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Justice www.thejustice.org
The Independent Student Newspaper Volume LXXII, Number 18
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B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
jumpstart the University’s ‘‘strategic vision’’ for the future. By EMILY BLUMENTHAL JUSTICE EDITOR
The Brandeis Board of Trustees has approved the Framework for the Future, University President Ron Liebowitz announced in an email to the community on Feb. 18, cementing the plan’s “strategic vision for Brandeis” with changes to residence hall communities, building renovations and academic programs. The Framework, which has been in the works for 16 months, seeks to “chart the future of our university” as it grapples with its founding social justice identity and connectivity within and between academic programs, and student life on the Brandeis campus. Before the plan was approved in January, the Board listened to presentations by members of the Framework’s 11 task forces and gave each feedback. The Board’s main concern, Liebowitz said in a joint interview with the Justice and The Brandeis
Hoot on Wednesday, was how to fund the initiatives. “Their concern really is how we’re gonna fund this, and whether or not it retains what makes Brandeis, Brandeis. And I like to say that this plan, you know, makes Brandeis more like Brandeis,” Liebowitz said. The approval of the Framework comes at the same time as the University prepares for its upcoming capital campaign, a fundraising initiative which will eventually finance 10 of the projects described in the report. The University has been using its Springboard funding to prepare for this campaign, along with heightened spending of endowment funds. The University’s policy is to use 5% of its endowment each year, but it has allowed itself to overspend with the implementation of Springboard. This year, it will spend 5.5% of its endowment. Several of the Framework’s projects that will be financed by this spending are part of a larger proposed plan within the Framework of moving towards a residential college model, similar to that at Yale University, Harvard University and Rice University. The focus would be on
Waltham, Mass.
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE
Board of Trustees approves Framework for the Future ■ The plan’s approval will
Waltham, Mass.
VERA SHANG/the Justice
CLIMATE ACTION PLAN: At an open forum last Monday, community members discussed the University's responsibility in the face of the climate crisis and brainstormed ways that the University could become more sustainable.
Working group talks sustainability Union and PARC roll out with Brandeis students and faculty See FRAMEWORK, 7 ☛
HEALTH AND SAFETY
SipChip drug test kits ■ The SipChip devices
will be able to test for six common date-rape drugs in cold beverages. By JEN CRYSTAL JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
SipChips, devices that test for date rape drugs, will be available to students at no cost from March 4–11. Brandeis will be the first school to have these devices available at an institutional capacity, according to organizers Ricki Levitus ’20, Director of the Prevention, Advocacy, & Resource Center Sarah Berg and Student Union President Simran Tatuskar ’21. SipChips are single-use "date-rape" drug testing devices. Currently, SipChips test for Flunitrazepam (“Roofies”), Alprazolam (Xanax), Diazepam (Valium), Midazolam (Versed), Oxazepam (Serax) and Temazepam (Restoril), according to the PARC website. They can test any cold beverage — alcoholic and non-alcoholic. All SipChips are recyclable, and Brandeisissued devices in their package will expire in March 2021. Devices out of their packaging are usable for 90 days before they should be discarded. Users should put one drop of their drink on the device, and in 30 seconds, one
or two lines will appear on the device; two lines means that a drug has been detected. The devices are 99.3% accurate and will only give false positives, Tatuskar said. Levitus started this project after seeing a social media post from the SipChip company, Undercover Colors, asking how they could better market their product. She started a conversation with their director of marketing and suggested they market to college campuses, leading her to reach out to PARC. They originally planned to fundraise $500, and they contacted the Union for its buy-in. “Realizing that it was something that affects all students, I looked through Union resources,” Tatuskar said, which led her to petition to get funding from the Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund for the project. The CEEF board allotted $7,000 of their $150,000 emergency funds to the SipChip initiative, fully funding it. Funding for this project is “nuanced,” Tatuskar said. “Theoretically, the Union can continue to fund this; it does, however, depend on who the next Union president is, the CEEF board and how they choose to vote on it,” she said. Tatuskar explained that CEEF emergency funding will always be available as an option, but funding after this year is not guaranteed.
See SIPCHIP, 7 ☛
■ The Community
Engagement group discussed the current climate situation and plans for the future. By HANNAH TAYLOR JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The Community Engagement Working Group of the President’s Task Force on Campus Sustainability hosted a community forum about climate change last Monday with the goal of garnering the recommendations and opinions of both students and faculty on sustainability at Brandeis, and providing context of the University’s current situation. Currently, Brandeis is in the process of renewing its Climate Action Plan, which was last updated in 2015. In reference to this latest version, the Manager of Sustainability Programs on Campus Mary Fischer said, “It doesn’t quite go deep enough and we didn’t quite hit our goals.” She said the hope is that the renewed Climate Action Plan will “go deeper” and “talk about the bigger question of ‘what Brandeis should be doing in the face of this climate crisis.’” The task force will be including the community's ideas from the forum in its recommendations to the administration in order to better revise the plan. Before opening the forum up to discussion, Fischer explained the breakdown of the University’s car-
bon footprint from the past year. About 70% of carbon use, she said, comes from the electricity and natural gas used in campus buildings, along with smaller amounts of gas used in campus vehicles and oil. Other notable sources of carbon use –– about 28.2% in total –– are commutes, solid waste, paper products and food. Focusing on food, which takes up at least 7% of the total carbon footprint, Fischer said that the carbon footprint of the major food categories Sodexo purchased in the 20172018 school year was 2,540 tonnes, with a physical weight of 361 tonnes. About half of this carbon footprint was due to beef alone. “It’s just an interesting way to think about what we actually purchase and consume and what the footprint of that is,” she said. To guide the discussion, Fischer proposed a few questions: “What should Brandeis’ role and responsibility be in the face of the climate crisis?”; “What do you see as within Brandeis’ power to do to act on climate change and climate justice”; and “What recommendations would you make to the president and the administration about climate change and climate justice?” Prof. Ben Gomes-Casseres (IBS) answered, saying, “To me it’s about our core mission, which is education.” He explained that because climate change affects everyone, the International Business School is including references to climate change in many of its courses, even
See FORUM, 7 ☛
Hey, Beautiful!
My Home, Formosa
Claims about ceiling cave-in found to be false
The Justice spoke to the organizers of the new Brandeis Body Positive program.
Last weekend, TSA hosted its annual culture show.
By EMILY BLUMENTHAL
By VICKY WANG
NEWS 3
The screw up at the DNC By REENA ZUCKERMAN
By SOFIA GONZALEZ
NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice
opening some up to the campus community to celebrate Brandeis’ Climate Change Week, which will occur from March 30 to April 3. Every discipline should be dealing with climate change and empowering students “to do something about it using the skills [they] came here to learn,” Gomes-Casseres said. “I think Brandeis’ role is basically to have that infuse in our learning and our teaching.” Prof. James Ji (ENVS, ECON), a Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Environmental Economics, answered next, saying that Brandeis should be researching more and “pushing the frontiers of what we know about climate change.” He also further emphasized the impact of climate change, explaining that it affects everything from emergency rooms to test scores. Ji said that the Brandeis community has a “social responsibility” when it comes to the climate crisis. “We have a role to play, either by knowing our own carbon footprint or by pushing for changes around the area, whether its policy changes, activism or other types of changes. We can do this,” he said. Prof. Sabine von Mering (GRALL, WGS, ENVS) asked the audience for ideas to improve sustainability. One audience member emphasized the importance of education on climate change. “Why we have gone through two major transformations of the curriculum in the last twelve years and
FORUM 11
12 Fencers awarded UAA recognition
FEATURES 8 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org
EMILY BLUMENTHAL/the Justice
Make your voice heard! Submit letters to the editor to letters@thejustice.org
ARTS 18
By MEGAN GELLER
COPYRIGHT 2020 FREE AT BRANDEIS.
SPORTS 16
2
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
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NEWS
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THE JUSTICE
NEWS POLICE LOG
WALTHAM BRIEF Waltham Public Schools announce new superintendant The new superintendent of the Waltham Public Schools will be Dr. Brian Reagan of Wilmington Public Schools, according to a Feb. 28 Waltham Wicked Local article. The School Committee voted unanimously for Dr. Reagan, whose intended start date is July 1. Dr. Reagan is currently the assistant superintendent for Wilmington Public Schools, according to the article. It also mentioned that he is a graduate of the Waltham School District, having graduated from Waltham High School in 1990. Waltham has been without a permanent superintendent since Nov. 2018, when the former superintendent of four years, Drew Echelson, announced his resignation, according to a Nov. 7, 2018 Waltham Patch article. It was later reported by a Nov. 8, 2018 Waltham Patch article that Echelson had stepped down in order to take a job at his alma mater, Harvard University. The interim superintendent is George Frost, according to an April 26, 2019 Waltham Patch article. The article also reported that Frost was previously the human resources administrator for the Waltham Public Schools. The search previously experienced a complication in November when one of the unannounced finalists unexpectedly withdrew their application, forcing the committee to adjust their timeline, according to a Nov. 22 Waltham Patch article. The search was then narrowed down to four finalists, including Frank Hackett, Brad Morgan and Sergio Paez, out of which Dr. Reagan was chosen, according to the Waltham Wicked Local article. The same article reported that, although Dr. Reagan will still need to honor his commitment to the Wilmington Public Schools, he will be in Waltham as much as possible over the following months. —Jason Frank
MEDICAL EMERGENCY Feb. 18 — In Ziv 127, a party reported stomach pain. University Police responded with Cataldo Ambulance staff who treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Feb. 24 — A party in the Mandel Center for the Humanities fell down the stairs. BEMCo staff treated the patient, and University Police transported the party to Urgent Care. Feb. 24 — BEMCo staff treated a party in Spingold Theater who was not feeling well and generally lightheaded with a signed refusal for further care. Feb. 25 — A party in Village C called BEMCo for a nosebleed. They were treated with a signed refusal for further care. Feb. 25 — At 60 Turner Street, a party had a seizure. BEMCo and University Police responded and the party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance for further care. Feb. 27 — A party in Ziv 130 reported suffering from hives. BEMCo staff treated the patient and Cataldo Ambulance transported the party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Feb. 27 — BEMCo treated a party with a knee laceration in the Humanities Quad with a signed refusal for further care. Feb. 28 — In Gordon Hall, BEMCo responded to a party who was intoxicated. Cataldo Ambulance transported the patient to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. The Area Coordinator on call was notified and a Community Standards Report was filed. Feb. 29 — A caller in Cable Hall stated that a party was intoxicated and vomiting. BEMCo and University Police arrived on the scene. Cataldo Ambulance transported the party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. The Area Coordinator on call was notified and a Community Standards Report was filed. Feb. 29 — A party came to the University Police station complaining of a possible concussion while playing sports. BEMCo checked out the party and requested transportation. Cataldo Ambulance transported the party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.
The Area Coordinator on call was notified. Feb. 29 — At 567 South Street, a party reported not feeling well and BEMCo was called. Cataldo Ambulance transported the party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. The Area Coordinator on call was notified. March 1 — A non-student party in Rosenthal North was intoxicated. BEMCo staff responded and the party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. March 1 — In Village A, a party was not feeling well. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. LARCENY Feb. 17 — A party in the Shapiro Campus Center reported items missing from an unlocked area since January. University Police compiled a report on the incident. Feb. 27 — In the Mandel Center for the Humanities, a staff member reported a missing purse from a common area. University Police compiled a report on the incident. Feb. 27 — A party in Kutz Hall reported a missing wallet. University Police compiled a report. The reporting party was advised the next day that the wallet was recovered. DISTURBANCE Feb. 17 — There was a report of loud music in the Charles River Apartments. University Police spoke to the residents who lowered the volume without incident. Feb. 19 — A party in the Charles River apartments contacted the University Police stating there was loud “heavy metal” playing. University Police spoke to the residents and advised them to lower their music which they did without incident. Police notified the Area Coordinator on call who followed up with the residents. Feb. 22 — Loud music was reported in the Charles River Apartments. Occupants were advised by University Police to lower their music without incident. Feb. 23 — A party in the Charles River Apartments reported that someone below her apartment was having a verbal altercation.
University Police compiled a report on the incident. Department of Community Living staff were on scene to assist. Feb. 25 — University Police responded to the Charles River Apartments for a noise complaint and spoke to the residents. Feb. 28 — Upon receiving a report for a noise complaint in Ridgewood C, University Police requested the Area Coordinator on call for assistance. No police action was taken. Feb. 29 — A noise complaint in the Charles River Apartment was reported. The Area Coordinator on call spoke with the individuals who registered the party. Feb. 29 — In Rosenthal North, there was a noise complaint on the fourth floor. University Police checked the area, but all was quiet upon arrival. Feb. 29 — A party reported a car playing loud music in the Charles River Apartments. University Police responded, but the vehicle had already departed the area. HARASSMENT Feb. 19 — A party in the Heller School of Social Policy and Management reported being harassed via phone messages from an unknown caller. University Police compiled a report on the incident. Feb. 26 — A community member off campus reported to the University Police of an incident of a possible peeping person. The Waltham Police are conducting further investigations. VANDALISM Feb. 24 — Graffiti was discovered in the lower level of Lown Center for Judaic Studies. University Police compiled a report on the incident and facilities staff were advised to remove it. DRUGS Feb. 24 — DCL staff confiscated drug paraphernalia from a party in Massell Quad. University Police took custody of the item and compiled a report. —Compiled by Jen Geller
SENATE LOG Senate announces amendment, discusses campus transportation
Image Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS
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The Senate met for its weekly meeting on Sunday, where it discussed an amendment to grant funding to exclusive clubs and brainstormed solutions for problems with campus transportation.
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
n An earlier version of a News article incorrectly implied that Elizabeth Nako made a statement, when she had declined to comment. It was corrected to remove this implication (February 11, Page 3). n Senate Log was ammended to correct the spelling of Trevor Filseth’s name (February 11, Page 2). n A Features article did not credit the graphics to Creative Commons (Feb. 11, Pg. 8). The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Send an email to editor@thejustice.org.
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The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Editor News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing Copy Graphic Design
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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY SENATE MONEY RESOLUTION
Period@Brandeis previously had a probationary club status, and the Club Support Committee voted to keep Period@Brandeis’ probationary status for another 12 weeks.
Social Justice and Diversity Committee Chair Priyata Bhatta ’22 introduced an SMR to buy a poster and postcards for an International Women’s Day tabling event. The Senate voted to suspend the rules, and voted by acclamation to pass the SMR.
EXECUTIVE OFFICER REPORTS
EXCLUSIVE CLUB CHARTERING AMENDMENT
CHARTERS AND DECHARTERS
@theJusticeNewspaper
post bins will be distributed on a sign-up basis.
The Lyft subsidy will be launching as soon as the Department of Student Activities signs the contract with the company, said Union Vice President Kendal Chapman ’22. The subsidy will apply to rides to and from campus, and will cover $5 off the original ride. Illanysh Rodriguez ’23, the unconfirmed director of outreach, resigned because “she had a lot on her plate,” Chapman reported.
COMMITTEE CHAIR REPORTS
Dining Committee Chair Nancy Zhai ’22 said that the committee would be tabling for Dining Employee Appreciation Day on Monday and Tuesday. The committee will table in Sherman Dining Hall on Monday and in Lower Usdan the following day. The presentations for the final four dining vendors in the running for the University’s new dining contract will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund Chair Krupa Sourirajan ’23 encouraged senators to promote SipChip, a chip designed to test for daterape drugs which she called “one of our most successful CEEF initiatives.” Health and Safety Committee Chair Leah Fernandez ’22 reported that free menstrual products will be distributed to bathrooms around campus within the next two weeks, and that she may apply for CEEF funding to cover future batches of these products. She will also be meeting with Vice Provost of Student Affairs Raymond Ou to discuss the Plan B machine. The machine ran out of Plan B and other products long ago, but there is a stockpile of Plan B waiting to be put in the machine that hasn’t been put in because the Union has been unable to schedule a meeting with Facilities Services. Senate Sustainability Committee Chair Oliver Price ’20 announced that the committee will be distributing compost bins to the Foster Mods. These com-
Club Support Committee Chair Joseph Coles ’22 introduced an amendment to allow funding for acapella and comedy groups that were previously denied funds because of their “exclusive nature” since these groups require prospective members to audition for roles. The funding would cover on-campus performances, for which the groups currently have to fundraise to hold. “Oftentimes when they’re performing, they’re performing at a loss,” Coles said. The funding would not cover offcampus performances or competitions because the Brandeis community would ostensibly not benefit from these performances. Several senators expressed concerns about the clubs’ abilities to pay for these off-campus competitions, to which Coles replied that the rationale behind this amendment was to “start small,” and eventually propose greater funding privileges for these clubs. The Senate tabled the resolution until next week’s meeting.
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TRANSPORTATION PROJECT
The Senate will be launching a project to improve transportation services on campus, including implementing improvements to the BranVan and the Market Basket and Boston/Cambridge shuttles. The Senate discussed the possibility of expanding hours for the Market Basket and Boston shuttles, putting reservation numbers on the Branda App and signage in Waltham for BranVan stops.
