The Justice, April 9, 2019

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The Independent Student Newspaper Volume LXXI, Number 23

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B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

AMPLIFYING STUDENT VOICES

CAMPUS SPEAKER

DNC chair discusses upcoming elections ■ DNC Chair Tom Perez

gave a talk on progressive policy hosted by Heller School Dean David Weil.

By GILDA GEIST JUSTICE EDITOR

Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez spoke about his career and the 2020 elections in the Shapiro Campus Center on April 1. The event, titled “Tom Perez on Progressive Policy in the Trump Era,” was a conversation with Heller School for Social Policy and Management Dean David Weil.

Perez’s career in government began with his work as a federal prosecutor in the civil rights division of the Department of Justice under President George H.W. Bush. Later, he was an advisor to Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Starting in 2002, Perez served on the Montgomery County Council in Maryland. “Service at a local level is incredibly impactful,” he

said, recalling his role in implementing health clinics in Montgomery County schools that have high concentrations of students from low-income families.

During his time on the county council, Perez witnessed the role of immigrants in Maryland’s economy. He pointed out that foreignborn Maryland residents are more likely to have a college degree than native-born Marylanders. “The story of Maryland is the story of America,” he said.

Perez explained his personal connection to immigration. His parents were forced to leave the Dominican Republic after his father spoke out against the dictator at the time, General Rafael Trujillo. His parents moved to the United States and eventually settled in Buffalo, New York, where Perez was born.

In 2007, Perez became the Maryland secretary of Labor under Governor Martin O’Malley, and was later appointed by President

Waltham, Mass.

ZACH KATZ/the Justice

MORE THAN JUST HAIR: R Matthews '19 talked about the history, culture and stigma surrounding dreadlocks, as well as his own relationship with the hairstyle. Matthews explained that stereotypes about dreadlocks are a result of respectability politics.

See DNC CHAIR, 6 ☛

Students speak at annual Libertarian television TEDxBrandeisUniversity event host talks about career CAMPUS SPEAKER

■ Emmy-award winner John

Stossel discussed his opinions on the function of government and the role of regulations.

By SAM STOCKBRIDGE JUSTICE EDITOR

Emmy award-winning consumer reporter and libertarian television host John Stossel spoke about the dangers of government overreach and sensational reporting during a talk on April 1. The lecture, titled “Freedom and its Enemies,” was hosted by the Young Americans for Liberty club. YAL member Trevor Filseth ’20 described the organization as “the closest thing we have to a conservative club at Brandeis.”

Stossel said he began his career believing capitalism was inherently exploitative and that only through government regulation could individuals be protected.

Most of his television programs were exposés that focused on fishy business practices, but he said the reporting awards he got early in his career, including 19 Emmy awards, were the result of him “[following] the pack.” When he shifted the focus of his exposés to government inefficiencies, he said, he stopped winning awards.

From 1981 to 2009, Stossel worked as a consumer reporter for ABC News for its programs 20/20 and Good Morning America. During his time there, he came to realize

the power of the free market and the government’s tendency to make life harder for its citizens, he said.

After this realization, Stossel said that the question that motivated his investigations was, “How can I provide the other side [of the issues]?”

Stossel left ABC News for the Fox News Business Network in 2009 to host his own show, “Stossel,” and appeared on other Fox shows including The O’Reilly Factor. In one piece for Fox News, he tried to open a lemonade stand in New York City, but was forced to close his shop when police told him he did not have the paperwork to maintain his business. On his program, he then listed the certifications that he would need to operate his lemonade stand legally, including a 15-hour food protection course, passing a one hour exam where applicants must wait three to five weeks for the Food Protection Certificate to arrive in the mail, a Temporary Food Establishment Permit and adhering to a number of other regulations. Stossel concluded that although the government tries to protect citizens, in many cases it often impairs their independence with overregulation.

Stossel argued that the only function government should have is the enforcement of boundaries and property rights. Later, in response to a question from an audience member, he added that the government should also monitor and enforce environmental regulations.

See STOSSEL, 7 ☛

■ TEDxBrandeisUniversity

featured six student talks on topics ranging from hair and race to war and education.

By ELLA RUSSELL JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Brandeis hosted its third annual TEDxBrandeisUniversity showcase last Thursday in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater. The speakers were R Matthews ’19, Nakul Srinivas ’21, Ben Greene ’21, Shaquan McDowell ’18 and graduate student Abeer Pamuk COEX '20. This show comprised the youngest array of speakers for a TEDxBrandeisUniversity event to date.

The event began with a video explaining the concept of TEDx. While there are annual TED talks in Vancouver, TEDx is the name given to gatherings sponsored by the TED company which focus on the community local to the gathering. Following the tradition of TEDx, this event was a mixture of live and pre-recorded talks, emphasizing how, as the video said, TEDx furthers a “global conversation of our shared future.”

The first recorded talk was by professional speaker Julian Treasure, who gave tips for effective communication. He argued that the “seven deadly sins” for speaking were “gossip, judging, negativity, complaining, excuses, embroidery and dogmatism.” The path to speaking well, according to Treasure, comes from

a focus on honesty, authenticity, integrity and love, or HAIL. Next, Treasure discussed the mechanics of voice and the composition of the vocal register (the range of tones in a voice), timbre (the quality of a voice) and prosody (the rhythm of a voice). He concluded the talk with a vocal warmup that exercised the vocal range.

The second pre-recorded talk was played after the intermission.

Rita Pierson, a teacher of 40 years, discussed the importance of forming relationships with students.

She explained that when teachers say, “They don’t pay me to like the kid,” she tells them that kids will not learn from a teacher they dislike.

Pierson discussed ways to connect with children, stressing the importance of positivity and warmth. She explained that teachers must become good actors, suppressing their private feelings for the good of the students. Pierson explained that she once gave a 20-question quiz, and awarded one student a two out of 20 with a smiley face next to the grade.

She explained that the student got an F, but seeing “minus 18 sucks the life out of you,” while “plus 2 meant that “you ain’t all bad.”

R Matthews

Matthews discussed how prejudice against dreadlocks originates from a lack of understanding of what they really are. For example, he has heard many people express the belief that dreadlock wearers do not shower — an idea that he was quick to deny, saying, “I use shampoo like

a normal person.” He explained that dreadlocks occur when hair is tangled and allowed to grow out. For black people with kinky textured hair, he explained, dreadlocks are a natural occurrence when hair is grown out.

Matthews discussed his own relationship with dreadlocks. He said that as a child, his parents would give him frequent haircuts to prevent him from developing dreadlocks. He decided to grow dreadlocks in college, but was conflicted about his choice, knowing it might endanger his career prospects. He explained that the act of wearing dreadlocks is still legally grounds for job refusal. Even in schools, Matthews said, students have been sent home for wearing dreads or have been forced to cut them off to participate in school activities.

Although dreadlock wearers are stereotyped as being lazy or disreputable, dreadlocks take an enormous amount of work to maintain, Matthews said. While they have been worn throughout the world for various cultural reasons, he explained that for African Americans, the practice originates predominantly from Jamaica. Dreadlocks are an important part of the Jamaican Rastafari religion because of their resemblance to a lion’s mane, Matthews said.

Matthews explained that the stigma behind dreadlocks is a symptom of the ideology of respectability politics, which deems dreadlocks unprofessional. He argued that this implies

What's the tea?

Springfest

Commencement speaker announced

 Brandeis students celebrate the opening of Kung Fu Tea in Waltham.

 CAB hosted the annual student music festival.

By JEN GELLER

By NOAH ZEITLIN

NEWS 3

Joe Biden is still the ideal candidate

By HARRISON PAEK

By MEGHNA KANTHAN

See TEDX, 7 ☛

FORUM 12

Softball's strong season solidifies Photo Illustration by SAMMY PARK/the Justice

FEATURES 9 For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

Make your voice heard!

Submit letters to the editor to letters@thejustice.org

ARTS 19

By MEGAN GELLER

COPYRIGHT 2019 FREE AT BRANDEIS.

SPORTS 15

2

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

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NEWS

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS SPRINGFEST

POLICE LOG MEDICAL EMERGENCY March 31—BEMCo responded to a party in Ziv 129 feeling ill. Cataldo Ambulance was requested and it transported the patient to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

March 31—BEMCo responded to a party in Scheffres Hall who reported that his roommate was feeling ill. The patient was treated with a signed refusal for further care.

April 1—BEMCo responded to a female party complaining of chest pain in the Foster Mods. Cataldo Ambulance was requested and it transported the patient to Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Additionally, Waltham Fire Department was called to the scene and the Area Coordinator on Call was notified.

April 1—BEMCo responded to 18-year-old female in Golding feeling weak and faint. The patient was treated with a signed refusal for further care.

April 1—BEMCo and Cataldo Ambulance responded to Usen Hall where a facilities worker was reported having a medical emergency on the first floor. The Waltham Fire Department also responded to the scene, but the patient was evaluated and refused transport by Cataldo. The party was transported to Golding Health Center.

April 1—BEMCo, Cataldo Ambulance, and Waltham Fire Department responded to report for a party in Goldman Schwartz Art Studio. The party was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital via Cataldo.

April 2—Cataldo Ambulance transported a party from Usen Hall to Newton-Wellesley Hosptial after the Brandeis Counseling Center faxed University Police section #12 psychological transport paperwork. The Area Coordinator on Call was notified.

April 2—A party suffering from flu-like symptoms in Village B was transported by University Police to the University’s Health Services for further care.

April 2—A party in the Golding Health Center was transported via Cataldo Ambulance to NewtonWellesley Hospital for further care.

April 2—BEMCo responded to a report in the Mandel Center for the Humanities of a 49-year-old man suffering from numbness and tingling on one side.

Cataldo Ambulance transported the patient to Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

April 2—BEMCo responded to a party in the Shapiro Science Center suffering from flu-like symptoms. Cataldo Ambulance transported the subject to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care.

April 4—After being involved in a motor vehicle accident earlier in the day off campus, a party in Usdan Student Center began to experience head pain.

BEMCo responded, and the party signed a refusal for further care.

April 5—BEMCo responded to a call in Usen Hall for a party with stomach pain. The party was treated with a signed refusal for further care.

LARCENY April 2—University Police compiled a report on an incident of internet scam posting in Usen Hall.

April 5—University Police received a report of a stolen E-reader that was left unattended in Goldsmith. A report was compiled on the incident.

MISCELLANEOUS April 4—There was a report of a suspicious approximately 25-year-old male exiting the bathroom on the third floor of Shapiro Residence Hall before departing down the stairs and leaving the building.

University Police were unable to locate anyone.

—Compiled by Jen Geller

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n The Arts interview misspelled the title of the play.

It was corrected to “Mamma Mia!” nA News article inaccurately stated that the amount of food wasted would fill up the Rose Bowl stadium each year. Additionally, celebrity chefs no longer run the Plenty program. It was corrected to state that the food would fill up the Rose Bowl each day, and that the Plenty program is run by Education Coordinator Cathy Pedtke. n The headline of a News article was changed to say “interpretation” instead of “translation” to better reflect the app’s purpose.

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

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WALTHAM BRIEF Waltham releases list of top-paid city employees

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

Students watch Rico Nasty, one of headliner Aminé’s three opening acts, during Springfest on Sunday.

The city of Waltham released a list of the 280 city employees who were paid over $100,000 in the past year, according to an April 2 Waltham Wicked Local article.

No woman cracked the top 20 highest paid city workers; the highest paid female worker was School Business Administrator Leanne Wilcinksi, who came in at number 39, being paid $158,031.19.

Nine of the top 10 highest paid city workers were members of the Waltham Police Department, as were 18 of the top 20. The highest pay went to police officer Michael Moriarty, who made $230,044.63.

According to the same Wicked Local article, 104 members of the WPD made the list.

Wilcinski is the only woman in the top 50 highest paid city workers. The next highest paid female worker, Nadene Stein, a member of the superintendent’s office, comes in at number 63. Mayor Jeannette McCarthy was ranked at number 67, making $141,320.24.

There were 11 women listed in the top 100 earners, four of whom were between the ranks of 90-100. Of the 280 people, only 59 were women. The same amount of police officers were listed in the top 100 earners. Of the 59 police officers in the top 100 earners, only one was female — Eileen Williams at number 98, who made $128,800.35. Of the 11 women in the top 100, five were listed as working in the Waltham school system.

The highest paid school principal in the city was Kevin Gildea of John F. Kennedy Middle School at number 61, making $142,934.51. He was followed by Jane Gately of Douglas MacArthur Elementary School at number 86 and Jennifer Hacker of William F. Stanley Elementary School at number 93.

—Jason Frank

SENATE LOG Senate discusses dechartering The Hoot, new Bylaws amendments DECHARTERING THE HOOT

Executive Senator Kent Dinlenc ’19 brought forward a proposal to decharter The Brandeis Hoot due to a “Bylaws issue and an environmental issue.”

In his nine-page proposal, Dinlenc, the Senate’s sustainability committee chair, explained that Brandeis is the only American university of its size to have two newspapers. He predicted that there would be no issues for writers transitioning from one paper to the other because the two are similar. He said he had asked members of The Hoot if they would be willing to create an online publication in place of the paper, and said that they were unwilling to do so.

Hoot Opinions Editor Sabrina Chow ’21, who attended the meeting, disagreed with Dinlenc’s focus on reducing paper use, saying it would be more environmentally friendly to print a newspaper because of the electricity necessary to use a laptop and an online publication.

In order to lay out pages, many newspapers use applications such as Adobe InDesign, a desktop app which can be provided without charge to University-owned computers.

Dinlenc then referenced a survey he had sent to the Brandeis community inquiring about their interest in reading the newspapers on campus, The Hoot and the Justice, going on to say that he has seen “support [for the proposal] from constituents.”

Dinlenc said only 51 “valid responses” were submitted, however, and stated that he will seek additional responses before revealing the results of the survey to the Senate. Dinlenc did not include the responses of people who contributed to either newspaper.

Responding to accusations of having a conflict of interest due to his longtime contribution to the Justice’s Arts section, Dinlenc announced that he had

voluntarily resigned from the Justice on Friday, adding that he had initiated this proposal for sustainability reasons rather than as a former Justice staff member.

Off-Campus Senator Jacob Diaz ’20 was unconvinced, pointing out the “huge conflict of interest” stemming from his former association with the Justice. “We’re in a time of attacks on the free press,” Diaz declared, asserting that The Hoot had recently written articles criticizing Dinlenc, thus making him the “wrong person” to introduce the proposal. Class of 2020 Senator Tom Alger questioned why Dinlenc, who is graduating this spring, would care what a newspaper has written about him.

Diaz raised claims of racism within the press, referring back to The Hoot’s founding. He claimed that dechartering The Hoot would be “completely ignoring the issues that caused the split in the first place,” going on to say that “the split was caused by a racist editor of the Justice, and that honestly hasn’t been fixed yet … if we are supposed to pay attention to … minority students at Brandeis, we need to continue funding The Hoot.” In late 2003, the Justice published a racial slur, an incident that resulted in the resignation of five editors, including the editor in chief at the time. In a Dec. 7, 2004 article in the Justice, one of The Hoot’s founders and a former Justice editor, Igor Pedan ’05, said The Hoot would seek “to fill the gap left by the Justice and to force that newspaper to improve while at the same time offering the Brandeis community an accurate, unbiased, and journalistically sound news outlet.”

Skyline and Rosenthal Quad Senator Josh Hoffman ’21 asked if Diaz was saying the Justice was racist, to which he replied, “I’m saying the editors are,” and said that The Hoot speaks

for minority voices. As a Latino American, Diaz said, he does not feel “like an outsider” when he reads The Hoot, adding that if the Senate dechartered The Hoot, a part of Brandeis’ social justice identity would be lost.

Racial Minority Senator Geraldine Bogard ’20 agreed with Diaz, mentioning that she has heard from constituents that marginalized peoples have felt “more comfortable reaching out to The Hoot.” Massell Quad Senator Kendal Chapman ’22 added that senators must consider systemic racism, as well as “who the Justice doesn’t allow to write.”

The Justice permits anyone who abides by its constitution to join the staff, per Article IV, Section 1 of its constitution. However, the Justice does not allow staff members to write for competing publications, according to Article II, Section 4.

Dinlenc asked why senators were “acting like it’s in the constitution for the Justice to be racist” when the editors who were responsible for the 2003 incident have graduated. He added that senators should not declare The Hoot to be “infallible,” citing its recent review of Liquid Latex that garnered controversy.

Dinlenc also argued that having two similar newspapers violates the “duality of purpose” clause, which stipulates that a club cannot receive accreditation if it has a similar purpose to an existing club. Diaz replied that if the Senate were to enforce duality of purpose, many a capella and dance groups would be dechartered on those grounds. All a capella groups are recognized clubs, not chartered clubs, per the Brandeis club listing. Alger countered that there are significant differences between the a capella groups, so they would not count under duality of purpose. He wondered if there is a way The Hoot and the Justice “could be different so both could exist.”

Class of 2022 Senator Nancy Zhai asked Dinlenc about ideological differences the papers have, to which he responded that he has asked the editors of both papers and they have stated that they have ideological differences and are “quirky.” Diaz asked why the Justice uses more money than the Hoot if the two papers are so similar, and suggested reducing funding for the Justice to increase sustainability.

He also asked why Dinlenc was proposing to abolish The Hoot over the Justice. Dinlenc responded that the only reason was that the Justice “was there first.” Asserting the importance of having two newspapers, Senator-at-Large Noah Nguyen ’21 stressed that The Hoot is there to “keep the Justice in check.”

Hoot News Editor Celia Young ’21, who also attended the meeting, then made a speech in favor of keeping The Hoot, beginning by saying that the paper was not “formally notified” about the motion until 2 p.m. that day. Expounding upon the importance of having two newspapers, she said of the Hoot’s relationship with the Justice, “We push each other to do the best we can, to reach out to the Brandeis community, to make sure everyone’s voice is heard, which is what we should be about.”

