ARTS Page 19
FORUM Reject stigma surrounding assault 12 SPORTS Baseball team drops all four games 16 The Independent Student Newspaper
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Justice
Volume LXIX, Number 23
www.thejustice.org
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
SOCIAL LIFE OF DNA
COMMENCEMENT
University selects Rosalie Abella for commencement ■ President Liebowitz
announced Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella as the 2017 commencement speaker. By ABBY PATKIN JUSTICE EDITOR
Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada and an expert on human rights law, will address graduating students at May’s Commencement ceremony, according to a press release provided to the Justice by the University. Abella is “such a genuine person,” University President Ronald Liebowitz said in a joint interview with the Justice and the Brandeis
Hoot. Liebowitz noted that Abella has pursued a career her father, a Holocaust survivor, was denied because of prejudice, dedicating her work to looking out for those who “lacked the standing power to defend themselves.” “I think her life message has been — especially in the times we’re in right now — [that] it’s important to fight for what one truly believes, which she did,” he added. Abella, who, in 1976, was the youngest — and first pregnant — person appointed to Canada’s judiciary, helped pioneer the concept of employment equity for women, minorities and people with disabilities, according to the press release. “Justice Abella’s personal story and legal career are an inspiring
See COMMENCEMENT, 7 ☛
CAMPUS SPEAKER
Scholar presents on the history of the eruv ■ Dr. Charlotte Fonrobert
analyzed Jewish law and the eruv for the 53rd Annual Simon Rawidowicz Lecture. By CARMI ROTHBERG JUSTICE EDITOR
The eruv, a ritual enclosure in Jewish law, has a deep cultural and religious significance that often goes unrecognized, Dr. Charlotte Fonrobert argued in the 53rd Annual Simon Rawidowicz Memorial Lecture last Thursday. The lecture, titled “Taking the Talmud to Town: Judaism in the Public Square,” focused on the history of the eruv and the controversies that have arisen around it. Fonrobert, an associate professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University and the director of Stanford’s Taube Center for Jewish Studies, began the talk by explaining why she was so fascinated by the tractate “Eruvin” — the volume of the Baby-
lonian Talmud that lays out the laws of the eruv. The tractate explains that an eruv may be used to establish an encircled area — such as a neighborhood or campus — as a single private domain under Jewish law. As Jewish law prohibits the transfer of items between private and public domains on the Sabbath, the eruv is widely used as a means of permitting Orthodox Jews to carry babies, keys or prayer books with them to synagogue without violating this prohibition. Eruvs encircle residential areas throughout the country — including the Brandeis campus — and, Fonrobert explained, are often perceived as technicalities used to exploit a loophole in Jewish legal tradition. She cited a segment in Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show,” in which he jokes that “eruv” — which, in fact, translates roughly to “mixture” — is the Hebrew word for “loophole.” Fonrobert, however, sees something more in the laws of the eruv.
See SPEAKER, 7 ☛
ADAM PANN/the Justice
SOCIAL DNA: Dr. Alondra Nelson presented her research at the Wasserman Cinematheque on Thursday evening.
Speaker tells the story between DNA and race ■ Dr. Alondra Nelson spoke
about how DNA research can help enlighten and uncover hidden identities. By MAURICE WINDLEY JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In a continuation of the yearlong series of events the African and Afro-American Studies department has proposed to explore race and science in society, returning guest speaker Dr. Alondra Nelson analyzed the connective intricacies between the practice of genealogy and the social construct of race at the Wasserman Cinematheque last Thursday evening. A professor of sociology and the inaugural dean of social science at Columbia University, Nelson was the first African-American to be tenured in the department of sociology at Columbia. Her interdisciplinary social science research focuses on how science frames the social structure of society with regards to personal identity and ra-
cial formation. Nelson uses this to further explore how different social groups are affected by society’s interpretation of race, ethnicity and gender. Nelson’s presentation, titled after her book “The Social Life of DNA,” sought to explore “how and why communities of color have been the objects of scientific scrutiny,” she said, beginning by highlighting science’s abuse of Henrietta Lacks. Lacks was a tobacco farmer whose immortal cancer cell line, known as HeLa Cells, were taken and researched by the U.S. Public Health Service Tuskegee Syphilis study in 1951 without the consent of her or her family. The study, which sought to record the history and effects of syphilis in African-Americans, was notorious for conducting clinical studies without their patients’ informed consent. Nelson explained that these events represented science as a space that was historically dangerous and abusive for people of color. With this in mind, Nelson engaged further in the relationship between science and the communi-
ties of people of color and explored genetic ancestry testing in its early stages in 2003. Nelson explained that she became more interested in how genetic research can be used as “healing,” but also as a way “to answer questions, resolve traumas and to force conversations often in post trauma societies.” Working with a genetic ancestry company called African Ancestry, Nelson sought to use genetic information to evoke questions about “identity” as well as recognize “racial slavery” within America. Nelson exemplified the ways that genetic testing can be both a controversial and progressive way to bring closure to history’s interpretation of racial slavery. She explained this by examining the ethical difference between the work of Dr. Rick Kittles, an African-American geneticist at George Washington University in the early twentieth century, and the methodologies of the Metropolitan Forensic Anthropology team of Lehman College. Nelson noted the importance
See DNA, 7 ☛
Very Vegan
Softball Sluggers
Diversity Exchange
Two students founded the first ever vegan club on campus.
The softball team dominated this past week with three impressive victories.
Students launched a new networking website for young professionals of color.
FEATURES 8 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org
Waltham, Mass.
Let your voice be heard! Submit letters to the editor online at www.thejustice.org
INDEX
SPORTS 16 ARTS SPORTS
17 13
EDITORIAL FEATURES
10 OPINION 8 POLICE LOG
10 2
News 3 COPYRIGHT 2017 FREE AT BRANDEIS.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017
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NEWS SENATE LOG Senate recognizes new club and prepares for next election round Students Sharon Cai ’18 and Erica Chai ‘17, representing the publication Wander: Brandeis Abroad, requested club recognition at Sunday’s Senate meeting. Wander is a publication which seeks to provide a platform for Brandeis students who have studied abroad to share their inspirations and ideas in writing and art. The presenters suggested possible collaborations with the Study Abroad Office and student publications Laurel Moon and Jaded to have open mic nights. The Study Abroad Office and Provost’s Office used to charter them, but they no longer fund them due to budget cuts. After much debate about available funds and the inclusivity of the club’s constitution, the Senate voted to recognize Wander with the stipulation that the club change its constitution to be more inclusive in its wording about membership. Students Jackie Baikovitz ’17, Sharon Cai ’18 and Linda Forrester ’18 requested chartering for the United Against Inequities in Disease club. UAID is the first public health club at Brandeis focused on helping the Waltham community with public health awareness and bringing together people to combat inequities in public health. The national UAID organization provides no funding to support campus or community initiatives for the Brandeis chapter. The club wants to establish volunteer partnerships in the Waltham community with the YMCA and other organizations to combat obesity and hold symposiums. Midyear Senator Dana Brown ’20 proposed that the group go under the umbrella of the Waltham Group due to their work with the Waltham community and purpose of education and advocacy. Associate Justice Lilly Hecht ’18 countered that this club could be political, whereas the Waltham Group tries to be apolitical and would not accept UAID under its umbrella. The Senate voted to charter UAID. Gabby Lamm ’17 and Gabe Walker ’19, representing the Undergraduate Theater Collective, asked for permission to change the club’s structure and to merge multiple theater clubs into the UTC. The UTC currently houses the Brandeis Ensemble Theater, Brandeis Players, Hillel Theater Group, Tympanium Euphorium, Behind the Scenes and Boris’ Kitchen. Lamm cited disorganization, lack of accountability, stress from too many shows being produced and a negative reputation among the student body as problems that the new structure could address. Lamm and Walker suggested changing the constitution of the Hillel Theater Group to become the UTC, which would then include all of the other clubs. The Senate voted unanimously to allow for a constitutional change and put a hold on the vote to decharter all of the sub clubs until the UTC meets with them to let them know of the new changes. Executive Senator Hannah Brown ’19 reminded the Senate of the upcoming elections on April 4 and told them to tell other people to vote. Brown also announced that Bunny shuttle sales will be extended, as seats remain. Senator Ryan Tracy ’17, chair of the Club Support Committee, will schedule a meeting with Waltham Group leader Lucas Malo about students traveling for club volunteer work and accounting for trip attendance. Massell Quad Senator Aaron Finkel ’20, chair of the Campus Operations Working Group, announced that he will be meeting on Friday with the Department of Community Living about the Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund proposal to renovate the freshman quad lounges. Services and Outreach Committee Chair Hannah Brown put out a survey for deciding the theme of the midnight buffet, with 40 responses recorded so far. Transitional Year Program Senator Geraldine Bogard ’20 reported that she is working on getting food for midnight buffet. The Senate debated about possible club and senator awards. After much discussion, the Senate agreed to create awards for the clubs, with club leaders able to nominate their clubs for the various awards. Hannah Brown also suggested intra-union awards, which the Senate voted in favor of unanimously.
POLICE LOG Medical Emergency March 31—University Police received a report of a non-student who injured their arm in the Linsey Pool area. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. April 1—University Police received a report of an ill student in Gordon Hall. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. April 1—BEMCo standby staff at Usdan Student Center reported two intoxicated parties at an event. Both parties were treated with a signed refusal for further care. April 1—A party in the Charles River Apartments reported that they had an object stuck in their ear. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. April 1—University Police received a report of an intoxicated student in a bathroom in Usdan Student Center. BEMCo standby staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. April 1—BEMCo standby staff
at a concert event in Usdan Student Center reported two intoxicated parties. Both parties were treated with a signed refusal for further care. April 1—BEMCo standby staff at the concert event in Usdan Student Center reported evaluating two intoxicated parties in a bathroom in Levin Ballroom. Both parties were treated with a signed refusal for further care. April 2—A party reported that there was an intoxicated individual in the Shapiro Campus Center. The intoxicated party was located and treated with a signed refusal for further care.
Larcency
March 27—University Police received a report of two unattended laptops that were stolen in the Science Complex. University Police compiled a report on the incident. March 27—University Police received a report that a laptop left unattended in the Science Complex was stolen. University Police compiled a report on the
incident. March 31—A party in the OlinSang American Civilization Center reported that their laptop was stolen while left unattended in a common area. University Police compiled a report on the incident.
Drugs
March 28—University Police received a report of drug use outside Kutz Hall at various different times. University Police spoke with the reporting party and the Department of Community Living staff was also advised. April 1—University Police and BEMCo staff assisted two nonstudents outside Sherman Dining Hall who called for assistance after ingesting LSD. Both parties were treated and transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo Ambulance for further care.
Disturbance
April 1—University Police received a report of a loud party in the Foster Mods. Responding
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March 28—A staff member at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management reported that they received a comment on their Twitter page. University Police compiled a report on the incident. March 31—A party reported that a light pole near the Shapiro Admissions Center bus stop was down. University Police compiled a report after speaking with the University electrician, who said that it appears the pole may have been pulled out of its base. April 2—A party reported that they observed a suspicious brown plastic bag near the picnic tables in Ziv Quad, which contained a closed bottle and other objects. University Police located the bag and, upon inspection, determined that the items within were trash. —Compiled by Abby Patkin
BRIEF The Intercultural Center celebrates 25th anniversary
—Emily Blumenthal
The Justice will not print on April 11 or April 18 due to the holiday break.
officers walked the perimeter of the Mods and found nothing out of order.
TAYLA GUENZBURGER/the Justice
To celebrate the Intercultural Center’s 25th anniversary, food, music and festivities filled Sherman Function Hall in a student-organized event featuring all of the ICC’s clubs on Saturday evening. Each of the clubs held a table featuring food and custom hand-painted banners representing their community. “In recent years, nothing like this has happened — all 18 clubs together,” said Lillian Wang ’18, co-coordinator of the event. Wang said that, traditionally, ICC clubs hold events independently or in cohorts of two or three. This time, however, “we wanted to represent all ICC clubs in celebration of 25 years … to show people what the clubs offer and to celebrate in our own communities as well … and we thought that the best way to showcase culture is through food,” said co-coordinator Krista Hu ’17. The team of five students, also including Eric Lin ’17, Alvin Liu ’18 and Kenneth Hong ’19, are all active leaders of ICC clubs and decided last semester to come together to conceptualize and organize the event. It was a passion project, said Hong, though he also admitted that coordinating the event between all the clubs was a painstaking process. However, he added, “It’s all worth it … making sure everyone was a part of it. A lot of the students don’t have the time to learn about all the culture clubs and getting a voice for the minorities, that’s what it’s about.” An attendee of the event, ICC Student Advisory Council leader Tony Tran ’17 describes the ICC network as a welcoming community of “friends and extended family.” Tran said, “If they [students] ever have trouble with things, the ICC family is with them every step of the way.” To continue the celebration of the anniversary, the Intercultural Center will be hosting a colloquium workshop and keynote event at the end of the month alongside the annual campus-wide collaborative show, CultureX.
The Brandeis Library presented the fourth annual Edible Book Festival, in which participants displayed their book-inspired creations for prizes.
—Michelle Dang
ANNOUNCEMENTS Brandeis Citizenship Day
Explore how you can get involved in immigration issues and access immigration resources. Brandeis Citizenship Day will feature a panel comprised of the American Civil Liberties Union, Project Citizenship, International Students and Scholars Office and the Waltham Newcomers Academy, followed by a tabling session featuring immigration resources, volunteer opportunities, and community outreach. Today from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in Sherman Function Hall.
Brandeis State of Sustainability 2017
The State of Sustainability is your opportunity to hear what students, administration and faculty have been up to with sustainability this past year. Join those involved with sustainability to ask questions, learn more and get involved! This year’s State of Sustainability will include a presentation by Mary Fischer, sustainability manager, on
current data on carbon, waste, energy, water and other sustainability metrics, as well as Brandeis sustainability program updates and brief presentations from every sustainability organization on campus about their initiatives and progress. Today at 5pm in Lurias, Hassenfeld Conference Center.