SENATOR REPORTS Sourirajan reported that the Area Coordinator for North Quad Josh Adlerman has stepped down and will be leaving within the week. She will be working with the Department of Community Living in the wake of Adlerman’s departure. —Emily Blumenthal and Jen Crystal
TBD/the Justice
Contact Emily Blumenthal at news@thejustice.org
THE JUSTICE
‘A JUST AND LIVEABLE FUTURE FOR ALL’
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NEWS
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TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
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BRIEF Senator reports ceiling cave-in, the Justice finds no evidence to support claims
NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice
DIVEST AT DEIS: University students and faculty rallied on Feb. 18 in part of the nationwide protest Fossil Fuel Divestment Day to encourage that universities divest from fossil fuel holdings. Over 50 campuses participated in this day of action.
Student activists rally for fossil fuel divestment at University
■ Brandeis students joined
activists at institutions across the country for Fossil Fuel Divestment Day. By LEEZA BARSTEIN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Brandeis Climate Justice participated in a Fossil Fuel Divestment Day rally in tandem with over 50 universities across the U.S. on Feb. 13. Both students and faculty spoke at the event, demanding that the University immediately divest from direct holdings in the fossil fuel industry and withdraw all indirect investments by 2022, according to a BCJ press release. BCJ member Zoë Pringle ’22 said in a Feb. 27 interview with the Justice that the rally was a way to make the group’s efforts visible to students, faculty and staff. “The Board of Trustees is very much aware of our presence, but if they know that the larger community cares about this, then they will maybe make the switch,” she said. Julia Plaisted ’23 of BCJ explained in a Feb. 27 interview with the Justice that Brandeis has invested an estimated $70 million in the fossil fuel industry. While the University announced last year that it would withdraw from all direct investments in the fossil fuel industry, Plaisted said its decision to keep indirect holdings is unacceptable. Indirect investments, she said, are extremely complicated and significantly harder to pull out from than direct holdings. Other than the Board of Trustees, no one knows how much money is funneled into
the fossil fuel industry. Plaisted explained that this lack of transparency “feels like the University is trying to hide something from its students. It’s our money, we should know what’s being done with it.” Seeing as the issue of climate change is bigger than just BCJ, Plaisted said that involving faculty and other student organizations was crucial. “Climate change affects every single walk of life, every single person,” she said. “Every single field of study is impacted and is going to be impacted by climate change.” Josh Benson ’23, a member of the Brandeis Leftist Union, formerly Brandeis for Bernie, was one of the student speakers at the rally. In a Feb. 28 interview with the Justice, Benson explained that when looking at issues like the U.S. military’s extensive contribution to pollution or the Brazilian government’s burning of the Amazon, the environment is very much a political issue. For his speech, Benson noted that discussing non-represented or historically marginalized voices is a means of addressing issues of climate justice that are often ignored. Acknowledging that we are on stolen land and that our country was built off slavery, he said, demonstrates that “climate injustices often intersect with issues of imperialism and capitalism.” In addition to Benson from the Brandeis Leftist Union, Brandeis student representatives from the Sunrise Movement and Dissenters spoke at the rally. Pringle added that including varied student perspectives was crucial to spreading the rally’s message to a wider audience. “Sometimes I over-
estimate that everyone has climate anxiety or that everyone feels this overwhelming urge to stop climate change,” Pringle said. Student speakers represented a movement of young people deeply invested in their future, Plaisted said, adding that the “people who spoke were so passionate … I don’t believe in the concept of a lazy teenager.” In addition to passionate students, according to Pringle, there has also been an increase in professors from unrelated subjects becoming involved in the climate movement. Plaisted explained that faculty involvement shows the University that the movement “isn’t just some students complaining. It is also their hired employees saying, ‘we are sick of this.’” Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC) was one of the professors who spoke at the rally, claiming that “people need to understand that we are facing a crisis greater than the Second World War. The Second World War destroyed a lot of people, but not the planet,” according to an audio clip posted by WBUR. Aside from engaging with the Brandeis community, this rally joined a national network of students demanding divestment from their institutions. Accompanying schools like Stanford, Harvard and MIT, Plaisted explained that seeing “Brandeis students as being as devoted as students who are seen as the top of their field really brought Brandeis up in my eyes.” Pringle added that the community of schools in the movement truly lets universities “learn from each others’ strategies, successes and failures.”
CAMPUS EVENT
Senate Facilities and Housing Committee Chair Trevor Filseth ’20 reported at the Feb. 9 Senate meeting that a ceiling had collapsed in East Quad, based on information he received from Class of 2022 Senator Joshua Feld. However, no such event ever occurred. The alleged incident came up during Filseth’s committee chair report when he listed the cave-in among a number of issues about which he would speak with Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Tim Touchette. He specified that “there was an issue on, I think it was the fourth floor of East, the ceiling had caved in right there.” At the time Filseth reported the cave-in, he had never seen the damage and “only [knew] what Josh told me, and he said Facilities was on it,” he wrote in a message to the Justice on Feb. 10. Feld confirmed in a message to the Justice on Wednesday that he believed “Brandeis facilities was on top of this issue right away,” but Facilities Services denied this claim. “To our knowledge there was no reported ceiling cave in at East,” wrote Associate Director of Campus Services Joseph Realejo in an email to the Justice on Thursday. After several inquiries from the Justice, Feld said on Wednesday that “multiple people” had reached out to him about a “ceiling issue,” but declined to specify the people involved or comment further for the story. When Filseth later spoke
with Touchette about the issue, Touchette reportedly said that “there wasn’t a cave-in, it seems to have just been a rumor like the Deroy mold thing last semester,” Filseth wrote in a message to the Justice on Wednesday. In a separate statement emailed to the Justice the next day, Touchette wrote, “I’m not sure where this story came from. It is not true at all. There is no ceiling collapse.” Eight residents of East Quad, including Head Community Advisor for East Quad and Skyline Domingo Fortuna ’20, told the Justice on Wednesday that they had not heard about a ceiling collapse, suggesting that the “rumor” had not spread beyond conversations between senators and the administration. Though they had not heard about the alleged cave-in, almost all of the residents and administrators interviewed by the Justice mentioned another ceiling problem in East Quad. “There was a fire alarm that went off [on Feb. 21] due to a leak in a steam pipe. The leak affected two students who we are in the process of assisting with a room move, as well as repair and replacement of damaged items. The ceiling in that room, as well as the rest of the building, was not affected,” wrote Area Coordinator for East and Skyline Katherine Mandel in an email to the Justice on Wednesday. —Noah Zeitlin contributed reporting —Editor’s Note: Trevor Filseth is a Forum staff writer.
‘ON RECONCILIATION’
CAMERON CUSHING/the Justice
EXPLORING LOST LOVE: Profs. Rajesh Sampath (left) and Samantha Rose Hill read the love letters between political theorist Hannah Arendt and philosopher Martin Heidegger during the event “On Reconcilliation” at the Rose Art Museum on Feb. 14.
Letters reveal tensions between love and politics
■ The event examined
the love story and letters between a Nazi philosopher and a German Jewish political theorist. By ARI ALBERTSON JUSTICE PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
Profs. Samantha Rose Hill, assistant director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities and a visiting assistant professor of Politics at Bard College, and Rajesh Sampath, associate professor of the Philosophy of Justice, Rights, and Social Change at the Heller School of Social Policy and Management, read and discussed letters between political theorist Hannah Arendt and philosopher Martin Heidegger during the event “On Reconciliation” at the Rose Art Museum. The discussion
was facilitated by artist Dora García and Senior Curator-at-Large Ruth Estévez on Feb. 14. Hill and Sampath took turns reading from the letters, facsimiles of which were on display at the museum, in a presentation that lasted approximately 30 minutes. The letters span 50 years, from the 1920s through the 1970s, and touch on the romantic and intellectual relationship between Heidegger and Arendt. Heidegger was a groundbreaking philosopher of metaphysics and ontology, or the study of being, and a member of the Nazi party in Germany during Hitler’s reign. Arendt was a German Jew who was forced to flee Germany in 1933 when Heidegger began implementing Nazi policies at the University of Freiburg, where Arendt was his student. Arendt wrote prolifically on totalitarianism, thinking and modernity, and reported on the trial of the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.
To begin the post-reading discussion, Hill said that the relationship with Heidegger “played a very large role in the life and work” of Arendt, but that because Heidegger prioritized his work and his wife over Arendt, a “gap” always existed between them. After their romantic relationship ended, Heidegger remained a mentor to Arendt, and in later years would invite her to have meals with him and his wife and discuss each other’s work. Sampath expressed the tension he feels in relation to Heidegger. Sampath said that he has an “obsession as a scholar and a thinker” with Heidegger, but is at the same time disgusted by what he called Heidegger’s “embodiment of evil” and the “antipathy [he] had toward the human being.” García said that especially in the midst of the #MeToo movement, many people wonder how to deal with “despicable” men who create
great work. “The big question,” García said, is whether Heidegger “was a Nazi and a good philosopher, or he was a Nazi and a Nazi philosopher as well, and what do we do with that?” Hill said that Arendt was “radically dedicated to plurality” and understanding different ways of thinking, and thus Arendt wanted to understand how a great thinker such as Heidegger could become a Nazi. Arendt believed that his engagement with philosophy “turned him away from the world, it blinded him,” Hill said. In one letter, Arendt said that she did not feel like a Jewish woman, and an audience member asked how Arendt could renounce her own identity. Hill explained that Arendt did not renounce her identity, and worked exclusively for Jewish organizations when she left Germany, but she was “profoundly counterposed to any form of identity politics” and did not want to assign meaning to an identity
that for her was just “a fact of life.” Similarly, Arendt saw love and politics as completely separate. Arendt believed that it is impossible to “ground a politics of solidarity on love,” Hill said. Love, Arendt believed, “turns us away from the world,” while politics should see and address the world as it is. In fact, she called love “the most powerful of all anti-political forces.” Another audience member asked why Hill and Sampath alternated reading from Heidegger’s and Arendt’s letters rather than each sticking to one side of the correspondence. García said that it was a dramaturgical choice intended to keep listeners from associating the reader with the “character” of either Arendt or Heidegger. The letter reading and discussion was part of Garcia’s exhibition, “Love with Obstacles,” which will be on display through May 17 in the Lois Foster Gallery.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
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THE JUSTICE
Sodexo institutes dining changes as RFP process continues ■ The changes, which include
more food options, are a reaction to student feedback about dining services. By JOCELYN GOULD JUSTICE EDITOR
Students returning to campus this spring semester may have noticed new options in their dining halls. These changes, enacted in response to student satisfaction survey results, were rolled out on Jan. 6. The overall cost of campus dining has not changed, according to Brandeis Dining Services’ General Manager Andy Allen in a Feb. 20 interview with the Justice.
Changes to dining hall options
Sherman Dining Hall, which underwent the most changes this semester, has new stir fry and miso soup stations, as well as an expanded salad bar and a power greens station, Allen explained. The Sherman salad bar also now often serves grapes or blueberries. Usdan Dining Hall has seen more minor changes, Allen said, which include increased stir fry options and reworked menus. Other changes detailed in a Brandeis Dining press release include an all-day salad bar and more variety of breakfast food offerings. The redesigned Stein menu also launched this semester, with more vegetarian options and new offerings, although this was a longer-term project than many of the other changes. The process of altering campus dining options varies by the scale and complexity of the changes, Director of University Services Jeff Hershberger explained in a Feb. 24 interview with the Justice. Major adjustments, such as to meal plan pricing, are made through addendums to the University’s dining contract, which are generally signed in July or August. The University will fund other large changes, such as those involving equipment or dining venues, but the dining contractor has “leeway” for smaller purchases. The recent dining changes have not affected the overall cost of dining, Allen said in the same interview. To accomplish this, Sodexo uses a technique called “menu engineering,” Allen explained. Menu engineering “is an empirical way to evaluate restaurant menu pricing” that “involves
categorizing all menu items … based on the profitability and popularity of each item,” according to a Feb. 20 Toast article. It is traditionally used to increase restaurant profits, but Brandeis Dining uses the methodology to adjust how they spend their existing budget on the food served in dining halls. The idea is to design a menu that balances expensive food items with cheaper ones so that dining does not have to purchase large quantities of expensive options. Allen gave the example of serving salmon — an expensive dish — on the same day as mac and cheese — a popular, but inexpensive alternative — to keep overall costs low. “It’s really about creating options to influence your choices, and … the collective amount you’re spending,” Allen explained. Hershberger confirmed that no new equipment was purchased by the University for these changes, that they did not involve an addendum and that the overall cost of dining to the University had not changed. Sodexo did make small purchases to accommodate these changes. For instance, they purchased new pans to increase the variety of options available at the Sherman salad bar display. Allen confirmed in a Feb. 25 email to the Justice that this purchase was “self-funded.”
Dining employment
Dining employment has also not drastically changed as a result of these changes, Allen said. Although they hired a few new employees, for instance to operate the stir fry station, “overall, we have a great union team, and it’s about just spreading the work out,” he said. In the same email to the Justice, Allen wrote, “Any labor changes to operations are internal to our group.” “I do know that a lot of the changes at Sherman had an impact on labor,” Hershberger confirmed, explaining that some people were moved around as stations were added. Reorganizing how labor is shared between workers “is no small thing to people whose ability to support themselves and their families is contingent upon maintaining the salary and hours they fought for during last year’s contract negotiations,” Jenni Corwin ’22, a student activist and a member of campus organizations involved in campaigning for better
justBRIEFS Three senators elected in latest Union special election
The Student Union held a special election on Feb. 13 to select two Community Senators and the International Senator. The Community Senators will replace the two Class of 2021 senators and the Ziv and Ridgewood Quad Senator, as no students ran for those positions in previous special elections. Shivam Nainwal ’22 and Tyler Carruth ’23 won their elections for Community Senators, and Chloe Yu ’22 won her election for International Senator. All of the candidates ran unopposed. In the election for Community Senator, students cast a total of 187 votes. Carruth received 36% of votes, followed by Nainwal with 32% of the vote, while 16.5% expressed a vote of no confidence, 9% of voters chose to abstain and 5% selected ‘other.’ Yu earned 70% of the 20 votes received, while 20% of voters indicated a vote of no confidence and 10% abstained. The Justice reached out to the elected senators for a statement. Nainwal commented that he is “very excited to use my new position to give a voice to the concerns of the students of Brandeis University.” Nainwal’s goals include improving the housing system on campus and the relationship between Brandeis and its food provider. In a previous interview with the Justice on Feb. 11, Carruth and Yu shared their primary goals. Carruth said that as senator, his goals will include improving communication between the Union and students and developing relationships with senators from other quads while also coordinating with other on-campus clubs to create accessible campus-wide activities. Yu told the Justice that she will focus on further integrating the domestic and international
student populations.
dining, said in a Feb. 27 email to the Justice. Brandeis Labor Coalition declined to comment on the impact of these changes.
Reacting to the student feedback
Since these changes have been made within the existing dining contract and have not adjusted overall cost, members of the Brandeis community may wonder why they are just being made now. These changes were made in response to, and guided by, the 2019 results of Sodexo’s annual dining satisfaction survey, Allen said. The survey was administered between Oct. 21 and Nov. 2, 2019, and received 469 responses, according to the Sodexo press release. Student satisfaction with Sherman Non-Kosher ranked at only 54%, compared to 64% for Lower Usdan and 74% for Sherman Kosher, per the release. All other dining locations on campus earned above 75% student satisfaction. Allen pointed to the low score for Sherman non-Kosher to explain why that location had received the bulk of the changes. Brandeis Dining Marketing Specialist Emily Baksa, who joined Allen for the Feb. 20 interview, explained that these annual surveys are a cumulative process. She joined the University three years ago and has conducted the three most recent surveys. “This was the year I felt like ‘Okay, I really feel like I understand what the themes [of student responses] are and what our opportunities are,’” she said. Additionally, Baksa, Allen and Hershberger all stressed the importance of the Senate Dining Committee in guiding these changes and dining improvements in general. Allen cited the increased engagement with the committee as “the biggest difference this year” in getting student feedback. “Most colleges, if you can get two or three students to show up to a dining committee once a month, you consider yourself lucky. We meet weekly and we have a very vibrant group of students, and we also bring most of the management team.” Senator-at-Large Nancy Zhai ’22, chair of the Dining Committee, sees her committee as “liaisons” for the student body. “We work together with Brandeis Dining to create changes, while also holding them accountable in ensuring that students’ major concerns are seriously considered, prop-
erly addressed and actively resolved,” she wrote in a Feb. 24 statement to the Justice. She highlighted the committee’s impact in the areas of vegan and vegetarian options, availability of cultural foods and accurate allergen information. “As a chef, I’ve worked in restaurants and hotels, and college dining is by far the most difficult,” Allen said. People don’t go to restaurants more than a few times a week, but “we’re asking students to pay three months of restaurant food in advance, and then not get bored.” Brandeis is “the most challenging environment” Allen has worked in, with the combination of Kosher and non-Kosher dining and “folks who have some very strong feelings about what they’d like to eat,” he said. Both Baksa and Allen see Sodexo as improving its relationship with the Brandeis community and building “momentum” in addressing community concerns. Baksa encouraged students to continue to give feedback, emphasizing the importance of hearing from the student body. Students are increasingly providing feedback, she said, which she sees as a sign that students are starting to “trust the system” and recognize that their feedback is heard. Students can provide feedback on Brandeis dining social media, as well as through text and online forms. Hershberger agreed with Baksa and Allen’s assessment that there is a “stronger partnership” with Sodexo than in the past.