Countering Dinlenc’s argument of duality of purpose, Young asserted that it does not apply to The Hoot because The Hoot covers different events than the Justice. Young emphasized that The Hoot tries to cover stories that matter to the Brandeis community. “We’re doing that because the Brandeis community deserves to hear these stories, and they wouldn’t hear them because we’re the only ones covering it sometimes,” she said, adding that “if The Hoot goes away, the Brandeis community loses a unique view.

See SENATE, 6 ☛

THE JUSTICE

‘STRANGERS IN THEIR OWN LAND’

NEWS

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al Museum as a historical consultant.

In particular, she helped design the part of the museum about the American response to the Holocaust.

According to the BrandeisNOW article, Rivka Carmi, who is involved in the medical field, will receive a Doctor of Science honorary degree. She was the first woman to serve as the president of an Israeli university at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev between 2006 and 2018.

Brandeis alumnus Jon Landau ’68 will be awarded the Doctor of Music honorary degree for his work in the music industry, per the same article.

He produced Bruce Springsteen’s album “Born to Run” in 1975, and continues to be his manager. Landau is also the chair of the nominating committee for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Cixin Liu will receive an honorary degree as a Doctor of Arts. In addition to being the author of many short stories, Liu has written seven novels and has won China’s most prestigious literary science-fiction award, the Galaxy Award. Liu is also the first Asian person to win the Hugo Award for best novel for “The Three-Body Problem.”

The University will award three Doctor of Humane Letters to Barbara Mandel P ’73, Perry Traquina ’78 and Susan Windham-Bannister PhD ’77. According to the BrandeisNOW article, Mandel “was elected to the Brandeis University Board of Trustees in 2005 and is currently a vice chair of the board, a co-chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee, and a member of the Nominating and Governance, and Coordination committees.” Traquina has been a member of the University’s Board of Trustees since 2002, serving as board chair between 2013 and 2016. He now is the chair of the board’s Investment Committee and remains a member of the Resources Committee. Traquina was also chairman and CEO of Wellington Management Company until he stepped down in 2014 after 34 years at the firm. Lastly, Windham-Bannister is a managing partner of Biomedical Innovation Advisors and is president and CEO of Biomedical Growth Strategies. She was president and CEO of Massachusetts Life Sciences Center from 2008 to 2015.

By JEN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR CLARA ALEXANDER/the Justice

POLITICAL PARADOXES: Sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild discussed her conversations with Louisiana conservatives about politics and the American Dream.

Sociologist discusses appeal of Tea Party, Donald Trump Hochschild discussed the roots of right-wing anger.

By JOCELYN GOULD JUSTICE EDITOR

Attempting to make sense of the paradoxes that define our modern political reality, Arlie Russell Hochschild discussed her sociological research into the appeal of the Tea Party and Donald Trump in the Deep South during a lecture on Thursday. Hosted by the Women’s Studies Research Center, Hochschild’s lecture, “Strangers in Their Own Land: The Sequel for Some White Blue-Collar Men,” was part of the Cascading/Downward Mobilities workshop series.

Hochschild is a preeminent sociologist and professor emerita at the University of California, Berkeley.

Her most recent book, “Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right,” draws on five years of interviews with Tea Party supporters in Louisiana and explores the emotional roots of their political beliefs.

Hochschild’s lecture engaged with two paradoxes that have emerged in American politics. The primary paradox she examined is the Red State Paradox, which concerns America’s poorest states, with the worst rankings in health, educational and environmental measures. According to Hochschild, these states take in more money from federal aid than they give back in federal taxes, yet their politicians often rail against the federal government. Louisiana, which Hochschild focused on for her research, is the second poorest state in the nation and exemplifies this paradox, she said.

Yet Hochschild began her lecture by examining another paradox: that “the most politically intolerant Americans tend to be whiter, more highly educated, older, more urban and more partisan” — a statistic that implicates what Hochschild calls “her bubble,” or the progressive cosmopolitan community typified by Berkeley, California. She explained, “While we may be … the most out-reaching [part of the population], we seem to be reaching past a group of people” — the very people at the heart of the Red State Paradox.

At the intersection of these two paradoxes lies Hochschild’s most recent project. Around 2011, wanting to learn more about the emerging Tea Party and its revilement of the federal government, Hochschild decided she

wanted to get out of her “Berkeley bubble” and find “an equal and opposite bubble” of far-right partisanship.

She found this bubble in Louisiana, where only 14 percent of white Americans voted for President Obama in 2012, according to Hochschild.

“The project was to take my alarm system off,” she said, so that she could stay respectful and curious as she entered spaces where she would “have profound differences” with the people around her. Over a series of visits to Louisiana in the next five years, Hochschild met with church congregations, Republican women’s group members, fishermen, politicians and many others.

During one of these conversations, a woman explained to Hochschild that she loved the conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh because he hates “feminazis” and “environmental wackos.” But at one point, the woman paused to acknowledge that Hochschild disagreed with her beliefs.

“Is it hard for you to listen to what I’m saying?” she asked. Hochschild said no and explained that she had turned off her “alarm system.” She emphasized how grateful she was to the woman and to the other people she spoke with for helping her learn about people different from herself.

Hochschild tried to talk to people about her Red State Paradox, but they waved it off. She came to recognize that the paradox was her way of seeing them, rooted in her own beliefs about government — not in their way of seeing themselves. This realization pushed Hochschild to develop what she calls the “deep story.”

A deep story is a “story about a salient situation that is emotionally evocative,” she explained. “You throw facts out of the deep story, you throw moral precepts out of the deep story — it’s just what’s left.” For Hochschild, the right wing’s deep story is centered around the idea that their supporters are waiting in line for the American Dream, which they think they deserve, but the line has not moved in years. “You are looking at those in front of you,” she said. “You are not looking at the much longer line behind you.”

The key moment in this deep story occurs when one notices what one sees as “line-cutters,” or marginalized groups who have been given jobs through affirmative action that were historically reserved for privileged groups. As Hochschild explained, in the right-wing belief system, Barack Obama was the line-cutters’ president.

In this deep story, the system is rigged against these Republicans, who are being “pushed back in line,” feel hated and are “like strangers in their own land,” she said.

According to Hochschild, conversations with Louisianans validated and developed her understanding of this deep story. She also analyzed what she calls the Blue State Paradox: that the Democratic party, allegedly the working class party, does not appeal to this specific population of workers. She resolves this paradox by characterizing the people she spoke with as “the elite of the left behind,” those who have lost economically to globalization and who have responded by choosing an outgroup — people they negatively define as Other — to demonize and blame.

In March 2016, Hochschild went to a rally held by then-candidate Trump in New Orleans. She described how the mood in the crowd was one of people realizing, “I’m not alone” because massive numbers of other people felt the same way about the world as they did. “I felt like I had been studying the dry kindling, and I saw the match,” she said of Trump’s rally.

Hochschild said she believes that Trump has earned his loyal supporters by tapping into key emotions that these Southerners experience, especially shame. “I think they feel ashamed that they are not achieving the American Dream,” she said, adding that they were blaming themselves for their lack of upward economic mobility.

Hochschild theorizes that Trump exercises a “daily shame ritual” in which he says something “transgressive,” is attacked by the media and then rails against the media for shaming him. This ritual is “relieving” for those that experience shame themselves, she argues.

Trump has also given his supporters recognition of their struggles and hope for the future, tapping into other key emotions to secure their loyalty.

Looking forward to the 2020 presidential election, she stressed the need for a combination of policies that value the local community with rhetoric that acknowledges people’s emotions.

She urged Democrats to reach out to the six and a half to eight million voters who switched from voting for Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016. This outreach will involve having respectful conversations with people one disagrees with and acknowledging people’s practical and emotional needs, a combination that lies at the heart of Hochschild’s research.

In an April 2 email to the Brandeis community, University President Ron Liebowitz announced this year’s commencement speaker, alumna Deborah E. Lipstadt MA ’72, PhD ’76.

According to a April 2 BrandeisNOW article, six additional honorary degrees will be presented at the Commencement ceremony, which will take place on May 19.

According to Liebowitz’s email, Lipstadt was the 100th person to receive a PhD from the University when she did so in 1976, and remains “one of the best-known historians of the Holocaust.” The Brandeis Commencement 2019 website highlights her best known book, “History on Trial,” which was published in 2005 about the 10-week trial of English author and historian David Irving, who filed a libel suit against her in 1996 after Lipstadt labelled Irving as a Holocaust denier. Ultimately, Irving lost the case and was subsequently exposed for affiliation with neo-Nazi groups following the trial in 2000, according to The Holocaust Denial on Trial website of Emory University’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies.

Lipstadt’s most recent work is titled “Antisemitism: Here and Now,” which she released this year. The website mentions that Lipstadt will be awarded the Albert D. Chernin Award — the highest honor given by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. In the email, Liebowitz detailed other impacts Lipstadt has made, including founding the Institute for Jewish Studies at Emory University, where she served as its first director between 1998 and 2008. Lipstadt also continues to direct the Holocaust Denial on Trial website, “which contains transcripts and other materials from the Irving trial as well as scholarly materials that offer answers to frequent claims made by deniers,” per Liebowitz’s email. Additionally, Liebowitz wrote that she worked with the United States Holocaust Memori-

Illustration by Yael Hanadari-Levi

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The magazine Diverse: Issues in Higher Education selected Provost Lisa Lynch as one of the top 35 women in higher education, according to a March 26 BrandeisNOW article. Per the same article, their eighth annual report celebrates the contributions of women to higher education.

Lynch was recognized as a “internationally known labor economist, a leader with experience working in the highest levels of academia and government and is a compassionate teacher and scholar,” according to the Diverse Education’s list.

In her past role as dean of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, she “strengthened financial support” and

principal business is the mining coal for use in energy generatio of Investments that presently n.” ist in “fossil exfuel private partnerships limited (i.e., private partnership limited

By JEN GELLER funds ments, the focus that make investJUSTICE EDITOR ing profit from of which is derivthe explorati After months production of on of deliberation, fossil fuels such and Board of Trustees the and natural as oil gas) … will run policies regardin adopted a set of cordance g with the funds’ off in acfossil fuel vestments at intypical life cycles,” Chief their Novembe Investment ing, updating r meetNicholas Warren Officer the 1973 guideline that previous wrote s in an email to the Justice. ly informed These funds investment their an average have decisions. life cycle of Brandeis students have 10 years.

“The overall been pressing administration portfolio is ture, with mato divest from the many funds sil fuels for fosreaching the later stages several years and have of their life continued to Therefore we cycle. do so in response expect it to the recent to wind down over slowly policy announc ement.

In a Nov. 28 Warren wrote. the next 5-7 years,” email to the Brandeis community, private limited This is specific to University President Ron Liebowit that invest with partnership funds z outlined the new a focus on gaining icies that will polprofit from guide future exploiting and ment. From investing oil, natural producnow on, the Universi gas and other endowment ty’s sil funds will fuel. As of fosnot be inOct. 30, 2018, vested directly fuel private “fossil in “public or limited partnersh companies private [market value] or partnersh ips[’] ips whose [was] $63.3 million,

See DIVESTME

NT, 7 ☛

STUDENT UNION

Special election cal to fill open positionsled

In an April 8 email to the Brandeis community, the Student Union announced its “unequivocal” support of the upcoming package of bills regarding Title IX that will be presented to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Higher Education today. By endorsing this legislation, the Union seeks to “[demonstrate] unity in our support for both survivors and prevention efforts” in “uncertain times for education policy.”

The first bill, an “act requiring sexual

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Waltham, Mass.

The Brandeis Mount Monday to protest ain Club hung a banner in ANDREW the Board of Trustees’ decisio the Shapiro Campus Center BAXTER/the Justice n on fossil fuel Atrium on divestment.

ON

ADMINISTRATI

Report details camp shortcomings on divus ersity

■ The report presen ted a comprehensive picture of how community members view the Univers ity's diversit y, reportin g policies

problems such as Meehan’s behavior, and what steps athletes may are fear being forced vent such problems being taken to preteam or not off the from arising being allowed future. in the to play, according to Liebowitz . However, over Brandeis’ climate the course of their The Universit and culture vestigators found interviews, the iny was founded no evidence of principles of ation and determin retali“anti-discriminatio on ed there was clusiveness, ply a perceptio simacademic freedom, n, inn that it was pendence, and indeoccurring To combat this University President the perception, Liebow-. of academic quality”highest standards Ron Liebowitz itz explained released the ■ The Union's vice in an era of segrein an interview Campus Climate chief of staff,” gation, discrimin the Justice and preside with last Thursday Report he nt ation said, The and quotas, the adding, “I , which detailed and treasurer will Brandeis Hoot don’t bear any investigators Monday that ceedingly high the “exon wrote. ill will toward step down the administr standards” and They’re both them.

However, some ation needs to build the and be replaced er shortcomings very passionat broadcommunity’s community very smart. e and bers brought at the end of memtrust in the system, which … I’m really well as the steps of the University, as up controver will take time. this semester. excited to see where things the sies surrounding the ous policies Previtaking to address administration is go.”

University’s were unclear, identity, which “I understand Jewish and made it he said, and final report, them. This second many [Chang] difficult agreed is imporhas been given a painted to report issues. tant to Brandeis

By CHAIEL SCHAFFEL Liebowitz said pendent investiga authored by inde. he and I don’t think target on his back, explained that One faculty member JUSTICE STAFF sity must ensure believes the Univerhired last spring, tors the University WRITER any student identity-based that the communi feel that way, should follows up on face additiona schools is aware of tial findings ty the iniespecially as l pressure to resources that The Student regarding the man,” he said. a freshmaintain their reputatio are available to them Union announce complaints lodged against ns, which discourag that Vice President — such as the d former men’s individuals Reynolds said Reporting at es Brandeis Benedikt ball from basketcoach he raising issues olds ’19 and web Brian Meehan. successor develop would help his the institutio Treasurer Jerry Reynalternate channelspage — and create n. Others mentione with For the second ’18 will resign contacts with Miller for reporting the administ fusion about d conat the end of with educating , along ration, as well tion, the Board half of the investigawhether or not mester. Their the sethem on why as them up on of Trustees tasked Brandeis markets itself seats will be reporting is important. projects relevant catch investigators as filled in a special election — Walter Prince, the vice presidenc to the and noted that a Jewish institution, to be held on In addition, colm Graham y. He will also conversations MalDec. 10. investigators Vice President and Daniel his successor rael have become about Isshow that instead learned Tarlow — Benedikt with examinin how to help of reporting g the systems, Reynolds announce Reynolds ’19 groups. student turn put “fundrais“charged,” which in issues, many in the Brandeis and culture climate ers on the defensive d his intent community choose of University’s to resign during with Jewish Looking back speak about procedure for handling donors,” according to them among complaints related Senate meeting. the Nov. 20 Union Union, Reynolds on his time in the report. to the themselves — an example or discrimin to bias said he thought of what they ation interview with He said in a Dec. 3 work with environm Many students his “small town call a corrective action and to recommend the Justice spoke well ental groups mentality.” that his personal heath the Universit accordingly.

Universit of Administ at the tors y’s was the reason admitted y stood out raacademic rigor Throughout to investiga resignation. the most. for his the report, the He also expressed lationships they and retors that they are “too An incident gators stressed investiconcern about formed with quiet” about in November in which the Senate their role as and faculty praised faculty, their progress in improvin weighs its constituehow two “lawyers and investiga g the campus criticized Reynoldssenators publicly tors,” not experts opinions. ture” that exists the “niceness culnts’ which further culture, educational in the within the adds to the field, writing, ment in a resolution for his involveOthers raised “Senators, and school. climate of poor communi “We will not substitute concerns about any elected cation. purchased pianos that would have our judgemen tions, are expected members posifaculty ’ cultural sensitivit t for [the administration’s].”

Diversity, equity for the first-year to be liaisons residence quads and communi Diversity, Equity and inclusion y. One They pointed the steps the cators for the affected his decision Brandeis has to administr to step down body,” he said. student historically pert said professor and Inclusion exbut taking, and declined ation is already sues of race and faced is“Right factor, Reynolds was not the driving as if we’re decision now, it seems segregation, equipped to respects and staff are “illto give their the specific recomme said tigators noted, own makers for cultural differencciting both the invesReynolds accepted in the interview. student body. es,” according the doing so would ndations, saying that 1969 Ford Hall These [campus] original to the report. the apologies Class of 2022 protest, its 2015 be “presump papers probably This issue newsof culturally of Senator Alex tuous.” part and Meehan’s counterTo understan talk to our constituinsensitive Chang International encies [more] d the campus “bullying” was prominen firing. From Student Senator and investigators than we climate, interviews with t in their Yang ’20 and interviewed Linfei toward his players.Meehan’s behavior Reynolds stressed do.” the communi said he was a number of faculty, staff, investigators ty, the that being “thankful” that they apologize found that while member of the The investiga dents and alumni administrators, stuwas “deep and Union is a strenuoua d. “They have tors also described been open to undertaking wide acceptanc there to examine concerns “widespread s communication about the way for full-time importance e of the anxiety about of diversity, me as well as the Universit students and with complain lodging suggested equity, and ts” among the with the president y handles complaints. inclusion” among that the Union Brandeis comThey then should and munity due placed their findings in a trators and deans, students, administo concerns larger about retaliSee UNION, 6 ☛ ation, confusion there was “notably Brandeis culture context of how the less consensu surrounding s” among the dures and a has contribut procefaculty. lack of belief Administrators ed to that things will change. tended to focus the “business For example, on case” student for increasin g di-

By NATALIA WIATER JUSTICE EDITOR

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misconduct climate surveys at institutions of higher education,” would create a 21-member task force “charged with drafting a standardized campus climate survey” and will be under the oversight of the Commissioner on Higher Education, per the email. The second bill, an “act relative to sexual violence on higher education campuses,” would codify Obama-era policies. It would provide training for employees on “trauma-informed” responses to sexual assault claims, increase communication between administrators and students and create a “confidential resource advisor position on every campus” in the state.