Intro to Cryptography
Come learn how to secure your data on the internet, how to send secret messages to your friends and how to keep your information safe from your internet service provider or an overeager government. The event is sponosred by the Brandeis Initiative for Technology, Machines, Apps and Programming. Today 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Volen Room 106.
SCCarnival
Come forget about the snow and re-live those fun summer days at the SCCarnival!
Free funnel cake, Photo Booth, caricatures, prizes and more. Tomrorow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Atrium, Shapiro Campus Center.
Just In Time Job & Internship Fair
The Just In Time Job & Internship Fair is an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students of all class years to meet with recruiters from over 60 employers who are actively recruiting for immediate full-time positions and summer internships. Attending employers will represent diverse fields in the for-profit, non-profit and government sectors. Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Hassenfeld Conference Center.
Stein night: Student Music
Stop on by to hear various types of music by talented Brandeis students. The next big star might be performing so don’t miss out. The event is sponsored by WBRS. Friday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Stein.
the justice
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TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017
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DIVERSITY EXCHANGE
BRIEF
Fund announces allocation to student and campus projects The Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund released the results of final proposals for funding for the 2017 to 2018 academic calendar in an email to the student body on Friday. CEEF, which consists of a $100,000 annual spending budget and a $150,000 emergency reserve, services student life on campus, as well as student-led initiatives that enhance the University community. The Student Union website states that these initiatives must have long-term impact and campus-wide benefit to the community. According to the email, the funds were allotted to eight major projects in five areas — social life, sustainability, arts and culture, academics and community building. These projects were selected from an initial pool of 19 grant applications, according to CEEF committee member and Class of 2019 Senator Kate Kesselman. For a renovation of Cholmondeley’s Coffee House, SoJin Chon ’17 and Ethan Seletsky ’17 were allotted approximately $30,000 for the Chum’s Revitalization Project. The project seeks to renew the interior of the space for student gatherings and nightlife. The Brandeis Library Council was allotted approximated $7,500 for the installation of modern water fountains in Goldfarb Library, an initiative to save water and energy and provide students more accessibility points. These fountains would replace the library’s current porcelain water fountains, allowing for increased efficiency, according to Kesselman. The council was also allotted $5,000 for a second project to offer standing desks at the library, to increase work-
ing space and support healthier lifestyle choices. The DeisBikes club was allotted approximately $2,000 to maintain the Dero Fixit public bike pumps and to add another installation in front of Feldberg building. In an initiative to expand public art on campus, artist Alexander Golob was allotted approximately $5,000 to develop a community event and permanent site-specific piece of art. Pedro Bobrow ’20 was allotted approximately $13,000 to develop the University Textbook Exchange, a service that will allow students to borrow and trade in textbooks based on a points system. The funds for this initiative would be allocated mainly toward building and maintaining a project website, said Kesselman. To support the Stein as a space for student performance, approximately $2,400 was allotted to provide the campus space with new sound equipment. For the renovation of firstyear quad lounges, Allocations Board Representative Andrew Figueora ’19 and Massell Quad Senator Aaron Finkel ’20 were allotted approximately $20,000 for the renewal of furniture and kitchen spaces in Shapiro and Polaris lounges. Chaired by four members who represent the different branches of the Student Union, the CEEF 2016 to 2017 committee consists of Kesselman, Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Wil Jones ’18, Allocations Board member Alexander Mitchell ’17 and Class of 2020 Senator Tal Richtman. —Michelle Dang and Carmi Rothberg
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WEBSITE: Akilah Elie ’17 and Megan Boateng ’17, co-founders of the Diversity Exchange, gave a demo of their website on Sunday.
Students launch career site for students of color ■ Akilah Elie ’17, Megan Boateng ’17, and Yanique Seac ’17 created a new
website community to help young professionals of color. By LIAT SHAPIRO JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On a warm, sunny Sunday that seemed to indicate that spring had finally arrived, seniors Akilah Elie ’17 and Megan Boateng ’17 celebrated a new beginning by unveiling the website for Diversity Exchange, an online platform connecting students of color with opportunities to succeed in their career fields. The Diversity Exchange was conceived after Elie and Boateng attended a social impact conference in summer 2016. “We thought about how we could take what we learned from the conference and bring it here,” Elie explained during the event. “We saw that there was a need for students of color to have access to certain opportunities, so we wanted to centralize all these resources into one place.” The project originally started in January 2017 as an email listserv containing weekly opportunities. However, with the addition of Yanique Seac ’17 to the team as a web developer, Diversity Exchange as an online hub turned into a reality. Elie and Boateng gave the audience a detailed tour of the website, explaining how each section opens the door for students of color to network not only with current students at Brandeis, but also with alumni. The Motivation Monday section highlights news stories and videos featuring inspirational people of
color, while the Wisdom Wednesdays page shares advice and perspectives from students and professionals of color. Student Spotlights — open to anyone — highlights Brandeis students of color by sharing their stories in an interview format. The student tab includes two resources: The Student Network and The Exchange. The Student Network gives participants the opportunity to create a personalized bio (complete with the option of uploading a resume), visible to both fellow students and any alumni connected to Diversity Exchange. The Exchange is a forum where students can ask questions, share interesting links or engage in conversation with other members of the Diversity Exchange community. Diversity Exchange goes beyond just connecting students by opening opportunities for students to connect with alumni. For example, the Company section links to both domestic and international companies currently advertising openings. The Opportunities section consists of a more comprehensive list of internships, fellowships and jobs, as well as a form to submit opportunities. Also included on the website is a section dedicated to a scholarship newly established by Elie and Boateng. This scholarship is geared toward first-years of color who have not received financial aid from the school. As Boateng further explained, “Knowing that coming in, a lot of students do struggle financially, academically, we wanted to help lighten that load.” During a brief question-and-answer session, the two co-founders
offered advice to students wanting to start a business. Elie encouraged, “use your activism in any form you would like. You don’t have to be a political person or have a lot of money; just use your platform you have now to do amazing things.” Boateng added, “Stick to what you’re passionate about and think about the people coming after you.” In an interview with the Justice, Boateng shared a little of the behind-the-scenes work done during the development stages. Although the co-founders initially approached the Hiatt Career Center for help starting the project, they ultimately decided to move forward on their own. Boateng also shared that Diversity Exchange received funding from the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance. Getting funding approved was a relatively easy process and BPA was a good resource for thinking of creative applications for projects, said Boateng. Elie and Boateng not only had current and future Brandesians of color in mind when they initially began their project, but they also hope to expand Diversity Exchange to other schools. Boateng, for example, will attend medical school and hopes to bring Diversity Exchange with her. Both co-founders would like Diversity Exchange to be a resource open to students of color, regardless of location. Boateng concluded, “Even though we leave this school, we still hold you guys dear to our hearts, and we want you guys to always know that we’re thinking about people after us. We hope that you will do the same.”
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THE JUSTICE
SPEAKER
spoke about the challenges facing Ethiopian Jewish youth in embracing their identities. By ARIANNA UNGER JUSTICE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom, a visiting scholar at the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, spoke about the challenges facing Ethiopian Jews in Israel in a lecture on Wednesday titled, “Between Identification and Identity: a Case Study of the Second Generation of Ethiopian Immigrants in Israel.” Born in a small village in Ethiopia, Rabbi Shalom had always dreamed of coming to Israel. As he wrote in his short biographical essay, at the age of 8, he and his family embarked on a more-than-two-month arduous trek to the Twawa refugee camp in Sudan, where they waited for the Israeli Mossad (secret service) and the Jewish Agency to organize their transport to Israel. After being told that it would take years to gain permission for his entire family to travel together, Shalom emigrated to Israel with only his aunt and uncle. He spent his early years in Israel in a children’s home feeling daunted by the physical and cultural novelties of his new environment. At times, he admitted, he even found himself questioning his own identity as an Ethiopian Jew living in Israel. Shalom entered the Schusterman Center conference room with a smirk on his face. “What did you think when I walked in with my jacket and my tie?” “You looked good,” responded the audience in unison. His expression changed. “But, I do not feel good,” he said. “I am [uncomfortable].” He removed his suit jacket and tie. “I feel much more comfortable now.” He paused. “But you know, there is clothing that you cannot remove: skin color. If I feel uncomfortable in my clothing, I can easily remove [it] and feel comfortable, but skin color is something that is inherently part of you, and you can never remove it.” As of the end of 2015, he said, “People of Ethiopian descent … represented almost two percent of the total population of Israel. [Yet] the Ethiopian community has faced and continues to face complex social and financial problems. Two well-known events of discrimination targeted toward [the Ethiopian community] greatly offended their personal and religious identity.” “The first event was the disposal of [Ethiopian] blood donations. … Magen David Adom [Israel’s national emergency service] disposed [of] blood donations [from] Ethiopian [immigrants] and their descendants born in Israel … without the knowledge of the [Israeli] Health Ministry or the donors,” he said. The second event, he explained, reflected an ongoing dispute about the “Jewishness” of the Ethiopian, or “Beta Israel community,” and occurred when the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, without explaining the symbolism of the act, deluded many Ethiopians into immersing in ritual baths for the purpose of conversion.
This particular event, he said, was extremely insulting to many Ethiopians who had been persecuted in Ethiopia because of their Jewish identity and who had risked their lives in order to emigrate to Israel. Shalom also cited the statistic that, “In 2014, some 30 percent of the youth in Israel’s Ofek detention center, the only prison for minors in Israel, were Ethiopian — a percentage 2,000 percent higher [than] the percentage of the rest of the population.” Shalom then described what he believed to be a major misconception in many parts of the world, particularly in the late 20th century, when the Israeli government performed most of its major covert operations to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel. “The world saw what happened with the Ethiopian community in [Israel] as a hierarchy — that the Israeli government went and brought starving Black Jews from Africa. … [However,] in my village in Ethiopia, the [quality] of life was actually very high — higher than in Israel. … And this is the trouble, a rampant misconception in the world.” Beginning in May 2015, Shalom explained, protests and demonstrations initiated by mostly second-generation Ethiopian youth broke out in many major Israeli cities and attracted widespread media coverage. “Many of the youth who led the demonstrations saw a connection between the riots [from] African Americans in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States and their own problem. In other words, part of the Ethiopian youth has come to believe that there is a global battle between Black and white,” he said. “I would like to contend that the immigration from Ethiopia, without a doubt, has created new, [unforeseen] challenges. The fact that the Ethiopians are of Black skin, and, in this respect, different from Israeli Jews, [has set] a whole world of stereotypes before Israeli society. It has created a tension for Ethiopian Jews which [has caused them] to question their characterization and identity. This [problem has] become especially present among second-generation Ethiopian-Israelis.” Shalom cited a 2015 research study which surveyed Ethiopian-Israeli youth on their self-identity; the survey had asked participants whether they identified most strongly with being Jewish, Israeli, Black, or Ethiopian. He explained that 70 percent of the Ethiopian-Israeli youth identified most strongly with being Black. He pointed out the irony of this statistic, stating that in Ethiopia, most Ethiopian Jews had self-identified first and foremost as Jewish. He also explained that many of the Ethiopian youths who responded to the survey had been born in Israel, had never visited Ethiopia, and spoke Hebrew as a first language. Shalom concluded by quoting a Mishnah, a traditional Jewish teaching, which he believed illustrated the inherent equality of all human beings. “Through its explanation of why Adam was created alone, [the Mishnah teaches]…‘Why did all of humanity begin with one person?’ To teach us … .that a person should never say, ‘My father is greater than yours,’ as we are all descended from the same person.”
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WOMEN IN MEDIA
Scholar looks at Ethiopian Jewry ■ Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom
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AARON BIRNBAUM/the Justice
MEDIA: Laura Colarusso (left) and Natasha Verma (right) spoke to students about their experiences as leading women in the media.
Reporters discuss gender inequalities in the media ■ A panel of journalists
from NBC and WGBH spoke about the challenges facing women in the media. By ABBY PATKIN JUSTICE EDITOR
Women in the media — especially visual media — often face issues in the workplace relating to confidence and image, a panel of women journalists agreed at an event on Friday. “You have an expectation to look a certain way and to dress a certain way and to be fit and be attractive for the camera,” said Janice Lieberman, an NBC consumer reporter who has worked with the Today Show. “It’s kind of unspoken, but I think that that’s something at least the on-air TV people have to contend with.” Natasha Verma, an NBC Boston reporter, also said that appearances can weigh heavily on a woman’s career in visual media. “It’s difficult on TV, as well, with viewer perception of how women should look on TV and what’s attractive to them and what’s unattractive,” said Verma, who explained that she received negative comments about her weight while working at another station. “When the comments are nice, you feel good,” Lieberman agreed. However, she said, “You can do this huge investigative report, and they’ll say, ‘Your hair didn’t look good today.’ … Those are the comments you get, … rather than the actual story you worked so hard on.” Those types of comments can also come from colleagues, said Laura Colarusso, who serves as the digital
managing editor at WGBH. She told one story about an editor who told her that, instead of seeking a promotion, she should settle down and “‘start having babies.’” Verma added that when producers at a previous station praised her, they also occasionally tacked on requests to alter her appearance. “They told me, ‘Oh, you’re doing a great job, but we need you to cut your hair up to here so you’ll look older,’” she said. “I mean, it’s like, I’m doing a great job, period.” Still, Verma said she does not take the comments to heart as much as she did earlier on in her career. “People are going to have an opinion on anything you do, so if you do a good job and feel like you did a good job, that’s really all that matters,” she said. Students from the Media and Politics Leader Scholar Community, which organized the event, asked the panelists what they think conditions are like for women at more conservative-leaning media outlets. “I think Fox expects something different, even if the women who are on the air don’t believe that they have to be that way for their job and have to look a certain way, ... to be shot a certain way … and wear a lot of makeup,” Lieberman said. “But I think that that’s, you know, the image that they [Fox] want, and they’re packaging it, and people watch it for whatever reason they want.” She added that she once worked with ex-Fox CEO Roger Ailes and “he likes that [image].” Ailes resigned from Fox in July 2016 following several allegations of sexual harassment. Part of the problem, the panelists agreed, is that there are fewer women in media leadership roles. Colarusso recalled one meeting she went to where the majority of attendees were
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women, but the one man in the room was running the meeting. “It was very illustrative of where we are as a whole,” she said. Lieberman agreed: “There are a lot of women [in journalism], but they’re not being paid well” or being given many leadership opportunities, she said. As a result, Verma said that she sometimes finds herself defending stories more ardently to male producers, although she said she was not sure whether this was solely because of her gender. Lieberman said that, as a consumer reporter, she often has to over-justify reporting on consumer products geared toward women. “Even if you have stories that you think women care about, even with makeup, or plastic surgery … you tell these men, and they don’t care, and you say, ‘No, my friends care. … So you should listen, because that’s what they’re talking about,’” she said. “I had one producer who said, ‘The way I pick the stories is whether I think my mother-in-law would like it.’” The effects also become apparent in women’s confidence levels, Colarusso said, citing one statistic that says women will only apply for a position when they believe they meet all of the requirements, whereas men will apply for positions with only 60 percent of the requirements. This has made her realize that “I don’t have to know everything to be good at what I do,” she said. Colarusso added that she would like to write a book one day about how she has observed male colleagues speak confidently in meetings on subjects they do not know much about. One potential title for this book? “How to Bullshit Like a Man.”