The context: a new contract looms
All of these changes occur within the context of the University’s search for its next dining contractor. The University and Sodexo “mutually agreed in September [2019] to end Sodexo’s current contract three years early,” per a Nov. 5, 2019 Justice article. Sodexo is currently competing to earn the next contract, which will begin on July 1. The University laid out what it wants from the next dining contract in its Request for Proposals, which was crafted through community feedback in the fall and winter. The University has narrowed the search down to four vendors — Sodexo, Bon Appetit, Harvest Table, and Chartwells. This week, on March 4 and 5, these vendors will visit campus and make their case for being the Uni-
versity’s next contractor. Hershberger said the University is “keeping an eye on the ball” to make sure that the priorities in the RFP are addressed in the vendor presentations and in the new contract. He did caution, however, that it’s “too early to tell what we can afford and what we can’t afford.” He also emphasized the importance of the personality of the contractor’s management team and the relationship they will form with the University community. RFP presentations are normally done by companies’ sales teams, he explained, but Brandeis has asked “for their proposed management team to have the bulk of the presentation time” instead. The goal of this is to see how these leadership teams interact with students and engage them for feedback.
Remaining concerns
Hershberger, Baksa and Allen stated that the student response to these new changes has been positive. However, student concerns remain. “A multinational corporation with a market capitalization of over $20 billion should not be asking for accolades because they ceded to a few requests made by our student body, who are forced to pay thousands a year for their meal plans in order to live on campus,” Corwin wrote in an email to the Justice. “Additionally, while I do appreciate the updates made to Sherman, stir fry does not absolve Sodexo of neglecting to acknowledge larger, more pressing student demands,” she added, calling for a guarantee of worker retention in the new dining contract and the University cutting ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Brandeis branch of Uprooted and Rising is a campaign calling for Brandeis to switch to in-house dining instead of signing a new contract with an outsourced dining company. The group raises concerns that the companies that are competing for the new contract “will always be connected to atrocities in the world, like the burning of the Amazon rainforest and the exploitation of immigrant labor,” as well as underpaying employees and providing over-priced and low-quality food, per a statement from the organization that was shared with the Justice. In the statement, the group argues that their feedback during the RFP process has been ignored.
HARRY POTTER ALLIANCE DISCUSSION
—Hannah O’Koon
Suspicious man sighted on South Street
Waltham Police reported a sighting of a suspicious individual looking through the window of an apartment on South Street on Wednesday, according to an email from Director of Public Safety Edward M. Callahan. Several community members reported seeing this individual look through the open blinds of a window early on Wednesday, according to the email. No further description of the individual has been provided, and the Waltham Police are currently investigating the situation, the email said. According to the Waltham Police records, the incident was reported around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Callahan advised students living off campus to lock the windows and doors to their residences and to close their blinds. Students should report broken locks to their landlords immediately and should report suspicious incidents to the Waltham Police if they are off campus and to Public Safety if they are on campus, Callahan said in the email. He also reminded students of the availability of campus transportation services, which include shuttles around campus and Waltham. Callahan said he had no further information in a follow-up email to the Justice on Friday, but said that the matter was still under investigation and directed inquiries to the Waltham Police. A Waltham Police officer said in a phone interview Friday that he could not share anything more about the incident with anyone outside of the Brandeis Police Department. —Ari Albertson
VERA SHANG/the Justice
Students discussed “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” at an event sponsored by the Harry Potter Alliance on Feb. 26. They analyzed the book’s themes and how they relate to the modern world.
THE JUSTICE
ARGENTINA’S JEWISH COMMUNITY
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By JEN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR
VERA SHANG/the Justice
A POWERFUL FILM: (From left to right) Raanan Rein, Adrian Krupnik, and Tali Flomenhoft discussed the role of Zionism in Latin American Jewish communities.
Documentary depicts Jewish experience in Argentina By LEEZA BARSTEIN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies hosted a screening of “Next Year in Argentina,” a film about Argentina’s Jewish diaspora, on Feb. 12. Dalia Wassner, the director of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute project on Latin American Jewish and Gender Studies, led a panel following the film with Raanan Rein, the vice president of Tel Aviv University, Tali Flomenhoft, the associate director of Parent and Family Giving at Brandeis and Adrian Krupnik, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Tel Aviv. Argentina has the largest Jewish diaspora in all of Latin America, Wassner explained, which has resulted in Israel’s Latin American population being primarily comprised of Argentinian Jews. Between 1963 and 2002, Krupnik noted that Israel took in several waves of immigrants from Argentina. This mass movement to Israel was followed by a surge of return migration to Argentina, which Krupnik said caused great tensions between Israeli press, officials and migrants. “Next Year in Argentina” documents the story of the Jewish-Argentine diaspora’s struggle with the decision to stay in Argentina or move to Israel in the midst of Argentinian social and economic turmoil. Following events such as the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish community center, the documentary discusses JewishArgentine migration, identity and Zionism. According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Zionism is the “national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.” Rein explained that Zionism allowed for many Argentinian Jews to better assimilate within a country consisting of many immigrant diasporas. With each successive diaspora having a connection to a different “motherland,” Rein said that for Jews, connecting “with the ancient mythical homeland was a way to become Argentine, like everyone else in the immigrant society of Argentina.”
At the Tel Aviv premiere of the film in 2005, Rein noted that the expression of Zionism in the documentary was a point of contention for viewers. In fact, some audience members flagrantly condemned the directors for not being Zionist enough and “by extension, not Jewish enough.” He explained that this wave of hostility stems from a failure on the part of Israelis to understand that everyone’s identity consists of a “mosaic of components.” Whether these components are ethnic or religious, some identity components take precedence over others, “thus influenc[ing] the decision to move to Israel or go back to Argentina.” Criticism for not being “Zionist enough,” however, extends far past the filmmakers and is often directed towards Jewish Argentines who returned to Argentina following their move to Israel, Rein said. Krupnik added that at the time of the events shown in the documentary, leaving Israel was seen as akin to committing treason. In his interviews with returnees, Krupnik noted that many individuals still felt great shame over leaving Israel; some even cried when discussing their return to Argentina. Rather than shaming or viewing these individuals as a “failure” of Israel, Rein suggested to view them as a “constant negotiation between Israel and the diaspora.” Many returnees have even positively influenced relations between Israel and Argentina, he said. Krupnik then looked at the film through a gendered lens, noting that blaming women for return migration to Israel was “compatible with Zionist discourse.” He explained that many Zionists painted Latin American women as lazy “Jewish princesses” who were unwilling to give up their lives of luxury in Argentina to live in Israel. Rather than studying immigration patterns, many Zionists used women’s unwillingness to partake in domestic labor as an explanation of low migration rates to Israel. Flomenhoft shared how her experience growing up as a Mexican-Israeli differed from the experiences of Argentinian Jews. The Mexican-Jewish community is a “community of communities,” she said. Unlike in the United States, Flomenhoft explained; within various ethnic communities living in Mexico, there is further division into many smaller sub-groups. Growing up attending a Zionist school, Flomenhroft said she was introduced to the importance of Israel to the Jewish people and “aliyah [immigration to Israel] as being the ultimate goal of the youth movement.”
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Provost Lisa Lynch announced new travel restrictions regarding Italy, Iran and South Korea and their corresponding travel advisory levels in two updates sent to the Brandeis community this past week. A follow up email from the Brandeis Health Center also announced a website that deals with the University’s response to the new coronavirus. The COVID-19, short for Coronavirus Disease 2019, is more commonly known as the coronavirus. “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed the travel advisory for Korea on Feb. 24 to ‘Level 3, Avoid Nonessential Travel—Widespread Community Transmission,’” Lynch wrote in a Feb. 26 email. At the time, China was the only other country with this level of travel advisory in place, while Italy and Japan were considered to be at “Level 2,” meaning that people should “Practice Enhanced Precautions” when travelling to these countries. This warning was a recommendation specifically for older adults and those who have chronic medical conditions to avoid travelling to those countries. Within Italy, officials had restricted travel in certain areas in the northern parts of the country. As of Wednesday, the University expanded its prior ban on travel to mainland China to also include South Korea. Lynch added that although the ban is technically for official University business, “we strongly recommend that those who are planning travel to Korea or China for personal reasons reconsider such plans.” She said that bans will not be lifted until it is safe to do so in accordance with guidance from the United States State Department and the CDC. However, the state fo the virus changed on Friday as the CDC upgraded Iran and Italy to “Level 3” warnings. Lynch announced in a follow-up email on March 1 that “we are restricting all Brandeis students, faculty, and staff from traveling on official university business to Italy, Iran, South Korea and mainland China.” She encouraged students who are within 14 days of travel in Italy, Iran and South Korea to selfmonitor their symptoms. If they have a fever, cough or difficulty breathing over that time period, Lynch said, students should contact the Brandeis Health Center. Administrative Director of the Health Center and Nurse Practitioner Diana Denning elaborated in an email to the Justice on Feb. 27 that the University’s health center is “following guidelines from [the] CDC for screening, testing, transportation, quarantine etc. The school has protocols for supporting quarantine and isolation if needed and [the] CDC has posted helpful guidelines on that as well. We have been and continue
to work with MDPH [W]altham DPH and local emergency providers.” The new website serves as a “central location” to find information about the outbreak and updates, per the March 2 email from the Health Center. Among other steps, Brandeis is “prepared to provide housing and other care should students need to quarantine or isolate on campus,” per the Health Center’s website. The March email also informed students that “Any student who needs emotional support should contact the Brandeis Counseling Center.” It also reiterated that the University is committed to maintaining a fair environment for its students, calling bias and discrimination toward those who “observers think may be” from regions that were disproportionately affected by COVID-19 an “unfortunate aspect” of the illness. In a Feb. 28 email to the Justice, Associate Dean of Study Abroad J. Scott Van Der Meid discussed how the Office of Study Abroad is monitoring the situation around the world. He said that as the situation around the world evolves, there is a possibility that a program may be suspended by one of Brandeis’ partners. “Should a program decide to suspend operations for the semester, we will work with students to consider alternate means to maintain academic progress following the options set out by their respective programs or universities,” he wrote. Van Der Meid said that the OSA “works closely and communicates frequently with its affiliate program partners abroad (program providers and host universities) to continuously monitor this fluid situation.” Program partners have been updating Brandeis and the students abroad with information regarding health and safety measures, as well as precautions that need to be taken. In addition, Van Der Meid said that the University has been in touch with students should they want to connect further. There has been an emphasis on communication with students in affected areas, this week in particular with students in South Korea and Italy. “We are closely monitoring the situation in Japan as some programs do not start their semester until the end of March,” Van Der Meid said. The OSA has a website page with updates about COVID-19 and its effects on study abroad. “Please remember to treat each other with extra care, concern and respect as we all navigate this situation together as a community,” the Health Center email concluded. In her March 1 email, Lynch said that University leaders will be “communicating daily and meeting weekly to monitor the situation, refine short- and longterm contingency plans, and respond rapidly to emerging issues related to the coronavirus.” In an email to her subscribers, Congresswoman Katherine Clark of the 5th District of Massachusetts where Brandeis is located said she is “working with her collegues in the House of Representatives to advance a strategic funding package that fully addresses the scale of this growing public health concern.”
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oic v r u yo t Do n a you w heard?
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
University further restricts travel due to coronavirus Korea and mainland China is now restricted in response to the coronavirus.
discussed the Jewish diaspora in Latin America.
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HEALTH UPDATE
■ Travel to Italy, Iran, South
■ After the screening, a panel
NEWS
Send an email to Gabriel Frank at forum@thejustice.org for more information.
DO YOU CARE ABOUT dining services ON CAMPUS? Dining vendor presentations will take place on
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4
THURSDAY, MARCH 5
SODEXO
HARVEST TABLE
BON APPETIT
CHARTWELLS
10 Am-Noon 2-4 Pm
10 Am-Noon 2-4 Pm
Sherman function haLl Food and beverage will be served All Brandeis community members are welcome to attend the presentations and ask questions during the Q&A.
Office of Communications © Brandeis University 2020 L109
THE JUSTICE
FRAMEWORK: Plan proposes move toward residential college model in dorms CONTINUED FROM 1 the creation of smaller communities within the residence halls through the addition of new social spaces and the greater integration of graduate students and faculty into residential life. Aspects of the residential college model that Liebowitz mentioned include “affiliate programs” that would see graduate students, postdoctoral students and faculty affiliated with these residential communities serving as mentors and engaging with undergraduates and a decentralization of the deans’ offices. This concept of decentralization would also potentially apply to student support services such as the Brandeis Counseling Center and career services. The University is exploring the possibility of having outposts in residence halls for support services rather than centralized offices. Each service will be evaluated individually to determine the best method for reaching students, whether it be through one central office or in individual residence halls. During the creation of the Framework, Liebowitz explained during the interview, community members criticized the residence halls as “just
a place where students went to sleep, that it wasn’t a place where they built community, where they didn’t really hang out or socialize as much as you might think.” To further address those concerns, the University will begin a residential project to renovate residence hallsdorms and other buildings, starting with Kutz Hall. Kutz, which currently houses the Office of the University Registrar, Campus Card Office and Kutz Bakery among others, will serve as an “anchor building” that will allow the University to renovate other halls and spaces. It will be converted into a new residence hall with 170 beds and a dining hall. The addition of that space would lead to the next phase of the project, the renovation of North Quad. The buildings in North Quad will be linked to create more social and study spaces and to improve accessibility, an issue that has sparked considerable discussion on campus in recent months. A number of the University’s buildings were built long before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and their aging skeletons have made upgrades to modernize them a difficult task.
An inventory of the 102 buildings at the University, considering building condition and cost of renovation, showed that North Quad was the first priority. Buildings with “easier solutions” for modernization such as those in North Quad will be renovated first, while those that would involve more complicated construction would be longer-term projects. “We developed a plan of knocking off as much as we can, choosing the buildings that we can actually modernize to sort of make accessible, and we’ve done a nice job. We’re nowhere near what we need to do, and so that’s part of our physical facilities planning. The new buildings of course will all be ADA-accessible, the question is [in] which of the old ones can we do it, and how quickly,” Liebowitz said. In another move to help marginalized students, the University will be reexamining how it assesses financial aid, Liebowitz wrote in an email to the Justice on Monday. When assessing need, the University would include travel costs, internships and research opportunities and the transferability of financial aid for study abroad programs.
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FORUM: Attendees suggest ways to take action on climate change CONTINUED FROM 1 we still don’t have a required entry level climate course is something I can’t figure out by myself,” she said. Some of the other suggestions included transitioning to self-operated dining, avoiding consumption of non-sustainable resources such as meat, investing in renewable energy sources and committing to going carbon neutral, if not carbon negative. “There is a sense that we kind of know what needs to be done, but it isn’t yet being done,” von Mering said. “The question is, what does it require for Brandeis to actually do what must be done?” Many answers from the audience focused on different ways to raise awareness and take action, such as dedicating specific time to campus involvement in climate change as other colleges, such as Smith College and Oberlin College, have done in the past. Furthermore, von Mer-
ing noted that it can be challenging to pass climate legislation because of the power dynamic of the sources of influence on Congress. She explained that having a political system reliant on the fossil fuel industry means the fuel companies have more influence than the students. “We need to divest in order to shift the focus,” she said, adding that she believes Brandeis “has a megaphone” in this area. Ji later said that, in order to combat the climate crisis in general, we need cultural shifts and more awareness as well as financial incentives to help change behavior. Gomes-Casseres also said that the University needs to take responsibility. “There’s a notion, I feel, that we sometimes have is ‘let students do this,’ ‘let clubs do this,’” he said, “and I don’t think we should let the University off the hook.”
