturday. Gordon Matta-Clark is a New York artist who famously produced a series of architecture projects that remove parts of the buildings and explore the idea of space in an urban context. The exhibition displays collections of prints, photos and films created by him, displayed at the Rose Art Museum.

Courtesy of OPENSKY SUDOKU GENERATOR

Courtesy of OPENSKY SUDOKU GENERATOR

JF: That’s exactly it as well. Because for these special meals, they would also invite in chefs to serve sushi.

[It] also had Vietnamese cooking, as well as part of a film event they were doing about the Vietnam War and so on. So it was this place of exotic and experimental cuisine, and it was a meeting place. But for Gordon it wasn’t just a business. It became a kind of artwork too. He took photographs of it. He made a film that’s a sort of a day in the life of the restaurant, beginning at the fish market, buying the fish for the day. And then going and opening it up and see the cooking, and then you see the patrons. And then it ends with all the friends hanging out around the table, talking and joking. And it really gives you the flavor of this restaurant.

See ROSE, 19 ☛