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in the stark difference between the objectives of Lehman and Kittles, and used this difference to further identify the varying approaches in their methods. Upon researching a cemetery called the “Negroes Burying Ground,” a national monument in Lower Manhattan, Nelson explained that a group of activists called “Descendents of the African Burial Ground” noted that the Lehman College team, as forensic technicians, “reduced the ancestors’ social identity to merely skin color,” which “disassociates them from their particular culture and history.” In contrast, Nelson explained that Kittles used craniology in order to research the African Burial Ground research project in Lower Manhattan. However, Kittles simultaneously “sought to restore the knowledge of the origins and identities that were deliberately obscured in the effort to dehumanize Africans as slaves.” Nelson’s reference to Kittles’ work served to shed light on how genetic ancestry analysis can overhaul the “prescribed identity” of African-Americans from the historical perspective of slavery to
one of self identity. Nelson regards the importance of this transition as a means to move away from the homogenous interpretation that chattel slavery, the idea that slaves were property as opposed to human beings, presented. She explained that chattel slavery “proposed a classification of race” which limited the available ethnic options of people of African descent. Her solution to this was to use genetic research to provide these individuals with information about their identity prior to the middle passage. Nelson explained that this self-distinction is crucial, as the historically biased stereotypes that stemmed from slavery were originated based on the interpretation of antiquity. By using genetic DNA Research as a catalyst for positive change, Nelson proposes that individuals from all cultures now have the ability to create their own personal narratives and identities, moving further away from the preconceived stereotypes that history forces upon society. Nelson concluded by explaining that there is “no hard line between science and ethics,” but rather that “questions of social justice can be answered when we ask questions of morals and ethics to science.”
COMMENCEMENT: University will give honorary degrees to four in May CONTINUED FROM 1 example to our graduates of what we can accomplish when one uses one’s education to the betterment of the world,” Liebowitz said in the press release. During the ceremony, the University will also confer honorary degrees upon computer scientist Leslie Lamport M.A. ’63, Ph.D. ’72, Provost Lisa Lynch, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies President Barry Shrage. The choices, Liebowitz said in the interview with the Justice, are consistent with the University’s founding values, as the administration looked for people who “capture what Brandeis is about.” Lamport, who, according to the press release, is known as the “father of principled distributed computing,” is best known for his role in the development of LaTeX. The document preparation system is most widely used for technical or scientific papers, according to its website. “It’s wonderful that he’s one of ours,” Liebowitz said in the interview with the Justice, citing Lamport’s work as an example of what graduates can accomplish after leaving campus. Lynch, the University’s provost, also served as the U.S. Department of Labor’s chief economist and the director and chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston prior to coming to Brandeis. She just finished a year as interim University President, serving in the role for the 2015 to 2016 academic year. In the interview, Liebowitz praised Lynch for her achievements in the field of world economics and for her dedication to the University community, noting that it will be exciting to award her a degree alongside her daughter, Julia Schiantarelli ’17. Liebowitz also praised Patrick for his role in Our Generation
Speaks, a fellowship program that brings young Israelis and Palestinians together in partnership with the University and MassChallenge, a non-profit that helps startup companies. Patrick, the first African-American to be elected governor of Massachusetts, serves as the chair of the program’s advisory committee. “The whole idea of it is working together on projects that will help the region, both the West Bank and Israel, and, through the collaboration and working together, come the type of discussions and come the type of seeing one another differently than before,” Liebowitz said of the initiative. Shrage, who announced last week that he would be stepping down as president of CJP, will also be recognized for his philanthropic work with causes — both Jewish and non-Jewish — in and around the Boston area. In the interview, Liebowitz cited Shrage’s work with Catholic charities that help refugees as an example of his extensive work with the community. “I guess he’s most well known for being somewhat of a renegade, in the sense of how he did his work. He’s very different. He wasn’t out of the traditional mold of a federation leader,” Liebowitz said. “He’s done a lot of work for the Jewish community, but he’s also extended it to other communities as well.” But while Liebowitz explained in the interview that he is excited to hear Abella’s address and confer degrees on all the recipients, he is most looking forward to seeing families’ joy as their loved ones graduate. “For so many families, the graduation of a son or daughter is such a happy and inspiring event, and to see that happen with the families is great,” he said. “To see the families’ reaction and to see how proud they are of the achievements of the class … is really a thrill.”
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SEAC AYALA
DNA: Nelson looks at reserach methods CONTINUED FROM 1
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YDALIA COLON/the Justice
Minkyu Kim ’19 performed at Ayala: Partido, South East Asia Club's annual culture show.
SPEAKER: Fonrobert explains the controversy surrounding the eruv CONTINUED FROM 1 “I had a sense that there was something significant hidden in this long tractate,” Fonrobert explained. “That the significance hidden in the rabbinic discourse of tractate ‘Eruvin’ has to do with orientation in the world, with the cultivation of a sense of and commitment to the place in which one resides.” The eruv is related to presence, Fonrobert argued — what she thinks of as “a commitment to the here as opposed to … a sense of absence from there.” Fonrobert then went on to discuss the various controversies that have arisen around eruvs in the U.S. She described how, in the summer of 2012, a law firm from New York City emailed her, explaining that they represented a diverse group of people — though mostly Reform Jews — who “sought to oppose the installation of an eruv on establishment grounds.” The firm had contacted her for her academic opinion as a scholar of “Eruvin” in order to help them understand the constitutional implications of the construction of an eruv on public property. Though Fonrobert declined to serve as an advisor to the court, she did provide them with citations of some of her work.
“As a historian of religion, I considered this controversy as one particular instantiation of the long history of social dynamics between Jews in all their variety and between Jews and non-Jews that the rabbinic institution of the eruv has rendered and continues to render visible,” Fonrobert said. The case had begun in March 2008, Fonrobert explained, when the Modern Orthodox synagogue in Westhampton Beach was nearing the celebration of its eighteenth anniversary in that village. “The Orthodox community proposed the installation of an eruv,” Fonrobert recalled, “and to that end, the executive director of the Orthodox community obtained a license agreement from the public utility companies to make use of some of their utility poles and lines.” Though eruvs are often comprised mainly of pre-existing boundaries like walls, fences or bodies of water, it is common to add symbolic markers, such as fishing line or plastic strips, between utility poles and telephone lines in order to create a contiguous boundary. Fonrobert noted that such markers entail “minimalist manipulation of the urban environment,” constituting nothing more than “symbolic gateways” to a contained residential space. While eruv markers are minimal-
ist in their design, they sometimes face criticism — mostly from within non-Orthodox Jewish communities — for their symbolic intrusion on public spaces. Communities that use eruvs, on the other hand, argue that the structures enable families to push small children in strollers when they go to services on the Sabbath. Fonrobert noted here that “the contemporary popularity of eruvin in America has to do with the change in gender politics in the Orthodox community,” as more Orthodox women begin to attend synagogue and search for ways to take their young children with them. Fonrobert described how the debate over the constitutionality of the eruv hinged on both the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause, with proponents of the eruv maintaining that an eruv is an exercise of religious practice and opponents contending that the installation of the eruv would “invest wholly public spaces with a narrow and parochial religious function.” The lecture took place in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall and was sponsored by the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry and the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, with the support of the Valya and Robert Shapiro Endowment.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 ● Features ● The Justice
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VERBATIM | OSCAR WILDE What the world needs is more geniuses with humility; there are so few of us left.
ON THIS DAY…
FUN FACT
Congress decides that the U.S. flag will have 20 stars and 13 red and white stripes.
The expiration date on water bottles refers to the bottle, not the water.
By LeaH LEYBZON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Veg Out Tamar Lieberman ’19 and Lily Swartz ’20 created the first vegan club on campus
“It just seemed like there were three clubs for every social issue on campus, but no one was talking about animals. There are billions of animals each year that are affected by what we eat,” Tamar Lieberman ’19 said in an interview with the Justice. This is one of the many reasons why Lieberman and Lily Swartz ’20 chose to start the Veg Club, a club primarily aimed at “creating a community where vegans, vegetarians, and people interested in eating plant-based diets could come together and talk to one another.” Both Lieberman and Swartz were “upset and disappointed” that Brandeis did not have a vegan/vegetarian club for students who affiliate with either diet, so the two decided to join forces and begin their own club. The process of starting a club was not so simple. Brandeis requires that students interested in starting a club fulfill a few requirements, such as drafting a constitution and receiving over one hundred signatures of interest. Lieberman noted that “jumping through those hoops was frustrating,” but not enough to deter either her or Swartz. Swartz added that “people were more than happy” to sign the petition for the Veg Club and were genuinely surprised that such a club did not already exist on campus. Now that the club is up and running, it has and will continue to host speakers and food-centered events, all of which will promote vegetarianism and veganism. The club hopes to host a vegan food festival down the road and continue to serve as a source of advocacy, education and community for vegetarians, vegans and all who are simply interested in learning more about either diet. Both Lieberman
and Swartz reflected on the club’s significance not only for them but for all vegan and vegetarian students on campus. Swartz emphasized how nice it is to have a community of people who have similar food-related interests because “you really are what you eat at the end of the day.” Both agree that it is empowering to show others what they care about, and both care deeply about their veganism and the ideology behind it. While both Lieberman and Swartz are equally passionate about their veganism, each had a different journey towards this lifestyle. Swartz watched the documentary “Forks Over Knives” on Netflix with her brother, and they both decided to become vegans right then and there. Lieberman’s process was far more gradual. She was a pescatarian for six months, a vegetarian for a year and a half after that, and the transition into veganism occurred during the gap year in between high school and college that she spent in Israel. Both Lieberman and Swartz have been vegan for two years. Beyond their personal journeys to veganism, the two have a more global message that they hope their club conveys. Lieberman asserts that “real change is not made when one percent of the population is vegan; that’s not going to change the animal agricultural industry.” If more people commit to being meatless even one day a week, for example, then “we can make real changes and demand more and save so many animals’ lives.” Lieberman and Swartz hope to convey why their club is important by drawing attention to the ways everyone on campus can help them make change and how they can all “have a good old vegetarian fun time” at the end of the day. —Editor’s Note: Tamar Lieberman ’19 has written an opinion piece for the Forum section of the Justice. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMAR LIEBERMAN
PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMAR LIEBERMAN
VEGAN FEAST: The Brandeis Vegan Club kicks off its first meeting with a buffet-style vegan waffle feast.
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
CLUB FOUNDERS: Tamar Lieberman ’19 and Lily Swartz ’20 talk about their passion for veganism.
the justice ● Features ● TUESDAY, April 4, 2017
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PHOTO COURTESY OF KENT DINLENC
TRIVIA STARS: Different members of the Brandeis Quiz Bowl Team specialize in different areas of trivia.