Everyone has a story. Help us find it. SIPCHIP: Future funding of the Join initiative is to Features! be determined CONTINUED FROM 1
Contact Sofia Gonzalez at features@thejustice.org
Next year’s funding will depend on how many SipChips are used. Berg, Levitus and Tatuskar plan to monitor the amount of SipChips used during the March 4–11 pilot release, observing which locations use the most SipChips and the total amount used. They will not monitor who takes a SipChip; all students will have anonymity. “We want to see how many chips we might need,” Berg said. “Once we know how many chips our community needs, when these ones run out, then we’ll look into how much funding we’re going to need.” Berg, Levitus and Tatuskar have also discussed the possibility of student organizations fundraising to buy SipChips for their events, as well as having administrative and financial support from the Union. “The goal of bringing this product to campus isn’t that we think that we should have to have a fix like this product,” Levitus said. “It’s the idea that we want to use this to raise awareness of the issue, call attention to it, provide something that can be an important safety tool to students and create an environment where drugfaciliatated sexual assault won’t be tolerated anymore.” Since 7.6% of college students have been drugged — according to Undercover Color’s website — “this is something that is relevant to all cam-
puses,” Levitus said. However, this statistic only accounts for reported and verified drugging, so this number could be higher. “This is happening at Brandeis,” Berg said. “That is a fact.” Berg said that as a confidential resource, she could not disclose specific stories or statistics within PARC’s jurisdiction but that this issue “came up multiple times” in the Campus Climate Survey. “I believe in empowering people with any possible tool they choose to use. In some ways, it’s less about the actual testing of the drink and it’s more about being in a community where everyone knows that this is widely available. … In a way, that does a lot of work to challenge the people who think they could do this in the first place,” Berg said. “They’re no longer in a community where they can get away with it.” “I feel better just knowing I have this on my keychain,” Levitus said. SipChips will be available at the PARC office, Student Union office, Student Sexuality Information Service office, Health Center, the Stein, Hoot Market, Gender and Sexuality Center, Intercultural Center, Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, all Department of Community Living Quad Offices and at Greek Awareness Club events.
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features
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 | THE JUSTICE
just
_ VERBATIM | ARISTOTLE To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.
ON THIS DAY…
In 1845, Florida became the 27th state of the United States of America.
FUN FACT
Scotland has 421 words for “snow.”
The Justice spoke to the organizers of this new initiative. By SOFIA GONZALEZ JUSTICE EDITOR
The American Counseling Association defines body image as an “individual’s evaluations and affective experiences regarding their physical attributes.” Body image has become of particular interest over the course of the last few decades, with an increasing number of programs and workshops being implemented as part of high school and college curricula. The increased focus on promoting positive body image stems from societal standards and expectations around physical appearance — standards that deem thinness as more attractive and healthier than other body types. With the mass use of social media among teenagers, such standards have become more widespread, and young individuals are increasingly engaging in unhealthy eating habits and excessive exercise in an attempt to acquire certain looks. While issues with body image are more common among women — mostly because puberty, menopause and pregnancy are often accompanied by an increase in body fat — it is important to highlight that these issues can affect anyone at any point in time. When it comes to college students, studies have concluded that 85% of women believe that they are either overweight or seriously overweight, even though most of those who report such feelings are at a weight considered healthy for their age and height. While initially shocking, these statistics are not surprising considering the changes in lifestyle, stress and expectations that characterize the transition from high school to college. For many, moving to college marks the first time someone is living away from a controlled and monitored environment. While at home, parents typically provide healthy meals and monitor their child’s eating, college students are free to choose when, what and how much to eat. This can easily lead to overeating and indulging on desserts available at the dining hall or to skipping meals, both of which are potentially harmful. Additionally, stress from adjusting to a new environment can fuel certain eating habits that might trigger weight loss or gain. For first-year students, these issues become real before they arrive on campus, with internet forums, peers and even family members discussing the famous “freshman 15.” A term that refers to the weight that individuals tend to gain their first year of college, the “freshman 15” has fueled body dissatisfaction among this cohort, even though multiple studies have found that the average weight gain for first-year students is only 2.7 pounds. Knowing that body dissatisfaction can
lead to low self esteem, higher rates of mental health problems and a propensity to eating disorders, there have been worldwide efforts to diminish diet culture and increase acceptance of different body types. On campus, the Brandeis Counseling Center and Health and Wellness Promotion partnered to create Brandeis Body Positive, a program that “trains staff, faculty, and students to facilitate a group curriculum addressing body image, intuitive self-care, and community building for various campus audiences,” per the Brandeis website. Their first workshop, “The Words We Say,” took place this past Thursday, and two other events are scheduled for later in the semester. The Justice spoke via email to Leah Berkenwald ’07 and Rachael Puccillo, the main organizers of this project, to gain insight on the planning process, the community’s response and the future of the program. Per Puccillo, an eating disorder specialist at the BCC, planning for the Body Positive Brandeis began in the spring of 2019. Attempting to bring an inclusive body positivity program to Brandeis and drawing on the experience of Berkenwald at Cornell University, the team agreed to use the Body Positive curriculum as a foundation. The Body Positive, Berkenwald explained, “is the first organization to create a body image curriculum that is modern, progressive, weight-neutral, and inclusive of all genders, sexualities and racial/ethnic identities.” Founded by Connie Sobxzak and Elizabeth Scott in 1996, The Body Positive implemented a new online learning platform in 2018 that offers training for individuals looking to become Be Body Positive Facilitators from the comfort of their communities. The Body Positive curriculum focuses on the five core competencies — reclaim health, practice intuitive self care, cultivate self love, declare your own authentic beauty and build community — as stated on their website. While the initiative at Brandeis is fairly new, Puccillo noted in an email to the Justice that “several staff members have engaged in building and developing the program. Many of them have suggested that their views on body image have expanded and that they are more aware of the impacts of sizeism and diet culture than they were prior to doing this work.” Brandeis staff members are not the only ones participating in implementing the program: both graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to apply to be student facilitators and help with the organization of events. Puccillo shared her excitement over student involvement in the program, stating that while it might take some time and guidance, the current leaders would “love to see Brandeis
Body Positive become a fully peer led and student sustained organization” in the future. As for other long-term goals, Puccillo explained the team’s desire for the program to become fully integrated “into the larger social justice mission of the University.” This entails creating a safe space for discussion and fostering “compassion, curiosity and awareness” among students when “body image and sizeism issues occur,” she said. While conversations about these issues might be difficult, there are certainly ways to ensure the dialogue encourages open mindedness and respect. Puccillo recommends that individuals “read up on and educate themselves fully about the myths we adhere to around food behavior and body image.” Doing so has a self-reflective component that can help people identify their own biases in a way that allows them to critically evaluate their own experiences with body image. Because most people rely on the internet or the media to obtain information, it is important to note that such mediums can be both a source of detrimental comparison and false information and a platform to share information and access helpful resources.
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While body image is a health issue, it is also a social justice issue. Leah Berkenwald ’07
Apart from educating ourselves and reflecting on our own experiences, it is important to become aware of unintentional discrimination against certain body types, according to Berkenwald, who highlighted the importance of recognizing “what it feels like to show up to class or a community event only to find that you literally do not fit.” Identifying such instances and changing our perception of discrimination and sizeism as a whole is a community-wide effort. Only as a community, Berkenwald added, can we “make the changes that are necessary for ALL students to feel like they — and their bodies — are valued and welcomed on our campus. Making changes to our relationships with our bodies at the individual level can also contribute to a more accepting campus. Whether it be by going on a walk with a friend, making a list of things you like about yourself, appreciating all that
your body does everyday and/or surrounding yourself with positive people, we can all improve our perceptions of our body. It can also be helpful, per Berkenwald, to: “1) Separate ‘health’ from ‘appearance’ or ‘weight.’ A lot of folks conflate these terms, but health is independent of body size and shape. Try to separate in your mind what you are doing to improve your health versus what you are doing to improve or change your appearance. If you want to change your appearance, that’s okay, but own it. Do not conflate weight, muscularity or beauty with health. To learn more, check out the Health at Every Size movement, a weight-neutral approach to health. “2) Start paying attention to ‘fat talk,’or the pattern of self-denigrating talk about our bodies and eating and exercise habits. Research has proven that hearing this kind of talk — even for just 3 minutes — has a negative, causal, effect on your body image. Those who participate in fat talk conversations experience more negative impact than those who listen but do not participate. To protect yourself, avoid participating in these conversations. To protect everyone around you, intervene by changing the subject or asking others to stop. “3) Expose yourself to images of different body shapes and sizes. Look at these images until you no longer feel uncomfortable. By learning to see the beauty in others’ ‘imperfect’ bodies, you can more easily see it on your own. “4) Curate your media consumption to include influencers promoting body diversity and acceptance, and avoid those who are promoting a specific body type. Be aware that many ‘wellness’ influencers are really selling weight loss, not wellness. Look at their messages with a critical eye.” Brandeis Body Positive’s next event will take place on March 19. Whether you are someone who currently struggles with body image, know people who do or simply want to learn more about this issue, participating in Brandeis Body Positive workshops is a great way to obtain accurate information and partake in a welcoming and accepting environment.
If you need to talk to someone immediately, please call one of the following resources: BCC after hours: 781-736-3785 Brandeis 6TALK: 781-736-8255 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 National Eating Disorders Association Helpline: 800-931-2237 Self-harm Hotline: 800-273-TALK
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CHRISTINA KIM/the Justice
YOUR BODY IS WELCOME: The Body Positive was the first organization to create an inclusive, progressive and weightneutral curriculum.
Photos by NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice
THE WORKSHOPS: There will be two more Brandeis Body Positive workshops this semester, one on March 19 and another one on April 23.
BCC AND HAWP WORK TOGETHER: Leah Berkenwald ’07, the director of HAWP, and Rachael Puccillo, an eating disorder specialist at the BCC, are some of the organizers of the Brandeis Body Positive Movement.
LOOKING AHEAD: The current Brandeis Body Positive leaders hope the initiative will become integrated into the Univeristy’s larger social justice mission.
Design: Megan Liao/the Justice
10 TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020 ● 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 Gilda Geist and River Hayes, Deputy Editors Andrew Baxter, Hannah Kressel, Eliana Padwa Yvette Sei, Lily Schmidt-Swartz, Judah Weinerman and Maya Zanger-Nadis, Associate Editors Emily Blumenthal, News Editor Sofia Gonzalez, Features Editor Gabriel Frank, Forum Editor, Megan Geller, Sports Editor Luke Liu, Arts & Culture Editor Noah Zeitlin, Photography Editor Yael Hanadari-Levy, Graphic Design Editor Cameron Cushing and Hannah O’Koon, Copy Editors Frances Hoffen and Yona Splaver, Ads Editors Samantha Goldman, Online Editor
EDITORIALS
Encouraging tolerance during Coronavirus outbreak As news headlines breed panic about the real but still somewhat distant threat of coronavirus (COVID-19), this board would like to examine how all of this new and constantly-changing information affects the Brandeis community. The Centers for Disease Control regularly updates their coronavirus situation summary, which says as of press time, “This virus is NOT currently spreading widely in the United States.” The CDC does note, however, that the potential health threat of coronavirus is high, but emphasizes that, “For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low.” In other words, there is reason to be wary, but no need for immediate alarm. To put it into perspective, Brandeis students, like any other U.S. residents, are at a far higher risk of contracting a common strain of the flu than COVID-19. According to a report by the CDC, there have been between 32 million and 45 million flu illnesses from Oct. 1 to Feb. 22, and between 18,000 and 46,000 flu deaths in that same time period. Protect yourself from the flu by getting vaccinated at the Health Center, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Prevent the spread of the flu (as well as other illnesses, such as COVID-19) by washing your hands, covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze and staying home when you are sick. In the event that COVID-19 does make
its way to Brandeis, the Health Center is prepared to respond, even adding a page to its website with information about COVID-19. According to Administrative Director of the Health Center Diana Denning in an email to the Justice, “the Health Center is following guidelines from [the] CDC for screening, testing, transportation, quarantine etc. The school has protocols for supporting quarantine and isolation if needed.” In addition to these health measures, Provost Lisa Lynch wrote in emails to the community on Feb. 9, Feb. 26 and March 1 that the University administration is restricting students, faculty and staff from traveling to China, South Korea, Italy and Iran on “official university business.” This board also condemns the recent spike in racism against Asians and AsianAmericans as a result of the spread of the illness, as COVID-19 was first identified in China. Since then, coverage of the virus has exploded in the media, with U.S. press publishing between five and seven thousand articles on the coronavirus per day by January, according to a Feb. 25 Columbia Journalism Review article. “Viruses spread. Racism even faster it seems,” a Feb. 11 Forbes article noted. The Brandeis community is stronger for its diversity of students. During this time of uncertainty, this board urges the Brandeis community to reject these harmful stereotypes against our Asian peers and colleagues.
On March 4, the Student Union and the Prevention, Advocacy and Resource Center will launch their new SipChip initiative. SipChips are drink-testing devices which, upon contact with a cold drink, will indicate whether it has been tainted with any common “date-rape” drugs. SipChips will be available in numerous locations around campus, and this test run will help determine future supplies. This board applauds the SipChip initiative and sees it as a positive step forward in sexual violence prevention. SipChips are a measure designed to allow potential victims to save themselves from danger, and the leaders bringing this initiative to campus see this project as working to change campus culture so that people know sexual assault will not be tolerated. This board commends the way that PARC and the student leaders involved have framed SipChips as working to change campus culture surrounding sexual assault. We hope the campus will keep this sentiment in mind and avoid victimblaming that would result from putting responsibility solely on SipChip-users to protect themselves. SipChips should be implemented as a University norm alongside other sexual violence prevention measures to shift the responsibility away from potential victims. This could mean incorporating SipChips into the Department of Community Living’s event registration process and making them available for people hosting parties offcampus. Event organizers should be able to pick up a supply of SipChips from their Quad Office, have them available throughout the party and be required to return extras the next day. In a March 2 email to the Justice, Ricki Levitus ’20, one of the students leading the SipChip initiative, explained that many campus organizations, including all 10 Greek Life organizations, will receive
educational presentations about “what Sip Chip is, how to use them, why they are important on both a national and campus scale, and where Sip Chips will be available on campus.” This board commends these efforts to educate campus about the initiative. We hope that these training sessions will also include information about how to use the Chips within specific situations, such as how to test a drink subtly to avoid detection, how to escape a situation if a drink is drugged and how to inform an authority figure of the danger. Moreover, this board hopes that the University is thinking about more ways to implement prevention education and create a culture where sexual violence risk is mitigated as much as possible. This board beseeches the University to continue the initiative permanently. Currently, SipChips are not being implemented experimentally using CEEF. This board hopes that the University continues to supply SipChips, funding it as needed based on initial popularity. Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund funding is one way to do this, but more sustainable methods might include allocating money from the Student Activities Fund or creating a joint spending plan between different University parties. Regardless of how it is funded, this board hopes that the University will continue to respond to student voices around SipChips and other sexual violence prevention initiatives. We applaud this program and hope to see its expansion in the future. In order to create a culture of protection and prevention, we also encourage students to pick up a SipChip at the PARC office, Union office, Student Sexuality Information Service office, Health Center, the Stein, the C-Store, Gender and SexualityCenter, Intercultural Center, Gosman, all DCL Quad Offices and at Greek Awareness Council events.
Commending University’s SipChip intiative
HARRISON PAEK/ the Justice
Views the News on
On Feb. 22, United States Democratic Presidential candidates competed for the votes of 36 pledged delegates during the Nevada Caucus. Sen. Bernie Sanders won the caucuses, which demonstrated that he could expand his platform beyond white liberal supporters to minority groups such as Latinos, African Americans and Asian Americans. Does this performance build momentum and prepare him to come out ahead on March 3, Super Tuesday? Of all the current presidential candidates, who do you believe is best equipped to succeed on Super Tuesday, and what is their most likely path to the nomination?
Prof. Maura Jane Farrelly (JOUR) I’d like to see all news outlets do less “horse race” journalism when it comes to campaigns and more reporting that delves into the costs and possible consequences of the candidates’ various proposals (and also interrogates the cultural, economic, bureaucratic, and political challenges candidates will face in making those proposals a reality). Granted, the kind of journalism I’m calling for IS getting done; when people say “the media” (a vague term…) aren’t covering something, it often means they just haven’t been paying close attention. Good work on the candidates’ policy proposals is being done by journalists. But so long as the horse-race stuff is out there, I’m afraid it’s going to be what attracts people’s attention. Human beings like competitions —and Americans, in particular, seem to like “winners” and “underdogs.” Nevertheless, we might get better elected officials if we weren’t allowed to be distracted by such things. Maura Jane Farrelly is a professor of American Studies and Journalism.
Nathanial Walker
Of the remaining candidates, Bernie Sanders is best equipped for success on Super Tuesday. Having the grassroots funds from earlier months, he’s already been campaigning there, while other candidates have been in the first four states. Despite Joe Biden’s impressive win in South Carolina, this will likely not materialize into success soon. Unless Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s dropping out throws a substantial wrench into calculations, Sanders is more likely to compound on a strong Super Tuesday showing. That said, the likelihood of a contested convention is very high. Fewer candidates in the race may potentially lessen the margin between Sanders and the others; Sanders has a clear path to the largest number of delegates and/or votes, but not above the needed 50%, so the Party can easily award the nomination to someone else. However, there are two considerations increasingly being accepted. First, the Sanders bloc is demonstrated to be the largest constituent group in the Democratic Party, and it has less loyalty to the party elites. Second, awarding a second or third place candidate with the nomination undermines the Democratic Party’s democratic argument, especially considering frustration with the electoral college in 2000 and 2016. Without including the Sanders bloc, a Democratic Party victory in November is considerably less likely. Nathanial Walker is a Ph.D. student studying International Relations at Brandeis University.