The email was signed by Union President Hannah Brown ’19 and Vice Presi-

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School starting times

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Student Union pens statement on upcoming Title IX legislation

2018

■ The University will its investment strategichange es to decrease future investm ent in fossil fuel busines ses.

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increased graduate student enrollment as well as the number of dual-degree programs offered by Heller.

BrandeIS un IverSITy SInce 1949

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Holocaust historian to speak at 2019 Commencement also be presented at the ceremony, to take place on May 19.

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dent Aaron Finkel ’19, who provided a number of on-campus resources for students who have experienced violence, including the Prevention Advocacy and Resource Center, the Title IX Office and the Brandeis Counseling Center. In addition, Brown and Finkel urged members of the community to call Massachusetts legislators and submit written or oral testimony.

They also encouraged students to sign a petition supporting the efforts of advocacy group “Every Voice Coalition” to support the passage of the bills, which has 90,773 signatures as of press time.

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Expert discusses architecture Nobel Prize winner in American higher education discusses alternative voting systems ■ CUNY School of Technology

Dean Kevin Hom shared his thoughts on architecture in U.S. colleges and universities.

By NANCY ZHAI JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Over the course of history, architecture has been integral to signaling the historical and contemporary values of institutions in higher education, according to Kevin Hom, dean of the School of Technology at City University of New York. Hom shared his expertise on the effect of architecture on institutional culture as a part of the Richard Saivetz ’69 Annual Memorial Architectural Lecture Series.

Throughout the presentation, he discussed the uniqueness of American universities’ architectures in terms of their historical presence, political and socioeconomic agenda and how they shaped the values of the institutions.

Hom started his presentation by discussing how the history of the United States shaped architecture in higher education. He credited Thomas Jefferson, a founding father of the United States and the founder of the University of Virginia, for his exemplary work to incorporate architectural design that describes UVA’s “political aspirations” that underly the founding values in American universities. Inspired by Andrea Palladino’s design from Western Europe, Jefferson’s design of the campus reinforced the architectural significance in higher education by fostering an approach of multidisciplinary learning based on American founding principles. As the 19th century concluded, the architectural presence of the universities intensified the significance

of higher education. Founded by a donation from the family of John D. Rockefeller, the University of Chicago signifies power, education and research and has sparkled the “explosion of intellectual thoughts.”

In the meantime, its architectural design “embrace[s] a symbolic representation” of the university’s characters, Hom said.

Recounting the monumental technical development following the Industrial Revolution, Hom prompted the audience to contemplate the new expression of universities. To establish an innovative image of higher education, Hom explained the importance of accounting for the architectural engineering in shaping institutional development, urging students to learn from “predecessor, cultural value, [and] the symbol that valorizes the [institutional] culture” to their individual development despite the repercussion of historical issues.

In addition, he highlighted that intelligent use of inventory design is crucial to intensify the presence of institutional images.

Flashing forward, Hom emphasized the importance of architects implementing new places on the campus at American universities that are both “welcoming” and able to “preserv[e] the traditions” of the institution, thereby fostering a community that not only conserves the institutional identity but also enshrines the memories of each individual’s experience during their times at the institution. He emphasized that the significance of the institution would “carry forward” even though the building itself are static. “If you come back to Brandeis in 20 years, you’ll have a sense of what the building means to you. That’s part of the symbolism of higher education,” Hom said.

Elaborating on the role of architectural symbolism in shaping

institutional identity, Hom shared his experience designing a clocktower for State University of New York at Binghamton. When proposing the idea to the vice president and provost, Hom claimed that the clocktower was conducive to solidifying students’ memories on the campus, as it stirs a sense of students’ “possession of the campus.”

In addition, he said, the clocktower enables students to “identify their passage” during their time in college and utilize “equal knowledge [and] equal access” to the higher education, excelling individually and professionally.

During a Q&A following the talk, students asked Hom an array of questions centered around symbolism in his architectural projects involving higher education, as well as around his interpretation of the institutional image of universities in America. One student was curious about Hom’s familiarity with architectural symbolism at Brandeis, as well as his understanding of its institutional image. He described Brandeis as a institution interested in “exploring and challenging itself” in shaping its image and commended Board of Trustees’ effort in probing its uniqueness. When asked about why he chose to work with higher education, Hom said that engaging with the community is “paramount” to contextualizing the symbolism behind the buildings. In particular, he values the “unique and accurate” perspectives from students to implement innovative architectural designs that invigorate their campus experience and cement their connection with the institution.

Hom closed the talk by encouraging universities to “preserve the history that represents certain traditions,” but also to invest in the architectural uniqueness of their institutions.

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BRIEF New student-run award program to be held in May The Ollies, a newly-established, student-run award program, will present its inaugural awards on May 1. It celebrates important contributions to the Brandeis community by student leaders, faculty,u staff, clubs and events.

Anyone can put forth nominations, but winners are chosen by the Ollies Awards Selection Committee.

This committee consists of seven undergraduate students from various clubs — including “academic, spiritual, sports and fitness, media and publications, political and advocacy” groups according to the Ollies website. Director of Student Activities Dennis Hicks and Student Activities Specialist Robbie Steinberg will also serve on the committee.

The RISE UP Award recognizes undergraduate students “who have demonstrated the principle of RISE — Reflect. Intervene. Speak. Engage,” as well as a commitment to fostering a community that cherishes “diversity and inclusion,” according to the award description.

The Volunteer Service Award acknowledges undergraduate students who exemplify “extraordinary commitment” to serving the greater community beyond Brandeis during the past academic year. Students must be nominated by members of the University or

the broader community, according to the award description. During the decision process, the Award Selection Committee will account for both the “breadth and depth” of nominees’ services and engagement in the greater community.

The Outstanding Leadership Award credited the “exemplary contributions” of graduating student leaders through their engagement with “a range of campus organizations” and their co-curriculars, according to the award description.

Similar to the Outstanding Leadership Award, the Campus Life + Leadership award celebrates the “exceptional and unique” contributions of non-graduating student leaders.

The Unsung Hero Award acknowledges undergraduate students who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes and have impacted the Brandeis community with “inextinguishable positivity” and have also demonstrated “a willingness” to help in their best capacity, despite not serving in an executive leadership position in their campus organizations, per the award description.

The Outstanding Faculty and Staff award honors faculty and staff who have made positive influences on student organizations and who

have contributed “exceptional[ly] and unique[ly]” to the Brandeis community.

The Club of the Year award will commend an organization that has demonstrated “consistent flexibility, initiative, creativity, and perseverance through their activities and programs,” according to the award description.

Event of the Year is awarded to undergraduate organizations that have spearheaded events integral to “leadership development, collaboration among groups, and programmatic efforts” to create spirited and quality campus life at Brandeis. The events have to be coordinated during the 2018-2019 academic year, and the organizations do not have to be recognized by the Student Union.

Members are welcome to nominate their own events.

Nominations can be made through Google Forms on the website and run until April 10. The winners will be notified on April 17 and will receive their awards during a ceremony, which will take place in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater and atrium at 7 p.m. on May 1. There will be student performances, with free refreshments and mocktails provided.

—Nancy Zhai

■ Guest speaker Eric

Maskin evaluated the 2016 election in the context of various voting systems.

By JIYIN CHEN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

After the 2016 presidential election, many people began to question the legitimacy of the American electoral system and some even asked if there was another way to elect a president and, according to Eric Maskin, the answer to the latter question is yes.

As part of an April 2 colloquium hosted by the Biology and Neuroscience departments, Maskin, a guest speaker from Harvard University, spoke about election theory and public policy in a conversation with Prof.

Michael Rosbash (BIOL). Maskin received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2007 for his contributions in the area of mechanism design theory, one of the fastest developing fields in microeconomic research.

“Empirical evidence shows that Donald Trump is president,” Maskin started with a scientific ridicule, “but the question that could be asked is, ‘How?’ That’s a question that could be asked at many different levels — I suspect that historians, political scientists and maybe even psychologists will be looking at that question in many years to come, [but] I am going to answer that on a very superficial level, which is that Trump became president because first he got the Republican nomination in 36 states and then he beat Hillary Clinton in the general election.”

But from Maskin’s point of view, the most interesting thing of all is that for election victories in the first 17 primary states where he won, there were more people voting against Trump than for him. In the general election exists such a similar phenomenon — in states that Trump won, in every one of those states such as Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the anti-Trump vote exceeded the proTrump vote, because in all such cases there were more than two candidates running. Trump won all these 17 Republican primaries because the socalled “mainstream Republicans,” including Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich and so on, split the anti-Trump vote among them.

On the other hand, if the mainstream had coalesced for one single candidate, Marco Rubio for instance, Trump may well have failed. From some polls conducted by media organizations such as ABC and The Washington Post, both Rubio and Cruz were much more popular than Trump if it had beena two-person race — however both Cruz and Rubio ran and they split the vote. The same thing happened in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where votes all went to Trump, because there was a third candidate who got more votes than the difference between Clinton and Trump. If there were only two, then most of these third-candidate votes would go to Clinton, Maskin said.

After discussing the vote-splitting situation which occurred during the 2016 election, Maskin continued by saying that this is not a coincidence — vote-splitting has often “played a critical role” in presidential elections throughout U.S. history. One of the “most notorious examples” Maskin mentioned was the 2000 presidential election, when President George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by less than 600 votes, while at the same time 100,000 votes were given to the Independent candidate Ralph Nader, which may have otherwise gone to Gore.

Maskin then suggested ways to improve elections, introducing two alternative types of voting algorithms invented by European mathematicians centuries ago. The first algorithm Maskin spoke about was the true majority rule, proposed by French mathematician Marquis de Condorcet two centuries ago. During the 2016 election, voters submitted their rankings of three candidates, Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Donald Trump. 40 percent ranked Trump prior to Kasich prior to Rubio, 35 percent ranked

Rubio prior to Kasich prior to Trump and the remaining 25 percent ranked Kasich prior to Rubio and prior to Trump. Using the true majority rule, the percentages of voters ranking Kasich before Rubio as well as those preferring Rubio over Kasich could be combined. If this formula were used, Kasich would have defeated Rubio with a 65 percent majority. The same method could also be applied to the Kasich versus Trump comparison and would result in Kasich defeating Trump, Maskin said. Therefore, under the true majority rule, Kasich would be considered the winner rather than Trump, who would win under the current method, the plurality majority rule — in which the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they did not receive a majority of the votes.

Maskin then offered another method of decision rule proposed by Condorcet’s archrival, Jean-Charles Borda — the Borda Count rule, or rank-order voting. For every additional vote given, each candidate would be assigned points according to which place they get inside this voting preference rank: For instance, under a certain ranking treatment, whoever is ranked first gets one point, with the second person getting two points and the third getting three points and so on. In another example in which voters still rank Kasich, Trump and Rubio, Maskin proposed a scenario in which 40 percent of voters ranked Kasich before Trump before Rubio and the other 60 percent ranked Rubio before Kasich and before Trump.

Maskin explained that in this case, Rubio would receive a total of 60 plus 40 times three points, i.e., 180 points, while Kasich would only get 160 points, defeating Rubio. This would be contrary to a vote by plurality majority rule, in which Rubio wins over Kasich.

Maskin then shifted the discussion to the principles regarding the criteria for judging the quality of these models. He discussed four principles, including consensus, equaltreatment, neutrality and no-splitting — also known as Independence of Irrelevant Candidate. According to Maskin, the consensus principle means that if everyone agrees on A over B, the latter will not be elected.

The equal treatment principle means that votes should be counted equally and if voters are switched, the result is still the same since it doesn’t matter who these voters are — for example, Trump getting a vote from voter A while Rubio getting one from voter B is equivalent to Trump getting one from B with Rubio getting the vote from A at the same time. Per the neutrality principle, candidates are to be treated equally and the no-splitting principle suggests that whichever candidates — A or B — wins, that candidate’s victory must not depend on whether candidate C is running or not. For example, if Trump wins Rubio for a two-people election, then no matter whether a third person is added to make the election get expanded or not, Trump still needs to win against Rubio.

Applying the principles to Condorcet’s majority method and Borda’s rank-order method, Maskin pointed out that both satisfy the first three rules: consensus, anonymity and neutrality. Only Condorcet’s majority method fits the IIC rule, however, which could make people prefer this method to Borda’s. Maskin also demonstrated that the majority method is flawed in situations where three candidates are running, but have three rankings of similar percentages. For example, if 35 percent of voters rank Trump before Rubio before Kasich, 33 percent Rubio before Kasich before Trump and the other 32 percent Kasich before Trump and before Rubio, there may be results that the a first candidate defeating a second, with the second one winning over the third, yet the third being figured out winning over the first, becoming a cycle--A>B, B>C, C>A, which causes trouble for decision-making, known as “Condorcet Cycle” (in the Trump, Kasich and Rubio case, Trump wins over Rubio over Kasich then back

See VOTING SYSTEMS, 6 ☛

6

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

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NEWS

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THE JUSTICE

DNC CHAIR: Expert talks about progressive policy CONTINUED FROM 1 Barack Obama to serve as the U.S. secretary of Labor from 2013 to 2016.

“We were at the forefront of fighting income inequality, and, by extension, racial inequality,” he recalled.

“That is just not a priority” under the current administration, Perez said, adding, “The party of Trump is the party of xenophobes.”

In 2017, Perez was elected as the chair of the DNC. “Our mission is to elect Democrats up and down the ballot, from school board to the Oval Office,” he said.

Perez noted that Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric propelled him to victory in 2016 by “put[ting] fear on the ballot,” and emphasized the importance of Democratic candidates campaigning on hope rather than fear.

Looking forward to the 2020 elections, Perez said the Democratic Party would be aiming to replicate the successes of the 2018 elections using “unity of purpose and unity of message.” He explained that in 2018, healthcare was a uniting issue for Democrats across the United States, and making it a principal issue in the party’s platform helped candidates win seats. “We won elections at scale in 2018 because we focused on real issues — healthcare.” Republican candidates, he said, “were talking about caravans,” referring to the large group of migrants from the Northern Triangle, which includes Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, that was headed toward the United States during the midterm election season.

Perez then stressed the importance of making elections more fair, such as by reducing the power of superdelegates, encouraging states to adopt primaries rather than caucuses, addressing campaign finance laws and curbing gerrymandering.

He also said that the Republican Party employs voter suppression tactics to win votes in lieu of having viable candidates. “That’s why they engage in voter suppression,” he said.

“They cannot win the battle on the merits” of their candidates.

Perez discussed the role young people, especially millennials, play in politics. He said that millennials are now the largest age voting bloc, and that millennial turnout increased 50 percent this past election cycle. “The difference maker in so many cases is how many more young people voted,” Perez said.

Despite his optimism about the impact of millennial voters, Perez said that his own college-age children told him they had friends who didn’t vote. These friends “didn’t think it mattered,” Perez said. “Well, talk to our Muslim brothers and sisters. Talk to anyone with a preexisting condition. Talk to a woman who thought that Roe v. Wade was settled law. And the list goes on,” he said.

Perez said that while campaigning through the use of text messaging can be a useful tool when it comes to reaching millennial voters, the rising use of cellphones is also making people susceptible to misinformation. He said that the Internet allows people to “weaponize propaganda” by disseminating it quickly and on a large scale.

EXAMINING PROGRESSIVE POLICY IN THE TRUMP ERA

ANDREW BAXTER/the Justice

LOOKING FORWARD: DNC Chair Tom Perez discussed Democratic campaign strategy for the 2020 election, saying that they aim to replicate results from the 2018 election using "unity of purpose and unity of message.”

Perez also criticized the Trump administration for making “the most reckless tax cut in American history.” He reprimanded Republican congressmen for their handling of healthcare policy. “History will not only judge Donald Trump partially, it will judge Mitch McConnell,

Paul Ryan and all of the other cowards who refused to stand up to this president,” he said.

In honor of the Heller School’s 60th anniversary, Weil concluded the event by asking Perez who his “social justice hero” was. Perez named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

and Cesar Chavez, saying, “They embody the determination to form a more perfect union. … They embody the notion that everyone — regardless of the color of your skin, your first language, who you love, who you worship — is entitled to opportunity.”

VOTING SYSTEMS: SENATE LOG: Senate talks of Prof discusses math dechartering The Hoot behind elections CONTINUED FROM 2

CONTINUED FROM 5 over Trump) such that a more default principle, the decisiveness principle, is badly violated. Such a principle requires that winners always exist, yet it is in huge conflict with Condorcet’s seemingly flawless method, Maskin said.

Addressing the fact that none of the proposed models fulfilled all five principles, Maskin stated that there was no method that could do so, citing the 1951 book “Social Choice and Individual Values” by the economist Kenneth Arrow. Arrow is the creator of “Arrow’s Impossibility Theorem,” which states that there is no method that could satisfy all five principles.

Maskin clarified that this theorem insists on looking for electoral methods that work for any likelihood of ranking — yet the good news is that some rankings are unlikely to come true.

“For example, in terms of Trump’s ranking, Republicans either loved Trump or hated him, causing rankings either putting him at the top or at the last position,” Maskin said, noting that such “polarized” results could happen only for a few candidates. In this way, Maskin argued that we could focus on voting methods that work well for restricted — but not all — classes of rankings to satisfy the five principles: consensus, anonymity, neutrality, IIC as well as decisiveness.

Maskin then addressed a theorem named after him and another renowned expert, Partha Dasgupta. The Dasgupta-Maskin Majority Domination Theorem states that “if a voting method works well for some particular class of rankings, then true majority works wells for that class.” Under the Majority Domination Theorem, people would conclude that the true majority method would be the best.

Maskin then proposed a hypothetical case of switching the currently used plurality majority method to the true majority one for the general election in 2016. In it, a number of voters either chose to not vote or chose to vote for third-party candidates like Michael Bloomberg or Jill Stein rather than vote for Hillary Clinton or Trump. Maskin supposed that 42 percent would rank Trump before Bloomberg before Clinton, 40 percent would rank Clinton before Bloomberg before Trump and the other 18 percent would rank Bloomberg before Clinton before Trump. Then, even though Trump would become the plurality winner, Bloomberg could win over Trump 58 percent to 42 percent and over Clinton, 60 percent to 40 percent, in terms of becoming the true majority winner.