The Brandeis Quiz Bowl Team discussed why their team is anything but trivial By Leigh Salomon JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
“No. We’re boring,” insisted team president Kent Dinlenc ’19 with a straight face when asked in an interview with the Justice to share the funniest experience he could recall from the Brandeis Quiz Bowl Team in an interview with the Justice. Quiz Bowl is a competitive trivia game between two teams. The faster a player buzzes in to answer a question, the more points his or her team receives. Unlike in Jeopardy, the questions in Quiz Bowl are longer and take the form of an inverted pyramid. That is, the proctor reveals sequentially more information about what players must guess, such as the name of an important book or historical figure. “By the time you reach the end [of the description] it should be obvious what it is, but you get more points for [deducing] it within a certain threshold, called power, towards the top of the pyramid. I guess it’s an inverted pyramid, [but] you get what I’m trying to do,” explained Evan Mahnken ’19, another member of the Brandeis Quiz Bowl Team. “Make sure that thing [voice recorder] picks up my hand motions,” he added playfully. The Brandeis team started in 2014 and offers common questions about history, art, classic music, science, philosophy, literature and, as Dinlenc likes to put it, “questions known as ‘trash,’ which cover modern politics, pop music, television, movies, sports and videogames [topics people are more inclined to know, which boosts morale].” Dinlenc joined the team in 2015. “I’ve always wanted to be part of a Quiz Bowl team, but my high school didn’t have one,” he said. He’s been the president since December 2016, enjoying the intellectual stimulation and the close group of friends he’s made in the club. Everyone enjoys the game for their own reasons, according to Dinlenc. Some like learning new philosophical ideas or pushing their intellectual boundaries, while others like memorizing capitals on a map or just spamming the buzzer. More than anything, Dinlenc emphasizes that learning and having fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive. “People might be reluctant
to join because they may anticipate snobby, pretentious students trying to best each other with their superior knowledge. On the contrary, we do this to share ideas and start conversations. … We’re just students who want to talk about ... ideas you wouldn’t normally talk about with other people.” Dinlenc also dispels the idea that you must be a genius to play Quiz Bowl. “We’re all a fraction of one singular, knowledgeable person. We all contribute different strengths at our own capacity, and that’s what keeps us at the same wavelength.” In other words, they divide themselves into teams that evenly distribute their knowledge of varying subjects so that each
group has science students to answer the science questions, humanities students to answer the humanities questions and so on. The foundation of the competition might be knowledge, but Dinlenc believes teamwork is the real heart of the game. He credits all of the team’s wins to this motivation: they never put anyone down for not knowing an answer and try to understand why someone might have answered one way. “It proves how well you and your team work together. Friends with vastly different interests can bring each other to victory.” Despite only averaging eight to nine players per meeting, the Brandeis Quiz Bowl Team has played against the Massa-
PHOTO COURTESY OF KENT DINLENC
chusetts Institute of Technology, University of Connecticut, Harvard University and Tufts University since November 2015. These include friendly tournaments held at Brandeis and regional tournaments organized by the National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC, which was founded in 1996 by a group of former players and now provides standardized, nationwide competitions for middle schools, high schools, colleges and more. The Quiz Bowl Team played its most recent tournament on Saturday, April 1 against Tufts, hosting them at Brandeis for the second time in a friendly, fourhour round-robin tournament. “The Quiz Bowl community in Boston is pretty connected, so it’s easy to invite other schools,” said Dinlenc. “We were originally going to invite more, but a few cancelled.” Although it was all in good fun, Mahnken admits there were some moments of longing. “I was so mad, because it was a chemistry question [he is majoring in Chemistry] and it was asking for cyclohexane, which is just a six-membered carbon ring, right? I said it the way any chemist would actually say it, which is, ‘it’s a sixmembered carbon ring.’ … Like, if you’re working in a lab and you’re talking about it, you wouldn’t call it cyclohexane. You’d just say, ‘that’s a six-membered ring.’” Six-membered carbon rings notwithstanding, Dinlenc hopes to host Boston University, Boston College and Northeastern University at Brandeis in the future to increase the club’s membership, citing the growing pains that new clubs typically face. “Every time I bump into someone during trivia at The Stein or just in class talking about random academia, they seem genuinely intrigued by the idea of Quiz Bowl, yet they have never heard of it on campus.” Reflecting on what knowledge means to him, Dinlenc has realized that it is “a means of bringing people together. Those who share knowledge find common ground in what they have learned, and blossom that basis into long-lasting relationships with corresponding thought processes and understanding.” —Editor’s Note: Kent Dinlenc ’19 is a Justice staff writer for the Arts section and Evan Mahnken ’19 creates crosswords for the Justice.
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Carmi Rothberg, Editor in Chief Mihir Khanna, Managing Editor Morgan Brill and Abby Patkin, Deputy Editors Michelle Banayan, Jessica Goldstein, Noah Hessdorf, Amber Miles, Jerry Miller and Sabrina Sung, Associate Editors Michelle Dang, Acting News Editor, Kirby Kochanowski, Features Editor Nia Lyn, Acting Forum Editor, Ben Katcher, Acting Sports Editor Hannah Kressel, Arts Editor Natalia Wiater, Photography Editor Mira Mellman, Layout Editor, Pamela Klahr and Robbie Lurie, Ads Editors Rachel Sharer, Online Editor, Jen Geller and Avraham Penso, Copy Editors JESSICA GOLDSTEIN/the Justice
EDITORIALS Implore University to improve cell phone service on campus In light of poor cell phone coverage in certain areas on campus, this board urges the University to pursue potential solutions, including the addition of more cell phone repeaters around campus. Earlier this week, the Justice released an informal survey on Facebook to gauge student experience with cell phone coverage across campus. While the survey was not intended to provide conclusive or definitively representative results, it did indicate a general theme of dissatisfaction and experience of dead zones across campus. Out of 122 responses, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon were the most reported service providers. Across the board, respondents from all three of these companies reported that Sherman Dining Hall and Usdan Student Center are frequent spots for dropped calls and spotty reception. Verizon respondents also reported Massell and Rosenthal Quads as lowcoverage zones, while many T-Mobile users wrote that their phones frequently do not have coverage indoors in general. Moreover, 44 percent of all respondents rated their service a one or two out of five. As one AT&T respondent wrote, “Thank god for wifi.” This is a sentiment the University’s Chief Information Officer, Jim La Creta, echoed in a March 28 email to the Justice. La Creta wrote that students who have coverage issues in certain areas on campus should consider using Wi-Fi calling, which all three of the aforementioned service providers allow on supported devices. Eduroam does not block Wi-Fi calling, and the solution is generally accessible on campus. This board recognizes that Wi-Fi calling is a simple solution, but relying on
Help maintain connection Wi-Fi calling alone without attempting to provide solutions for poor cell phone coverage overlooks a greater opportunity for the University to pursue technological advancement. Although Wi-Fi calling is broadly accessible, it is only of use to those with phones that support it. For students with older phones or non-smartphones, reliable coverage is still not a guarantee in some parts of this campus, even with Wi-Fi calling. This might create issues for students who need to make or receive emergency calls while in a dead zone, in the event of medical or family emergency, for example. La Creta wrote in his email that cell repeaters — which boost signal — are installed on campus on a limited department-by-department basis. Moreover, this installation is not part of any service offered by Library and Technology Services, he wrote, meaning LTS, the body that would best directly oversee cell phone coverage on campus, is not involved in the process. This board recommends that the University consider adding more cell repeaters on campus, focusing specifically on frequent dead zones like Sherman Dining Hall, Usdan Student Center and certain quads on lower campus. This work would best be accomplished through cooperation between departments and LTS, guided by student input. This board believes that these updates will ease community members’ frustration with cell phone coverage on campus, allowing students, staff and faculty alike to make calls with greater ease.
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According to a March 27 New York Times article, the recent airstrike in Mosul, Iraq resulted in a civilian death toll of over 200, possibly one of the worst American military strikes in Iraq. Some Iraqi officials believe that this increase is due to President Trump’s push to expedite the battle — resulting in missile strikes that take down entire structures. U.S. officials, however, argue that the death toll is in part due to Iraqi forces fighting terrorist groups. What do you think about U.S. involvement in these airstrikes and should there be reform in the way that they are approached?
Prof. Paul Janowski (HIST) The Pentagon has denied lifting the protocols governing airstrikes around Mosul and clearly has nothing to gain and a great deal to lose by antagonizing the local population. Target acquisition in dense urban areas, even in the right cause, has yielded such accidents before — during the Kosovo air war in 1999, launched to prevent ethnic cleansing there by Serb units, five American guided bombs struck the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. But we are a very long way from the 1940s, when American bombing killed hundreds of thousands of Japanese and German civilians in order to win the war, and the 1960s, when American forces could not and did not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants in entire swathes of Vietnamese territory. In any case, the new Administration seems so determined to swell the ranks of the Jihadis with new sympathizers that it would hardly need added measures of this sort. Prof. Paul Janowski (HIST) is a professor of History.
Prof. David Patel (HIST) We should differentiate between three types of airstrikes. The first are those in Mosul (and, soon, Raqqa) to support allies’ ground operations to expel ISIS. This is difficult urban combat, and ISIS wants civilian casualties. Deaths are inevitable. The second are U.S. drone strikes targeting ISIS and al-Qaeda operatives in Syria, Yemen, Libya and elsewhere. The pace of such targeted assassinations has increased, but we do not know if the Trump administration has relaxed rules of engagement meant to minimize civilian casualties, or has delegated authority to launch such strikes to military commanders. The third type, though, kills many more civilians: Saudi and Emirati airstrikes in the Yemeni civil war, which the U.S. increasingly supports militarily and logistically. Thousands of Yemeni civilians will die from violence or starvation this year, and the U.S. public is paying little attention to this ongoing tragedy and our growing culpability.
Recognize Student Union’s changes to CEEF fund Following the Student Union’s Friday release of its Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund grants for the year, this board would like to commend the CEEF committee on its foresight and its commitment to transparency, as demonstrated by their public announcement of the initiatives. When the CEEF originally replaced the Student Union’s Capital Expenditures fund in March 2014, the Union planned to spend an annual $200,000 of the $250,000, according to a March 1, 2014 Justice article on the subject. However, the fund has since been restructured, according to CEEF committee member and Class of 2019 senator Kate Kesselman in an interview with the Justice, with about $100,000 of this year’s fund going to annual expenditures on community enhancement and $150,000 remaining each year in emergency reserves. This increase in the emergency budget demonstrates an admirable level of prudence, as emergency projects — such as a new truck for BEMCo — can often require larger budgets than $50,000, according to Kesselman. The CEEF committee was able to allocate funding for all eight of the grant proposals it received that met CEEF policy criteria; the other 11 proposals were focused too narrowly on specific clubs or were judged not to have a long-lasting campus-wide benefit, according to Kesselman. As such, the current distribution between the emergency and enhancement funds seems most apt.
Prof. David Patel (HIST) is a Senior Research Fellow with a focus on social order, religious authority and identity in the contemporary Middle East.
Improve your community The Union’s email on the CEEF allocations, sent out to the student body on Friday, revealed a promising step toward Union transparency. Providing students with information on how the CEEF is being used allows students to hold the Union accountable for its financial choices. While this board recognizes these improvements in the CEEF fund, we also encourage the Student Union to release further information on the details of each project’s implementation. For example, the CEEF email does not elaborate on how the University Textbook Exchange will function or why it was allocated $13,000. In an interview with the Justice, CEEF committee member and Class of 2020 senator Tal Richtman explained that the majority of the budget for the initiative would go toward the creation of the project’s website, with additional smaller expenditures on advertising the project and acquiring textbooks to get the exchange started. This board questions why such a large portion of the budget will be allocated to the website and remains skeptical of the necessity of such a sizeable sum for what seems like a relatively small-scale project. Providing more information on the CEEF initiatives would likely improve accountability in such budgeting decisions and encourage efficiency in allocation.
Ravi Simon ’19 Drone strikes are a critical part of the fight on terror, but this is likely little consolation to the families of the hundreds of civilians who died in the recent strike. Clearly, drones are necessary for taking out leaders of terrorist organizations and combatants in war zones, but the lack of intelligent discretion shown by the military is frankly unacceptable. The strike in Mosul was done with no individuals on the ground or near the site of attack able to confirm the target. Furthermore, the target of the strike was a building right next to the Mosque, meaning even a small mistake could result in collateral damage. These are mistakes that we cannot allow. When we kill the very people we are trying to protect, we ally more and more of them with our enemies. The very reason we despise ISIS is in large part because of their willingness to kill civilians in pursuit of their aims. We ought to hold ourselves to a higher standard. Ravi Simon ’19 is the Europe section editor for the Brandeis International Journal and a member of the Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society. He is also a staff writer for the Justice.
Amina Fahmy ’17 I believe that this is the point where the U.S. must reconsider its involvement in the fight against ISIL, in conjunction with others on the ground, including the Iraqi military, PMUs (officially affiliated Shia and Sunni militias) and the Kurdish Peshmerga. If the continued use of airstrikes is determined by all parties to be the best course of action, more intelligence gathering must be done to prevent civilian casualties. If the cause of this death toll is determined to be President Trump’s push to expedite the battle, it is imperative from both national security and human rights standpoints that this approach be reconsidered. When US airstrikes result in civilian deaths, not only is the U.S. failing to weaken ISIL, anti-Western sentiment is amplified, adding fuel to ISIL’s cause. Amina Fahmy ’17 is majoring in International and Global Studies, as well as Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies. She is the Middle East section editor of the Brandeis International Journal and an IMES Undergraduate Departmental Representative.
THE JUSTICE ● fORUM ● TUESDAY, april 4, 2017
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Acknowledge prevalence of art theft and its implications By shubhan nagendra JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Stolen coins, burgled artwork and forgeries all share a common trait — they result from crime. Venturing one step further, one might ask: What compels an individual to commit art theft or forgery? While the motive is not completely understood, it is known that these events have occurred in the past and continue to occur. The recent theft of the “Big Maple Leaf,” a 221-pound Canadian pure gold coin, from Berlin’s Bode Museum might suggest that it is related to money. The coin is valued at $4.5 million at current market prices for gold, according to a March 27 New York Times article. Too recognizable to sell, experts worry that the thieves might melt the gold, thus destroying a timeless work of art. Such occurrences of theft, despite increasingly tightening museum security, have been witnessed throughout history. In 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston was robbed of its works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt, Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas in just one night, according to a Jan. 31, 2013 article in the Guardian. To this day, they have not been recovered. In 2016, two works by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh were recovered in Italy after they were stolen from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2002, according to a Sept. 30, 2016 article in the New York Times. Then, in the world of forgery, forgers cleverly study the old masterpieces and replicate the form, subject, colors and even material to capture the most complete painting. All this leads to the question: Is stealing and forging art an artform in itself? In other words, does the theft or the forging of art contribute to its network? From the start, both stealing and forgery are crimes. They are both extremely lucrative and are almost always committed for profit. In fact, art theft is one of the most profitable crimes. However, some argue that thieves cannot make enough money because it is hard to profit from the stolen artwork if they do not have authenticity, provenance or the legal title, according to a Nov. 22, 2012 BBC article. Although crime in general should be discouraged, these crimes are popularized in mainstream culture, through literature — such as Noah Charney’s “The Art Thief” — and films or television shows like USA Network’s “White Collar.” The art thief and the forger carry a romantic aura; it is almost as if their professions are as popular as the art they steal or imitate. There might indeed be some truth to this
JULIANNA SCIONTI/the Justice
thought. Han van Meegeren, a 20th-century Dutch forger, is considered the most “original of fakers;” he was a master at copying original paintings, particularly those of Vermeer, according to an Oct. 27, 2008 article in The New Yorker. Van Meegeren made around today’s equivalent of $30 million from his forgeries before his paintings were deemed fake. He sold them to the Nazis, and during his trial, he became a Dutch hero after purportedly saying, “How could a person demonstrate his patriotism, his love of Holland more than I did by conning the great enemy of the Dutch people?” according to a July 12, 2008 NPR article. Indeed, how? That is, how could a forger become a hero? His forgeries became art and part of Vermeer’s image — part of the Netherlands’ national heritage. Van Meegeren may not have actually tampered with the original work, but today, when thinking of Vermeer and the Dutch masters, one might remember the forger as well. He painted himself into the provenance and the history of ownership of the piece and of the artwork itself.