Prof. Gary Samore (POL) With 1,357 delegates at stake on Super Tuesday, Bernie Sanders will win more delegates than any other candidate, with Joe Biden in second place and Mike Bloomberg in third. Based on his strong win in South Carolina, Biden may deny Sanders a majority of Super Tuesday delegates, if moderate voters rally to Biden as the party’s best chance to stop Sanders. Going forward, the nomination will be largely determined by whether third-tier candidates, such as Mike Bloomberg, stay in the race (good for Sanders) or drop out (good for Biden). Gary Samore is the senior executive director of the Crown Center for Middle East Studies and professor of the practice in politics at Brandeis University.
Daniel Ruggles This question is the question that many voters, pundits, and political scientists are asking: who will be the Democratic nominee? Had I a crystal ball, perhaps this would be easier to answer. We are far too early in this unusually crowded process to make any real predictions about the eventual nominee. For a prediction as to a specific candidate, please refer to the opinion section of any major newspaper. While this drama is compelling, Democrats must contend with the existential crisis gripping their party: a move either towards the left or the center. A progressive candidate and their supporters must accept the reality that they will vie for votes in battleground states in November, potentially jeopardizing a more progressive campaign. Conversely, centrists must contend with a growing progressive faction whose support may be crucial in the primary stage — especially troubling as moderates have not yet coalesced around any one candidate. Regardless of the outcome on Tuesday, a fraying Democratic Party is a liability in November, not an asset. Daniel Ruggles is a Ph.D. student studying American Politics at Brandeis University. Photos: Noah Zeitlin; Justice file photo/Brandeis University File Photo
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AIPAC snubs reveal group’s increasingly partisan nature Judah
WEINERMAN CHATTERBOX
Want a break from the partisan gridlock of the Beltway? Want to hear major politicians from all around the globe speak in relative harmony on one subject for once? Want to be on the frontlines of American statecraft and international relations? Boy howdy, do I have a conference for you. It’s another year, so that means it’s time for another American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference, a three-day celebration of the AmericanIsraeli alliance attended by politicians and Zionists of all stripes. At least, it used to be. Once a rare bipartisan institution in the ever-shifting world of Congressional pressure groups, AIPAC has dropped the pretense in recent years, going from a support group for all pro-Israel politicians, to a mouthpiece for Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and the Republican Party. Unless you’re a Democrat beholden to older Jewish voters in New York or Florida, good luck getting an invite. One figure who will be conspicuously absent from this year’s conference is Democratic candidate for president Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), who might be the first-ever Jewish presidential nominee of a major political party. In an official Twitter announcement, Sanders wrote that “The Israeli people have the right to live in peace and security. So do the Palestinian people. I remain concerned about the platform AIPAC provides for leaders who express bigotry and oppose basic Palestinian rights. For that reason I will not attend their conference.” Then again, Sanders also skipped the event in 2016 when his opponent Hillary Clinton gave a keynote address, so that’s just business as usual, right? Maybe, but AIPAC’s longtime ally Democratic Majority for Israel has launched a full-blown anti-Sanders offensive, running attack ads against the Vermont Senator in Nevada and the delegate-rich states ready to vote on Super Tuesday. Perhaps this could be dismissed as a difficult relationship between the AIPAC-world and the broader Sanders coalition, who are far less sunny about the continued existence of the Jewish state than the former kibbutz-dwelling Senator himself, but the cracks are showing well outside of Sanders’ orbit. Sanders’ Senate colleague and fellow presidential candidate Elilzabeth Warren (D-MA) is also choosing to skip the event, giving an affirmative “Yeah” when asked by activists from the staunchly anti-AIPAC advocacy group IfNotNow if she
AMANDA PYUN/the Justice
was skipping the event. Okay, so we lost the progressives, but Democratic moderates will surely come to their senses, right? Nope. This campaign cycle’s centrist Democrat par excellence, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttegieg, made a big deal about skipping the conference before sheepishly sending in a pre-recorded video message right as he was busy dropping out the race. We’ll miss you, ratboy. Longtime AIPAC allies Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and former Vice President Joe Biden will be speaking by telephone, unwilling to make the trip while they desperately try to eek out a non-defeat on Super Tuesday. Not exactly record turnout. The lone Democrat actually attending the event will be Michael Bloomberg, with the former New York City mayor even getting a speaking spot of his own. Then again, given the aforementioned bias towards Republicans, maybe the one-time Republican Bloomberg has the edge there. Don’t get too worried that Bloomberg might have a good time: look what horrible company he will be with. Instead of the sweet platidutinal tones of Buttegieg or an inevitable “You don’t get much snow in Israel, huh?” joke from Klobuchar, AIPAC will instead be treating attendees to a who’s-who of international reactionaries. The conference is scheduled for major addresses from usual Trumpworld suspects like comedy duo Mike & Mike, AKA Vice President Pence and Secretary of State
Pompeo, Senate Majority Leader and eldritch demon Mitch McConnell (R-KY), sun-bleached mistake Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA). Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue & White leader Benny Gantz will both be speaking, looking for a final edge in the “I have American friends” department before they head back to the polls one last time. By the time you read this article, Israel will have just held its third election in 10 months. What exactly justifies the presence of other kleptocratic-like speakers like Colombia’s Ivan Duque and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Félix Tshisekedi, or the attendance of Serbia’s genocide-denying Aleksandar Vucic? Shouldn’t AIPAC strive to represent the values that the AmericanIsraeli relationship is supposedly built upon — democracy, individual liberty, republicanism and equality of opportunity — rather than inviting every two-bit world leader who has negative feelings towards Muslim immigrants? The most damning guest of all is the inclusion of Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz, who until last year ruled alongside the Freedom Party, a far-right organization founded by a group of former SS officers. In what world exactly does a man content working with a group of Nazi nostalgics qualify as any kind of friend of Israel’s, let alone one worth giving a major platform to?
For those poor few remaining Democrats making an appearance, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), my heart goes out to you. As AIPAC ties its political fates ever tighter to the increasingly tenuous Trump-Bibi alliance, it’s becoming tough to be a full-throated Democratic Zionist in Washington, D.C. AIPAC is making life quite easy for openly pro-Palestinian Democrats like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Rashida Talib (D-MI), who once would have found themselves run out of town by AIPAC-supported Democrats, but now can skate by with a scant few grumbles and disinvitations. If AIPAC insists on staying a factional organization, limited only to the most bellicose of Republicans and those select few Democrats gunning for the ex-Catskills set, it risks completely abandoning a generation of young American Jews already tuning the organization out. Just look at what they think of AIPAC’s least favorite candidate. According to polling from Morning Consult, 49% of Democrats between 24 and 38 years old support Sanders, while a whopping 59% between 18 and 23 would cast their vote for the Vermont Senator. In an era where President Trump’s approval rating is 71% among Israelis and 71% of American Jews voted against Trump in 2016, AIPAC risks making itself irrelevant to the exact demographic it claims to fight for.
The screw up at the DNC is a self-inflicted injury By REENA ZUCKERMAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Wednesday, Feb.19 marked the first time United States presidential candidate and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared on the debate stage. Bloomberg had only announced his candidacy on Nov. 24, 2019, almost a year and a half after the other candidates declared their run for the presidency. On Jan. 31, the Democratic National Committee changed its debate rules to eliminate the donor and polling requirements. As a result, Bloomberg became eligible to participate in future debates. As the debates have continued since June 2019, the DNC over time has made both the polling and donation requirements stricter. With more and more candidates running for the nomination, most candidates of color dropped out as they were not hitting the polling requirement, but in many cases were still meeting the donor threshold. The qualifications for the first debate held on June 26-27 of 2019 were: “Attain at least 1% support in a minimum of 3 approved polls at a national level or in the first four primary/ caucus states (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina)” and “a candidate must have received donations from a minimum of 65,000 unique donors, with at least 200 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.” Twenty
candidates qualified. By the sixth debate on Dec. 19, 2019, only seven candidates qualified, only one of whom, businessman Andrew Yang, was a person of color. In order to be on the December debate stage, the candidates had to have “at least four percent support in four different polls” and “financial support from a minimum of 200,000 unique donors, with at least 800 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.” At that time, Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, former Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and California Senator Kamala Harris were all still in the race. However, none of them qualified to participate. As the debates winnowed down to mostly white candidates, many party officials, candidates, and Democratic voters started pushing the DNC to change the qualifications for the debates. Booker dropped out after not qualifying for two debates in a row and Harris dropped out having known that she would not make it to the January debate stage. On Dec. 14, 2019, a letter was sent to the DNC signed by Booker, Castro and seven other candidates. The letter urged the DNC to return to an earlier rule of qualification which reads, “either achieving the threshold through polling or through individual contributors — rather than requiring candidates to reach both.” This would have allowed both Castro and Booker to
participate in the January debate. However, the Democratic National Committee on multiple occasions refused the request to alter the rules for the candidates of color. However, they then allowed a rule change to bring a white billionaire in Bloomberg on stage for the Feb. 19 debate. In a tweet on Jan. 31, presidential candidate and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, in an echo of her future attacks on Bloomberg, wrote, “The DNC didn’t change the rules to ensure good, diverse candidates could remain on the debate stage. They shouldn’t change the rules to let a billionaire on. Billionaires shouldn’t be allowed to play by different rules— on the debate stage, in our democracy, or in our government.” The senator was not the only one to criticize the DNC: Many other current and former candidates went on Twitter to express their disdain. On a macro level, it is important to have Bloomberg on the debate stage just so the hundreds of millions of dollars he has been pouring into advertisements are not the only part of him that voters hear. When on a debate stage, as we saw in the Feb. 19 debate, both moderators and candidates were able to push back on his claims and ask both important and challenging questions. Having to answer tough questions about one’s past and plans for the future should be necessary for Bloomberg to be on the ballot. However, it is not right for the
DNC to change the debate rules to only benefit one candidate, after having refused to do the same exact action earlier, at the end of 2019. It is also especially problematic given that the qualification the DNC got rid of was the donor qualification. Having donors from all across the country shows depth in someone’s campaign and also shows, in a way, a better representation of how much support the candidates have. Bloomberg bought his way onto the stage without having to ask for donations. The candidates, eventual nominee and the primary process itself should reflect the Democratic party and its values. These values are what makes the Democratic Party’s process better than the Republicans. However, the way the DNC has dealt with the current election and the debates in particular, have in fact gone against the values of democracy and the Democratic primary. The debate is a very important part of the primary process. It is a way for the candidates to reach national audiences while also answering important questions about current events and their plans for the future. In order to stay competitive, candidates need to continue to be on that all-important debate stage. However, in manipulating the process, the Democratic National Committee has cheapened what the debates mean and forced people who had support from many Americans out of the race. It is the epitome of being undemocratic.
The opinions expressed on this page are those of each article’s respective author and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Justice.
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TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE
FORUM
Democracy is about more than just winning the most delegates By LEON KRAIEM JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
In the twenty-four hours before I wrote this article, three candidates dropped out of the democratic presidential primary: Tom Steyer, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar. Shortly after this article will be printed, the polls will open in Massachusetts and a basket of other ‘Super Tuesday’ states. The consensus among the pundits is that this is now basically a two-person race between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Bloomberg, my former mayor, is still dumping obscene amounts of money into advertising, but I don’t think people expect him to go very far. Tulsi Gabbard remains a darkly interesting footnote, pulling reassuringly negligible numbers as she continues to apologize for farright leaders around the world. This leaves us with just one other candidate: our own senator, Elizabeth Warren. She’s been the focus of much pressure in the last few hours to follow her recent competitors and drop out, and, if she wishes to remain influential, cast her lot with someone who can actually win. The trouble with this pressure is that Warren is not purporting to have a shot at winning an outright majority of delegates: she seems, from what I’ve read at least, to be angling for a contested convention in Milwaukee, depriving Biden and Sanders of enough delegates and winning the few needed herself, to have a shot at convincing their own delegates to vote, on a second ballot, for Senator Warren — making her the nominee rather than either of her competitors, despite her having received far fewer votes than either one of them. This poses an obvious democratic (with a small ‘d’) dilemma. A comparison might be made to the electoral college in a general election: surely it’s unjust, the argument goes, that Donald Trump became president even though Hillary Clinton won millions more votes. And, certainly, that’s problematic. But the silliness of electing presidents via the electoral college shouldn’t make us assume that the alternative, though better, is very reasonable. In the last election, Trump won about 53 million votes while Clinton won about 56 million votes. Both those numbers are so big they’re basically meaningless to me, and the difference between them, though also enormous, is proportionally very slim — about 2%. The roughly half of the country that voted for Clinton was devastated in 2016 not just by the result, but by the arbitrary way it was obtained. It wasn’t just that they lost — it was that they won, and still they lost. But suppose the popular vote were reversed — that Trump had won 56 million votes and Hillary only 53 million. Or suppose that Hillary had won both the popular vote and the electoral college. In any of these scenarios, half the country is governed by someone they have no faith in. And a country whose people are faithless can easily become a state that is perceived
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as illegitimate. If November yields a narrow Democratic victory, this legitimacy problem could be hard to ignore, especially if the current President conjures up doubt, as he often does, about the facts. Now back to the Democratic primary. Imagine the following contested convention scenario: Nobody receives an outright majority on the first ballot. Bernie Sanders receives a plurality, Biden follows close behind and Warren is way below them, with just enough to muck up the system. What is the democratic thing to do here? There is an easy argument that Sanders should receive the nomination: he got the most votes. But, for the reason I outlined above with regard to the general election, I don’t think that’s as compelling as it might seem at first glance — whether it’s Sanders or Biden, half the people lose. And that’s reasonable enough when there is no other option. But what about when there is the option to nominate someone who, despite having received very few votes the first time around, may be more acceptable to more people than either of the other two candidates — a mutual-second-choice scenario? This is the democratic argument for nominating Elizabeth Warren in such a scenario, and it is also the argument, put forth by the New York Times editorial board recently, for abolishing
LETTER TO THE EDITOR My name is Robbie Goldstein. I am a primary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, and I’m running to be the next representative in Congress for the 8th District of Massachusetts. Growing up, my dad was a dentist and my mom managed the office. One patient at a time, they wove their practice into the fabric of the neighborhood. In 2001, I came to Massachusetts to go to college at Tufts University and then stayed to get my medical degree and doctorate in cancer genetics. Today, I’m a primary care doctor for those living with HIV, the LGBTQ community and those affected by substance use disorders. I have served as a leader and a teacher in the hospital. Throughout the years, too many of my patients face the same challenges — challenges that are bigger than any one person can solve, and have only gotten worse since 2001. Across the 8th District, thousands of people are living without health insurance. Many more are living with food insecurity, housing instability and inadequate access to high quality transportation or a job that pays a living wage. Over the coming months, I hope to earn your support and your vote. To learn more about me and our campaign for change, please visit www. RobbieForChange.com an @RobbieForChange on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. — Robbie Goldstein
the current convoluted system altogether and replacing it with a national rankedchoice primary in which the person with the broadest base of support, rather than the best consolidated ‘lane,’ would walk away the nominee. (Since the last election, a number of states have adopted ranked-choice voting systems; the Voter Choice MA movement is working to get it here in Massachusetts.) But in the absence of a better system, we have to make principled decisions about how to use the one we have. That requires thinking not just about numbers, but about where the legitimacy of a government actually comes from — this is a task that all states have to reckon with in this particular historical moment, when the whole world order is being challenged, but it is one with which the opposition to Donald Trump, in particular, has to grapple. The Republican base believes in Trump — often fanatically. At the same time, a vote for Trump in 2016, like a vote for any demagogue in a free election, was not so different from a vote-of-no-confidence in the existing system. Eking out a Democratic victory in the electoral college in November, even if it succeeds in effecting a peaceful transfer of power back to a competent, reasonably moral adult, will not automatically fill the legitimacyvoid that Trump now claims squatter’s rights
to occupy. Neither will a numerical majority in the popular vote. Indeed, it will be hard to achieve that numerical majority, or that electoral victory, unless the candidate who runs against Trump can make a claim whose democratic nature doesn’t begin and end at the ballot box that Tuesday afternoon. And so, having defended Warren’s pursuit of a contested convention, I want to close with what I think is a better argument for awarding the nomination to a Sanders plurality than one that is based on a delegate count: the Sanders campaign has a credible assertion of legitimacy that no other candidate, absent a majority of delegates, can overcome. This legitimacy begins, but doesn’t end, with Sanders’ delegates: it comes from the record number of small donations to his campaign. It comes from all the people who have used that campaign as an organizing hub for countless local causes apart from the presidential race — a subscriber to campaign texts receives updates, for example, on local labor strikes. If Warren or Biden can make a better claim to this sort of legitimacy, let them. But as we march toward the convention, the Democratic Party ought to take democracy — not just delegate counts — seriously. That’s what’s going to matter in November, no matter who ends up as the nominee.