Such a model would also work in elections in countries other than the United States. In the case of Brexit, for example, the preference ranking of British Parliament Members could also be found with only a few specific types. Maskin supposed that if hypothetically, 25 percent ranked Hard Brexiters (H) over Soft Brexiters (S) over Remainers (R), while another 35 percent ranked S over R over H and the other 40 percent ranked R over S over H, then Soft Brexiters could beat both Remainers 60 percent to 40 percent and Hard Brexiters 75 percent to 25 percent, thus becoming the majority winner entity. This could have made the current state of Brexit somewhat easier, he said.

Maskin concluded his speech, explaining that Maine and cities such as San Francisco and Minneapolis are already using true majority rule in their elections. Since the decision of what method is used is up to the states, then there is no constitutional change needed.

... They lose all the coverage we get, and they lose a part of the community.” Responding to arguments about funding and sustainability, Young stressed that The Hoot is open to working with the Justice to reduce printing costs and amounts.

Hoffman said that initially, he saw getting rid of the Hoot as “look[ing] great on paper,” but after Young’s speech, it “made less sense” to him. He suggested cutting the Justice’s funding “if the pressing issue is money,” and suggested banning color printing to reduce pollution. Nguyen advised that the papers collect data on the number of issues left over per week so they can reduce the number of issues printed. For the past two years, the Justice has kept track of the number of newspapers remaining each week and adjusts circulation accordingly.

Student Union Vice President Aaron Finkel ’19 ended the discussion, announcing that the Senate would be voting on the proposal next week.

COMMITTEE CHAIR REPORTS

Ridgewood Quad Senator Leigh Salomon ’19, chair of the Dining Committee, reported that hand sanitizer machines and Dasani seltzer water machines will be installed in dining halls during spring break.

Additionally, some constituents with allergies have complained that employees at Louis’ Deli do not know about the presence of certain ingredients in food. He said that Sodexo will be creating recipe books so every employee will know the ingredients. Salomon also announced that he and Zhai have been working on securing consistent prices for fruit in the Hoot Market.

Services and Outreach Committee Chair Chapman urged Senators to attend the Midnight Buffet, referencing past issues with low attendance. This semester, the event will take place partly in the Shapiro Campus Center as well as the Great Lawn.

Campus Operations Committee Chair Taylor Fu ’21 reported that a committee member will be meeting with representatives of the BranVan to discuss van times, and announced she is working on beautifying East Quad.

NEW BUSINESS

Chapman introduced a Senate Money Resolution for Midnight Buffet for color posters and more food. The Senate passed the SMR by a vote of acclamation.

Chapman then introduced another SMR for a flea market for seniors. Finkel announced that the Senate would not vote on this issue this week.

Village Quad Senator Jake Rong ’21 introduced the “Amendment Giving the Senate the Power to Subpoena Club Leaders,” which would allow the Senate to “by majority vote, mandate that a particular Club Officer report before the Senate.” Bogard objected, and the amendment will be voted on next week.

Finkel briefly summarized an amendment to Section XIII of the Bylaws, which would allow clubs to use a non-faculty or full-time staff member to serve as a club consultant with Student Activities’ approval. Finkel stated that the Senate did not have to vote that day, and encouraged discussion about the amendment.

Finkel introduced an amendment to officially “codify” in the Bylaws the rule that class senators be moderators of the MyDeis class

Facebook groups, with members of the Department of Communications serving as administrators.

Salomon expressed his concern about the amendment, stating that senators have the potential to be untrustworthy, and asked why the groups needed moderators. Former Senator for International Students Linfei Yang ’20 previously created fake Facebook profiles and invited those profiles to become admins of the MyDeis pages.

Salomon said that he believed the administrators from the Office of Communications were “more than sufficient,” to which Finkel replied that class senators would be better able to understand the problems faced by their constituents.

Bogard stated that she believed it to be important that moderators undergo a training process before being able to moderate the Facebook page. Finkel said that he will make changes to the amendment during the next week, and it will be voted on at a future date.

Bogard reintroduced an amendment to require a training session for clubs that put on events about “controversial” topics, which can include subjects including race and sexual violence. Chapman asked how the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion can ensure the training will be unbiased, and will not attack people with whom the trainers disagree. Bogard assured Chapman that the training would be neutral, explaining that it would “basically teach people … that if you see something happening on campus … how to intervene … [and] how to approach the situation.”

—Editor’s Note: Jake Rong ’21 is a Justice Copy staff member and Nancy Zhai ’22 is a News writer for the Justice.

THE JUSTICE

STOSSEL: Television host discusses thoughts on government CONTINUED FROM 1 Stossel suggested that liberal values among college professors are the result of these professors’ feelings of unfairness and of superiority. Brandeis students, he said, “may be taught by professors who are angry that they went to college with someone who was a little stupider than them academically who went on to business to make a lot of money.” He did not provide evidence to support this claim, however. He also expressed frustration at his inability to find acceptance among a liberal audience, saying that he agrees with most progressive social policies such as decriminalizing marijuana, sex work and doctor-assisted suicide, as well as protecting reproductive rights.

Stossel disputed that the effectiveness of government oversight in the workplace by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was bad for the long-term health of citizens. He argued that unsafe equipment and workplaces are eventually fixed by a free market system because organizations learn to fix problems and unsafe procedures without government oversight.

Stossel also disputed the effectiveness of OSHA in reducing accidents and fatalities in the workplace, saying that the government taking credit for reduced workplace fatalities was akin to someone jumping in front of a parade and claiming that they had led it. The data, he contended, suggested that workplace fatalities were already on the decline before OSHA was implemented. An audience member said during the Q&A following the lecture that OSHA was not the only piece of legislation designed to improve working conditions for Americans, and said that Stossel, by ignoring this fact, did not fairly represent the progression of safety in America.

Stossel then discussed the problems introduced by President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, a series of bills which established programs and institutions including Head Start, Medicare and Medicaid. “We get the unintended consequences that you always get with government control. We taught some people to be dependent. We taught mothers that they were better off if the father was not in the house,” he said. He did not provide

evidence to substantiate this claim.

Stossel was critical of sensational reporting that does more to stoke fears in the public than to actually inform consumers. For instance, he said, the coverage of plane crashes in the news media makes planes seem more dangerous than they really are. Statistically, far more Americans die each year in car accidents than plane crashes, and reporting on sensational news obscures what is actually more dangerous.

Stossel mentioned news media coverage of the crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610, both of which occurred on the same model of Boeing jet, though he did not elaborate on the focus of those stories. Coverage in the New York Times has focused on the lack of oversight on Boeing in regulating the safety controls of their jets.

Following the lecture, Stossel fielded questions about his presentation. Many students, including Sam Charnizon ’19, asked Stossel to clarify the stances he outlined in his lecture. Charnizon said he felt the chart Stossel presented about OSHA accidents was “disingenuous” because the accidents were only being measured by fatalities.

Charnizon paraphrased Stossel’s argument as “‘I would rather … let [people] die than ask the government to try to make [workplace environments] better through regulations.’ To me, that seems archaic,” he added. “Can you please explain why allowing people to die is a better idea than trying to use government regulation?”

“Because perfect isn’t one of the choices,” Stossel replied. “And people will die as life moves forward. Now, the question is, what will lead to the fewest deaths over time? There’s just no evidence that government will, and the money it takes will cause more deaths.”

Another student asked if Stossel thought privatized healthcare was an example of a “market failure” where business alone was unable to effectively deliver affordable health care to consumers. Stossel said it was not a market failure, but rather a sign that government subsidies have made healthcare more expensive and complicated in the United States.

—Editor's Note: Trevor Filseth ’20 is a senior staff writer for the Justice.

‘WEALTHIER IS HEALTHIER’

NATALIA WIATER/the Justice

ANOTHER VIEWPOINT: John Stossel explained how his views on capitalism changed throughout his career as a consumer reporter and television show host.

NEWS

●

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

7

‘YOU ARE NOT THE CHAIR POLICE’

ZACH KATZ/the Justice

EXPLAINING GENDER WITH CHAIRS: In his talk, Ben Greene '21 used different chairs as a metaphor for gender. He compared sitting in a comfy, plush armchair to being cisgender and being in an uncomfortable, hard stool to being transgender.

TEDX: Six student speakers share personal experiences CONTINUED FROM 1 that Black people themselves are not respectable because their hair naturally grows in dreads. Matthews concluded his talk by calling for the audience to normalize dreadlocks, and to “challenge [our] ideas about what it means to be respectable.”

Nakul Srinivas

Srinivas argued that while religion is sometimes seen as being “archaic” and “backward” in regards to social equality, further examination of Hinduism in particular reveals unmistakable LGBTQ themes. He started his talk by recounting his confusion as a child when at an airport he saw a daughter with two mothers. Srinivas explained that he was confused because the books he read did not have LGBTQ relationships, but his brother, an avid reader of Hindu mythology, found the lesbian relationship completely normal.

Srinivas gave a broad overview of the structure of Hindu mythology, explaining that Hinduism consists of three central gods: the “Trimurti” of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. These gods also have female counterparts in the “Tridevi” of Saraswati, Parvati and Lakshmi. The Tridevi are sometimes viewed as simply the female versions of the Trimurti, combining with the Trimurti to create three androgynous deities. In addition, these three gods have avatars, or human versions of any gender. In one story, for example, the god Shiva had a relationship with Mohini, a female avatar of Vishnu.

According to Srinivas, his brother’s favorite character is Shikhandi, who was born a woman but raised as a man. Srinivas said that this gave Shikandi a kind of superpower because as a woman, her opponents would be reluctant to harm her.

Ben Greene

●

The LGBTQ theme continued with Greene, the next speaker. Greene, a transgender male, discussed how people can become better allies for transgender people. His first tip was to never stop learning. Greene explained being transgender by comparing gender to chairs. People sitting in the cushy armchair of gender are classified as cisgender; they are entirely comfortable with the gender they were assigned at birth. In contrast, people who experience gender dysphoria — discomfort with their gender assigned at birth — are sitting in high, uncomfortable stools.

Greene furthered the analogy by explaining that there are many different chair preferences and that choosing different chairs is simply a matter of getting up and going over to another chair. It does not have to be dramatic or disruptive. This analogy was the basis for his next tip: “There is no chair police, and more specifically, you are not the chair police.”

There is a biological basis for the

transgender experience, Greene said. Scientists recently discovered that a region of the brain called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), which is larger for males than females, corresponds to the individual’s own perception of their gender.

For example, transgender men have a BST that resembles that of a cisgender man rather than that of a cisgender woman. However, Greene did not stay on the topic for long, admitting his relative lack of knowledge. This brought him to his next tip: “It’s okay to not know everything.”

In the last segment of his talk, Greene discussed his own experience being transgender. He explained that he underwent a difficult journey to reach the happiness and confidence of his current TEDx speaker-self.

He realized that he was transgender in high school and came out during his senior year. After surviving a car accident, he decided that coming out was not as scary. Greene said, however, that after he came out, he struggled with suicidal thoughts. He confided in a friend, but the friend told Greene’s parents, who took him to a hospital. In the hospital, a patient who overheard his story told him, “As long as you stay true to who you are, everything is going to be alright in the end.” Greene said that this gave him the energy to keep going, and with the support of his family and friends, he is now “standing in the light.”

Greene’s final tip was that while it is important to ask trans people questions about their experiences, it is also important to make sure the trans person is okay with answering these questions. He explained that not all trans people are comfortable talking about their experiences being trans, and people must take into consideration their relationship to a trans person before asking sensitive questions about genitalia or surgeries.

Shaquan McDowell

McDowell explained during his talk that shifting perceptions of race highlight the fundamentally baseless nature of racism. He grounded his talk in two rhetorical questions: “How many of you view your race as determining your identity?” and “How many of you believe your race is accurately determined?”

While researching his genealogy, McDowell discovered his fifth-greatgrandmother, Elizabeth Scott. Scott had mixed African and European ancestry, but she was white-passing, he said, with “free-flowing hair.” She was born about a decade after the census was established in the United States in 1790, and every 10 years, her racial classification would shift between white, Black and mulatto.

McDowell explained that when Black people were slaves, white Americans were relatively comfortable with free Blacks. This comfort allowed for the easy mutability of race. After the abolishment of slav-

ery in 1865, however, the concept of race became more rigid in order to maintain white dominance. McDowell explained that people have been conditioned to believe that they can know about a person just by viewing their skin color, a belief which he said is clearly false.

Abeer Pamuk

Pamuk, the final speaker, discussed her experience growing up in Syria. When Pamuk was four, her mother defied social norms by getting a divorce. Around the same time, Pamuk had fallen in love with a picture of a dress in a magazine. With her mother’s help, she spent months recreating the dress in time for her birthday. When Pamuk told her mother in delight that she was “flying,” her mother responded by saying, “Only girls are born with wings.

Don’t let anyone clip your wings.” At four, Pamuk did not understand what her mother meant, but she would later understand when she learned of the stigma surrounding her mother’s divorce, which was an obstacle in Pamuk’s application to Aleppo University. Fortunately, she was accepted despite this stigma.

The Syrian Civil War struck in 2011 when Pamuk had just finished her first year of university. She first experienced it as guns in the distance, and then as a nearby explosion, scaring her and her family “to death.” As the war spread, Pamuk’s mother convinced her to move to Lebanon and stay with her aunt. On January 15, 2013, a few months after the move, Aleppo University was bombed. Pamuk was worried for her family, who lived near the explosion, but she soon found out that while her family survived, four of her friends were killed.

Pamuk said that after the bombing, she decided that she “wanted [her] bachelor’s degree more than [she] wanted [her] life.” She returned to Aleppo that year to finish her degree and start her career in humanitarian work. Pamuk explained that one night, just before her graduation, she decided that her next dream would be to go to New York City. She stood before the window of her dorm, candle in hand, imagining that she was looking out of a skyscraper. Pamuk applied and was accepted for the competitive Atlas Corps fellowship. She got a visa to live in New York on her 24th birthday, 20 years after wearing her pink dress.

Pameer moved to New York City in 2017. In a brief overview of her time in the city, Pamuk said that she bonded with her host parents, got goosebumps standing by the window of a skyscraper and even met President Barack Obama. She concluded that the experience of realizing her dreams again and again despite the conflict going on in her home country is how she “won the Syrian War.” —Editor's Note: Nakul Srinivas ’21 is a staff writer for the Justice.

8

features

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019 ● FEATURES ● THE JUSTICE

just

VERBATIM | ROBIN WILLIAMS Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1942, the New York Times introduced its Bestseller List.

Flu viruses are able to live for up to two days on hard, nonporous surfaces like steel.

Fall 2019 course registration brings excitement The Justice highlights student-recommended courses.

Photo Courtesy of ACADEMIC SERVICES

ROOSEVELT FELLOWS: The Academic Services program offers one-on-one peer mentoring with a focus on helping students choose classes.

By HUINING XIA JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

While many Brandeisians have just started easing off their stress from “midterm madness,” they again face some “life-and-death” decisions. On Wednesday, April 3, course registration for the Fall 2019 semester opened.

Among the many courses that are offered for the first time, two courses focused on the Asian American community have been introduced thanks to the work of the Brandeis Asian American Task Force. BAATF is a Brandeis-based student organization that advocates for the needs and betterment of the Asian American community here at Brandeis. Students who are interested in Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies are especially recommended to take the two courses “Asian American Histories” and “Pacific Islander Studies,” for which further class information remains to be decided.

In a video released by the BAATF on Facebook, Ellie Kleinman ’21 says that taking Asian American Studies courses “highlighted Asian American and Pacific Islander narratives” that were not centered in “high school classes and even in the East Asian Studies classes here at Brandeis.”

Asian American Studies courses are not the only classes that students are excited about. The Justice spoke to some Roosevelt Fellows to offer more insight into course registration.

“COSI 125a: ‘Human Computer Interaction’ is a super cool, cross-listed elective with one of my favorite professors. Important note: this is not a coding class. This is a design-thinking class open to all majors, and nonCOSI majors [are] encouraged and COSI majors [are] welcome,” R Matthews ’19, who is double majoring in Computer Science and African and African American Studies, shared with the Justice.

Alina Shirley ’19, who’s a Biology major, Health Science Society and Policy and Psychology double minor, and pre-health student, commented, “My two favorite courses I took at Brandeis that are offered in the fall are BIOL 16a, ‘Evolution and Biodiversity,’ and SOC 189a, ‘Sociology of Body and Health.’ These two courses are taught by two of the best professors Brandeis has to offer. They are great courses to take for anyone even relatively interested in science and real-world applications of science and medicine. SOC 189a was so informative and engaging that I think it should be required for anyone who is thinking about any sort of career in health or patient interaction.” She also said that “anyone interested in animal science should look at BIOL 53a, Introduction to Animal Science and Nutrition,” which is offered for the first time.

Danielle Schwartz ’20, who is the president of the PreVeterinary Society and the Animal Appreciation Club at Brandeis, also recommended this course, saying that it “is really meaningful for people in pre-vet since Brandeis usually doesn’t offer courses with [a] specific animal science focus.”

Sophie Rathmann ’21 is really excited about ENG 150B, “Out of This World: Science Fiction’s Cyborgs, Time Travellers, and Space Invaders” with Prof. John Plotz (ENG), because “it’s a … cool course and he’s a great professor. I’m really excited to learn more about sci-fi because people often don’t delve into fantasy or sci-fi as deeply as other genres.”

Stephanie Prill ’20 said that ANTH 60a “is taught by Professor Charles Golden, who is one of my favorite professors at Brandeis. Also, the opportunity to do actual archaeology in a lab and outside of the classroom, even if it’s small things, is really exciting after learning so much about others’ discoveries in the past.”

Course registration closed Monday, April 8.