If forgers might have a chance to become heroes, then what of thieves? Thieves, having stolen the artwork or coin, also have a potential. They can do it by etching their name on the provenance of an artwork. This is not a theft. However, the story suggests that even years after an artwork has been completed, it can be affected — by changing the provenance, for instance. That is, artwork is constantly affected by the events surrounding the work. Therefore, if a theft takes place, the artwork would forever be attached to that event. It is almost as if the artwork is still in development and has a life of its own — adding to its legacy. Of course, art theft is a much more serious business. In Italy, the mafia is particularly active in stealing paintings and in using them for money laundering, according to a Dec. 23, 2013 BBC article. This was the case for the Renaissance Italian artist Michelangelo Caravaggio, whose stolen masterpiece, “Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence,” was replaced by a duplicate only recently in 2015. Such a scale of theft is damaging to the
art world because stolen works are not always recovered, and then they are used in money laundering. In all, art in recent times has gone hand in hand with forgery and theft. Despite the criminal element, one must respect the level of skill that is needed to recreate a timeless work of art. When forgers recreate masterpieces by the masters, they then imbibe the spirit of the work. When masterpieces are stolen, the media frantically discusses the story. Then, people ask questions, such as: Where is the stolen artwork? Who stole the piece and why? Finally, the media add their own story to art theft and forgery by romanticizing them through books, movies and T.V. shows. Forging, similarly, a crime no less, has taken on its own form. It is as if the forger recreates the masterpiece out of passion for art. Yet, there is an incentive of making very large sums of money. Can one really say, then, stealing and forging art will be formally accepted as their own art forms? Realistically, no. There is a motivation of money. However, like literature, films or television, they could be fantasized.
Criticize Republicans’ failed attempt at reforming health care
By judah weinerman JUSTICE contributing WRITER
All the way back in the far-off year of 2010, a rising Congressman by the name of Paul Ryan was being touted as the next great conservative policy wonk. Clutching a metaphorical Bible in one hand and Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” in the other, Ryan swore that once the Republican Party wrested control of the White House back from Barack Obama, he would wipe the president’s signature Affordable Care Act right off the face of the Earth. He claimed that Obama’s plan amounted to a “bill that is full of gimmicks and smoke-andmirrors” and constituted “a Ponzi scheme that would make Bernie Madoff proud” in his address at a 2010 White House health summit, according to a Feb. 25, 2010 Washington Post article. With conservatives across the country furious at the increasingly prominent role the federal government was taking in American health care, Ryan promised that he could not only tear Obamacare to shreds, but also introduce a comprehensive privatized plan that would “invite true choice and competition” and “ensure [that] critical programs like Medicare and Medicaid can deliver on their promise in the 21st century,” according to his website. These are buzzwords that tell his conservative base exactly what they want to hear: The government will finally stop
spending money on making sure that poor people do not die. Seven years of “repeal and replace” and three election cycles’ worth of Tea Partiers and Donald Trump, but now-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan still cannot seem to find the votes to draft a replacement deal that resembles anything nearing his promises. His most recent effort, the American Health Care Act, was even less effective than the nearly 54 prior attempts that Republicans made to
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Do not let Ryan’s kegger dreams become this country’s future. repeal Obamacare, according to a March 24, 2014 Washington Post article. At least the first 54 times, they actually managed to pass a vote in the House before falling on their faces in the Senate. Even with the president promising to personally assure the electoral defeat of any Republican who voted against the bill, as stated in a March 21 Washington Post article, Ryan simply could not whip up enough votes to proceed with enacting the bill he has been dreaming
about “since [he] was drinking out of a keg.” No, your eyes did not fail you — the sitting Speaker of the House just bragged about how he spent his college years fantasizing about denying poor people benefits at frat parties, per a March 20 CNBC article. You know what’s a good way to make sure you will be able to repeal the bill you have spent the better part of a decade and billions of dollars trying to dismantle? Do the exact opposite of what Ryan and his fellow Republicans did. Remember, the ACA took nearly two hard-fought years to even get a vote on the Senate floor; Ryan and Trump gave up after fifteen days. Instead of using their years in the wilderness to draft a proper healthcare plan, as Democrats did after their failed initial attempt to pass substantive healthcare reform in 1994, Republicans spent that time riling up an increasingly hard-line base with the promise that Obamacare could be completely erased from our collective history. They instead spent their time offering up “replacement” bills they knew would never prove palatable to Democrats or the members of their own party. By the time they took back the White House and had complete dominion over Congress, the party had long forgotten how to actually govern. The Republican Party is now largely comprised of hard-line conservative firebrands defined solely by their hatred of Obama and his presumed successor, Hillary Clinton. With Obama out of office and Clinton
suffering a crack defeat, it should have been time for the party to stop pointing fingers and start putting their agenda in place. Instead, being in power has only emboldened the party’s worst habits, casting aside any semblance of sympathy for the average American in order to further indulge corporate and moneyed interests. As reported in a March 13 Washington Post article, the proposed healthcare plan would take healthcare away from 24 million people and raise premiums for everyone else by 500 percent, while also shifting the tax burden of medical care from the ultra-wealthy to the middle class — an act of sheer chutzpah. As long as Ryan and his party refuse to govern, the American public should feel no obligation to treat them with the respect traditionally afforded to authority, nor give credence to any of their media apologists. Whether it be through the ballot box or the comment box, citizens need to remind the elected officials supposedly representing them that they still have a duty to the country. While the recent furor directed at prominent Republicans like Utah’s Jason Chaffetz and Iowa’s Steve King at their own town halls is an encouraging sign, voters cannot allow themselves to lapse into complacency. According to Feb. 22 NPR article, these protests are even occurring in deep red states. If Americans do not keep up the effort, Ryan and his Congressional friends will continue to take an ax to the social services millions count upon for survival. Do not let Ryan’s kegger dreams become this country’s future.
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TUESDAY, April 4, 2017 ● forum ● THE JUSTICE
FORUM
Condemn stigma surrounding sexual assault in India By Preeti Huq JUSTICE contributing WRITER
In 2015, a 13-year-old girl who was suffering from cancer was allegedly raped and blackmailed by eight of her teachers at her private school, according to a March 26 NDTV article. The girl, who has not been named, was forced to stay after school under the pretext of extra classes, during which time these eight teachers raped her multiple times over the course of a year. According to an India Times article from March 25, the abuse began on April 12, 2015 when they took nude photos of her. They told her not tell anybody and threatened to kill her if she did. She got pregnant as a result of this rape and was forced by her rapists to take an abortion pill. The matter was made public when the girl was diagnosed with blood cancer about three months ago; neither she nor her parents knew that this was what she was suffering from before. According to her doctors, she does not have long to live. The girl’s parents filed a case against the rapists on March 27. The teachers were arrested and charged under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. However, this was not an isolated incident. There are thousands of stories of young girls being raped or sexually assaulted by teachers. A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by the principal and three of the teachers in a government school in Bihar, India, according to an article in the Indian ress from Jan. 16, 2016. The accused took her to the roof of the school building and gang-raped her. The mother of the survivor found her lying on the roof in a disheveled state and went to the police. The alleged attackers are currently on the run. Usually, however, rapes are not reported in the Indian sub-continent, which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. There are a few reasons for this; the police in these countries are not paid very much, and they are eager to accept bribes from people. For instance, it is possible to get out of a rape charge by bribing the police officers in charge of the case, according to a New York Times article dated January 22, 2013. There are no statistics on how often this happens, because the governments of these countries deny that this ever happens; it is just an open secret that everybody knows. In instances where the rapists are rich or influential members of the community, the cases are never even allowed to be filed. These individuals would not want a rape accusation to tarnish their reputation, and since their wealth can buy almost anything, these cases are dropped. According to this article, experts say that the police are poorly organized and unable to deal with serious crimes, particularly crimes against women.
BEN JARRETT/the Justice
Second, there is still a huge stigma surrounding rape. Even when a girl is raped, in society, it is thought that it is the girl’s fault. If a girl’s family was to report a rape, it would be made public that she is no longer a virgin and that she has “lost her honor.” When prospective future husbands find out that a girl is not a virgin, no matter what the circumstances were, they are no longer interested. That is why, often, a girl is forced to marry her rapist, as evidenced in an Aug. 29, 2015 New York Times article. One such case is of an Indian rape victim from Yamunagar, who killed herself after local elders forced her to marry her rapist, according to an Oct. 26, 2016 article in the Independent. The 19-year-old, who has remained unnamed in the news, was married for seven months before she killed herself after being
subjected to physical and mental abuse from her husband and her in-laws. According to the mother of the victim, they were harassing her in order to make her pay their legal expenses from the initial rape case, because even though the charges were dropped when she married him, the rapist’s family had already incurred legal expenses until that point. Even though countries in South Asia are progressing in the way of development in education, healthcare, infrastructure and manufacturing, people’s attitudes have not changed much, primarily in rural areas. In these countries, an increasingly large gap between the rich and poor is developing and, unfortunately, anyone with money can control the police, the judicial system and the media when sexual assault is carried out. According to an article dated Nov. 24, 2015 from The Live Mint, an E-newspaper, the
richest 1 percent of Indians own 58.94 percent of the country’s wealth. The lack of reporting due to concern of maintaining status is a large part of the problem. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, two out of every three cases go unreported. In South Asia, as I have mentioned before, many girls are forced to marry their rapists. In many South Asian cultures, women are still presumed to be the property of the men in their lives — fathers, brothers, husbands — so men often believe they have a right to do whatever they want to women’s bodies. I believe that society needs to change its way of thinking and teach people that everyone has rights. Everyone has the right to their body and maintaining control of what happens with it; no amount of money or status can change that.
Recognize Donald Trump’s blatant lies during his presidency By elias rosenfeld JUSTICE staff WRITER
After nearly two months in office, President Donald Trump’s political “honeymoon” with voters has been unprecedentedly characterized by excessive investigations, failed executive orders, false accusations and intra-party conflicts that have prevented any significant policy changes from coming to fruition. For a president who claimed that America “would get tired of winning so much,” it has become evident that this, like many other claims by our president, is simply false and, in many occasions, a flat out lie. Many of this administration’s significant policy proposals have come in the form of executive orders, due to the absence of a unified Republican party that is able to coalesce around any meaningful legislation. However, the president’s defense of these executive orders is traditionally based off factless claims. First, according to a Feb. 9 New York Times article, the president’s executive order attempting to restrict immigration from seven Muslimmajority countries was struck down by federal courts as unconstitutional. When his administration tried again with a new executive order that many politicians called “Muslim Ban 2.0”, the federal courts once again struck it down. This process is completely normal, as evident by many of former President Obama’s executive orders that were struck down by courts due to lawsuits from traditionally Republican states, but Trump’s remarks and reactions to this normalcy are troubling and unprecedented. On Feb. 6, the president falsely stated that only 109 people were affected by his travel ban — a complete lie, as this ban affected
nearly 60,000 individuals, according to a Feb. 6 Politifact article. Furthermore, on Jan. 29, as an attempt to defend his executive orders, the president falsely stated that Christian refugees were not allowed in the U.S., according to the same article.
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This series of falsehoods is common within this administration...
This was a false assertion, as these refugees are, in fact, admitted into the United States. This series of falsehoods is common within this administration, as on Feb. 19 the president falsely implied that there had been terrorist attacks in Sweden, preventable by executive orders, as he proposed, according to a Feb. 19 Politifact article. The only issue was that there was no attack in Sweden — a lie, merely to defend a flawed legislative order. This resembles senior advisors such as Kellyanne Conway, who falsely claimed that there was a “Bowling Green Massacre” — a completely fabricated terrorist attack. These lies serve as a crucial indication not only that this legislation is severely flawed, but also that the president is entirely too comfortable lying to the public.
