The Justice, Dec. 9, 2014 by The Justice

ARTS Page 21

FORUM Focus Ferguson protests on goals 12

BORIS’ KITCHEN

SPORTS Harrigan wins at track and field opener 16 The Independent Student Newspaper

the

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

Justice

Volume LXVII, Number 14

www.thejustice.org

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

administration

ORGANIZED EFFORT

Giumette retires from dean post ■ Dean of Financial Services

Peter Giumette accepted an early retirement package after his job was eliminated. By marissa ditkowsky justice editor

Dean of Student Financial Services Peter Giumette will retire at the end of December after 20 years at Brandeis. Upon his departure, the Division of Students and Enrollment will experience a number of structural changes. In an interview with the Justice, Giumette said that his job was eliminated. He said that the possibility of staying at the University in another capacity was not discussed and that he is receiving an early retirement package. Giumette joined the University as the director of financial aid in 1994. Before coming to Brandeis, Giumette worked in the Office of Financial Aid at Boston University and as the director of financial aid at Clarke University. “The whole aspect of my job was

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

FERGUSON RESPONSE: Students lay on Rabb steps last Monday to express solidarity with victims of police violence at a Die-In.

Students protest recent Grand Jury decisions

■ As part of a national

movement, students staged a “Die-In” on the Rabb steps last Monday. By Rachel hughes JUSTICE editor

When the decision to not indict Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo. police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown on Aug. 9 of this year, was released last Monday, Dec. 1, Brandeis students responded by posting signs, protesting and having open conversations with University administration over the past week. Around campus, spray-painted, taped and hand-made signs were posted with messages like “A black person is killed by police or vigi-

For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org

lantes once every 28 hours,” “indict America” and “Black Lives Matter.” A sign was posted over the Brandeis University sign that marks the South Street entrance to campus reading “Indict AmeriKKKa” in black and red paint. Pictures of the signage were posted to a Facebook page called “Black Lives Matter Brandeis”—which describes itself with the message “Black Lives Matter at Brandeis. Let’s hold this institution accountable!” in the page’s About section— last Tuesday. An entry in the weekly media log provided to the Justice by Brandeis University Police documents the removal of the signs. According to the log, last Monday, the officers on patrol noticed a group of males running away from the Rabb steps around 4 a.m. The officers found an upside-down American flag

Waltham, Mass.

very rewarding for the most part,” said Giumette. “We get the pleasure of being able to help put their kids through Brandeis, and sometimes it may not work as Figueroa well as we’d like, but for the most part, it does. It’s just nice to be part of that process.” Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel wrote in a in a Dec. 4 email Walker to Brandeis faculty and staff that Giumette led the Office of Financial Aid through a variety of transformations, including the incorporation of student accounts, while also supporting a 30 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment. “Peter will leave a

See PROMOTIONS, 7 ☛

BRIEF Maggie Balch leaves University Associate Dean of Student Life Maggie Balch has left the University after more than 11 years of service. According to Dean of Students Jamele Adams in an email to the Justice, no announcement from the University will be made or is forthcoming, “[i]n her own style and at her request.” Prior to her service as Dean of Student Life, Balch served as the Assistant Dean of Student Life and the Director of Residence Life. “We are appreciative of her more than 11 years of service to our community, and showing love to our Brandeis Family,” Adams wrote. When asked if the University is currently seeking to replace Balch, Adams wrote that he is “taking advantage of this transition to work with my team to develop the best leadership structure for the office in support of our students and will keep you posted.” Balch is listed as the current

that appeared to have been splattered with blood hung above the Rabb steps. Hung next to it, officers found a banner that quoted W. E. B. DuBois, reading: “A system cannot fail those it was never built to protect.” Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan explained the officers’ removal of the signage in an email to the Justice. “Several signs were removed from campus exterior location,” he wrote. “The signs were not authorized by the Dean of Student Life which is the university process to follow.” In an email to the Brandeis community on Thursday, Dean of Students Jamele Adams explained the decision further. “The signs were removed because there was no identifying student connection to them, we were not aware of any

See PROTEST, 7 ☛

dean of student affairs at the Rhode Island School of Design on the school’s website. A press release on the search firm Spelman and Johnson Group’s website offered its congratulations to Balch on her appointment as dean of student affairs at RISD. Chief Operating Officer at RISD Jean Eddy, who served as senior vice president for students and enrollment at Brandeis until fall 2010, was listed as a partner in the search process, along with other members of the RISD search committee and administration. Eddy accepted a position as RISD’s senior vice president for students and enrollment and was to resign from her position at Brandeis at the end of September 2010, according to a Sept. 21, 2010 Justice article. Balch did not respond to multiple requests for comment by press time. —Marissa Ditkowsky

Culture through comedy

Court vision

State of the Union

 An alumnus uses his Fulbright Fellowship to study Chinese comedy.