A selection of courses offered for the first time AAAS 154B: Race, Science, and Society AAPI/HIS 163A: Asian American History ENG 161A: Literature and Counterculture

FREN 159B: Wordplay: Humor in Francophone Texts IGS 165A: Revolution, Religion, and Terror: Postcolonial Histories

POL 141A: Elections and Electoral Systems in Comparative Perspective HSSP 152B: Introduction to Demography: Social Determinants of Health and Wellbeing

What has been your favorite college class?

“

“Intro to Law” with Professor Breen because his enthusiasm about law is contagious and he explains the cases in a way that’s both clear and engaging. It makes law, sometimes an unpleasant topic to discuss at 9 a.m., interesting.

” “

- Vanessa Yen ’22

“Princess and the Golem” because of the professor, the engaging in-class discussions, the freedom of research paper topics, and the content of reading fairytales and connecting them to movies.

- Meredith Roberts ’21

” “ ” “ ”

My favorite class that I’ve taken was “Nordic Mythology” when I was abroad in Copenhagan.

- Marek Haar ’20

Either “Medicine Body and Culture” with Professor Hannig or “Special Topics in Public Health” with Professor Curi, or “Comparative Anatomy” with Professor Morris.

- Sarah Petrides ’19

Design: Morgan Mayback/the Justice

THE JUSTICE ● FEATURES ● TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

9

What’s the tea?

Brandeis students celebrate the opening of Kung Fu Tea in Waltham.

By MEGHNA KANTHAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On March 12, Moody St. gained an exciting new store: Kung Fu Tea. This store specializes in bubble tea, offering a wide variety of flavors and variations of the popular beverage. The bubble tea craze has recently dominated the beverage world of the United States. Popular restaurants, including the many Thai food locations scattered around the Waltham area, incorporate variations of this Taiwanese drink into menus, but those are often substandard compared to that of specialty shops. This new addition to the Waltham community has not disappointed the boba-fanatics of Brandeis. According to freshmen Simona Smolyak, Anjali Mandal, Lily Drak, Charisma Chauhan and Ella Kaplun, Kung Fu Tea exceeds their expectations. These students, bubble tea connoisseurs and newcomers alike, agree that it is a delicious and now convenient treat.

With 12 locations in Massachusetts alone, Kung Fu Tea is one of the most popular bubble tea chains in the country. With a bubble tea shop finally just a quick Branvan ride away, the Brandeisian thirst for boba is quenched. The store-proclaimed classics are the Kung Fu flavored teas that have a signature cinnamony tang, but with all their flavors to explore, you could try something new each visit. Even if tea isn’t something you enjoy, there are lemonade, slush and coffee items on the menu that are sure to please.

Another trademark of bubble tea is that each drink is customizable. Customers can choose the sugar, boba and ice level of the drink to ensure it’s just to their liking. Initially approaching a menu with so much to choose from may be daunting; however, Drak notes that it is always best to start with the classics and gauge one’s opinion from there. The key to good bubble tea, Drak con-

tinues, “lies in the texture and taste of the boba.” Kung Fu’s soft, chewy tapioca balls are just the right consistency, Drak commented. Although Kung Fu and other specialty stores are known for their boba, some like Kaplun opt for plain tea which is a different but equally delicious experience.

Conversely, Smolyak thinks the boba make the drink and would even gets extra boba. Drak observes that there always seems to be a line of customers, but the store combats this with efficient service, short wait times and good music. In addition to the actual tea, Smolyak and Mandel love the store because it gives them an excuse to hang out with friends and take a break from daily college stresses.

Kung Fu Tea is a convenient and good option, but Chauhan points out that many non-Waltham restaurants and bubble tea locations offer a more authentic and flavorful tea. She says that tea from commercial stores is “nothing” compared to the genuine tea provided by locations that mimic original Taiwanese bubble tea Boba and milk tea have come a long way since being invented in a small tea shop in Taiwan.

The industry has evolved to include jelly and foam toppings along with non-dairy alternatives, making it increasingly accessible to the masses. As its reach continued to grow from Taiwan, it blew up in California before making an appearance on the East Coast. It is clear that this is more than a fad, but a cross-country phenomenon: being fully adopted in American beverage culture.

Kung Fu Tea continues to maintain popularity because of the cute cafe environment which invites customers to sit, relax, enjoy and experience their customized refreshing tea, Smolyak said. Judging from the constantly-sprawling line, there seems to be no lack of love for bubble tea and the stylings of Kung Fu as the people of Waltham continue to flock to 246 Moody Street.

KUNG FU TEA COMES TO

WALTHAM

Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice, Sammy Park/the Justice

10 TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019 ● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE

Justice

the

Established 1949

Brandeis University

Avraham Penso, Editor in Chief Natalia Wiater, Managing Editor Amber Miles, Senior Editor Jen Geller, Jocelyn Gould, Deputy Editors Nia Lyn, Morgan Mayback, Eliana Padwa, Sam Stockbridge, Associate Editors Emily Blumenthal, Gilda Geist, Acting News Editors Sammy Park, Features Editor Gabriel Frank, Forum Editor, Megan Geller, Sports Editor Maya Zanger-Nadis, Arts Editor Andrew Baxter, Photography Editor Yael Handari-Levi, Acting Layout Editor Liat Fischer and Devo Meyers, Ads Editors River Hayes and Mia Rubinstein, Copy Editors

EDITORIALS

Club consultant bylaw is highly destructive

On March 31, the Student Union passed a bylaw requiring all secured clubs to select a club consultant from the University’s faculty or administration. According to the bylaw, the consultant, while not a voting member of the club, will be required to meet with the club’s treasurer at least twice a semester. The consultant can also be sought out for advice on other issues the club faces, such as “leadership or membership issues which arise.” The bylaw was passed despite the strong and clear objection of the University’s secured independent media organizations — the Justice, WBRS and BTV — and this board opposes both the content of the bylaw and the process by which the bylaw was passed.

Requiring media organizations to have a club consultant threatens the journalistic integrity and independence fundamental to these clubs. The Justice makes every effort to publish unbiased, factual articles every week. Justice staff and editors frequently interview and write about Brandeis faculty, staff, students and alumni, and any Justice club consultant — be they faculty or staff— would create a conflict of interest. Moreover, the consultant will be in a position of power and could seek to leverage their position to undermine the impartiality of our published content.

Members of the Justice’s executive board repeatedly raised this compelling concern in meetings with the bylaw’s authors and other senators. Union members continually replied that clubs could determine the extent of the consultant’s involvement and that the consultant would only be able to pressure a media organization if it let them. This argument fundamentally misconstrues the power dynamics between University students and employees and ignores the many ways that University employees have control over aspects of student journalists’ lives. Throughout the process of crafting and passing the bylaw, Union members expressed that their goal was to make the wording as broad as possible, since they intend to eventually expand the club consultant system to all chartered clubs. However, the result was that BEMCo, Club Sports and the Justice — three secured clubs affected by this bylaw that serve different purposes and should have been treated differently by the proposal — were bound by vague rules.

Any sensitive club-related policy that does not respect each club’s unique role poses real threats to the work these clubs were created and secured to do. The compromise the Justice, BTV and WBRS proposed — establishing a designated “Financial Consultant” for media organizations — would have been a significant step toward addressing these concerns. Such a clause would not have prevented club leaders from reaching out to their consultants for nonfinancial matters, as some Union members claimed, but would have alleviated the danger of a media organization having an all-purpose “Club Consultant.”

This board also doubts the Union’s presumption that there will be enough willing staff and faculty members to eventually consult with every club on campus. Having University employees train students to be effective treasurers and pass on that knowledge from graduates to incoming students is an attractive goal, but it expects too much from individuals who already have other commitments on campus. Furthermore, although faculty

Hastily written and proposed

and staff tend to stay at Brandeis longer than students, they too come and go every few years. Limiting consultants to tenured professors might help, but it would require professors to be responsible for multiple clubs. Professors and administrators should not and cannot be forced by the Union to become club consultants.

This board is equally disappointed by the process by which the bylaw’s wording was crafted and passed. After rejecting outright the idea of an opt-out clause, for media organizations with ethical objections or for clubs that already meet informally with faculty or staff, the Union then refused to even change one word in the title of the consultant from “club” to “financial,” would have alleviated many of the Justice’s concerns. The Union also did not provide secured clubs with the final wording of the amendment until late in the process, undermining their ability to effectively voice concerns to the Senate. Considering the club consultant idea was initially floated over a year ago, it is perplexing that the amendment’s language apparently could not be finalized until a Senate executive session that ended about 10 minutes before the official vote. In addition, as a result of its hasty writing, the proposal’s language fails to define key terms, leaving the potential for its meaning to be warped or misconstrued.

This undermines the effectiveness of the bylaw and threatens independent media organizations.

Furthermore, the only formal opportunity for constituents to address the Senate between the bylaw’s introduction in the March 24 Senate meeting and its passage in the March 31 meeting was at the open forum held at the end of the March 24 Senate meeting. Unaware that the proposal would officially be introduced on that day, representatives of the media organizations were not present to oppose it. Consequently, representatives of the Justice, BTV and WBRS only had a week to reach out to Senators individually, but only about a quarter of the senators they contacted actually showed up at their office hours, some after confirming with representatives that they would be there. Finally, during the March 31 Senate meeting, Union Vice President Aaron Finkel ’19 tried to limit each media organization representative’s speaking time to three minutes and tried to shut down senators’ attempts to address concerns or questions brought up by the representatives. As constituents, media representatives’ voices should be heard — through office hours, properly advertised open forums during Senate meetings and the opportunity to speak to our elected Union members. Instead, Union members acted as if they were going above and beyond their responsibilities by occasionally appearing at meetings with representatives of concerned media organizations, generously allowing their own constituents a few minutes to formally voice concerns immediately before the vote and even taking over a half-hour to debate — in a private session — a bylaw that will fundamentally change the future of clubs on this campus.

The Union should take its responsibility as representatives of the student body seriously, which involves actively listening to and addressing constituents’ concerns about Union proposals.

MARA KHAYTER/the Justice

Views the News on

In an April 2 interview with Science News, Nobel laureate David Baltimore Ph.D. argued that putting a temporary ban on human gene editing, meant to improve the technology and foster a better understanding of the science and its ethical questions, would not work. Baltimore argues that the ban would fail to adapt to new discoveries and would not allow for any continued discussions of the ethics of gene editing. He instead calls for a registry of all gene-related procedures and events.

What are your thoughts on Baltimore’s view? Do you think there are any alternatives to a moratorium on gene editing that would take Baltimore’s concerns into account?

Prof. Brendan Cline (PHIL) Ultimately, an outright ban on germline gene editing in humans is not feasible. The incentives for labs or countries to circumvent any ban would simply be too strong. So, in the long run, the important question is: How should human gene editing be regulated? If safety were the only ethical concern, then a flexible policy that’s responsive to ongoing developments would be reasonable. However, many harbor deep concerns about how gene editing — especially for non-medical purposes — will impact our society, even if it’s made perfectly safe. For example, some are concerned that editing will amplify existing inequalities or encourage unhealthy attitudes towards children. Perhaps some of these worries are misplaced. But until we’ve worked out policies to protect against some of the more troubling potential outcomes, and taken steps to forge greater consensus, it strikes me as appropriate to severely constrain human gene editing for now.

Brendan Cline is the Florence and Levy Kay Fellow in Philosophy and Neuroscience, specializing in metaethics, moral psychology, and environmental ethics.

Haley Director ’20

I mostly disagree with Baltimore’s view about the ban not being effective. I think that the ban would work in that it would increase discussions of the ethics of human gene editing and allow scientists to gain a deeper understanding of gene editing and how it works, but I don’t think that it would increase accessibility to the common person interested in engaging in gene editing. I think in addition to his suggestion of instituting a registry for all gene-related procedures and events, there needs to be more accessible and easily understandable information available to the public, and this can only be done if there is no ban on human gene editing. I believe that the ban would only work if new information was continually released to scientists and consumers in easily understandable language and for multiple resources, including geneticists, researchers, and genetic counselors, to be consulted throughout the process.

Haley Director ’20 is a Biology, Chemistry, and Hispanic Studies triple major and is a member of the genetic counseling program.

Brenda Lemos (GSAS)

A call for a moratorium by scientists laid out in the Lander, et al.

2019 Nature publication addresses real concerns in gene editing and outlines, what I believe to be appropriate restrictions for the use of the CRISPR technology. There is a general scientific consensus that we do not fully understand the off-target effects of gene editing; accordingly, we should not edit germ line cells that are intended to be used for in vitro fertilization (IVF). However, I don’t think an international ban can be enforced. Yet I do empathize with some of Baltimore’s concerns; particularly, that a ban at a government level could hinder scientific progress, since there are clear examples where science has been regulated by social or religious beliefs rather than empirical scientific data. Still, if gene-edited children are born, they should not be entered into a database; instead, they should be closely monitored by their own doctor and bigger conclusions/concerns shared anonymously amongst scientists.

Brenda Lemos is a Ph.D. candidate at Brandeis University studying CRISPR/Cas9 mediated repair and protein regulation during the DNA damage checkpoint in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Danielle Gallagher (GSAS)

Neither of these routes would prevent a rogue scientist like Dr. He from bringing a genetically modified embryo to term. The moratorium on human editing could easily go from a “temporary” safety measure to a permanent ban — just look at all the restrictions placed on studying embryos when politics got involved. However, the proposed registry would only monitor edited children over time to study the long-term effects. Most scientists are conscious of the dangers with germline editing and are unwilling to implant an edited embryo. This kind of registry would also violate a child’s right to privacy from the moment they are born. Right now, the only way to know current scientific work is through publications once completed. However, in the case of gene editing, more transparency of all on-going work, whether that embryo will be implanted or not, should be considered to allow for continued research in a promising field.

Danielle Gallagher is a researcher in James Haber’s lab specializing in mechanisms of DNA double strand break repair.

Photos: Haley Director; ANDREW BAXTER/the Justice; NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

THE JUSTICE ● FORUM ● TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

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Justice Gorsuch misinterprets the Eighth Amendment

By JULIAN FLESCH JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Bucklew v. Precythe to allow the state of Missouri to execute a man whose rare medical condition will cause him excruciating pain when given a lethal injection. Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the opinion of the court, asserting that the defendant, Russell Bucklew, had taken too long to object to the method of execution. He argues that the Eighth Amendment’s clause barring cruel and unusual punishment does not guarantee a painless death, and that for a punishment to be cruel it must be intended to inflict pain and so be “more than the mere extinguishing of a life.”

He also says that “courts should police carefully against attempts to use such challenges as tools to interpose unjustified delay.” Finally, he says that it is the defendant’s responsibility to find a proven alternative method which would substantially reduce the risk of pain, as the court held in a previous case, Glossip v. Gross. Despite the precedent set by apparently similar decisions in Glossip and also in Baze v. Rees, Gorsuch’s arguments are not constitutionally sound and this execution violates the Eighth Amendment.

I have three main objections to Gorsuch’s opinion. First, requiring the condemned to come up with an alternative is egregious. Second, the procedural due process standards invoked in this case have no constitutional basis. Last but not least, what will happen to the defendant is both cruel and unusual.

Full disclosure: I am a staunch opponent of the death penalty. However, I understand the psychological appeal of such absolute justice — a few years ago I staunchly supported capital punishment.

But whether you are for or against the death penalty, this execution is an exception to any reasonable application of the law. If the condemned is to be executed, the court should have allowed the alternative method he proposed, nitrogen hypoxia, which he believes (probably correctly) will lead to a painless death.

It is not the method per se that is necessarily cruel and unusual, but what will happen to this particular condemned person (for whom I do not shed a tear) as a result of this method being used. If injected, Bucklew’s medical condition would cause the tumors that cover his body, including his throat, to rupture and he would suffocate on his own blood. If those allowing and

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: PROPOSAL TO DECHARTER THE HOOT At today’s Senate meeting, Class of 2019 Senator Kent Dinlenc introduced a proposal that would decharter The Brandeis Hoot, citing duality of purpose and sustainability concerns with having two newspapers on campus.

The Justice acknowledges that it is within the Senate’s power to decide whether clubs violate duality of purpose and to consider issues of sustainability on campus.

However, we also respect this campus’s media organizations. We recognize that members of the Brandeis community find value in having two newspapers on campus. Additionally, having two newspapers on campus creates accountability for both papers, pushing them to make improvements in the accuracy, sensitivity and thoroughness of their reporting.

The Justice urges the Senate to consider all consequences of dechartering the Hoot in the coming week, as its impact would extend far beyond reducing the amount of paper on campus.

—Avraham Penso, Editor in Chief

conducting the execution know that this will happen, then they are willfully inflicting pain, which is the very standard Gorsuch’s opinion cites. Knowingly causing someone to die in that manner is definitely cruel. And since Bucklew would not die in the manner and with the speed that those injected usually do, this is definitely “more than the mere extinguishing of a life.” It is not common to knowingly cause someone to die this way, nor indeed for someone to actually die in such a way, and as such this punishment is definitely unusual. Now, the definition of cruelty used here also contemplates intentionally inflicting excruciating pain with the method Gorsuch argues, citing Justice Clarence Thomas’ view in Baze v. Rees, that the Eighth Amendment “prohibits only those methods of execution that are deliberately designed to inflict pain.” Well, in this case, those conducting the execution, and the Court itself, know that it will happen and are doing it anyway. This method of execution is deliberate and will inflict unusual and unnecessary pain. Not using an alternative method means that the executioners are doing it deliberately.

As to the argument that the Eighth Amendment does not guarantee a painless death, it also does not allow for or permit knowingly inflicting an obviously painful one. I emphasize the word knowingly because this is the standard Gorsuch sets for permissibly inflicting pain.

Citing historian Stuart Banner, Gorsuch refers to the methods of execution in the context of the time of the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791, and adduces hanging, which could indeed cause a slow and painful death: “While hanging could and often did result in significant pain, its use was virtually never questioned. But that was because, in contrast to punishments like burning and disemboweling, hanging wasn’t ‘intended to be painful’ and the risk of pain involved was considered ‘unfortunate but inevitable.’”

But in hanging, a painful death is not certain.