Fudging the truth has always been a common practice in politics, but this president takes it to a new and more dangerous level where he blatantly lies about statements that can easily be disproved. These false accusations and expressions are further seen in the Congressional hearings on Russian interference in the 2016 election. As the House Oversight Committee was hearing the testimony of FBI Director James Comey, the president was tweeting statements that contradicted the testimonies of his own intelligence community, according to a March 20 CNN article. The FBI Director confirmed that associates and members of the Donald Trump campaign were being investigated regarding the claims of Russian interference. While this statement only sheds some light on the secretive and complicated matter, it did directly refute the administration’s stance, as Trump was tweeting his own alternative facts during the hearing. It is true, we cannot jump on the facts, because we do not know all the details regarding this investigation. However, this hearing showcased that the president has and is continuing to directly lie to the American people in stating that there is no FBI investigation occurring regarding his campaign associates and their contact with Russia. The president should not be directly debunked in a live time hearing by the director of his own federal agency, as James Comey did on March 20. This also exposes the recurring theme of hypocrisy in this administration; multiple online news reports have shown members of the president’s administration, such as Kellyanne Conway and Reince Priebus, stating that Americans should not vote for any individual that is under an FBI investigation, according to a March 21 Huffington Post article. The president has
The opinions expressed on this page are those of each article’s respective author and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Justice.
repeatedly stated these accusations were false and a conspiracy by Democrats to explain why Hillary Clinton lost the election. Continuing the pattern of blame, Trump has suggested that Clinton associates were the true individuals who assisted and conspired with the Russian government, according to an April 2 article in the Hill. These accusations have no credible factual base to be supported; they are political tools used by this administration to continue the themes of scapegoating and projection that so deeply invigorated Trump’s core constituency support base. These false accusations have consequences, most evidently seen in the president’s factless claim that President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election. The consequences affect neither Trump nor his staff, but they influence the way Americans characterize and perceive the former president. Last week, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Ut.) stated that he received information on incidental tapping on Trump associates, information he shared with the White House before his own Committee Members in an unprecedented stance. However, according to a March 28 Washington Post article, it was revealed that this information actually came from the White House to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Ca), further showing his inability to chair this investigation in an objective manner. These lies may appear normal in the status quo, but it is unprecedented for one president to attack another in such a way, even for someone who gained his political fame in falsely asserting that Obama was not born in the U.S. These false accusations play well with the president’s core base, but it is crucial to pressure this administration to report the truth if Trump wants to keep his position in office.
2017
10 THE JUSTICE ● Sports ● Tuesday, april 4, 2017
SOFTBALL: Team strives to continue recent streak CONTINUED FROM 16 Judges 11, Lesley 0 The squad easily handled the Lynx pitching staff, busting open for 11 runs and shutting out the team in five easy innings. Catcher Keri Lehtonen ’19 started the day off in a hurry, bashing a double to lead off the series. After a bunt and a pop-up, the Judges had their first run of the day safe at home. Todd started the day on the mound, holding the Lynx offense to three hits and two walks, improving to 3-1 on the year and notching a 0.88 ERA. The sensational rookie class took
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PLATE PRODUCTION
the game by the helm, with Todd and Ross smashing back-to-back homers in the third inning. The feat marked the first home runs for both players, a mark sure to be repeated in the coming games. The Judges came away with 15 total hits, a smidge under their 16hit performance in the next game. Outfielder Taylor Simala ’20 accounted for three of those 15 hits, scoring three runs for the Judges after reaching base on each of her three at-bats. The Judges improve to 6-4 on the season and will look to continue their streak against Framingham State University today at 4 p.m.
PRO SPORTS: Bruins look to grab final BASEBALL: Players will wild card spot as work to get out of slump season concludes
WENLI BAO/Justice File Photo
QUICK HANDS: Veteran infielder Marvic Gomez ’17 turns and connects on a pitch in a home game on March 30, 2016.
CONTINUED FROM 16
CONTINUED FROM 16 difference between winning and placing in the Atlantic Division, as they currently only trail behind the Toronto Maple Leafs by one point for third place, or losing and ruining their chances of a guaranteed spot in the wild card for a possible chance to make it into the playoffs. The fate of the Bruins’ season truly lies in their concluding performances that remain this year. The Bruins have fought hard this
season. With six games remaining to obtain eight points though, they will certainly be tested. It will require a continuation of hard work and determination, but most importantly they will have to work together as a unit on the ice. The Bruins cannot solely depend on Rask to send them into the playoffs, and they will need to support their clutch goaltender on both ends of the ice. However, a playoff spot is well deserved if they continue to work as hard as they have and perfect their plays.
innings of work. While the Judges’ first-year pitchers were unable to find much success this past weekend, they are still growing and developing in their collegiate careers. Fans should be most excited about the team having all of these young arms on the roster; the pitchers will be able to polish their stuff and gain experience over the next four years to eventually put the squad on top. At the plate, Oppenheimer came up clutch once again with a double, his third of the year. He has already developed into a dependable offensive force in his first year on the team and
should be exciting to watch as his career unfolds. Judges 7, Case 8 The Judges showed some life in their first exciting game on Saturday at Case as they extended the battle to extra innings. Despite some impressive showings from the squad, the Judges lost the high-scoring affair 8-7 in the 10th inning. Brandeis had an extremely solid day at the plate as it notched 10 hits to drive in seven runs. Third baseman Kyle Lussier ’19, right fielder Dan O’Leary ’20 and center fielder Ryan Tettemer ’17 provided the power for the Judges. The three combined for
six hits, including a pair of doubles and five runs batted in on the day. Lopez shined with the bat in his hands as well, going two for four at the plate with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Despite the offensive display, the team was unable to come out on top due to their fielding. Five errors led to five unearned runs for the pitching staff, which ultimately led to the loss. While the team has been unable to find success lately, they are stacked with first-year talent and have all the necessary pieces in place to become a dominant group. Brandeis will next play against Clark University on Wednesday.
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THE JUSTICE
● Sports ●
Tuesday, APRIL 4, 2017
15
TENNIS
jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS BASEBALL TEAM STATS
UAA STANDINGS
Runs Batted In
UAA Conference W L WashU 4 0 Case 6 2 Emory 2 6 Chicago 0 0 NYU 0 0 JUDGES 0 4
W 16 12 19 11 11 1
Overall L Pct. 5 .762 11 .522 11 .633 4 .733 4 .733 9 .100
UPCOMING GAMES: Wednesday at Clark University Friday vs. Emory University Saturday vs. Emory double-header
Ryan Tettemer ’17 leads the team with 6 runs batted in. Player RBI Ryan Tettemer 6 Dan O’Leary 5 Kyle Lussier 4 Tim Lopez 2
Strikeouts Sean O’Neill ’18 leads all pitchers with 31 strikeouts. Player Ks Sean O’Neill 31 Greg Tobin 8 Brandon Musto 6 Tim Lopez 5
SOFTBALL UAA STANDINGS
TEAM STATS Runs Batted In
UAA Conference W L W JUDGES 1 0 6 WashU 2 2 13 Emory 4 4 21 Case 2 3 9 Chicago 0 0 10 NYU 0 0 8
Overall L Pct. 4 .600 6 .684 11 .656 8 .529 7 .588 6 .571
UPCOMING GAMES: Wednesday vs. Framingham State Friday at Emory double-header Saturday at Emory double-header
Amanda Shore ’18 has a teamhigh nine runs batted in. Player RBI Amanda Shore 9 Madison Hunter 3 Marissa DeLaurentis 6 Allison Hecht 5
Strikeouts Scottie Todd ’20 has a teamhigh 23 strikeouts on the hill. Player Ks Scottie Todd 23 Callie MacDonald 9 Sadie-Rose Apfel 3 Melissa Soleimani 1
TRACK AND FIELD Results from the Tufts Snowflake Classic on Sunday.
TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)
TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)
100-meter dash
RUNNER Regan Charie Michael Kroker Lorenzo Maddox
TIME 11.33 12.24 12.27
100-meter dash
RUNNER TIME Kanya Brown 13.38 Kayla Kurland-Davis 13.59 Courtney Page 13.83
JOYCE YU/the Justice
HITTING HARD: Olivia Leavitt ’19 rears back with all her might for the powerful forehand smash in a match on Sunday.
Judges end week with strong performances ■ The women’s team picked up their 10th win of the season after shutting out Wheaton College.
7-6 (7-2). Khromchenko defeated her opponent on the Number 2 court, 6-2, 6-0 and Leavitt double bageled her opposition 6-0, 6-0 on the Number 3 court. On the Number 4 court Lehat also recorded a 6-0, 6-0 victory.
By NOAH HESSDORF
Judges 9, Wheaton 0 The men dispatched Wheaton quite easily on Sunday afternoon. Michael Arguello ’17 and Ryan Bunis ’17 teamed up for the 8-2 victory on the Number 1 doubles court. Bunis also won his singles matchup easily, as he defeated his opponent 6-2, 7-5 on the Number 1 singles court. On the Number 3 court, Mitchell Ostrovsky ’20 captured a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Benjamin Wolfe ’20 also won his matchup by a score of 6-0, 6-1.
JUSTICE EDITOR
UPCOMING MEETS: Saturday at Amherst Spring Fling at Amherst College April 14 at Silfen Invitational at Connecticut College April 15 at Silfen Invitational at Connecticut College
TENNIS Updated season results.
TOP PERFORMERS (Men’s)
TOP PERFORMERS (Women’s)
MEN’S SINGLES Michael Arguello
RECORD 12-9
WOMEN’S SINGLES RECORD Sabrina Neergaard 13-7
MEN’S DOUBLES Aizenberg/Ng
RECORD 11-9
WOMEN’S DOUBLES RECORD Khromchenko/Lehat 10-8
UPCOMING MEETS:
Men, Saturday at Trinity College (Connecticut) Men, Sunday vs. Le Moyne College Women, Thursday vs. Wellesley College
The men’s and women’s tennis teams competed admirably against tough competition this past weekend. The men went 1-2 on the weekend with losses against Bowdoin College and Bates College and a victory over Wheaton College. The women’s side also picked up a victory against Wheaton on Sunday. Judges 8, Wheaton 0 The women’s team completely shut out Wheaton on Sunday afternoon. At the Number 1 doubles court, Sabrina Ross Neergaard ’20 and Olivia Leavitt ’19 made quick work of their opponents, winning 8-3. On the Number 2 and Number 3 courts, the duos of Haley Cohen ’18 and Sophia He ’19, and Keren Khromchenko ’19 and Michele Lehat ’19, picked up 8-1 victories over Wheaton. The squad continued to dominate on the singles courts, as Neergaard got the team started with a three-set victory on the Number 1 court, 6-4,
Judges 2, Bates 7 On Saturday, the men were only able to pick up one doubles victory against Bates, when David Aizenberg ’20 and Tyler Ng ’19 earned a win on the Number 2 court. Bunis fell 6-0, 6-3 on the Number 1 singles courts. On the Number 2 singles court, Brian Granoff ’17 lost in a tough battle 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Arguello came away with the only Judges victory on the singles courts, winning on the Number 3 court, 7-5, 1-6, 7-5. The team lost the remaining singles matches to fall 7-2 to Bates.
Judges 3, Bowdoin 6 The doubles matches with Bowdoin on Friday night featured some intense drama. Both the Number 1 and Number 3 courts were decided by tiebreakers. Arguello and Bunis held off the competition from Bowdoin for a 9-8 (8-6) victory on the Number 1 court. On the Number 3 court, the home team was able to barely put away the Judges with a 9-8 (8-6) win against Granoff and Jackson Kogan ’19. Bowdoin was able to sweep the top three singles matchups as it cruised to a victory over the Number-32 ranked Judges. Arguello and Bunis were unable to continue their success from the doubles match and lost at the Number 1 and Number 2 courts, respectively. However, the squad was able to capture two difficult wins on the Number 4 and Number 6 courts. On Number 4, Ng came away with a 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 10-3 victory against Bowdoin sophomore Jerry Jiang. Aizenberg also found himself in a grueling threeset match at the Number 6 court, this time with Bowdoin sophomore Luke Carstens, from which he was able to escape with the 6-4, 4-6, 10-7 victory. With the win, Bowdoin continues its quest to defend its national title by moving its record to an outstanding 9-1 mark.
PRO SPORTS BRIEF Celtics, Wizards and Bucks might disfigure usual NBA playoff picture with continued success With the National Basketball Association season coming to a close, usual suspects such as the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs are the main teams in the championship discussion. However, other Eastern Conference teams have surprised the rest of the league as of late and are now also entering the discussion, including the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards. In the west, Golden State and San Antonio are playing as expected: under twenty losses, beating top teams and playing championship level defense. The Warriors in particular are on a hot streak despite an unhealthy Kevin Durant, winning 10 out of their last 10. In this stretch, they have beaten top
teams and have made it to game 75 with only 14 losses. Point guard Stephen Curry has averaged 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds per game, and shooting guard Klay Thompson has been putting up 24 points a night. San Antonio is also playing extremely well, though their last ten games have provided them with three unfortunate losses. Nonetheless, coached by legend Greg Popovich and led by defensive star Kawhi Leonard, the team will also contend for the championship, as is customary. In the east, Cleveland has lost five out of their last ten games, giving up first place to Boston. After losing to San Antonio 103-74 — the team’s fifth loss in seven games — superstar forward Lebron James
said, “We’re just in a bad spot right now.” James has even used the word “delicate” to describe the team’s rattled state of mind. Cleveland is perhaps the second most star-studded group behind the Warriors, which seems to magnify their lack of success. However, it is important to remember that Cleveland had a similar period of struggle last year, during which they fired head coach David Blatt and eventually went on to win the title against a historically talented Warriors team. However, Boston has been on the rise in the past several games, winning eight of their last 10 and beating both the Warriors and the Cavaliers in the past month. Led by star guard Isaiah Thomas, who is averaging 29 points a night —
second behind Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook — and six assists per game, the Celtics have reached a new level of intensity. Fourth in the league in assists, the group is sharing the ball beautifully, as starting center Al Horford leads all centers in this category. The Celtics are in first place in the East for the first time in several seasons, and they look to close out the season in this spot to obtain home-court advantage for as much of the playoffs as possible. Another new team on the radar is the Milwaukee Bucks. In their last 15 games, they are tied with the Warriors for the best record at 12-3, as they are playing with an intensity that has truly picked up. With young athletic players such as forward Giannis Antetokounmpo,
guard Malcolm Brogdon and big man forward Greg Monroe, they have the potential to outlast older teams at the end of games when fatigue is an issue. The current fifth-place Bucks may challenge the Cavaliers or Celtics in a potential playoff series. Lastly, the Washington Wizards are playing at a level that could threaten other major teams in the East. John Wall and Bradley Beal are at their career peaks, with both averaging 23 points per game, and center Marcin Gortat is averaging a double-double per game with 11 points and 11 rebounds. With a recent 127-115 victory over Cleveland, they have shown that they can beat highly talented teams. —Lev Brown
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Sports
Page 16
TENNIS TRIUMPHS The women’s tennis team ended their week on a two-game winning streak to improve to 10-3 overall on the season, p. 15.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
BASEBALL
DEALING DOMINANCE
Team unable to come out on top ■ The baseball team
managed to record five strikeouts on the day. Second baseman Victor Oppenheimer ’20 continued his outstanding rookie campaign at the plate with an RBI single in the fifth.