Friendship should drive self-improvement Gabriel FRANK
IN RETROSPECT
Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of collaborating on the writing of an editorial discussing Sodexo’s recent insertion of special dining pamphlets into various dining locations around campus. At first glance, the pamphlets seemed to be encouraging a healthier diet, instructing students on how to build plates that maintained appropriate portion sizes, how to use water as a means of suppressing one’s appetite and secretly physically exert oneself doing mundane tasks in order to burn calories. Evidently, these seemingly harmless pamphlets encourage weight loss, something many attempting to have a healthier lifestyle do not seek to do. In fact, these pamphlets may have had the opposite effect, pressuring on individuals who may be insecure about their eating habits or other aspects of their daily dietary routines. To me, such pamphlets are a manifestation of the harmful social phenomenon known as diet culture, where thinness is worshipped as an equivalent to good character and moral virtue. Under this detrimental logic, anyone who does not fit this model is, to some extent, less worthy of the admiration of others. Clearly, this ideology is an extreme one and was most certainly not the intent of the pamphlets. On the other hand, there was clearly some passive form of unfairly reprimanding those who may not make the best dietary choices.
Why they do so, however, is no business of Sodexo’s and to overgeneralize what may be a very tough choice for many on campus and elsewhere is a grave mistake. While I think Sodexo’s message here was both positive and well-intentioned, it was poorly executed. Since the publication of the editorial, the pamphlets have been promptly removed from dining halls. Sodexo made the right choice in doing away with them, but I still stand behind the pamphlet’s original intentions. Make no mistake, I believe that diet culture is wrong and that to pressure anyone into making dramatic changes in their lifestyle out of a lack of respect for their worth as a person due to their appearance is outright immoral. Conversely, however, I also believe that there should be a collective encouragement of a healthy, active lifestyle for all, that reflects on both a desire for self-improvement as opposed to validation in the eyes of others — as well as artificial standards of beauty and fitness. Indeed, I believe that encouraging selfimprovement within ourselves by endorsing a healthier lifestyle, whatever form that may take, should be an important aspect of one’s life. This was the mark that the Sodexo pamphlets missed, but I nonetheless believe in one’s right to speak to someone concerning dietary habits or other aspects of their lifestyle they may believe to be detrimental. Take, for example, an abuser of highly potent and addictive narcotics such as methamphetamine or cocaine. It is quite likely that a friend or family member of said addict would see these habits as incredibly harmful and even life-threatening, to the point of staging an intervention or forcing their beloved to enter a rehabilitation program. Here, the friend is doing this not out of a desire for self-validation or some
The opinions expressed on this page are those of each article’s respective author and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Justice.
societal conception of an ideal state of being for everyone, but out of genuine love and concern for their companion. This is top of the belief that they can do better and not exist in this state of dependence on harmful, debilitating substances. In this case, why should something such as diet be any different? There are dietary habits which are significantly less healthy than others, which may contribute to an individual’s poor health and livelihood. In my view, any true friend of an individual with these habits, if he or she knows why they are occuring, has an obligation to speak with them about the harm they are causing to their health. One real life example of this concept is the obesity epidemic in the United States, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over forty percent of adults are obese, with a quarter of them classified as severely obese. Health complications associated with obesity include heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes and numerous deadly cancers. Knowing this, as well as the health risks associated with obesity, encouraging those who may suffer from it alter their lifestyle is necessary. Using these examples, people should (albeit, far less extremely) encourage others to engage in dietary self improvement in a manner that is constructive, healthy and done out of love. This is what differentiates constructive criticism from the lifestyle questioning that were present in the messages within Sodexo’s pamphlets, on top of having people actually approach selfimprovement in a way that yields positive results. Ultimately, body positivity and a healthy approach to changing one’s diet can go hand in hand and it’s up to us, not a caterer or corporation, to see that it does.
THE JUSTICE ● SPORTS ● TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
WBBALL: Judges end 3–11 in the UAA CONTINUED FROM 16 University of Chicago, the Judges owned a five-game losing streak as they looked towards their final game of the regular season. Violets 91, Judges 73 This past Saturday, Feb. 29, marked Senior Day, as the Judges honored seniors Nicholson, Rubinstein and St. Amand. Additionally, the Judges closed out their regular season at home against the New York University Violets. After the first quarter, the Judges held onto a narrow lead, 16–15. However, the Judges were significantly outscored through the following three quarters.
13
GOODBYE GRADUATES
After the second, the Judges fell behind NYU 41–28, and continued to trail 68–52 after the third quarter, ultimately losing 91–73. Despite the loss, senior Nicholson led the team with 18 points, three other Judges scored in double digits. In her final game, Rubinstein scored 15, while Jillian Petrie ’21 added 12 and Reavis scored 10 points. Nicholson also led the team with 10 rebounds, concluding her career with her 10th double-double of the season. The Judges made only 37% of their field goal attempts, with a meager 25.9% of 3-point shots made. The Judges conclude their regular season with a six-game losing streak and a record of 13–12.
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ONE LAST TIME: Brandeis’ Eric D'Aguanno ’20 dribbles out of his college career in a game against New York University on Saturday.
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MBBALL: Season ends with a win against NYU CONTINUED FROM 16
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Bears 77, Judges 70 The Judges put in a greatly improved performance back home on Feb. 21, but it was not enough to take down the Washington University in St. Louis Bears. Playing their second straight game against a nationally ranked opponent, Brandeis went step for step with WashU in the first half, emerging with a 38–34 lead. The game stayed tight for most of the second half, with a D’Aguanno three-pointer putting the hosts ahead 54–52. That woke up the Bears, who went on to outscore the Judges 17–2 over a six minute stretch thanks to a barrage of threepointers. Now trailing by 12 with just over four minutes to play, Darret Justice '23 got the Judges back within single digits with a three-pointer. The Bears immediately responded in kind, as Jack Nolan nailed the Bears’ third consecutive three-pointer to make it 72–60. In the final minute, WashU had the ball, ahead 75–65 and it looked like they would see the game out comfortably from there. Instead, the Judges forced a turnover and took advantage of a missed one and one to score five straight points and cut the lead in half with 26 seconds left. Brandeis forced a five-second violation and a held ball in the next three seconds of action, but turned the ball over on one possession and missed three shots on the next, allowing the Bears to escape with the win. The Judges shot just 40%, but Chandler Jones ’21, D’Aguanno and Sawyer all scored double figures. Judges 101, Maroons 95; 2OT It took an extra ten minutes, but the Judges snapped their losing streak in an incredible game against the University of Chicago Maroons on
Feb. 23. Chicago led 58–43 with 13 minutes to go in the second half, but Brandeis went on a 21–5 run to take the lead. Trailing 74–71 with under a minute to go, Sawyer tied the score with the final three points of regulation before Dylan Lien ’23 missed a chance to win the game at the buzzer. In the first overtime period, the Judges took an 86–79 lead with 38 seconds on the clock and looked like they had completed the comeback victory. Instead, the Judges missed three consecutive free throws and the Maroons scored seven straight points to send the game to double overtime. With Sawyer — who scored a career-high 27 points — on the bench after fouling out, the Judges were tied at 91 with two minutes left before scoring six straight points, five of which were by Jones. Chicago would score twice more, but Jones countered with a pair of free throws after both baskets, sealing the once unlikely win. Jones scored 21 points along with 10 rebounds and six assists. Lien scored 18 points including 4–5 from outside the arc, and D’Aguanno added 15. Brandeis shot 9–17 from three. Judges 72, Violets 69 Brandeis closed out the regular season with an unexpectedly close win against the last-place New York University Violets on leap day. Seniors D’Aguanno and Sawyer were honored before the game, and it was announced that Sawyer would be returning to the team next season as an eligible graduate student. D’Aguanno, making his lone start of the season scored a layup to tie the game at 10 early on, as part of a 21–6 run that put the Judges in front by 11. NYU clawed their way back into it, coming within two before a Lien jump shot brought the Judges’ lead at the half to 34–30. The Violets opened the second half
on an 8–2 run to take the lead, but Lien took it back with a three-pointer and the Judges stayed ahead from that point on. Despite this, Brandeis never pulled away and the visitors hit a three-pointer to make it as close as 70–69 in the final minute. Jones missed at the other end and NYU had a chance to shock the hosts for their second UAA win at the buzzer. Instead, Matan Zucker ’23 made the play of the game by taking a charge with seven seconds left, and D’Aguanno scored his 1014th and 1,015th points of his Brandeis career at the free throw line to make it a three-point game. Violets’ senior Jimmy Martinelli missed a would-be game tying three at the horn. Jones, Sawyer, Lien and Lawrence Sabir ’21 all scored at least 10 points, while Zucker had eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in addition to taking the game deciding charge. The Judges only turned the ball over twice all game, while forcing 13 NYU giveaways. Regular Season Recap The Judges finish the season in third place in the UAA and will require an At-Large bid to qualify for the Division III NCAA Tournament, an unlikely but not impossible proposition. Short of that, they could qualify for the DIII East Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, which they won a year ago. Sawyer finished the regular season as the team’s leading scorer with 390 points, with Jones next at 345. Jones led the team with 187 rebounds, while finishing tied with Hagerty for 72 assists. Jones also led the Judges in steals and blocks. Reigning UAA Defensive Player of the Year Lawrence Sabir saw his season interrupted by injury, but still managed to post 61 assists in 16 games. Jones and Sawyer each started all 25 games under second year Head Coach Jean Bain.
FENCING:12 athletes awarded UAA recognition CONTINUED FROM 16 Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the Overall six-Weapon Team Champion and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as the Club Teams six-Weapon Team Champion. The Brandeis fencing head coach is Jennie Salmon, who is in her second season with the Judges. Assistant coaches are Arpad Horvath (fifth
season), Matthew Zich (second season) and Jeff Salmon (first season). The Armorer is Al Merritt who is in his fourth season. The men’s captains are Chris Armstrong '20, Charlie Catino '20, Shawn Pyatesky '20 and Ian Quin '20. The women’s captains are Devon Brown '21, Jessica Gets '20, Hannah Mui '20 and Madeleine Vibert '21. In addition, the University Athletic Association named its Winter 2019-20
Academic All-UAA team, and Brandeis University student-athletes earned 63 honors. Within the UAA, All-Academic recognition is awarded to studentathletes who have completed at least one full year of college and who carry a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.300. In fencing, 12 Brandeis athletes were named to the team. They include Devon Brown ’21, Dakota Levy ’20, Mia Li ’20, Jess Spear ’21,
Madeleine Vibert ’21 Chris Armstrong ’20, Sam Chestna ’20, Trevor Filseth ’20, Alexander Holtmann ’21, Harrison Kaish ’22, Shawn Pyatetsky ’20 and Garrett Tordo ’21. In an interview with the Justice, Levy explained, “It feels good to be recognized not only for our athletic accomplishments but for our academic ones as well ... At Brandeis, the “student” part of student-athlete really
means something [and] academics are a vital part of the student-athlete experience here at Brandeis.” The Judges will travel to Ithaca, NY to visit Cornell University in two weeks to compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regionals. —Trevor Filseth is a Justice Forum writer.
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THE JUSTICE
JUDGES BY THE NUMBERS
● SPORTS ●
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
15
SWIMMING AND DIVING
MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM STATS
UAA STANDINGS Chicago NYU Emory WashU Rochester Case Carnegie JUDGES
UAA Conf. W L D 11 3 0 10 4 0 10 4 0 7 7 0 6 8 0 5 9 0 4 10 0 3 11 0
UPCOMING GAMES:
Overall W L D Pct. 20 5 0 .800 20 5 0 .800 19 6 0 .760 14 11 0 .560 12 13 0 .480 10 15 0 .400 11 14 0 .440 13 12 0 .520
Season has concluded.
Points Per Game
Collin Sawyer ’20 leads the team with 15.6 points per game. Player PPG Collin Sawyer 15.6 Chandler Jones 13.8 Eric D’Aguanno 11.0
Rebounds Per Game
Chandler Jones ’21 leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game. Player REB/G Chandler Jones 7.5 Nolan Hagerty 6.8 Matan Zucker 4.0
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM STATS
UAA STANDINGS UAA Conf. W L D Chicago 11 3 0 NYU 10 4 0 Emory 10 4 0 WashU 7 7 0 Rochester 6 8 0 Case 5 9 0 Carnegie 4 10 0 JUDGES 3 11 0
Points Per Game
Overall W L D Pct. 20 3 0 .800 20 4 0 .800 19 8 0 .760 14 4 0 .560 12 8 0 .480 10 6 0 .400 11 9 0 .440 13 11 0 .520
UPCOMING GAMES: Season has concluded.
Camila Casaneuva ’21 leads the team with 12.8 points per game. Player PPG Camila Casaneuva 12.8 Hannah Nicholson 11.4 Jillian Petrie 8.5
Rebounds Per Game
Hannah Nicholson ’20 leads with 9.1 rebounds per game. Player REB/G Hannah Nicholson 9.1 Camila Casaneuva 6.1 Courtney Thrun 5.2
SWIMMING AND DIVING Results from Clark College on Feb. 1.
TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)
TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Backstroke
SWIMMER TIME Daniel Wohl 48.83 Mathew Arcemont 50.72 Benton Ferebee 54.54
SWIMMER TIME Rebekah Goodfellow 2:21.38 Abbie Etzweiler 2:27.94 Kate Wetzel 2:33.92
UPCOMING MEETS:
Swimming and diving breaks school records ■ Brandeis’ swimming and diving team competed at University of Chicago on Feb. 13 to 15. By EMMA GHALILI JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Mar. 21 at NCAA Championships
TRACK AND FIELD Results from the UAA Indoor Championships on Feb. 29 to Mar 1.
TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)
TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)
60 Meter Hurdles
800 Meter Run
RUNNER TIME Jack Allen 8.40 Aaron Baublis 8.69 Dio Morris-Evans 8.71
RUNNER TIME Leinni Valdez 2:22.54 Mahala Lahvis 2:33.53 Elizabeth Dunphy 2:33.59
UPCOMING MEETS: Mar. 7 at Tufts Last Chance Meet Mar. 13 at NCAA Championships
NOAH ZEITLIN/Justice File Photo
DIVE IN: The Judges hosted the Colby College Mules, on Nov, 16 where there were many strong individual preformances.
Data Courtesy of THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS ASSOCIATION and the BRANDEIS ATHLETICS WEBSITE; Images Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS.
From Feb. 13 to 15, the Brandeis swimming and diving teams competed at the University of Chicago in the University Athletic Association Championships. On day one, five Brandeis records were broken and on day three, two more records fell. Both teams finished in eighth place, with the women scoring 308 points and the men scoring 423 points. Bailey Gold ’23 was the top finisher in the 200-yard butterfly. In the preliminaries, Gold’s time was 2:08.51, which gave her the 12th seed into the ‘B’ finals. Gold improved on her seeding and an eleventh-place finish with a time of 2:09.49. Her 11th-place finish was the second-best by any Brandeis swimmer and a top finish by
Brandeis women swimmers of all time. Ema Rennie ’23 broke her previous school record on the 50yard free style on day one and broke the University’s oldest school record in the 100-yard freestyle during the preliminaries on day three. She beat Wendy Liwengrub’s ’09 record and became the second woman in the school’s history to break 54 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle. Rennie broke the record with a time of 53.51 seconds. With this time, she swam in the ‘C’ finals and finished in 23rd place. On day one, Audrey Kim ’21, Emily McGovern ’21, Bailey Gole ’23 and Rennie broke the school record in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 4:00.46. On day three, Gold and Rennie were also teamed with Uajda Musaku ’21 and Audrey Kim ’21 in the 400-yard freestyle relay and placed eighth. They also broke a school record with their time of 3:37.73. Abbie Etzweiler ’22 had a great performance — a personal best — in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 18:54.63
which earned her 22nd place. On the men’s side on day one, Tamar Zitelny ’20, Brendon Lu ’22, Matthew Arecmont ’20 and Marcelo Ohno-Machado ’21 broke the University record in the 400yard medley relay with a time of 3:26.37 and a seventh-place finish. Daniel Wohl ’21 had the highest individual freestyle in the 100yard freestyle. He got into the ‘B’ preliminary with a time of 46.12 seconds. This time earned him the 12th seed, and in the finals, he swam with a time of 46.30 and ended up in 13th place. Richard Selznick ’21 swam the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:42.53. On day three, Lu won second place in the ‘C’ final in the 200yard backstroke, finishing with a time of 2:08.51. He was only a couple seconds off of the first place winner. In the final relay of the day, Zitelny, Ohno-Machado, Arcemont and Wohl competed in the 400-yard freestyle relay and finished in eighth place with a time of 3:06.68. This time is more than two seconds off their previous school record that they set two years ago.