 The men’s basketball team won the consolation game of the New England Big 4 Challenge on Sunday.

 Student Union President Sneha Walia ’15 delivered the address last night.

FEATURES 9

SPORTS 16

Let your voice be heard! Submit letters to the editor online at www.thejustice.org

INDEX

ARTS SPORTS

17 16

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 8

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

TUESDAY, december 9, 2014

●

THE JUSTICE

NEWS SENATE LOG

Senate recognizes three new clubs at final meeting of the semester On Sunday, the Senate convened for its last meeting of the semester to recognize several clubs, provide some updates and make some general announcements. To start the meeting, Student Union President Sneha Walia ’15 made an announcement about the Senate’s State of the Union event, which was held last night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Samir Undavia ’17, the vice president of Deis3D, approached the Senate to ask that the club be able to change its constitution to vote to fill vacant positions. The Senate had a brief closed discussion and voted in favor of changing the club’s constitution. Brandeis Association of Rising Dramatists approached the Senate seeking recognition and charter. Representatives explained that they hope to hold workshops. The Senate voted to recognize the club. BARD also asked for charter to fund productions. The Senate had a brief closed discussion and ultimately voted in favor of granting the club charter. The mental health education group Active Minds asked for recognition and charter to establish a Brandeis chapter. The senators questioned whether a chapter would be necessary, as the Department of Community Living already has mental health services, but voted 17 to one to recognize the club. Representatives also asked for charter for fundraising events to pay the national organization’s annual fee. The Senate denied the club charter on the grounds that the current Student Union constitution prevents the usage of student activities fees funds to pay for fundraising activities that require students to pay for services or goods. Aspiring technology journal Innovation also asked for recognition and charter. The Senate voted in favor of recognition. The club said charter funds would be used for a print version of the journal and an Internet domain name; the Senate voted to grant the club charter. The Senate moved on to individual progress reports from the senators. Topics discussed include the ongoing efforts to use funds for a purpose other than the proposed ski trip, the overall success of the Turkey Shuttle, a potential archive of clubs to keep track of existing and previous clubs, possible Earth Week activities and planning for the Midnight Buffet, which took place last night. The Sustainability Committee discussed compiling a report of on campus functions for general consumption. The Senate also discussed supplemental training for Brandeis Police, citing last month’s broken-up library party as a call for diversity training and training on how to effectively deal with students. Members of the Campus Operations Work Group discussed recently approved items for the quads, including a new water fountain and vending machine for East Quad and a ping-pong table for Massell Quad. Student Union Vice President Sofía Muhlmann ’16 announced Rosenthal Quad Senator Nimisha Shinday’s ’17 resignation. The Senate will not be meeting until the spring semester.

POLICE LOG Medical Emergency

the transport. Dec. 5—A party requested BEMCo for a female student who had fallen on the floor and hit her head. The student had difficulty balancing but was conscious and alert. BEMCo staff treated the student with a signed refusal for further care. Dec. 5—A caller reported that a student in Massell Quad had low blood sugar and was feeling faint. Cataldo Ambulance was notified but did not transport the patient, who refused further medical treatment. BEMCo staff and University Police assisted the party. Dec. 6—The manager of the Stein called to report an intoxicated party in the bathroom outside. University Police and BEMCo responded to the scene and called Cataldo Ambulance. Cataldo transported the patient to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. The Community Development Coordinator oncall was notified of the incident. Dec. 6—BEMCo responded

Dec. 2—A party reported that a male at the Golding Health Center was having trouble breathing. University Police and BEMCo responded and requested Cataldo Ambulance. Cataldo transported the male party to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. Dec. 4—A caller reported an intoxicated female party in Massell Quad. University Police and BEMCo responded, and BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Dec. 4—A custodial staff member who was not feeling well requested BEMCo’s assistance at Gerstenzang. BEMCo staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Dec. 4—A staff member at Mailman House requested an ambulance for transportation to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for a voluntary psychiatric evaluation. Cataldo Ambulance transported the party for further care. University Police assisted with

to a student in the Foster Mods who stated she had cut her foot on broken glass. Staff treated the party with a signed refusal for further care. Dec. 7—A caller reported an intoxicated female in Massell Quad. University Police, BEMCo and Cataldo Ambulance responded to the scene. The individual refused to go the hospital. Dec. 7—BEMCo requested an ambulance for an intoxicated female in Massell Quad. University Police escorted the Cataldo ambulance and Fire Department personnel to the scene from the University’s main entrance.

Vandalism

Dec. 5—University Police compiled a report on past vandalism to the traffic gate at the Shapiro Science Center.