In this case, however, it is clear that death will be excruciating. And Gorsuch admits that new methods have been adopted over time just because previous ones were considered cruel and unusual. We now agree that the Eighth Amendment outlaws things like drawing and quartering, and even chopping people’s hands off for stealing, when the Founders believed such actions were not cruel (which is why the

JULIANNA SCIONTI/the Justice

Constitution refers to legitimate legal “jeopardy of life or limb” in the Fifth Amendment).

Gorsuch accepts that the Eighth Amendment prohibits “barbarous and cruel punishments.”

The methods of execution outlawed under this definition are definitely barbarous, even if accepted in 1791, and so is this one.

There is no scenario in which knowingly causing someone to choke on their own blood, thereby torturing them to death, is not barbaric.

Even under Justice Gorsuch’s own standards, this execution violates the Eighth Amendment.

Indeed, he cites legal precedents as barring “pain superadded ... to death.”

The fact that the defendant not only dies as a result of their injection but chokes on his own blood means that pain is “superadded.”

Gorsuch knows all of this to be the case because of the criteria he cites and the precedents that he agrees have been set. He knows what barbarity is; nonetheless, he seems to be willfully misinterpreting the Eighth Amendment by pretending that the standards do not apply here.

He may believe that this defendant deserves to die cruelly because of the cruelty of what he did, and so he may want to disregard how painful the death will be. But under the Eighth Amendment, and under any decent moral code, this execution is wrong in every way.

Justice Gorsuch’s other bases for the execution are rooted in procedure. He says that the defendant waited too long and until too close to

the execution to object to the method. Even if, legally, the condemned raised the appeal too late, the state does not get to violate the Eighth Amendment on that basis; procedure does not take priority over constitutional standards. The majority has no constitutional justification for that argument. Also, he says that the defendant must find a viable alternative method that will reduce the risk of pain, citing Baze v. Rees as precedent.

This precedent is particularly egregious.

It suggests that those responsible for putting someone to death do not have a responsibility not to violate the Constitution, but that such a thing is the defendant’s responsibility alone.

Gorsuch’s main argument is that this execution does not violate the Eighth Amendment because lethal injection is a normal method of execution and because the punishments clause does not guarantee painless death. Even if you agree with Gorsuch about that, this case is an exception to the rule.

He is pretending that what will happen is neither cruel nor unusual, when in fact the way the execution will be carried out will match even his own definitions. He wants to see this person executed, regardless of what will happen, and is therefore interpreting the Eighth Amendment contrary to what he must know it means in a way that allows for that. This execution is unconstitutional, but Justice Gorsuch doesn’t care.

The placebo effect recycling creates damages the planet

By VIOLET FEARON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Trash, recycling and compost bins are all across campus. Like many others, I dutifully separate apple cores, bags of chips and bits of cardboard into their appropriate compartments. Recycling is inarguably better than not recycling — but recycling also isn’t an unmitigated good.

Have you ever seen an oily pizza box in the recycling bin? New York Times journalist Livia Albeck-Ripka recently coined the term “aspirational recycling” to refer to people who recycle non-recyclable waste in order to feel better about their bad habits.

In its most egregious forms, aspirational recycling can be downright harmful. I’m sure you’ve seen containers with food and liquid in recycling bins; this can contaminate items around it and send the whole load to the landfill.

Single-use coffee cups are another, more insidious kind of aspirational recycling.

Recently I was surprised to learn that most types of disposable coffee cups are treated by recycling plants as trash due to the polyethylene coating on the inside of the cup. If this were more widely known, perhaps consumers would be more apt to use a thermos; as it is, the recycling bin makes people feel better about their wasteful consumption habits.

Almost everyone knows the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Perhaps slightly less well known is that the order of these terms is intentional. Reducing the amount of waste you produce is the best, followed by reusing potential waste items, followed by recycling.

In the contest between recycling disposable plastic water bottles or using a reusable bottle, the reusable bottle wins every time.

Recycling, however, is promoted much more heavily than either reducing or reusing.

I’m looking at a disposable water bottle right now; it holds just 299 mL of water, and is made of plastic that will not break down for 1,000 years. Think about it: if this water bottle existed back when the bubonic plague killed one third of Europe, in the year 2019 it would still have centuries left before it decays. The water bottle is emblazoned with a cheerful green leaf and a “recyclable” symbol.

Nowhere on it does it suggest not buying needless plastic goods.

“

Almost everyone knows the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Perhaps slightly less well known is that the order of these terms is intentional.

Now, I fully acknowledge that since this particular water bottle already exists, recycling it is the best thing to do. But the better thing would be for it to never have existed in the first place.

The tiny sense of satisfaction and virtue that recycling a water bottle gives us is misleading — and it’s a feeling that disposable water bottle companies are no doubt happy to promote.

This leads to another related issue involving recycling, which is the extent to which our consumerist society emphasizes environmentalism at the individual level,

when in reality both individual and corporate environmental concern are vital to solving our long-term problems.

Proclaiming a product recyclable can be a useful way for manufacturers to promote an image of their company as being environmentally conscious, while neglecting to take action in ways that could be even more beneficial, such as reducing the amount of materials used to make their product or discontinuing the production of unnecessarily wasteful items.

In the increasingly urgent effort to reduce humanity’s impact on the environment, actions of the individual — turning off the light when you exit a room, taking shorter showers — pale in comparison to the kinds of actions large corporations could take.

Here’s a sickening statistic to brighten your day: a CDP study found that 100 companies are responsible for 71 percent of global emissions.

Individual actions like carpooling is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, but so is asserting your political power in order to bring about governments more willing to regulate industry.

For obvious reasons, environmental messages put out by large corporations are more likely to emphasize recycling rather than encourage consumers to push for regulation.

This, of course, doesn’t mean that individual actions are meaningless. Every little bit helps, and when large groups of people make minor adjustments to their everyday behaviors, great things can happen.

Case in point: each year Americans recycle or compost 87 million tons of material. But it is also important to not pretend that huge issues like climate change or pollution can be solved solely by encouraging personal responsibility among consumers; large-scale political solutions are vital.

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

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TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019● FORUM ● THE JUSTICE

FORUM

University’s choice of honorary degree recipients is questionable

By BRANDON STANAWAY JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last week, Brandeis University announced the 2019 commencement speaker and six honorary degree recipients. The six honorary degree recipients are as follows: Rivka Carmi, John Landau, Cixin Liu, Barbara Mandel, Perry Traquina and Susan WindhamBannister. Rivka Carmi has contributed a vast amount of research to the field of medical genetics. Jon Landau is a music critic and Bruce Springsteen’s manager. Cixin Liu is a science fiction writer and the first Asian to receive the revered Hugo Award for best novel.

I believe the achievements, professional and academic, of these individuals are wholly deserving of an honorary degree from Brandeis University. I take issue with the philosophy used to select latter three; Barbara Mandel, Perry Traquina and Susan WindhamBannister.

Universities can set policies regarding honorary degrees at their own discretion and confer said degrees to reach their own ends. That said, Brandeis University specifically touts an ambiguous philosophy toward honorary degrees and, in so doing, deviates from generally accepted practices applied robustly around the nation. Brandeis’ “policies” show a lack of respect toward the student body by seeking to satisfy the goals, financial or otherwise, of the administration while spurning the achievements and values of potential recipients and the educational goals of the school to which graduating students wish to be identified.

This year’s honorary degree recipients are unsurprising given that the University has a history of making ill-advised choices regarding this honor. Brandeis awarded Ayaan Hirsi Ali in 2015, who, after the discovery of publicly made Islamophobic statements, had her degree rescinded. The University claimed to be unaware of these statements and faced backlash for selecting Hirsi Ali. Not only does this reflect the lack of scrutiny the University has when vetting potential honorary degree recipients, it demonstrates that the University is out of touch with the student body and who they want to represent their graduating class.

In the wake of this blunder, the University sought to reevaluate its honorary degree policies. So began the problems. Both Perry Traquina and Barbara Mandel were members of the Board of Trustees when the body considered these changes. Not only was Traquina a member of the Board, he was its chair and therefore could guide the discussion on honorary degree policies.

As written on the Brandeis University webpage, honorary degree recipients are

LETTER TO THE EDITOR On behalf of the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI), we write to share our apologies to students, faculty and staff negatively impacted by the ‘deis IMPACT! Immigration Court: An Experiential Program proposal process. This program was originally included in the schedule of events for the week-long Social Justice Festival. The program was canceled by the host organization, the Harry Potter Alliance (HPA), before it was delivered, as it was clear that this event, as written, did not reflect the devastating realities of the migration crisis adequately. As this was the first year that the ODEI has managed ‘deis IMPACT!, we plan on engaging in a systematic review and evaluation of all ‘deis IMPACT! processes, including program and Impacter selection, development and support, this summer.

Additional plans include a possible collaboration with the Student Union to develop a coalition-building workshop for student organizational leaders from across campus, which has the potential to offer an important development opportunity for many student groups. We are looking forward to including Brandeis community members as we engage in this process. Please contact us at diversity@brandeis.edu if you wish to be involved.

— The Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.

judged on “the singular accomplishments or contributions of individuals in any of a number of fields of human endeavor.” This statement is ambiguous and allows for essentially anyone to be nominated for a degree. Many institutions of higher education do not confer honorary degrees in order to maintain the integrity of their undergraduate and graduate programs. Colleges and universities such as MIT and Cornell have upheld their commitment to educating students. The University of Michigan’s policies in this regard are well articulated: the primary criteria for consideration are “achievements [that] are closely identified with the University’s central purposes: those of teaching, research, and scholarship.”

Secondary are accomplishments made in “professional life.” Professional life is a much broader term and still requires the accomplishments to impact society at large.

Awarding honorary degrees is a political decision. It is generally acknowledged that universities use honorary degrees as a means to tie themselves to persons of power, celebrity and wealth. That said, it is the responsibility of the University to maintain the prestige of their degrees. As an institution of higher education, the goals of the University should be to foster intellectual diversity and develop the education of its students.

Traditionally honorary degrees reinforced this end. Deviations from the tradition, while common, violate this goal and lend credence to the opinion that the University is suffering financially, that it must safeguard its sources of revenue rather than the education of the student body.

It is clear, though, that Brandeis is comfortable wielding the power of honorary degrees to recognize the influence that wealthy donors have over the University. Barbara Mandel was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2005 and is the vice-chair of the Board. The name will sound familiar to anyone who has set foot in the humanities quad; the Mandel Center for the Humanities is named after her and Morton Mandel. If it is not already obvious that Barbara Mandel has outsized financial influence on the Brandeis campus, the auditorium in the Mandel Center is dedicated (prominently) in her honor. Perry Traquina, meanwhile, has been donating to the University for over 10 years.

Academic achievement and its recognition by the University have fallen by the wayside.

Rivka Carmi and Cixin Liu are the only recipients to have contributed to their field of study or practice. All other recipients are career businesspeople or philanthropists.

That raises the question: for a University that professes its commitment to social justice, is philanthropy socially just? Is this a value that

NIA LYN/ the Justice

is consistent with the virtues the University claims it supports? No. Philanthropy is not socially just. At its heart, it is a method of redistribution of wealth. But to accumulate that wealth in the first place is to benefit from an unequal economic system. The actions of philanthropists only perpetuate said system.

Honoring the “benevolent” redistribution of the wealth from affable donors to the University is contrary to the values espoused by the administration. Conferring these degrees to wealthy philanthropists reveals the hypocrisy of the University’s foundational goals.

The relative value of Brandeis degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate level is diluted by awarding honorary degrees to individuals who do not satisfy the requirements a student would need to meet for the same degree.

The achievements of Rivka Carmi and Cixin Liu in the academic realm demonstrate a proficiency in their field of study. Conferring an honorary degree unto them is consistent with the goal of educating students at varying levels of skill. Mandel, Traquina and WindhamBannister, however, have not academically contributed to their field of study and, therefore, do not satisfy the aforementioned goal.

A double standard exists that equates philanthropic donations with academic achievement. This violates the core principles

of Brandeis University. Past recipients, additionally, have not been Brandeis alumni.

This year, two of the recipients received undergraduate degrees from Brandeis and one received a doctorate from the Heller School. The goal of honorary degrees is to tie individuals of distinction to the University; these people are already tied by their status of alumni.

Conferring advanced degrees on people who already hold Brandeis degrees doubly devalues the degrees of current and future students. It sends a signal that advanced degrees and honors from Brandeis can be acquired through patronage to the University rather than aspiring to receive an advanced education on one’s own merit.

Every May, Brandeis has an opportunity to recognize the diverse intellectual achievements of deserving academics and professionals.

This year, the University strayed from this standard and awarded honorary degrees to alumni who have made monetary donations to the University in the past.

These individuals do not represent Brandeis University’s core values. The University is blatantly pandering to wealthy financiers and donors. In the process, it disrespects the graduating classes, devalues already-earned degrees, and perpetuates a socially unjust system. Far more deserving individuals now go without recognition.

Why Joe Biden is still the ideal candidate

By HARRISON PAEK JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

At this point in time, there are few places left to turn for a Democrat, none of them ideal. With the new accusations against Joe Biden and his subsequent response, the pool of candidates and potential candidates for the 2020 presidential election has by the day grown larger and more confusing. Often, I write articles because I am confused about the issue. I write about subjects I feel are important, but being able to write about something in length requires a lot of reading.

On the issue of Joe Biden, my goal is not to push the reader toward any course of action.

This article is just my attempt to educate myself with the resources I have, like any other college student. I was sure that I would vote for Joe Biden in the next election; I am less sure now, but he still has my vote. Here is why.

Pro-Biden and anti-Biden rationale have many different facts. The recent accusations have become but one facet of an anti-Biden base. The original New York Times article outlines the politician’s very tactile nature, and how it could be interpreted as being inappropriate by today’s standards. He was detailed as smelling women’s hair, kissing heads and putting his hands on lower backs and inner thighs and all the like. It is certainly disheartening to see such inappropriate behavior come from America’s oldest sweetheart. However, many who know him personally have come to his defense.

Former New Mexico Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, Republican Senator Susan Collins and daughter of late New Mexico Senator John McCain Meghan McCain all spoke volumes about Mr. Biden’s compassion, empathy and nurturing character. The problems seem to arise in his interactions

with women he has not known personally, and who, for good reason, have not given him the benefit of the doubt. Seven women thus far have come forward to say that their exchanges with Mr. Biden were very uncomfortable in many different ways. The prevailing notion — and hope — for many Democrats setting their sights on a potential Biden 2020 is that his intentions are of the best sort, but his execution is a bygone era manifested in one large faux-pas.

“

Nevertheless, if Joe Biden does run for president, his track record is not ideal, but it shows him to be best equipped to rehabilitate a dying American democracy.

This feeds into an original anti-Biden concern. How can an old white man possibly stand as a masthead for the party of the future, the party of aware citizens and the party of the new female wave? It is like a recurring nightmare for Biden, who presided over the Clarence Thomas confirmation in 1991. You, O news reading Brandeis student, might remember that Prof. Anita Hill (Heller) testified against Thomas on the grounds of sexual assault. According to the Atlantic, “Joe Biden, chair of the Judiciary Committee, was precisely the person who could have prevented the abuse Hill endured.” In a

Washington Post interview with Hill, one of the interviewers puts forward the fact that Biden did apologize and fully recognize that she was assaulted.

To this, she replied, “You didn’t read his full apology. He said, ‘I am sorry if she felt she didn’t get a fair hearing.’ That’s sort of an ‘I’m sorry if you were offended.’” This kind of language bears too much semblance to his most recent apology. “I get it, I get it, I get it… but I will be more mindful and respectful of people’s personal space,” says Biden. Coming back to the political stage, his agenda was not furthered by the jokes he made about the issue. After giving out a couple hugs, he wryly noted that he had permission first.

Biden is a politician who built a career based on his ability to be authentic and form human connections. Touch is one of the ways he claims to accomplish this. Being totally, unapologetically himself might be his hamartia in the end. Nevertheless, if Joe Biden does run for president, his track record is not ideal, but it shows him to be best equipped to rehabilitate a dying American democracy. Albeit poorly expressed, this nurturing disposition may be what the country needs.

The amount of damage President Trump has done can be rectified by a number of different candidates, and in this I am hopeful.

If he runs, I will still vote for Joe Biden because he has spent a lifetime putting things back together. He has support from across the aisle. I think he is genuine in what he says.

Meghan McCain tweeted, “Joe Biden is one of the truly decent and compassionate men in all of American politics. He has helped me through my father’s diagnosis, treatment and ultimate passing more than anyone of my fathers friends combined. I wish there was more empathy from our politicians, not less.”

In the end, so do I.

The opinions expressed on this page, except for the Letter from the Editor, are those of each article’s respective author and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Justice.

THE JUSTICE ● SPORTS ● TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

TRACK: Judges continue to sprint through season CONTINUED FROM 16 relay, the A relay team, consisting of Maddox, Michael Kroker ’19, Jacob Ward ’21 and Charie, worked to take third place, with the Brandeis B relay team coming in just behind them to claim fourth.

In the long-distance races, Matthew Driben ’22 ran a 15:35.46 in the 5000-meter run, a whole 10 seconds faster than his seeded time.

Dan Curley ’20 and Mark Murdy ’21 followed to claim fifth and seventh places, respectively.

Later on in the field events, Aaron Corin ’22 vaulted a height of 4.10 meters, or almost 13.5 feet, in the pole vault. This earned him the silver medal, while teammate

13

PURE PATIENCE

Breylen Ammen ’21 came in fourth place. Ammen also participated in the javelin throw. With a distance of 48.34 meters, or 158.6 feet, he claimed second place. Scott Grote ’19 also threw a distance of 12.55 meters in the shot put event and 37.59 meters in the discus. He placed fourth in the shot put and fifth in the discus.

In the next two weeks, the Judges will travel to Connecticut College for the Silfen Invitational and to Cambridge for the Sean Collier Invitational at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The following week, we will be cheering the Judges on from over a thousand miles away as they make their way to Emory University in Atlanta, GA for the University Athletic Association Championship.

Meeting: Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

Want to be more than just a spectator?