By BEN KATCHER
Judges 0, Case 8 The Judges were shut out for the second straight game in their first matchup on Sunday after losing to Case once again by a score of 8-0. Pitcher Tim Lopez ’20 had a tough outing for his team, giving up seven earned runs off nine hits and a walk. Case also launched a pair of home runs off the first-year as he struggled on the hill. On the other side, Brandeis was only able to pick up three hits against their opponents en route to the blowout defeat.
dropped to 1-9 on the season after losing all four games played this past weekend. JUSTICE EDITOR
The Brandeis baseball team struggled over the past weekend, losing all four games they played on the road against Case Western Reserve University. Judges 2, Case 5 Brandeis wanted to leave the weekend on a high note after losing its previous three games against Case, but ended up being swept by its opponent after a fourth consecutive loss. While the team was able to jump out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning, it could not hold on and dropped the last game of the road trip by a score of 5-2. Rookie pitcher Greg Tobin ’20 picked up the loss after allowing four earned runs on seven hits in four and a third innings on the mound. However, the young ace demonstrated impressive control; he did not give up a walk and
Waltham, Mass.
Judges 0, Case 10 Coming off a tough, hard fought loss against Case earlier in the day, Brandeis was shut out in its final matchup on Saturday by a score of 10-0. Rookie pitcher Brandon Musto ’20 struggled to elude Case’s bats and ended up getting shelled for nine earned runs off nine hits, including a home run, in four and two thirds
See BASEBALL, 13 ☛
PRO SPORTS COLUMN
Boston Bruins look to make playoff push ■ Goalie Tuukka Rask came
up clutch for the Bruins on Thursday with his seventh shutout of the season. By SAMANTHA PROCTOR JUSTICE contributing writer
The Boston Bruins clinched the win over the Dallas Stars at the TD Garden on Thursday, March 30 to end the month with a fighting chance. The Bruins did not play an orderly game on Thursday, failing to execute clean plays and fumbling pucks over and over. Some of their poor moves allowed the Stars to gain some advantage in the first period. By the third period, the Bruins had begun their comeback by making two goals — one by left winger Brad Marchand, who set a career high of 38 goals on the season, and the other by defenseman Torey Krug, who also set a career high with 50 points. Unfortunately, defenseman Kevan Miller of the Bruins accidentally clipped Stars left winger Curtis McKenzie in the face. With McKenzie bleeding, Miller spent four minutes in the penalty box. Also, the Bruins briefly lost defenseman Adam McQuaid to a leg injury for a few minutes. With Miller and McQuaid out of the game, the Stars had a possible chance to close the two-goal deficit behind the Bruins, but the Bruins defense stayed strong. After a three-game losing streak the week before, the Bruins were on the outside looking in at the playoffs. However, after two wins since then and a strong performance on Thursday, they eventually found their way back to ultimate victory. With a final score on Thursday of 2-0, the Bruins had little to complain about on their playoff
push, as it was goaltender Tuukka Rask’s seventh shutout of the season. Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy spoke out to explain that even after the mess of a game on Thursday, Rask pulled through and was key in helping the Bruins win the game. He was the best player out there and his angles were very solid, which allowed for minimal openings in the net for the Stars to shoot at. With two defensemen out in the third period, Rask pulled out all the stops and put in extra work to keep the Bruins in the game. Although the effort was very physically taxing, as he was on his own, Rask kept the team together as they were beginning to fall apart. Despite not playing their best, the win is all that matters for the team at this point in the year. Looking at the other games on Thursday, the Toronto Maple Leafs stayed ahead of the Bruins for a playoff spot with their win over the Nashville Predators. The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Carolina Hurricanes, both right behind the Bruins for their wild card spot, were victorious on Thursday night as well. If the Bruins had lost the game against the Stars, the Lightning would have been trailing one point behind the Bruins for their number-2 wild card spot. Time and time again, the Bruins have put up a fight to get themselves out of close situations. With six games remaining, the Bruins have 86 points, giving them a good three-point lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning and a four-point edge over the New York Islanders and the Carolina Hurricanes for the final wild card spot. Although they have a more comfortable position than before, they cannot slack off and make poor plays in these last few games. Slacking off could make the
See PRO SPORTS, 13 ☛
ABBY GRINBERG/Justice File Photo
DELIVERING FOR DEIS: Pitcher Melissa Soleimani ’17 drives off her back leg to send in the pitch in a game on April 17, 2016.
Squad dominates with three straight wins ■ Pitcher Scottie Todd ’20 has been incredible for the Judges with a 3-1 record and an outstanding 0.88 ERA. By JERRY MILLER JUSTICE EDITOR
The softball team had a fantastic outing this past week, coming out on top in all three of their games. The Judges went on a scoring frenzy in their games against Lesley University and narrowly beat Case Western Reserve University before the ensuing blizzard ended the game. The Judges had to work through having multiple snowedout games, as they only played in three of their six scheduled games this week. Judges 4, Case 2 Rookie pitcher Scottie Todd ’20 started the day on the mound, pitching a shutout game going into the fifth inning. The Judges were equally shut out by the Case pitching staff, stranding runners on base throughout the first four innings of play.
Todd began to tire after four innings, hitting a batter in the top of the fifth and allowing two singles, which led to the first run of the game. With a steal by Case and a sacrifice fly to left, the Spartans took the lead, up 2-0 in the fifth. The Judges battled back in the fifth, determined to take the lead away from Case. Left fielder Marissa DeLaurentis ’19 took a base on balls with two outs to start the Judges out offensively. Third baseman PJ Ross ’20 marched to the plate and smacked a single to right to put DeLaurentis in scoring position. Case then made a costly pitching substitution, with junior pitcher Katie Dzierwa walking all three Judges she faced, cutting the score to 2-2. Case pulled their reliever and subbed back in their starting pitcher to face infielder Marysa Massoia ’19. Massoia connected for a frozen rope to left-center, scoring the winning runs in the bottom of the fifth. After Massoia’s heroics, the umpires called the game due to the heavy snowfall, giving the Judges their third straight win for the successful week.
Judges 14, Lesley 3 The Judges clobbered the Lynx for the second time on Wednesday, bashing the ball around the field for 14 runs. The wins marked the Judges’ first home wins of the season and buoyed their record to a solid 5-4 mark. The Judges maxed out with 16 hits on the day, with pitcher Callie MacDonald ’20 giving up a mere three hits to the Lynx. The Judges broke open the gates with a threerun first inning, contributing one more in the second and 10 in the third and fourth. First baseman Allison Hecht ’17 cracked a homer in the first inning to bring in two runs, marking her first dinger of the season. MacDonald settled down after the third inning, giving up two hits in the top of the fourth. With two on base, MacDonald allowed a threerun shot to cut the Judges’ lead to five. Still, the Judges were unfazed, responding with six runs in the bottom of the fourth. After dominating their opponent and going up more than 10 runs, the Judges mercied Lesley and took their second game of the series.
See SOFTBALL, 13 ☛
Vol. LXIX #23
April 4, 2017
ICC Presents:
Jai Wolf > > pg. 19
just
Waltham, Mass.
ARTS
Images and Design: Natalia Wiater/the Justice.
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THETUESDAY, JUSTICE April | Arts4,| TUESDAY, 2017 | Arts January i THE JUSTICE 31, 2017
THEATER REVIEW
‘Footloose’ is energetic and exciting
By BROOKE GRANOVSKY justice Staff writer
“From the oldest of times, people danced for a number of reasons,” claimed Ren McCormack in “Footloose.” Hillel Theater Group’s production of “Footloose” demonstrated a few of these reasons over the weekend in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater. Directed by Rachel Josselsohn ’17, the musical followed the freespirited Ren (played by Justin Chimoff ’20) as he moved into a religious town which had outlawed dancing. Ren eventually proved to the town that dancing is a means of celebration, praise and harmless fun; naturally, the show ended with a triumphant dance number. Choreographer Lisa Petrie ’17 and Dance Captains Anna Stern ’18 and Hannah McCowan ’19 incorporated several kinds of dance into the show. Western dances, like those included in “Let’s Hear It for The Boy,” found the cast line-dancing, stomping their feet and brushing up their heels. Other numbers, like the opening and closing numbers, “Footloose” and “Footloose (reprise),” found the whole cast dancing as a unit, combining hip-hop with gesturebased movement in order to convey meaning through their dancing. Most dance numbers used both levels of the stage, featuring action onstage as well directly overhead on the impressive wooden bridge that served as the show’s main set. While the chorus was strong and in sync, several of its main cast members stood out. Bryan McNamara ’19 shone as the strong but conflicted Reverend Shaw Moore. He was eloquent and commanding, engaging the crowd the way a real pastor would, especially in the sermon that ended the play. Another standout was his on-stage wife Vi Moore, played by Halley Geringer ‘19. Geringer’s restraint and clarity made it easy for the audience to empathize with her character. Her decision to speak in two different ways —
demurely at times, boldly at others — exemplified her internal conflict between supporting her husband and asserting her own values. Female lead Ariel Moore, played by Adina Jacobson ’20, was assertive, proud and pulled focus each time she sang. In “I Need a Hero,” even as the chorus sang in sync and on key, and as dancers and a gymnast tumbled around her, Moore’s vibrant and expressive voice remained the core of the song. With “I Need a Hero,” the musical also reminded me of its age. “I Need a Hero” was a popular song in 1984, the year “Footloose” premiered. This reminder gave context to some of the musical’s out-of-place jokes that made me bristle first and laugh second. Jokes about Ren’s male friends being embarrassed to attend a poetry reading, for instance, felt out of date. “The Girl Gets Around,” a song meant to shame Moore for not playing the role of the chaste preacher’s daughter, felt similarly dated. However, the show countered this with clever direction and new lines that I cannot imagine were in the original script. The decision to have Moore sing along and own her actions with pride in “The Girl Gets Around” helped bring this song into the modern era. Later, one cast member described the town council members’ shocked reactions to Ren’s speech with the phrase “they were literally shitting themselves,” which feels like a more modern expression. Another fun adaptation was Willard Hewitt’s (Max Ozer-Staton’s ’20) address being 415 South Street. Overall, “Footloose” was a fun and engaging show. The songs and dances fit together well, and its strong main cast helped maintain the upbeat mood. The show would have been justified in taking a heavier turn, given that its subject matter included religious freedom and car accidents. Instead, the cast’s energy and magnetism kept “Footloose” light and entertaining.
YDALIA COLON/the Justice
PREACHING TO THE CHOIR: Ren (Justin Chimoff ’20) uses bible verse to convince Reverend Moore (Bryan McNamara ’19) that dancing is not a sin.
YDALIA COLON/the Justice
GETTIN’ THE GIRL: Willard Hewitt (Max Ozer-Staton ’20) dances, despite being awkward, to win Rocky’s (Emily Arkin ’20) affection.
LIQUID LATEX
Lots of Latex, limbs and laughs By EMILY RAE FOREMAN justice Staff writer
Liquid Latex is a Brandeis tradition almost as famous as Louis Brandeis himself. As the first inner page of the show’s pamphlet informed the audience, the show was born in 2000 as the “Body Art Fashion Show” and has since bloomed into the beloved annual show. The same pamphlet page also proudly states that the performance earned Brandeis an honorable mention in a 2010 Playboy website article ranking the “top ten party schools.” The show consists of scenes choreographed by students and performed by students wearing only thongs and the intricate liquid latex costumes other student have designed and painted onto them. The line to enter Levin Ballroom stretched into what seemed like an endless chaotic mosh pit as people
grappled to find empty seats last Tuesday night, the show’s opening. This year’s theme was “The Devil Wears Nada.” However, each of the seven featured performances had its own unique theme. One aspect in every scene, which aided in unifying the show, was the “runway” portion, where each dancer was given a chance to break away from group choreography and strut down the catwalk, showing off the intricacy of their own painted costumes. In the first scene, “A Dance Down Memory Lane,” the costumes were styled to embody classic dance anthems of the past decades, such as Elvis Presley. While the skit may not have featured professionallevel dancers, the artistry of the scene was captured in not only the amazing body art but also the genuine enjoyment the models seemed to be experiencing on stage.
After the initial shock that this would be an hour of watching virtuallynaked people dance on stage had worn away from the audience, the crowd began cheering and clapping for each dancer, enjoying the artwork and swaying to the music. The second skit had arguably some of the most well-defined and accurately themed painting, as each individual modeled a different ecosystem from the BBC series “Planet Earth.” This scene ended with the cast members holding a banner which read “There Is No Planet B” to the background music of the pop song “No Place I’d Rather Be.” This was followed by “Psychedelic Psikness,” a scene honoring musical icons of the decades. Before intermission, the audience enjoyed singing along to the music from the cult classic film in the scene “Wild and Untamed Thing: The Rocky Horror
Picture Show”, which proved to be a much-needed break from similarly choreographed dancing scenes, with more elements of theatricality than the previous dance series. The ten minute intermission seemed to go by rapidly, as people stayed rooted to their seat ready for the next series of dancers. The act to follow intermission was a fan favorite of the night. “Neverland’s Mythical Creatures” was not only the only act to feature a back flip from one of the models, but was also unique in its inclusion of original music arrangment, with soundbites from classic Disney movies intermixed with upbeat modern music embodying each character. The next scene, “Horoscope Hip Hop,” had astoundingly synchronized choreography and one of the more engaging themes, as each dancer was
painted to be one of the zodiac signs. However, the moves from the models while on the catwalk more resembled those seen by girls in fraternity basements than the representation of each zodiacs characteristics. The night closed with the scene “Evolution of Gaga.” At points in the night it may have been easy to lose sight of the artistic value of the show, through all of the playful chanting from the audience and general silliness on everyone’s behalf. However, the overall show was a powerful demonstration in body positivity as people embraced and showcased themselves, as well as demonstrated the skills of the designers, dancers, choreographers and painters here at Brandeis. —Editor’s Note: The Arts Editor of the Justice, Hannah Kressel ’20, assisted in painting for Liquid Latex.