PRO SPORTS BRIEF
Ball Talk: NBA trade deadline results were quite quiet Hello everybody, and welcome back to Ball Talk with Jon Soc! Sorry for the long delay between writings, but it’s alright because we are back in business. Today we are going to be talking about the NBA Trade Deadline. This is always my favorite segment to write, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. Even though the trade deadline was incredibly tame this year, there were still some exciting trades. This trade deadline taught us all something that I have been saying for years: if your big man is not able to defend out to the three-point line or shoot threes, your big man is not worth anything. I will explain in more depth, but the Clint Capela and Andre Drummond trades show that there is no more value in bigs who just rebound and rim protect at a below super-elitelevel. By super elite-level, I mean top three in the league type. Think Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid. Not Steven Adams-level. The first trade I want to talk about is the Capela trade. This is the most confusing trade we’ve seen since the Dwight Howard trade. The Houston Rockets gave up Capela, Nene Hilario, Gerald Green and a first-round pick. In return, they received Robert Covington and a Golden State Warriors second-round pick. The Atlanta Hawks gave up nothing of value and received Clint Capela. The Denver Nuggets gave up Malik Beasley and got Gerald Green and a first-round pick.
The Minnesota Timberwolves gave up a first-round pick and got Beasley. In addition, there were many random, lower-level players that were involved in this trade. This trade showed that big men just are not worth what they used to be. Initially, people thought that the Houston Rockets gave up too much for Capela, but since the trade they have been one of the best teams in the league, although Capela has still yet to play. In my personal opinion, I still think the Rockets gave up way too much to just get Robert Covington, and this move will not help them in the playoffs. The Timberwolves’ side of this deal was strictly to get assets, and they succeeded, but more on that later. The Hawks managed to get a firstround pick, and a starting level center for scraps from their roster. Capela could never play again and this trade would still be an absolute steal for the Hawks. The Nuggets needed to get a return for Beasley before he left for nothing in free agency, and they got a solid pick. In my opinion, everyone won this trade except the Rockets, who probably believe they won the trade. The second trade to discuss is the Drummond trade. Drummond was traded for John Henson, Brandon Knight, a second round pick and a metaphorical bag of potato chips. This trade was the absolute dagger in the heart of the classic-style big man. Drummond, a two-time all-star and former member of the All-NBA Third Team, was traded for two players who
were both already traded as salary dumps in the past, as well as a secondround pick. Unless the Detroit Pistons are absolutely horribly run, which they aren’t, then realistically no one offered more. No one offered a future first, a protected first, or a rotation player. General managers are finally catching on, as rim running bigs are a dime a dozen, and there is no reason to give up assets or cap space for one who is not the absolute best at what he does. Third trade! Referencing my earlier point about the Timberwolves stockpiling assets, they used those assets in this next trade: D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves and Andrew Wiggins, along with a first and a second to the Warriors. After trying for years to pair together Karl Anthony-Towns and one of his best buddies, Devin Booker or D’Angelo, they finally did it! And they have no more defense, but whatever. As long as Anthony-Towns is happy. They also finally won a game, which is exciting. The Timberwolves still look pretty hopeless, but maybe I’m being too hard on them. Only time will tell. The Warriors, on the other hand, excite me a lot, and with now two lottery picks in the upcoming draft, they will have lots of chances for a top prospect or lots of capital for a possible trade, maybe for Giannis. Even if they do not trade their new picks for a superstar, Andrew Wiggins looks to be a good member of the Warriors squad, filling in the Harrison Barnes role from the
Warriors’ first title run. Unfortunately, Barnes was a much better defender, but we will see whether Wiggins can grow more as a defender as he learns from a top defender like Draymond Green. Fourth trade! Jordan Clarkson to the Utah Jazz for Dante Exum and two seconds. This trade happened well before the deadline but Clarkson has emerged as one of the key contributors on the Jazz since the trade, helping them in the absolute arms race going on for second in the west. The Cleveland Cavaliers got another reclamation project and some second rounders for their efforts. Fifth trade. Andre Igoudala finally got traded! After wasting away on the Memphis Grizzlies for the entire season, the Grizzlies traded Iggy, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill to the Miami Heat for Justice Winslow and other rotation pieces. Both teams have fallen off completely since the trade. The Heats will definitely find their footing again. They have too many savvy vets to not at least stay a top-four seed. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies might not find their way again, but that is not a problem. The Grizzlies have already outperformed expectations greatly and are dealing with an injury problem — as even the centerpiece of the trade, Winslow, is injured. The Grizzlies will continue their push for the eighth seed, but if they fall short, this season has already been a vast success and Winslow will be worth a lot more
next year than any piece they traded. Also, just to point out, the Grizzlies took on all three players in this trade as salary dumps with picks attached, then traded them for a great young player. That’s how you use cap space as a rebuilding team. The sixth and final trade worth talking about: The Los Angeles Clippers received Isaiah Thomas (who was immediately waived) and Marcus Morris, New York Knicks receive Moe Harkless, a Clippers first round pick this year, and a Clippers first-round pick swap next year (Knicks get better pick of theirs and Clippers) and a second-round pick. Someone played that Juice World and NBA Young Boy song because the Knicks are the definition of a bandit in this trade. The Clippers get another overrated isolation player who won’t help their playmaking issue, losing a good defensive role player in Moe Harkless. The Knicks got a first-round pick, and a second round pick for a player they signed over the off-season, a rare great move by the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, this year’s trade deadline was very quiet, as was the buyout market. Reggie Jackson signed with the Clippers, once again not moving the needle, and the Lakers signed Markieff Morris, also not moving the needle much, but he is an isolation scorer, something the Los Angeles Lakers bench needed gravelly. —Jonathan Sochaczevski
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BALL TALK IS BACK National Basketball Association trade deadline results were quite quiet, p. 15. Waltham, Mass.
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
MEN’S BASKETBALL
SUPER SENIORS
Regular season comes to an end, 17–4 overall ■ Men’s basketball concluded its season in third place in UAA after a 2–3 weekend, falling short of DIII NCAA tournament. By JONAH WHITE JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Brandeis went 2–3 over the final three weekends of the season. Rochester 80, Judges 65 On Feb. 14 in upstate New York, the Judges fell to the University of Rochester Yellowjackets, a team they had beaten 76–54 at home earlier in the season. Brandeis started well enough, with a lead of 24–20 in the first half, but were outscored 13–5 over the last six minutes of the half, going into the break trailing by four. Nolan Hagerty ’22 scored the first two points of the second half, but the Judges struggled after that. Rochester went on a 13–3 run to take a 46–34 lead. The Yellowjackets kept the pressure on, not letting Brandeis cut into the lead significantly from there. Eric D’Aguanno ’20 knocked down a three-pointer to make it 70–58 with five minutes to go, but Rochester responded with a 10–2 run to go up 80– 60 before Austin Clamage ’21 scored the game’s final five points. According to the Brandeis Athletics website, the Judges shot just
42 percent from the field compared to 60 percent for the Yellowjackets, and gave up seven Fastbreak points. Hagerty led the team with 15 points on 7–8 shooting, followed by 12 from D’Aguanno in 27 minutes off the bench. Leading scorer Collin Sawyer ’20 had a tough night, scoring all six of his points at the free-throw line and going 0–8 otherwise. Emory 93, Judges 65 In Atlanta two days later, on Feb. 16, the Judges attempted to replicate their prior upset of the Emory University Eagles, but this time fell well short. The team started well, heading into halftime with a 37–32 lead. It looked like another shock might be on, but the Eagles were unstoppable throughout the next 20 minutes. The Eagles quickly went on a 14–0 run in the opening four minutes of the second half, and still led by nine after a three-pointer from Sawyer a few minutes later. Emory followed that with a 15–5 run, to take a commanding 70–51 lead. The hosts were relentless, stifling every attempt at a Judges’ comeback before closing out the game on a 10–0 run. Brandeis was badly outshot for the second consecutive game, going just 23–68 as a team. Sawyer led the team with 14 points, but went just 3–17 from the field.
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FENCING
Judges take third at NEIFC Championships ■ The Judges took home three individual bronze medals and three top-three team placements. By MEGAN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR
On Saturday, Feb. 22, the Brandeis Judges participated in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference tournament held at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. The NEIFC is a league focused on supporting and developing intercollegiate fencing programs in and around New England. NEIFC hosts two tournaments each season. The first is the Fall Invitational usually held the first Saturday in November, and the Championship is usually held in late February. The Brandeis fencing team took home three individual bronze medals
and three top-three team placements. The overall top placement came from the men's sabre squad who was second, while the women's sabre squad was third. The men also placed third in the overall three-weapon standings. As a team, the men's epee came in fourth. Individually, the Judges earned a bronze medal in men's sabre from Lucus Lin ’22. In addition, Braden Vaccari ’23 was eighth in men's sabre and Garrett Tordo ’21 was ninth in men’s epee. Alek Broszkowski ’21 was 10th in men's foil. As a team, the women's foil came in fourth, while women's epee was sixth. Individually, the Judges had a bronze medal in women's sabre from Maggie Shealy ’23 and in women's foil from Jessica Gets ’20. Jada Harrison ’22 was sixth in sabre. Overall NEIFC results were the
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NATALIA WIATER/Justice File Photo
MOVE IT: Brandeis’ Lauren Rubinstein ’20 and Hannah Nicholson ’20 hustle in a Jan. 31 game against Case Western Reserve University.
Judges finish regular season 13–12 overall ■ Women’s basketball lost their last six games of the season, dropping to eighth place in UAA standings. By HANNAH O'KOON JUSTICE EDITOR
The Brandeis Judges concluded their season with an overall record of 13–12 and a record of 3–11 in University Athletic Association play. Despite a promising start to the season, the Judges finished with a sixgame losing streak. Yellowjackets 85, Judges 71 On Feb. 14, the Judges faced the University of Rochester Yellowjackets, losing 85–71. In a game featuring constant lead changes, the Judges ultimately fell after a close three quarters. After the first quarter, the Judges led 21–20, but trailed after the second 42–39. In the third quarter, both teams scored 16 points, as Rochester maintained their lead 58–55. As the fourth quarter opened, Rochester took a commanding lead after back-to-back three-pointers. Brandeis’ Lauren Rubinstein ’20 brought the Judges within four, 64–60. However, Rochester outscored Brandeis in the fourth quarter, taking the victory. Three Judges scored in double digits, as Hannah Nicholson ’20
paced the team with 16 points, while Camila Casanueva ’21 scored 14 and Rubinstein added 10 points. Casanueva led the team with 10 assists and seven rebounds, barely missing a triple-double. Eagles 58, Judges 57 In Atlanta on Feb. 16, the Judges fell to the Emory University Eagles 58–57. After cutting an 11-point deficit in the fourth, the Judges were unable to secure the win, failing to make a lastsecond shot. After the first quarter, Emory led 15–12, and continued to build their lead throughout the second and third quarters. Entering the fourth, the Eagles led 50–40. The fourth quarter was tight, as Brandeis battled back from an early deficit. The Judges scored early in the fourth, ultimately coming within one point of Emory, 56–55 with 1:40 left. With less than a minute remaining, Emory made two free throws, sealing their victory over the Judges. Rubinstein led the team with 12 points, followed by Emma Reavis ’23 with 11 and Nicholson with nine points. This was the final game of a four-game road trip, as the Judges returned home for their final three games of the season. Bears 72, Judges 60 The Judges returned home on Feb. 21, taking on the Washington University in St. Louis Bears. Starting strong, the Judges built a commanding lead early in the first
quarter, leading 20–2 after 6:20. At the end of the first quarter, the Judges led the Bears 27–11. However, the Judges failed to maintain their momentum in the second quarter, as the Bears led 35–29 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Bears took their first lead of the night, outscoring the Judges 9–2 in the first minutes of the quarter. The Bears continued to outscore the Judges throughout the third and fourth quarters, outscoring Brandeis 22–17 in the fourth to secure their victory. Nicholson led the team with 14 points, followed by Francesca Marchese ’23, who scored nine. Nicholson also paced the team with 11 rebounds, securing her ninth double-double of the season. Maroons 73, Judges 45 On Feb. 23, the Judges lost to the 21st-ranked University of Chicago Maroons. After the first quarter, the Judges trailed 19–8. The Maroons continued to outscore the Judges in the second and third quarters, although the Judges gained some momentum in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Maroons in the fourth 14–11. However, the Judges’ strong showing in the fourth came too late, as the Maroons dominated the scoring throughout the game. Casanueva led the team with 11 points, while Julia St. Amand ’20 scored a career-high nine points. Katherine Puda ’21 led the team with seven rebounds. With the loss to the
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March 3, 2020
Vol. LXXII #18 Vol. LXX #2
September 12, 2017
SPRING ROSE OPENING: Dora Garcia: just Love with Obstacles >> Pg. 19
just arts & culture Waltham, Mass.
Images: Noah Zeitlin/the Justice. Artwork: Dora García, Interrogation of a Woman (O interrogatório de uma mulher), Teatro Oficina, October 2016. Theater play. Annette Lemieux, Left Right Left Right, 1995. 108 x 192 x 24 in. (274.32 x 487.68 x 60.96 cm), 30 photolithographs on museum board, wood poles, screws. Hays Purchase Fund. Courtesy of Annette Lemieux and Kent Fine Art. Design: Noah Zeitlin/the Justice.
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TUESDAY, THE JUSTICE MARCH |3,ARTS 2020| TUESDAY, I ARTS & CULTURE JANUARYI31, THE2017 JUSTICE
CULTURE
TSA presents: ‘My Home, Formosa’ By VICKY WANG
JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Last Saturday, the Taiwanese Student Association held its annual cultural show, “My Home, Formosa,” in the Levin Ballroom. In 1542, Portuguese sailors came across a forest-cloaked land and shouted: “Ilha Formosa,’’ meaning “Beautiful Island.” Taiwan was then named “Formosa” in 1542. This year, TSA picked Formosa as the namesake and topic of the show to conjure up a feeling of home and belonging for Taiwanese-American students, and to present the beauty and essence of Taiwanese culture in the Brandeis community. TSA kicked off the event with a creative E-board video. The video depicted 10 skits showing unique aspects of Taiwanese culture. One of the features was titled “Knowing the true meaning of Beethoven’s Für Elise.” In the video, some TSA members were running down the stairs with their garbage when they heard the music because, in Taiwan, garbage trucks follow their route while playing “Für Elise.” The amusing acting made everyone in the room laugh. The event reminded the Taiwanese students of their home and gave the students who are not Taiwanese a
glimpse into that culture. TSA reached out to various artists from outside of Brandeis who performed traditional and contemporary Taiwaness performances. The first presentation was by the DFBB dance group. The group’s name is an acronym for Dong Fang Bú Bài, a character in the well-known Chinese novel, “Xiao Ao Jiang Hu.” The group was composed of students and professionals from various backgrounds in the Boston area. While their confident postures and energetic moves impressed and hyped up the audience, they also brought the audience closer to Asian dance culture. Following the dance performance, TSA set up a stage to share pop songs from Taiwan. Myles Gui ’21 covered two songs by Taiwanese artists. TSA member Jay Tseng ’21 joined hands with Myles and performed the first song, “Without You.” Myles’s touching voice and Jay’s energetic rapping gained great acclaim from the audience. After the first song, Myles stayed on the stage to cover the second song, “Black Humor” by the famous Taiwanese singer Jay Chou. The soothing melody caused me to recall my memories of the songs from my youth. However, the EMILY BLUMENTHAL/the Justice
MUSICAL TALENT: Various artists, both from Brandeis and the local area, performed at “My Home, Formosa.”
song was enjoyable for everyone, whether they were familiar or unfamiliar with Jay Chou’s songs. The Sad Boys Club from Boston put on a thrilling and vibrant dance performance. Street dance is an essential part of Taiwanese culture; the Sad Boys Club members built their performance from the breaking, popping, krumping and hiphop freestyle common in street dance. Their dynamic was youthful and vigorous, and each dancer’s passion permeated the audience. The crowd applauded enthusiastically at the end of their performance. The first and second halves of the show started and ended with TSA members distributing boba tea to the audience, including guava and passionfruit tea, mango green tea and classic milk tea. As Taiwan was the place of origin of boba tea, TSA members did not miss out on the chance to share the popular boba culture with the audience, especially as boba tea has gained many fans in the U.S. As I have previously illustrated, dancing is a major part of Taiwanese culture. The 14 TSA E-Board members danced to “Chinese Herbal Manual” by Jay Chou on the stage to open the second half of the show. WuZee, a Chinese fusion dance group from Tufts, performed a traditional dance to express appreciation of Chinese culture and dance. Ten performers dressed in traditional costumes danced while using paper handheld fans as props and performed the role of male scholars. I was glad that the traditional and ancient culture was inherited through generations up until the present. Thanks to these passionate dancers, I was able to experience the charms of traditional dance culture. Overall, the dancers’ graceful movements showed the audience the spirit and the beauty of Taiwanese traditional dance. In order to introduce more people to traditional Chinese trick, TSA also invited the BLS Diabolo Club to bring a fabulous
EMILY BLUMENTHAL/the Justice
DANCING FUN: Some of the performers shared a variety of dances to showcase traditional and modern Taiwanese culture. The show ended with TSA coordinators serving several kinds of traditional Taiwanese foods. Throughout the entire show, all the coordinators were well-organized, each performing their designated roles responsibly. Behind this splendid show, it was all about the hard work, cooperation and time investment of TSA members. Most of the performers were not from Brandeis, and, therefore, the preparation process was quite challenging for TSA coordinators. Jiaao Gong ’21, the primary coordinator of TSA, said in an interview with the Justice that the most challenging part of planning the event was “definitely coordinating because you have to coordinate so many performers, like some performers, say, have their own stuff to do and sometimes they forgot to do the contracts, forgot to send us the music. You have to go back and forth with them and make sure that they give you what you need.” As someone from a similar cultural background, I appreciated TSA’s dedication to this cultural event. The event introduced and shared the essence of Taiwanese culture while offering belonging for those who are away from home.
show to Brandeis students. During the show, they performed with and without the lights. Their demonstrations showed yo-yo skills and techniques with increasing difficulty as the performance progressed. They cast the yo-yo up into the sky, swapping the yo-yo with each other in the air and even manipulating two yo-yos simultaneously. The audience was continuously amazed by these extraordinary tricks. Playing Chinese yo-yo was a precious memory of my childhood and I was proud of the performers because they had developed their skills so well to impress the audience with this aspect of Asian culture. Justin and Jason from the Jrod Twins performed duet covers of popular songs for the audience. The twins appreciated performing at Brandeis for the second time (the first time they were invited by the Southeast Asian Club). Justin and Jason performed five songs, some in English and some in Vietnamese. Even though many in the audience did not understand Vietnamese, the melody was calming and appealing enough to make the audience immersed in the music. The twins’ performance seemed to demonstrate the saying that “music needs no language.”