Write for Sports!

Contact Megan Geller at sports@thejustice.org

YURAN SHI/Justice File Photo

SWING: Brandeis' Mike Khoury '21 is up at bat and ready to swing in a game against Suffolk College on March 21.

BASEBALL: Team falls in all games this week CONTINUED FROM 16 ’21, and Daniel Schupper ’19 shut down the Bears' bats for the next seven innings, as the Judges took a 3–2 lead into the ninth inning.

Washington played small ball in the ninth inning to tie the game at three without recording a hit — sending the game to extra innings.

Two walks and a base hit allowed the Bears to take the lead in the top of the tenth inning — a lead they would hold onto to win 4–3.

Bears 10, Judges 4 For the second time on the day, both teams scored in the first inning.

After Washington scored, Victor Oppenheimer ’20 hit the first home

run of the weekend for the Judges, blasting one to deep centerfield, and earning his third of the season.

Oppenheimer then drew a walk with the bases loaded in the second inning to give the Judges the lead on his second RBI of the afternoon.

The lead didn’t last long, however, as the Bears stormed back with seven runs over the course of the next four innings to take an 8–2 lead. The Judges clawed two runs back, hoping to jumpstart a thrilling comeback.

Alex Parrott ’21 beat out a fielder’s choice in the sixth inning to drive in a run before he reached on a pass ball off a strikeout in the seventh, causing another run to score. That was all the offense could generate, unfortunately, as the game ended 10–4 in favor of the visitors.

Bears 11, Judges 0 For the second straight weekend, the Brandeis baseball team suffered a sweeping loss against a UAA foe, losing the fourth game out of four against Washington University. The Judges managed just one hit and drew three walks against impressive Washington starter, Matt Ashbaugh ’20, who didn’t allow a baserunner to reach third base all day. Brandeis starter Mason Newman ’21 allowed five runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings of work on the mound. After scoring in the third, the Bears tacked on four runs in the fifth inning and six more in the seventh inning, invoking the 10run “mercy” rule, ending the game in the seventh inning.

HOOPS FOR HELP: Students defeat faculty in basketball fundraiser CONTINUED FROM 16 Walsh (THA) and Prof. Chad Williams (AAAS).

In an interview with the Justice, Niles explained that this event was created based on “an event called Hoops for Haiti, back when there was the big earthquake in Haiti, back like nine to 10 years ago and … since I work with the group called the Brandeis Beacons on campus, a group of student ambassadors and school-spirit-type folks on campus, we wanted to do an event that can

benefit causes on campus every year.”

After a warm up for both sides, the teams faced off. The first point was scored by the student team in under the first 30 seconds, also showing a strong defence from the beginning.

The first faculty point was by scored Pantoja. With both teams fighting for possession and baskets, the first quarter ended with a score of 13–9 for the students.

In a break before the next round of action, Camilla Casanueva ’21 was given 30 seconds to make a layup, a

free-throw shot, 3-point and a halfcourt shot. After crushing the first three, she missed the half-court shot.

The second quarter started just after with a solid 3-point shot from Sawyer on the student team. After a layup also by Sawyer, the score was 18–9 in favor of the students. However, with two foul shots by Pantoja, the faculty started to make a comeback. Williams made a 3-point shot for the faculty after a 3-point shot made by the students, and by the end of the half, the score was 23–17, with the student team continuing its lead.

During halftime, six students were selected to play a game of musical chairs to win $50 in cash — the winner was Ysabel Munoz ’21.

The third quarter began with a strong showing for the faculty and staff who continued to fight the large score gap between them and the students. With two minutes left in the quarter, both sides continued to score, bringing the score to 39–24 by the end of the third quarter.

Between the third and fourth quarters, the Brandeis Judge mascot competed in a dance-off with the “Blue

Man” — another costumed individual wearing a blue spandex suit. The blue man started busting moves to the song "Soldier Boy" followed by the Judge. The two went back and forth until the song changed to “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea and finally “Baby Shark.” Ultimately, after a cheer-off by the crowd, the Judge mascot won.

The fourth quarter started with the students leading, but the faculty continued to bring their A-game, though they ultimately failed to pull ahead of their rivals. The game ended in a 50–40 win for the students.

Meeting: Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

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THE JUSTICE

JUDGES BY THE NUMBERS

● SPORTS ●

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

15

SOFTBALL

BASEBALL TEAM STATS

UAA STANDINGS

Runs Batted In

UAA Conference

WashU

Emory Case NYU JUDGES

W 6 4 4 0 0

L 0 0 2 4 8

Overall W L Pct. 11 10 .854 15 3 .560 13 3 .680 12 8 .650 9 9 .409

Dan Frey ’21 leads the team with 22 runs batted in.

Player RBI Dan Frey 22 Mike Khoury 21 Isaac Fossas 19 Luke Hall 19

Innings Pitched Greg Tobin ’21 leads all pitchers with 30.2 innings pitched.

Player IP Greg Tobin 30.2 Mason Newman 28.1 Cam Roberts 21.2 Albert Gutierrez 18.0

UPCOMING GAMES: April 10 vs. Newbury College April 11 vs. Becker College April 14 vs. Curry College

SOFTBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

UAA Conference Overall

W L W L Pct. JUDGES 4 0 15 0 .969 Emory 7 1 21 5 .808 Case 4 2 15 7 .682 WashU 1 3 9 10 .474 NYU 1 5 13 9 .591 Carnegie 1 7 6 14 .300

Scottie Todd ’20 has a teamhigh with 17 runs batted in.

Player RBI Keri Lehtonen 17 Scottie Todd 17 Marley Felder 15 Jolie Fujita 15

Runs Batted In

Innings Pitched

UPCOMING GAMES: April 9 at Clark University April 12 vs. Case Western Reserve University April 13 vs. Case Western Reserve University

Sydney Goldman ’22 has a team-high with 49 innings Player Ks Sydney Goldman 49.0 Scottie Todd 48.0 Amidori Anderson 10.0

TRACK AND FIELD Results from the UAA championships on April 6.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s) 100-meter dash

RUNNER Regan Charie Jacob Ward Michael Leung

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s) TIME 11.24 11.90 12.14

800-meter run

RUNNER TIME Julia Bryson 2:20.36 Leinni Valdez 2:22.82 Lizbeth Valdez 2:22.84

YVETTE SEI/Justice File Photo

STRETCHING: Brandeis’ Callie MacDonald ’20 pitches in an intense match against Emory University on April 13, 2018.

Softball continues solid 15–0–1 season ■ The Judges swept all four games against New York University this weekend.

By MEGAN GELLER

UPCOMING MEETS:

JUSTICE EDITOR

April 12 at Silfin Invitational April 20 at Gordon Kelly Invitational

TENNIS Results from the meet on March 23.

TOP PERFORMERS (Men’s) MEN’S SINGLES David Aizenberg

RECORD 6–1, 6–2

MEN’S DOUBLES Cheng/Tzeng

RECORD 8–3

TOP PERFORMERS (Women’s) WOMEN’S SINGLES RECORD Ana Hatfield 6–2, 6–2 WOMEN’S DOUBLES RECORD Leavitt/Bertsch 8–0

UPCOMING MEETS:

Men: April 5 at MIT Women: April 4 at Tufts University

This week, the Brandeis University Judges went head to head with the Bobcats of New York University. The Judges swept all four games, bringing them to an overall record of 15–0–1. The team continues to have a strong season even following the game against Wellesley University that resulted in a 7–7 tie. The Judges are now 4–0 in the conference have no plans of slowing down now explained by the Brandeis Athletics site.

Judges 3, Bobcats 1; Judges 9, Bobcats 1 This Saturday, the Judges played two games against NYU, both of which resulted in the Judges as the victors. In the first match of the day and the Judges first University Athletic Association game, the Bobcats

struck first, resulting in no bases being loaded. The opponents then attempted to send a ball to right field as a sacrifice, which resulted in Brandeis’ Bridget Cifuni ’21 nailing the opposing player on her way to third base. Additionally, Brandeis senior Keri Lehton doubled to the left to tie the game, and back-to-back infield grounders

by Cifuni and Jolie Fujita ’21 brought the Judges to 3–1. Next, Scottie Todd ’20 only allowed NYU one more hit, bringing Todd to her fifth complete game pitching in the season and 21st in her career.

In the second game of the meet, the offence stepped up, leading to nine scoring runs out of 15 hits. Eight out of the team’s nine starters had hits favoring the Judges. This game, starter Sydney Goldman ’22 only allowed NYU two hits, with five strikeouts in the first six innings.

Judges 3, Bobcats 1; Judges 6, Bobcats 3 This Sunday, the Judges went head to head with the NYU Bobcats once again. In the opener, Todd brought the team to a fivehit pitching duel. This season,

Todd improved to 8–0. This game was the fourth start where she allowed only one run earned. In the fourth inning, Fujita took a single and placed Brandeis on the board. Brandeis’ unearned runs in the sixth inning provided the team with a cushion for when NYU scored in the bottom of the frame.

In the second game, the team ultimately sealed the game with a three run-home run in the top of the seventh inning. This success came after a long game of hard work and dedication on both sides.

In an interview with the Justice, Lehton explained, “We are super excited to show everyone the results of how hard we have been working all winter. We also have a lot of young talent that I’m excited for people to see. After now, [15] wins, we are feeling good, but we don’t really focus on the record, we just take it one game at a time.”

This Tuesday, Brandeis is scheduled to face Clark University for a double header moved from March 16, followed by playing Case Western Reserve University at home. At that point, the Judges will have played 22 games this season.

PRO SPORTS BRIEF

Texas Tech, University of Virgina become National Collegiate Athletic Association semifinalists Following a long season in the world of college basketball, and the famous March Maddness the final four teams have been narrowed down from a total of 68 that originally began play, as explained

by Cbs Sports. The final four teams include the University of Virginia, Michigan State University, Texas Tech University and Auburn University. All of these teams are looking to be the 2019 NCAA National Champions. So far this season, Texas Tech has the largest margin of victory, with an average of 15 points.

In American sports terms, to be in the final four means to be one of

the last four teams as a result of a tournament which includes single elimination. Of the final four, the two winners will ultimately face in the finals. In this case, the two winners are Texas Tech University and University of Virginia.

Saturday’s game between number one ranked University of Virginia and number five ranked Auburn University resulted in a 63–62 win by Virgina. This fast-paced game was played well enough by both teams, but Auburn fans will remember this day for a long time. This game ended with controversy on the outcome due to a potentially flawed foul call.

There may also be disagreements on the playing quality by supposed star player Kyle Guy. Guy knocked down all three free throws sent his way and resulted in Virginia’s playing in the final game against Texas Tech.

Saturday’s game between Texas Tech and Michigan State resulted in a win by Texas Tech 61–51. Matt Mooney carried the team most of the day while Jarrett Culver fought and ultimately struggled against his opponent. Current Texas Tech Red Raiders coach Chris Beard explained in an interview with CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson, “I told the guys all week, the plan was

not to out-tough Michigan State, it was to match their toughness.”

This game means that Texas Tech will advance to face University of Virginia this Monday in Minneapolis. Michigan State took the loss hard; the team was the highest seeded team, favored by 2.5 points. This week’s game was the first time Michigan State lost as a favored team.

Chris Beard has taken the Texas Tech team and turned it around in the last two years. Texas Tech player Norense Odiase, quoted

by Cbs Sports, explained “When Chris Beard came in and told us his vision for the school, I saw a hard-

working, passionate guy ready to win, and win early.” Odiase also explained, “You have to stick with him. He’s a tough, gritty guy; it’s almost sickening how competitive he is. We fed off him and he’s led us to this point.”

As we approach the end of March Madness, these two final teams will battle it out on the court to earn the title as the 2019 NCAA National Champions. The five games played by both teams over the past three week have led them to this moment.

—Megan Geller

just Sports Page 16

FINAL FOUR BECOMES FINAL TWO NCAA national championships approach for Texas Tech University and University of Virginia, p. 15.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

BASEBALL

HIGH FIVES FOR HELP

Judges fall to 9–13 after devastating defeat by WashU ■ The Judges were crushed by the WashU Saint Louis Bears this weekend.

By MEGAN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

The Judges baseball team sought to avenge a disappointing trip to Emory University last weekend.

Unfortunately, this weekend resulted in another sweep at the hands of a University Athletic Association opponent, as Washington University in Saint Louis came to Waltham and won all four matchups with the Judges.

Here is a breakdown of each game.

Bears 15, Judges 0 The first game of the weekend series with Washington University in St. Louis ended in devastation for the Judges. The first half of the game was a pitching duel between Brandeis southpaw Greg Tobin ’21 and Bears pitcher, John Howard ’19.

Washington scored a run off Tobin in the first, while Howard didn’t allow a hit through five innings when Dan Frey ’21 singled off of him. The Bears scored three runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings

Waltham, Mass.

and tacked on another run in the eighth, culminating in an 8–0 lead.

Tobin wound up going six innings, giving up nine hits and seven runs (five earned), striking out five and walking one. Washington then a scored seven more runs in the top of the ninth inning against the Brandeis bullpen, leading to a final score of 15–0 in a game where the Judges only recorded three base hits — none for extra bases.

Bears 4, Judges 3 (Final 10 innings) The Judges nearly pulled off an upset win in the first game of a double header against 18th ranked Washington University on Saturday morning, but wound up losing both contests. In the first game, the Bears scored twice in the top of the first before the Judges replied with two of their own in their half of the first thanks to RBI’s from Dan Frey ’21 and Luke Hall ’21. Brandeis then gained the lead, 3–2 in the third inning when Isaac Fossas ’21 drove in classmate Mike Khoury ’21 with a double.

Strong pitching from Kyle Shedden ’20, Rik Jhamb ’22, Albert Gutierrez

See BASEBALL, 13

☛

TRACK AND FIELD

Team runs into the Amherst Invitational ■ The men place third and the

women fifth in the Amherst Invitational this week.

By ELLIE WHISENANT JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

This past Saturday, the Judges, along with six other colleges, traveled to western Massachusetts to take part in the Amherst Spring Fling.

This week saw the continuation of underclassman dominating the rankings, with a few seniors and juniors placing here and there. The women’s track and field team placed fifth overall with 30 points, just one point ahead of Mount Holyoke College, and the men’s team came in third with 54 points.

Julia Bryson ’19 was one of the winning upperclassmen in the women’s division. With a time of two minutes and 20.36 seconds, Bryson came in second place in the 800-meter dash, scoring five points for the Judges, and her teammates claimed the fifth through ninth places. She continued to lead in the 4x400-meter relay, running the final leg to put the Brandeis A team in second place.

Along with Bryson, Leinni Valdez ’21 and Lisbeth Valdez ’21 ran the first and second legs before handing off the baton to Andrea Bolduc ’21. Finishing in second place with a time of 4:12.60, the team added seven seconds to their seeded time. The B team came in fifth place.

In the 4x100-meter relay, the

Judges came in second pielace with only two teams competing. Their time of 52.04 won the women five more points. Kanya Brown ’19 began the race and handed off to Sonali Anderson ’22. Tessa Holleran ’21 ran the third leg, with Anna Touitou ‘22 running the last split. Earlier, Anderson ran the 100-meter hurdles and finished second with a time of 15.74. She was followed by Holleran in seventh place.

Erin Magill ‘22 claimed the bronze medal in the 5000-meter, or 3.1 mile, run with a time of 18:42.88.

Seeded with a time of 18:50.00, she dropped just under eight seconds.

In the field events, Kerry Tanke ’22 placed seventh in the javelin throw with a distance of 30.05 meters, or approximately 98.6 feet.

On the men’s side, the Judges started things out well with Lorenzo Maddox ’20 running an 11.14 second 100-meter dash that brought him into third place. He dropped 0.50 seconds from his seeded time. Regan Charie ’19 followed in the 200-meter dash, placing third and dropping .36 seconds with a time of 22.74.

Aaron Portman ‘22 claimed fourth place in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:59.40, followed by Jacob Grant ’22 in sixth place. Portman also ran the first leg in the Brandeis A team 4x400-meter relay, helping the Judges claim second place. Erez Needleman ’20, Jacob and Grant Judd ’20 rounded out the relay team. In the 4x100-meter

See TRACK AND FIELD, 13

☛

ZOE BRODSKY/the Justice

HOPEFUL: Brandeis' Judge mascot high fives musical chairs winner Ysabel Munoz ’21 at the fundraising event on Thursday.

Hoops for Help allocates $10,000 to support six student-selected causes ■ Inspired by Hoops for Haiti, Hoops for Help is the annual faculty vs. students fundraising basketball game.

By MEGAN GELLER JUSTICE EDITOR

Last Thursday, faculty returned to defend last year’s win at the University’s annual students versus faculty and staff basketball game called Hoops for Help, hosted by Brandeis Beacons. Although the faculty team fell short this year, the event still raised money for a variety of causes.

As people entered the event, they approached a table where they were given the option to donate to any aspect of the Brandeis community, including a department, a club or

any other group or community on campus. With a donation of $5 or more, the person was given a vote that could be put towards one of six Challenge causes, as well as a t-shirt. On the ballot were the Brandeis Food Pantry, Student Emergency Fund, the Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center, The Green Fund for Campus Sustainability, World of Work Fellowships and the General Scholarship Fund.

The $10,000 grand prize would be split proportionally depending on the number of votes cast for each organization.

The student team consisted of Grace Barredo '19, Roland Blanding '21, Hannah Brown '19, Adam Dean '21, Shea Decker-Jacoby '19, Sarah Jaromin '19, Geoffrey Kao '19, Sam Kim '19, Hannah Maatallah '19, Isaac Mukala '22, Emma Russell '19 and Latye Workman '19.