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THE JUSTICE i arts i TUESDAY, January 31, 2017 THE JUSTICE i arts i TUESDAY, April 4, 2017
CONCERT REVIEW
NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
SPICING IT UP WITH SAX: Masego wowed the crowd with innovative music, specifically including the saxophone in their work.
Jai Wolf puts a fresh spin on EDM By Emily Blumenthal justice Staff writer
As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, the Intercultural Center brought EDM artist Jai Wolf to Levin Ballroom on Saturday night for a stunning, sold-out concert. Before Jai Wolf, however, two opening acts performed. The first, Beauz, played mostly remixes of existing songs, which I thought were unoriginal and boring. Repeating his signature chant, “Beauz in the motherfucking house,” Beauz tried in vain to engage a crowd that was clearly only waiting for the headliner. The apathy of the concertgoers seemed to sap Beauz’s energy; at first, he was dancing behind his turntable, but he became toned down as his set went on. At the end of his set, Beauz played a new, unreleased song, “Never Over.” During this song, the crowd got off their phones and was much more engaged. Had Beauz played more original songs, I believe the crowd would have displayed much more energy. The second opener, Masego, was much more well-received by the crowd. The duo played mostly live, original songs, including an impromptu piece about Brandeis. The songs were very innovative, and some even featured the saxophone. This combination of EDM and jazz was interesting and was something I had never thought of before, but Masego made it work with clever instrumentals and a new, exciting energy which engaged the audience and left those who had previously never heard of the group hungry for more. NATALIA WIATER/the Justice When Jai Wolf took the stage, the crowd amped up its energy. He stayed behind his turntable the whole HANDS UP: Jai Wolf is a lively stage presence in the ICC 25th time, but unlike Beauz, his energy never mellowed anniversary celebration this past weekend.
and he danced the whole time, often gesturing toward the audience to engage with them more. The screen on his turntable projected beautiful images of nature, a cityscape and different colorful patterns. Each image seemed to sync perfectly with the mood of the song during which it was shown. Going into the concert, I expected Jai Wolf to be another fixture in the increasingly homogeneous EDM scene. However, I was quickly proven wrong. Unlike many other EDM artists, Jai Wolf’s music does not rely solely on copious amounts of bass and boring digital effects. Though his lyrics are somewhat boring, the instrumentals make Jai Wolf a refreshing new face in the EDM scene. He crafts his instrumentals with the influence of cultures around the world, making him a perfect choice to be featured in the ICC’s celebration weekend. The standout was one of the last songs he played, his hit “Indian Summer.” The song featured instrumentals which seemed to be influenced by Jai Wolf’s native Bangladesh. I am not an EDM fan, but Jai Wolf’s energy and fresh sound kept me dancing and enjoying the concert the entire time. As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, the ICC also held a culture fest. Many clubs were represented at the event, including BAASA, BKSA, Triskelion, BASO and more. Each club served food representing its culture, with a wide variety of options ranging from chicken buns to bubble tea to decorating cupcakes. The event was well-attended, though it seemed mostly populated with club members and their friends. This weekend was a great success for the ICC, with the excellent food options and interesting music providing a great learning experience about cultures around the world.
Theater REview
Senior theses shine with vibrant ideas By Perry Letourneau justice Staff writer
In one fell swoop, seniors Sarah Ackerman, Andrew Agress, Jamie Semel and Sarah Steiker made their debuts as theater auteurs this past Thursday night with their respective senior theses. The culmination of their undergraduate theater education represented a bridge into the professional world, and all four presented distinct, promising artistic styles. Brandeis’s Laurie Theater hosted the festival, staging a cocktail of musical theater, sketch comedy and folklore to captivate and enthrall the audience. Ackerman and Steiker’s collaborative piece “Work in Progress” started the festival off with song. Under the direction of Gabe Walker ’19, the show began with BT Montrym ’19 crooning “Razzle Dazzle” from the musical “Chicago,” setting a moody, hazy, theatrical tone for the play about addiction. Ackerman and Steiker handled the weighty subject matter thoughtfully. The first half of the play focused mainly on material addictions, like drugs and alcohol, but slowly the characters’ underlying addictions to relationships and to other people came more and more to light. The idea of a musical about addiction, for some, may at first seem confused, calling to mind visions of a sing-along adaptation of “Trainspotting.” But “Work in Progress” proved more cohesive a production than one might think; the song choices treated the characters with touching humanity and hope, rather than condemnation. And while at times the singers could have been louder in order to shine through over the live piano accompaniment, the cast (Montrym, Steiker, Ackerman, and Ben LoCascio ‘20) were all on pitch and embodied their characters effectively. “Work in Progress” ran smoothly and accomplished a challenging goal: presenting a heavy subject from a new, entertaining angle. Thrumming with comedic energy, the sketch show “Taking Ages,” written by Andrew Agress and directed by Raphael Stigliano ’18, came next. Told from the perspective of a historian (Agress) 150 years in the future, “Taking
Ages” explores over 600 years of misremembered human history. The versatile main cast of six (Haia Bchiri ’20, Zach Garrity ’20, Sara Kenney ’18, Jason Kwan ’20, Sarah Sharpe ’20 and Connor Wahrman ’17) brought energy and humor to a range of historical figures, including George Washington, Lewis and Clark, Adolf Hitler and Franklin Roosevelt. A keen attention to detail elevated the comedy of the show; Hitler’s teddy bear, for example, wore a tiny swastika armband, and the cast recreated the famous painting of Washington’s crew on the Delaware River so precisely that the audience could not stop laughing at the visual for a solid minute. Looking around the Laurie Theater, the audience simply could not stop smiling through this fast-paced, incisive critique of humankind in the past, present and future. “Luna,” devised and written by Jamie Semel, capped off the festival’s opening night. The play tells the real story of Julia Butterfly Hill, who led an environmental movement by living at the top of an ancient redwood tree she called “Luna.” Evoking the style of old folktales, Semel’s script presented the forest and the trees as living beings with human relationships and feelings. The cast (Rachel Greene ’20, Margot Grubert ’17, Elana Kellner ’19, Kate Kesselman ’19, Rebecca Myers ’18 and Karina Wen ’20) alternated between multiple characters fluidly and provided the ambient sounds of the forest to create a more immersive natural world. While “Taking Ages” and “Work in Progress” favored relatively minimalist sets, “Luna” constructed a forest world out of plastic bags, ladders and industrial equipment. Poignant and politically conscious, the play blended warmly old-fashioned storytelling tactics with modern issues to imbue the material with greater emotional gravity. Overall, the festival was a success and kept the audience entertained throughout all three shows. Ackerman, Agress, Semel and Steiker put their passions on stage and made truly strong impressions as part of the next generation of artists in the theater industry.
By first last justice Staff writer
Photo Courtesy of Mike Lovett
‘LUNA’: Jamie Semel’s ’17 thesis told the story of environmentalist Julia Butterfly Hill through folktale.
Photo Courtesy of Mike Lovett
‘TAKING AGES’: Andrew Agress’ ’17 thesis told a humorous misremembered history from the perspective of a future historian.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017 | Arts | THE JUSTIce
Brandeis TALKS
INTERVIEW
wf
What is your favorite April Fool’s Day prank?
Molly Rocca ’20
“So my favorite April Fools prank was also my least favorite; George Takei said he was going to run against Devin Nunes. I was really excited and then I was really sad, because it was a prank.”
Rebecca Kahn ’19 NATALIA WIATER/the Justice
This week, justArts spoke with Rebecca Kahn ’19 who was a coordinator in this year’s Liquid Latex, the 17’th show called “The Devil Wears Nada,” and performed in the skit, “Wild and Untamed Thing: The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” justArts: What is the background on Liquid Latex? ABBY PATKIN/the Justice
Ben Shelling ’20
“I have no idea. I’m so lame.”
Henry Snow ’17
“I honestly was not the victim of a single April Fools prank yesterday. That might be because I was away at a debate tournament, but yeah.”
Miriam Hood ’18 “In high school I had a teacher who hated semicolons, so my friends and I drew semicolons on a hundred post-it notes and covered his room in them the Friday before April Fools, so that’s what he came back to on Monday morning. So that’s probably my favorite April Fools.” Compiled by Natalia Wiater/the Justice and photographed by Yvette Sei/the Justice.
STAFF’S Top Ten
Top 10 Best Kind Bar Flavors By Avraham Penso justice EDITOR
The prospect of my daily Kind bar is the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. Here are the 10 best flavors: 1. Dark Chocolate Cocoa 2. Apple Cinnamon & Pecan 3. Almond & Apricot 4. Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt 5. Caramel Almond & Sea Salt 6. Blueberry Vanilla & Cashew 7. Almond Walnut Macadamia 8. Fruit & Nut Delight 9. Cranberry Almond 10. Dark Chocolate Mocha Almonds
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 How some stocks are sold 6 It comes in Lime and Berry Blue flavors 11 Sticky stuff 14 Mad as heck 15 Fake news source, with “The” 16 Bar quaff 17 Creator of 40-Across 19 Trash can 20 Against 21 _____ Lingus 22 Like most dorms 23 Archenemies of 40-Across 28 The A in USDA 31 Unexcited teen’s reaction 32 “______ a Spell on You” (Creedence Clearwater Revival song) 33 General with an eponymous army base 35 6-9, for 40-Across 39 “As a result...” 40 Illustrated title character, with “The” 42 Ain’t right? 43 What 40-Across wants to save 45 Exams for future drs. 46 Base times height, for a square 47 Reggae precursor 49 Part of a yard 50 Ideal promoted by 40-Across 25 Capital of Latvia 55 “Norma Rae” director 26 Crown Martin 27 Pull on 56 Palindromic nickname for 28 Help, as a criminal a granny 29 Sound from a guard dog 57 Mrs. Clooney 30 Spaghetti sauce brand 61 Alternative to M or F on an 34 Floor it open-minded questionnaire 35 Constellation neighboring 62 Voice of 40-Across Scorpius 66 Aduba of “Orange is the 36 Spanish she-bears New Black” 37 “Render _____ Caesar...” 67 Pyramid designer 38 Issue for the Dept. of Veterans 68 Egg holders Affairs 69 Prefix with function 40 Inventor of many medical 70 Greek temptress instruments 71 Rub it in 41 Norwegian king DOWN 44 Brand of non-alcoholic wine 1 Elton John musical based on 45 He called his opponents “paper an opera tigers” 2 1982 sci-fi film 47 Not go to a party, say 3 Serious promise 48 Good-natured 4 Yours is probably full of 50 “______ Mary” (Creedence cobwebs Clearwater Revival song) 5 _____ Speedwagon 51 Extremely posh 6 ______ McCarthy (‘50s 52 Set of values politician) 53 “Bonne _____!” 7 Año opener 54 Something to gaze at 8 Lucy of “Kill Bill” 58 Japanese soup 9 ______ Alamos 59 Word before boy or girl 10 Word with clip or slip 60 TV show with a controversial 11 No-no finale 12 ________ and Sedition Acts 62 Denigrate, informally 13 Tears up 63 One who might wish you 5318 Not well done Down 22 ______ acid 64 “Car Talk” airer 24 Excited teen’s reaction 65 The E in ESL
Rebecca Kahn: Liquid Latex was founded in 2000 by Alaric Toy ’00 and Sharon Gobuty ’00 as part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. Originally called the “Body Art Fashion Show”, the performance was such a hit that Toy founded the Liquid Latex Club, and the show became an annual event. This year was the 17th annual Liquid Latex show and it remains, to this day, an entirely student-run production and now a longstanding Brandeis tradition. JA: Why do you think Liquid Latex is important to put on and be involved in each year?
CROSSWORD COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN
RK: The amazing thing about Liquid Latex is that it is entirely unique to Brandeis. It serves as a space for any person of any gender, sexual orientation or body type to become a human canvas for the sake of artistic expression, without anyone passing judgment on them. The loving and safe environment that it creates that makes everyone involved feel valued, important and truly unique is what makes me believe Liquid Latex is important not only for Brandeis, but for the world we live in today. JA: What is it like performing in Liquid Latex? RK: Performing in Liquid Latex is [one of] the most freeing and empowering things I have ever done. The painting process is rigorous and tiring, but getting to see yourself covered in latex paint that looks incredible and transforms your body into a walking canvas is so rewarding. Also, knowing that the end result is getting to dance your heart out on stage in such vulnerable way feels very powerful and made me feel like I was able to share myself with the student body in the most extraordinary way.
SOLUTION COURTESY OF EVAN MAHNKEN
SUDOKU INSTRUCTIONS: Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.
Solution to last issue’s sudoku
Puzzle courtesy of www.sudokuoftheday.com
JA: What is the hardest part about putting Liquid Latex together? RK: The hardest part about putting Liquid Latex together this year stemmed from the fact that this year’s E-Board really had to work from the ground up to put the show on. The Latex Club was not passed down last year to a board so the four of us really had to work hard to figure out how to make everything happen the way it has in the past and to put together a show that we felt we could be proud of. JA: Any last things you want to add about this year’s show in particular? RK: I would encourage every Brandeis student to get involved with Liquid Latex somehow in their time at Brandeis. Whether that means being in the show, painting, being security, or even just coming to see the show each year, I think Liquid Latex is easily one of the most special Brandeis traditions that every student should have on their Brandeis bucket list to some degree. —Hannah Kressel