CONCERT
Jams with SCRAM and BAMCO By ELISABETH FREEMAN JUSTIC EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
On Friday night at the Rose Art Museum, SCRAM and BAMCO joined forces to host an afterhours Winter Coffeehouse concert. SCRAM is a group of students that works with the Rose Art Museum to plan events and BAMCO discovers and brings musicians from a diverse set of backgrounds to campus. The performance was surrounded by the magnificent works in Dora García’s exhibit, “Love with Obstacles.” In an interview with the Justice, SCRAM President Alex Shoshani ’22 said, “We do a concert with BAMCO most semesters. This particular semester, we wanted to focus on female performers because Dora Garcia’s work is inspired by really amazing women.” The audience saw three performances: a Boston-based singer-songwriter called oomph!, Brooklyn comedy duo OLGA and an acoustic set from the on-campus band Sproutfit. The first act was oomph! Her songs were original compositions, except for her finale, which was a cover of a song by ABBA. The
tone of her songs and the acoustic performance created a sense of intimacy and vulnerability. In between songs, she cracked jokes and talked to the audience, making her set more interactive. As time progressed, more people were attracted by the performance and continued to crowd into the room. The second performance was the comedy duo OLGA. Two millennial women, their set was largely targeted towards women of the same age group and was composed of sarcastic quips about feminism and politics. Nonetheless, the audience — containing people of all ages and genders — was laughing. Last, but certainly not least, was Brandeis’ own Sproutfit, an indie pop band. In addition to singing original music, the students played the guitar, cello, keyboard and cajón. The combination of these instruments created a unique sound, giving the performance a laid-back mood. During the performance, some audience members subtly tapped their feet to the rhythm and immersed themselves completely in the world of music. I thought that the event was an
interesting experience. Before Friday night, I had never seen a female comedian live, which made the event a first for me. The novelty of the experience and supporting female comics made the show meaningful for me. Besides, I appreciate the value of exposing myself to local talent — both on and off campus. You never know where people go in life, and I’d like to think to myself, “Hey, I got to see so-and-so before they were famous.” Thank you, SCRAM and BAMCO, for the wonderful opportunity. I adored the fact that the concert was planned so that the audience would watch predominantly female-led performances in the context of Dora García’s art. In other words, the concert supported female artists in more ways than one. I believe that female representation — women celebrating women — is important and relevant in our current sociopolitical climate. García’s art made it so that the concert was not only an opportunity to enjoy music but also an opportunity to assess society beyond our college campus. While OLGA directly told the audience about intersectional
Photos by RIVER HAYES/the Justice
LOCAL ARTIST: The first act was oomph!, a Boston-based singer and songwriter. feminism, I believe oomph! showed it by creating her path in society as a young woman. As members of society, a small but significant thing we can do is support women’s
voices. As Shoshani said, “We just really want to be able to work with the progressive work that Dora [García] has done, and this was a really fun way to do it.”
HOME-GROWN MUSICIANS: Sproutfit, the final act, is an indie pop band created by Brandeis students.
SHARING A LAUGH: The second act was OLGA, a comedic duo from Brooklyn, New York. Design: Sara Fulton/the Justice
THE JUSTICE I ARTS & CULTURE I TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
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EXHIBITION
Today is for ‘Yesterday’s Tomorrow’ By LUKE LIU JUSTICE EDITOR
On Feb. 13, the Rose Art Museum hosted its opening ceremony for the Rose’s Spring Exhibition. In the Gerald S. and Sandra Fineberg Gallery and Lower Rose, “Yesterday’s Tomorrow” presents a selection from the Rose Museum from 1933 to 2018. The chosen pieces focus on historical incidents that had long-lasting impacts on our present understanding of society
sentences is delicately inserted in the background of drawings of splendid figures that carved their names in history. Starting and ending the scroll with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki seems to suggest a cycle that will never break if we fail to learn lessons from the past. Moving to the Lower Rose, a relatively small piece caught my eye. “(Geometries) Fire X” is a TIME Magazine cover with sacred Islamic geometrical cutouts. While one can still read the
WIDE VARIETY: “Yesterday’s Tomorrow” presents artworks from the museum collection spanning from 1938 to 2018.
and that continues to shape our future. In the Lois Foster Gallery, “Dora García: Love with Obstacles” includes a variety of art forms, from film and drawings to documents and performances created by Dora García. The exhibition aims to tackle the relationship between idealism, reality and the difficulties of bringing the former to the latter. Entering the museum, one cannot help but notice the scrolllike construct on the left side at the end of the room. “Project for a New American Century” is a 65-foot-long, six-foot-tall paper loop that is covered in words and drawings. One part of the sculpture curves in on itself so that one can walk inside and be completely surrounded by it. The text and graphics on the paper wall covers international affairs from the end of World War II until post-9/11. The mixture of names, numbers and
front line of the magazine, which is clearly related to a report on warfare, one cannot help but be distracted by the cut-out, which feels like looking through a kaleidoscope. Who’s to say it is not how we feel about news today? More and more often, we read news under layers of cover and sculpting. The pieces that were cut out might very well be their own story, but we shall never see the whole story. A corner of the lower chamber is set up as a small screening room, where Dora García’s documentary, “Love and Obstacles, 2020,” is shown. The film focuses on Alexandra Kollontai, a Russian feminist and activist before and during the early stage of the Soviet Union. In the film, letters and fiction of Kollontai were read, with the images of the posters of her lectures and the architecture featured on the screen. A hopeful
future for Russian women can be read through the lines of her thoughts, which sharply contrasts the reality of Russia in the footage. A short fiction called “Soon (In 48 Years’ Time)” imagines a commune in the 1970s with no poverty and pain. At the same time, the aged architecture in a Russian city looks like someone’s faded memory. On the other side of the chamber, several collections of documents are displayed around the room, including letters between Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger, two great German philosophers of the 20th century, who shared an intimate relationship for over five decades. After World War II, scholars were divided on their stand on Heidegger, who was known as one of the most influential philosophers in the 20th century and a follower of the Nazi ideology. Should we separate intellect from moral imperfection? By resuming her correspondence with Heidegger, Arendt chose the path of reconciliation, hence the title of the collection. Like
Photos by NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice
APPRECIATING ART: The Rose Art Museum opened this gallery for the spring semester. what she wrote in her diary, reconciliation “is thus the exact opposite of forgiveness, which generates inequality. The burden of injustice is for he who has committed it, that which he has laden on his shoulders.” The choice of reconciliation demands courage in one’s own decision, which allows her to
break through the identities of Heidegger and talk directly to the person himself. These are just some of the pieces that caught my eye upon my first visit. If any of these comments interest you in one of the specific pieces or the museum in general, pay a visit to this fine establishment.
GRAND GALLERY: People observed the exhibition on the opening night.
BOOK REVIEW
A lovely read: ‘The Lovely and the Lost’ By JESSICA SCHWARTZMAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A missing persons case sparks a cocktail of both intra- and interpersonal drama in “The Lovely and the Lost,” Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s most recent standalone thriller. Enter Kira Bennett, wilderness survivor. Until she was found by a Search and Rescue dog, all she could remember was a life of fending for herself in the forest, an experience that made her feral and distrustful. Over a decade later, she still struggles with human interaction. Enter Cady Bennett, Kira’s adoptive mother. After finding Kira, she takes her in and welcomes her into the family business: training world-class Search and Rescue dogs alongside her son, Jude, and their
teenage neighbor, Free. Enter Bales Bennet, Cady’s estranged father. One day, he appears at the Bennetts’ house asking for his daughter’s help in finding a girl who went missing in Sierra Glades National Park, the latest in a series of disappearances. As they search through acres of mountains and forests, Kira becomes increasingly obsessed with finding the missing girl because she knows exactly what she is going through. However, it quickly becomes clear that there is more at stake than meets the eye: Kira’s repressed memories start bubbling to the surface and family secrets are unearthed, as the situation becomes more dangerous than it initially seems. All of these threads are woven together into a survival tale of family, secrets and trying to bring back
the lost. All told, I really enjoyed this novel. While “The Lovely and the Lost” does not quite live up to Barnes’s “Naturals” quartet (young adult “Criminal Minds”) or her “Little White Lies” duology (“The Princess Diaries” meets “Mamma Mia”), this book was far from boring. Rather, like all of Barnes’s novels, the story had enough twists and turns to keep me interested. From the unknown elements of Kira’s past to the mystery of her adoptive brother’s father to the missing persons case that serves as the backbone of the story, there is so much to unravel. I found it just as engaging to form theories about the book’s conclusion as it was to read the tale unfold. Barnes deftly spins her story, avoiding drama for the sake of drama and leaving minimal loose ends. The middle of the
book is a little slow, but the beginning and the end more than make up for it. Furthermore, I really like Barnes’ writing style. She writes scenes that had me laughing out loud one minute and reeling from a gut-punch the next. As an added bonus, her character writing is hyper-realistic, as all of the smaller details combine to give a clear idea of each character’s personality and motives. This makes it easy to become invested in them, which is important because much of the book deals with emotional journeys. Together, all of these factors make “The Lovely and the Lost” an enjoyable read for when you get to that point in the semester when you are sick of staring at the same four textbooks. I would recommend this standalone for anyone who likes dogs, stories about families or the TV show “Criminal Minds.”
Image Courtesy of Creative Commons. Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice
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THE JUSTICE I ARTS & CULTURE I TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
INTERVIEW
JUSTARTS SPOTLIGHT ON THE ROSE ART MUSEUM
By MAYA ZANGER-NADIS JUSTICE EDITOR
“A lynching is a murder, a group murder,” reads the quote from artist Melvin Edwards accompanying his piece, “Nigerian Diamond,” on the ground floor of the Rose Art Museum. This piece, affixed to the wall and made of welded steel, was created in 1978 as part of a series begun over a decade earlier. Edwards’ Lynch Fragments series consists of sculptures made from recovered steel objects and recalls the “metaphorical significance of these items as instruments of oppression,” per the piece’s explanation on the wall at the Rose. Looking at this small sculpture on the blank white walls of the Rose, I was struck by its simplicity and, frankly, its ugliness. This is not a value judgment — the piece is simply not aesthetically pleasing in a conventional way, nor is it meant to be. It, as well as the others in the series, is meant to be a “powerful [reminder] of the enduring presence and reverberating effects of violence and injustice.” I did not think I would choose to write about “Nigerian Diamond,” but instead of brushing past it, I spent time with it. I thought of the horror of lynchings and the danger of mob mentality. I felt shame because, even though my ancestors did not commit those atrocities, it is part of my cultural heritage as a white American. I thought about how people are still lynched today, killed or driven to despair by a mob more powerful than them. I will not list every idea I had, but the bottom line is that I had a truly productive and meaningful interaction with this sculpture. I like art that is pretty or makes me feel good. However, works of art, like people, are not all conventionally attractive, and those which we consider to be ugly are still art and can still make us feel something. Also, as with people, the relative ugliness or attractiveness of a piece is subjective. Additionally, I think that the visual art we find boring or ugly, or the performance art that makes us uncomfortable, or any other confusing work we have come across presents the potential for a more meaningful interaction. Anyone who has written a Spotlight article or even just been to the Rose will encourage you to go and to see the exhibits on display there. I would like to take it one step further: go to the Rose and spend some quality time with a piece that DOESN’T speak to you. See what happens. It may be nothing, but you’ll never know until you try. Editor’s Note — Editor Hannah Kressel did not edit or contribute to the article because she works at the Rose as a curatorial intern.
J.B. Barricklo NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice
A Theater Arts Production of “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare will be presented on March 6 -8 and March 13-15 in Laurie Theatre. This week, JustArts&Culture spoke to Mr. Barricklo, the director of the production at the Brandeis Department of Theater Arts, about the coming events.
1978 Welded steel Melvin Edwards “Nigerian Diamond” 17 x 13 x 10 in. (43.18 x 33.02 x 25.4 cm) Photo Courtesy of ROSE ART MUSEUM
JustArts&Culture: What is your role in “The Tempest”? JB Barricklo: My title is director of production for the Brandeis Department of Theater Arts, so really that means our department basically supports or produces all of the production elements of the show. Anything that’s not a performer on stage is somehow supported by our department. Traditionally that’s scenery, costumes, lighting, sound. Our department has someone professionally on staff to do one of those things in conjunction with professional designers and directors and students. JAC: What can you tell me about the technical and scenic elements of “The Tempest”? JB: I think the most exciting thing about “The Tempest” or one of the more exciting things about “The Tempest” in this go around is that the scenic designer of the show is a current Brandeis design student, Jacob Bers ’21. Usually Brandeis hires outside directors and designers, which is pretty wonderful. In this particular case, Jacob had done design classes here in the Theater Department and our faculty design teacher, Cameron Anderson, thought he was particularly talented or well suited to ... design the show. She acts as his supervisor and mentor on the project; I think he is doing this as his senior thesis. So that’s really exciting to essentially manifest and put his design which is really just on paper in a little model but sticking that writ large in a theater. Plus Jacob, as a student, gets to work with a professional director, a professional lighting designer, a professional costume designer, a professional sound designer — that’s pretty awesome for a student. JAC: What is the biggest difference between working with students and working with professional designers? JB: The learning curve. I know, if a designer is a professional designer, there is an expectation of experience that they’ll bring to the table. I’ll assume that they have a certain amount of experience. I’ll assume that they have a certain amount of knowledge of the practice of the craft of theater, how theaters operate and how work gets done in theater. One of the great things about doing theater at Brandeis is, although we have majors and minors, our productions certainly from an acting standpoint are open to all students. So in any cast of actors, you may have actors who are majors and maybe not majors but who have done a lot of theater before and you may also have students who have never done theater before, so they are really coming to the show from a real place of innocence almost. In addition to learning their lines and learning their parts, they are also learning about the whole process and business of theater. That’s the most exciting thing about working at a school: you get to participate in working in that learning experience of the student.
MEGAN LIAO/the Justice
JAC: For “The Tempest,” is there anything particularly unique about the set of any of the other technical elements? JB: The set is very striking. What’s unique about it is Jacob’s vision. I don’t want to speak for him. We are creating a sort of magical place for him. “The Tempest” takes place on a desert island — these folks are shipwrecked on an island — and so I think Jacob is envisioning a sort of wild and slightly scary dark island space in which the play takes place. I think anyone who comes to see the show will be surprised at the scale of the scenery. [The show] is in the Laurie Theater, the smaller of our two theaters, so I think they’ll be surprised at the scale of the set in what is typically thought of as a smaller theater.
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JAC: What are you most excited to see in the upcoming tech week and/or the performances? JB: I think what I’m most excited to see for this coming week is the actors being in the real scenery for the first time. To date, they have seen a model of the set and they’ve seen designs of the set, but they’ve been working in a blank rehearsal room that’s been spiked taped on the floor where all the scenic elements are. Tonight is really the first night and starting tomorrow with the set because it’s the first time that they will actually be in the three-dimensional environs of the set.
NOAH ZEITLIN/ the Justice
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JAC: Is there anything else you want to add?
1. Moose tracks
JB: I think, in particular, the theater department is really excited to work with this director — his name is Christopher Edwards. Christopher Edwards is the newly appointed artist director of the Actor’s Shakespeare Project in Boston. We’ve been trying to get him out here for a couple of years now to come and work for us. He has a very long history of directing Shakespeare, so we were really excited to get him here and have him work with students. I think it’s going to be a really terrific production because of his vision about the show and his ability to work with our students.
2. Heath bar crunch 3. Coffee toffee 4. Black raspberry 5. Rainbow sherbert
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6. Mint chocolate chip 7. Chocolate chip cookie dough 8. Mango 9. Cookies and cream 10. Strawberry
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—Caylie Jeruchimowitz