The faculty and staff team consisted of Protestant Chaplain Reverend Matt Carriker, Prof. Joel Christensen (CLAS), Alumni Relations Officer Amanda Genovese, Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach Pat Luptowski, Assistant Director for Marketing and Communications at Hiatt Kristin Menconi, Intramural Sports Coordinator Julie Mizraji, Assistant Director of Annual Giving at Institutional Advancement Ben Niles, North Quad Area Coordinator Maira Pantoja, Senior Project Manager for Design and Construction for Facilities Drew Rovan, Executive Assistant for Student Affairs Melissa Soleimani, Operations Specialist for Student Activities JV Souffrant, Director of Engagement Communications for Institutional Advancement Communications

See HOOPS FOR HOPE, 13

☛

April 9, 2019

É

IN AM

SPRINGFEST ’19

Vol. LXXI #23

just

s t Ar Waltham, MA.

Images: Noah Zeitlin/the Justice. Design: Andrew Baxter/the Justice.

18

TUESDAY, THE JUSTICE APRIL 9| ARTS 2019 I| ARTS TUESDAY, I THEJANUARY JUSTICE 31, 2017

CULTURE

Time travel with J-SAI

By ELLA RUSSELL JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The Japanese Student Association held their culture show in the Levin Ballroom for the first time last Friday. They called the show J-SAI, an amalgamation of “Japan” and the kanji, the logographic character in Japnaese, for “festival,” which can be pronounced either as matsuri or sai. This title was all JSA needed for their beautiful stage backdrop: a stylized version of J-SAI surrounded with flowers and a grid pattern of green and blue squares.

J-SAI began with a performance segment and ended with a matsuri, which provided an array of Japanese-style games and food. This was a change from their past events in Sherman Function Hall, which combined the performance and matsuri segments. That combination meant that “people would come and go [and] they would pay less attention to the performances,” JSA president Eurey Noguchi ’20 remarked.

The theme of the show was “Where Past Meets Present.” JSA emphasized this from the beginning with a video presenting a tour of Japanese culture.

The video flashed from traditional Japan, showing fish markets, kimonos, Kabuki theater and Buddhist and Shinto shrines, to modern Japan, showing Tokyo Tower, the bustling metropolis of Tokyo and Japan’s advancements in robotics.

JSA then presented their e-board video, a parody of the time-honored Japanese tradition of apologizing, or shazai. J-SAI coordinator Alysa Noda-Hines ’20 provided the narration. She explained that the first level of apology is sumimasen, which roughly translates to “I’m sorry.” The rest of the e-board acted out scenarios necessitating sumimasen: bumping into someone, receiving a gift — because of the incredible hardship the gift-giver had to go through — and accidentally walking in on lovebirds making a move on each other. The next level is bowing, or ojigi. The e-board demonstrated the shallow and deep ojigi, which have a basis in reality. Next, in a descent into the ridiculous, they demonstrated a “long ojigi,” lasting until the bower is told to stop, and a “perpetual ojigi,” repeated bowing and an ojigi on one knee used by ninjas. Finally, Noda-Hines explained that “level one hundred” is dogeza, in which the bower prostrates themselves. Dozega is an aspect of traditional Japanese etiquette that is almost never used today.

Nevertheless, the e-board presented their unique take on the tradition: flossing dogeza, rolling dogeza, laying dogeza, pyramid dogeza and dynamic dogeza. All of these were as silly as they sound.

After the e-board video was a taiko drumming performance by Wellesley Aiko. Taiko is the Japanese word for any kind of drum, but outside of Japan, it refers to any of the Japanese-style drums and to the ensemble taiko drumming known in Japanese as kumi-daiko. Wellesley’s Aiko was quite impressive;

although there were around ten or so drummers, they intermixed complicated rhythms with excellent synchronization. One drummer played a smaller drum presumably to set the rhythm of the piece. Throughout their performance, the group would periodically yell out kakegoe, shouts used to encourage other players or indicate transitions in a piece.

The Japanese fashion show came next. Each model walked out to different J-pop music and a description of their outfit by the emcees. Highlights included the kimono, school uniforms universal to Japanese schools, a gyaru outfit (gyaru being the Japanese transliteration of gal), a Lolita costume, and a yukata.

The last music group was Berklee College of Music band “Katsuo,” which played a mixture of J-pop and R&B styles. The head singer explained they were named after the fish katsuobushi — or skipjack tuna — because they “made tasty music.” Many of their songs dealt with the theme of love: from cheap love to heartbreak to reconciliation. Their final song was their most energetic and fun, inviting the audience to clap along and participate in the chorus.

A mini quiz show, “Japan League,” came after the performances. Noguchi and Public Relations Coordinator Jace Yang ’21 were the hosts, providing a fastpaced, quirky banter. Two teams of four, coming up on stage, were asked to name pictures of Japanese noodles, desserts, anime, general companies and car companies. Yang joked that the Japanese desserts they presented were better that Sodexo’s desserts.

Noguchi responded with mock horror, announcing that “Sodexo is God,” to which Yang responded, “If Sodexo is God then I must be experiencing some kind of divine punishment.” The contestants were wellversed in Japanese culture, answering all the questions correctly.

Next, the audience was invited to participate in the show using Kahoot, an online quiz platform. For this segment, each question presented a selection of items in a certain category, including video games, TV shows and clothing brands. First, the audience had to choose which item was Japanese and which was not Japanese. The Japanese nature or lack thereof of some of the items was sometimes surprising. For example, the arcade company Atari has a Japanese title and the clothing company Superdry has Japanese characters in its logo, but neither are Japanese companies.

The JSA e-board next performed a dance in brightly colored coats. After this dance, J-SAI coordinators Alysa Noda-Hines ’20 and Maya Iimura ’20 handed out flowers to the graduating JSA members. When they were done, Vice President Kazuki Mochimaru ’19, who had been unable to make most of the show, entered the ballroom, giving another round of flowers to every e-board member.

These accolades provided only a hint of how much work had gone into the show. JSA did well for their first time in the Levin Ballroom, presenting an enjoyable window into Japanese culture.

Photos by THU LE/the Justice

TALENTED BOARD: The Japanese Student Association not only organized the event, but also put on an exciting dance sequence at the end of the show.

COLOR AND SHADES: The set of the show was used as the background of the performance, changing color with different lighting.

BEATS AND RHYTHM: Students provided a variety of performances, from a fashion show to taiko drumming.

FRIENDS FROM BERKLEE: Katsuo, a guest band from Berklee College of Music, thrilled the audience with a series of love songs.

Design: Morgan Mayback/the Justice

THE JUSTICE I ARTS I TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

19

MUSIC

Springfest

Photos by NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

Tré Warner performs the song which got him the Springfest gig, entitled “Springfest Freestyle”. Tré Warner ’23, who goes by the rapper name Trizzy Tré, was selected as a student performer for this year’s Springfest concert.

By NOAH ZEITLIN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSITANT

Rico Nasty wears a mask and raps to the audience during Springfest. She impressed the audience during her song, “Smack a Bitch.”

Aminé sings to the crowd who had been waiting for him to perform all day. During his riveting performance, Aminé sang his hit songs “Caroline” and “Spice Girl,” and the crowd went wild.

Ari Lennox sings passionately as she performs to a roaring crowd during Springfest. She gave a heartfelt performance and interacted with the crowd.

The DJ told the crowd to wave their hands in the air.

Members of the crowd wave their hands up in hopes of receiving a free t-shirt from the Campus Activities Board. The front of the t-shirt sstate, “How you gonna be sad on Springfest?”

Editor’s note: Justice editor Nia Lyn ’19 and Emily Blumenthal ’20 were volunteers of Springfest.

CULTURE PREVIEW Fafali Percussion, the Ghanian ensemble for both drum and dance at the University, will perform. Run through the music department, Fafali provides an opportunity for all students to learn and perform for the Brandeis community.

The Brandeis Ballet Company will be presenting “Elephant,” a dance that explores the beauty of the movements of the animals. The clubs serves to offer Brandeis students the chance to take ballet classes and perform, such as their annual fallsemester performance of “The Nutcracker.”

New York guitarist Eli Kangmana will be use a single melody to show his growth as a musician.

Kangmana has played the guitar since the age of seven.

Preview of:

Culture X

From roots to leaves grounded in our histories

Brandeis Bollywood Fusion team Chak De mixes classical Indian, Bollywood, Indian folk and Western style in their dances. As they perform, they hope to unite many cultures of the Brandeis community through their love of dance.

Zehn Quan, a first-year psychology major at Brandeis, is going to perform a self-produced mix of Chinese dance and contemporary dance.

Kaos Kids, a Brandeis secular dance troop, will storm the night with their powerful hip-hop dance. They plan to take the audience on a trip Around the World!

As Brandeis’ only step team, the Platinum Step Team performs on and off campus, sharing love and appreciation for step. They will bring their talent to the CultureX stage through their team performance.

Culture X, the biggest cultural show of the semester, is entering its 20th anniversary! 16 artists and groups will be performing on Saturday night in Levin Ballroom. To preview this event, the Justice spoke to the culture organizer, Gabi Rivero, about what clubs will be performing and what Culture X means to her.

Some groups didn’t provide information about their performances; however, their performances at CultureX will be importance pieces to this show.

By LUKE LIU

JUSTICE EDITORAL ASSITANT

First year classical musicians Connie Cai and David Cohen will perform the Five Tangos by Astor Piazzolla.

Piazzolla is an Argentinian tango composer and is known for the nuevo tango style. Cai and Cohen will showcase the genre;s of his work.

Afro-Caribbean dance team Rebelle will be sharing a variety of dance forms from different countries in Africa.

Rebelle is known for being more than just a dance team though: The friendships and trust established are essential are building a family.

Kazuki Mochimaru will be performing a song called “Lemon” by Yonezu Kenshi with three other members from the Japanese Student Association. They will bring vocals, guitar and piano to the CultureX. WKD Dance group and Imani Islam ’20 will also be performing.

“Culture X is about celebrating the diversity on campus in a space that brings it all together. We have culture shows for individual clubs all year long, but Culture X is the only time that all of these different cultures and performers get to share the same stage. This year we want to make that even more apparent with a closing number that shows off where all our performers are from.”

Culture X Chair Committee Organizer GABI RIVERO

04/13/2019 7P.M. - 9 P.M.

Sankofa uses their dances to bring the experience of African diaspora to campus. They seek to spread history and culture to Brandeis through the use of movement and dance.

Brandeis-based hip-hop dance group XL Girl is a well known throughout the Boston area. They will bring a unique spin to CultureX that is widely anticipated.

Afro Diamonds will take the CultureX stage. They are a Waltham-based company of young dancers, including some elementary school students.

Toxic is Brandeis University’s first premier majorette dance line. They provide a fun and empowering environment for students to learn the freedom and discipline of Majorette-style dancing.

They have performed all around the Brandeis campus at various events — including hosting their first showcase in the fall — so watching them at CultureX will be a treat.

Design: Yael Hanadari-Levy/the Justice

20

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019 | ARTS | THE JUSTICE

INTERVIEW

JUSTARTS SPOTLIGHT ON THE ROSE

By ELLIE WHISENANT JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

At first glance, Howardena Pindell’s “Autobiography: Scapegoat” appears to be a simple collage of magazine-like cutouts and words against a gray background. However, after viewing the work for a few seconds, you begin to notice the complicated texture. Though the work is not a sculpture by any means, the techniques Pindell use are reminiscent of 3D pieces. By overlapping many different mediums, ridges form across the entire background, drawing the viewer’s attention to the smoother areas. It is in these areas where her message lies. Phrases such as, “if you don’t do what we say we will,” “we will have our way” and “do not underestimate our power” quite literally hang over the heads of silhouettes and painted images of women, men and children of color.

One of the most powerful images sits at the far right of the piece.

A woman lies in a fetal position with knives almost piercing her back. Not even aware of the threats behind her, this woman continues to be attacked even though she is lying helpless and defeated. This theme of oppression and mistreatment is presented throughout the entirety of the work. Like the image of the woman, Pindell uses other bodily images to represent suppression.

Where Pindell writes, “If you don’t do what we say we will…” a white foot stands on top of a person of color’s head, pressing him further and further down.

Next to the words “give up your personality,” there is a series of three paintings of a woman.

The first one, farthest from the words, is of a her smiling and looking up and painted in color.

Next, the woman, still somewhat smiling but looking straight ahead, is pictured in black and white, but still has a lot of detail and shading. However, the third is of a her, painted in somber grays, with her eyes down and a forlorn expression.

These images, all right next to each other, are honest about systematic oppression. Howardena Pindell draws her audience in by presenting these images so casually, not sugar-coating any of the horrific truths. Her works are so impressive because she has the ability to express so much in such a relatively small place.

Like how she layers her medium, Pindell is also able to layer her story with others’, authentically telling the audience the reality of what she has experienced.

STAFF’S Top Ten

NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

Top 10 Things Sarah Watches on Netflix

By Sarah Katz JUSTICE EDITOR

While I prefer Hulu, here is an intimate list of media that I most often find myself watching on Netflix.

1. Barbie Life In The Dreamhouse 2. The Eighties CNN 3. Kim’s Convenience 4. Paris is Burning 5. Hairspray 6. The First Monday in May 7. Bad Education 8. Wet Hot American Summer 9. Queer Eye 10. The Little Hours

Courtney Page ’19 Robin Donohoe ’19 NOAH ZEITLIN/the Justice

This week, justArts spoke with Robin Donohoe ’19 and Courtney Page ’19, who are members of the Campus Activity Board excutive board.

Howardena Pindell, “Autobiography: Scapegoat,” 1990. 76 1/2 x 140 inches, Mixed media on canvas. The Studio Museum in Harlem; Museum Purchase. 1994.1 NATALIA WIATER/the Justice

JustArts: Tell me a bit about your organization.

Robin Donohoe: CAB, Campus Activity Board, organizes the large scale events on campus. Springfest is the largest event that we do, but we also have a big event in the fall that was called “Fun in the Sun.” … We have done movie marathons. We had a karaoke night on St Patrick’s Day. So just like a lot of different, fun events on campus that’s open to everyone.

JA: What was the process of finding the Springfest performers?

RD: So this is my third year involved with Springfest and this is Courtney’s second year. Courtney is the Springfest chair and I am the vice president of CAB. There’s a survey that goes out every midfall, and that’s where we get our guide for we wanted Springfest to look like. We usually look for most popular genre. From the people who had taken the survey, which is like a good one third of the Brandies population, it has been rap for the past couple of years, so that is why Springfest has a rap headliner. ... Then we select the artists.

LUKE LIU/the Justice

CROSSWORD

JA: Do you think your organization receives sufficient amount of support from the school?

ACROSS 1 Patrick Stewart was its number two actor?

11 Psycho’s ending?

15 Ones who draw crowds at parties 16 French 101 verb 17 Garden party?

18 Footnote abbr.

19 Dorm VIPs 20 “It’s nothing serious” 22 Bit of 12-Down 24 Like modest characters?

26 Milk measure 27 Certain test, for short 28 “Give it _____, will ya?”

29 “I’m playing you the world’s smallest violin” 31 Area 51 dwellers, for short 32 Pts. of acts 33 Small songbirds 35 They last 10 yrs.

38 Congratulatory internet acronym 40 Utter nonsense 43 Moves as a spirit might?

46 Go on a jag of sorts 47 Beginning of the año 48 Caped fighters 50 Flier 51 Took up, perhaps 52 “_____ for Evidence” (Grafton novel) 53 Debugger?

54 Big source of ink 60 Taylor-made role?

61 One seeking 35-Down 62 What tort plaintiffs must prove 63 Tourists DOWN 1 The Obama presidency, for one 2 Subversive magazine 3 Light winds?

4 “Little Women” character played by Katharine Hepburn 5 Riled up 6 Rainier, e.g.

7 Ref. work 8 Saturn SUV 9 Cooper contemporary 10 Burros, in Berlin 11 They can take an eye out?

12 Duds 13 Rapper Scott whose name once contained a dollar sign 14 “You just missed him” 21 Exam for an atty.-to-be 22 Creates, as dissent 23 Grp. that watched the stars?

24 Burn a bit 25 Miss 30 Reaction to one’s heart melting 31 Night school subj.

Courtney Page: So when selecting artist, we coordinate with our agents Dan and Jon. We work with them closely, looking at what artists are available for our day of show.

RD: Yeah. We’d always like more money if we can have it to get a bigger artist, but A-Board is pretty [good] at giving it to us. ... We work directly with the head of student activity for these events, and Dennis Hicks did a really great job supporting Courtney.

JA: In the past two years, many hip-hop and pop artists were invited to perform.

Has it been considered to bring other genres to the event?

Crossword Courtesy of EVAN MAHNKEN

Solution Courtesy of EVAN MAHNKEN

34 Catches, as a bad guy 35 See 61-Across 36 Podcaster Maron 37 Place to deposit money 38 Franzen novel 39 Feodor I, for one 41 Can’t stand 42 Singer Iglesias 43 Make stiff 44 “Me-ow!”

45 More pretentious 46 “Same here!”

49 “The Ballet Class” painter 55 Ballpark fig.

56 Gov’t. grant-giver 57 “The Last Ship” channel 58 Cash back?

59 Ones administering a 27-Across

RD: I think it just goes back to the survey, cause that’s the best way we can figure out data. When I was at C-store, some kids want Imagine Dragons, but A, we can’t get Imagine Dragons and B, it’s not what the people say they want [in the survey].

These past two years, Courtney and I have done a really good job to try to get more female artists at Springfest. So the supporting acts for all of last year and all of this year have been females. Last year was all indie pop and this year is pop rap. So we were taking from the survey and try to make it as open to everyone as we can.

JA: Do you think the student community has given you guys enough feedbacks through the survey?

RD: There’s a couple different options to get involved in CAB. … Courtney does have a Springfest committee. We also do have open CAB meetings every week that are available to everyone. So if someone wants to come in, we do have those open meetings every week through this entire year and last year. So if they have any idea for not just Springfest but any of our CAB events they can bring it to us.

CP: So my Springfest committee this year is seven people. And there is an application and selecting process for it. And basically for me to select the best candidates that I think would be good leaders, and also responsible in terms of time management, getting things done around Springfest. So I think it is important that students recognize that there’s ways to get involved and change it [if they have complaints].

Solution Courtesy of EVAN MAHNKEN

—Luke Liu