Disturbance

Dec. 6—A student called to report loud noise in Ziv Quad, stating that students were misbehaving. University Police re-

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS n A News article initially stated incorrectly that the Department of Education document titled “Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence” was published in April 2014. It was, in fact, published in April 2011. (Nov. 25, pg. 1) n An editorial misidentified the donor for the new Hassenfeld Innovation Center at the International Business School as Henry Hassenfeld. The donor is, in fact, Alan Hassenfeld. Henry Hassenfeld, not Alan Hassenfeld, is one of the founding donors of the University. Alan Hassenfeld is also the grandson, not great-grandson, of Henry Hassenfeld. (Nov. 25, pg. 10)

Justice

the

www.thejustice.org

The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Editor in chief office hours are held Mondays from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Justice office. Editor News Forum Features Sports Arts Ads Photos Managing Copy Layout

editor@thejustice.org news@thejustice.org forum@thejustice.org features@thejustice.org sports@thejustice.org arts@thejustice.org ads@thejustice.org photos@thejustice.org managing@thejustice.org copy@thejustice.org layout@thejustice.org

The Justice Brandeis University Mailstop 214 P.O. Box 549110 Waltham, MA 02454-9110 Phone: (781) 736-3750

Dec. 1—University Police on patrol noticed a group of males running away from Rabb steps at around 4 a.m. University Police were also informed by Waltham Police that they noticed, while driving on South Street, a sign being placed over the stone sign at the main entrance to campus. Several other signs were found on campus. University Police removed the signs and compiled a report on the incident. Dec. 3—University Police investigated a report of an unknown male living in a Ziv Quad staff apartment. Officers compiled a report on the incident. —compiled by Tate Herbert.

UVA to lift ban in January

n A News article failed to identify Rabbi David Pardo as the co-director of the Heshe and Harriet Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus. (Nov. 25, pg. 1)

The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@ thejustice.org.

Miscellaneous

WIRE BRIEF

PINK PARADE

—Abby Patkin

n The Brandeis Talks piece incorrectly quoted Becky Israel ’17. Her answer was actually as follows: “My family and I don’t have any unique traditions.” The quotation provided, stating, “We have six course dinners. That’s one thing that’s strange about us I think. We go and we’ll eat, right? ... But this year we’re also going to look at each other in the eyes for like a minute straight when we do cheers and it’s going to be really creepy,” was actually that of Francesca DiLapi ’18. (Nov. 25, pg. 24)

sponded to the scene and reported that students were having a loud party. Officers removed all students but the resident hosts and issued a verbal warning. The party was ended without incident.

MICHELLE BANAYAN/the Justice

Joel Burt-Miller ’16 modeled in the Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women (PINK) fashion show on Sunday to raise money for Sharsheret, which supports women suffering from ovarian and breast cancer.

After Rolling Stone’s editors admitted the magazine made a series of errors in an explosive article that described an alleged brutal gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity house, several national Greek organizations asked for an apology and are calling on the school to reinstate fraternity and sorority activities on campus. In a joint statement, the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee, the National Panhellenic Conference and the North American Intrafraternity Conference all called on the university to allow fraternities and sororities at the university to resume activities. All activities were suspended through early next month following the Rolling Stone story. On Monday afternoon, the school released a statement saying fraternity and sorority activities would resume Jan. 9. Days after the Rolling Stone article was published, university President Teresa Sullivan suspended fraternity and sorority activities until Jan. 9 and asked Charlottesville police to investigate the alleged rape at the Phi Kappa Psi house. A university spokesman told the Los Angeles Times that the campus had always planned to reinstate its Greek organizations on Jan. 9. The school was already under scrutiny after the United States Department of Education launched an investigation to determine whether the campus violated federal law by failing to properly receive and review complaints of sexual violence and harassment made by students. Last week, Rolling Stone released a statement highlighting several inconsistencies in the magazine’s reporting. In a statement, managing editor Will Dana said the magazine agreed not to contact the woman’s alleged attackers and later found out that the fraternity did not host a party on the night Jackie said she was raped. During follow-up interviews after the story came out, the magazine also determined that it was not clear if Drew, the man who allegedly lured the victim into the room where she said she was assaulted, was actually a Phi Kappa Psi member. A spokeswoman for the Charlottesville Police Department would not say whether Rolling Stone’s errors had affected the investigation into the Phi Kappa Psi case. —Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service

ANNOUNCEMENTS From Looking to Bearing Witness

Join the 2014 Sorensen Fellows as they share experiences from their internships in Ghana, Guinea, India, Kenya, Poland and Washington, D.C. These students will reflect on their internships, emphasizing the theme of transformation through building relationships of trust. Today from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Usdan Student Center Alumni Lounge

Lonely Hearts: The Marriage Crisis in the Great Depression

Did gold diggers find success in the 1930s in America, or was there a lost generation of spinsters due to the Great Depression? What role did lonely hearts clubs play in helping adults find love in the midst of the economic turmoil? This talk will discuss the theme of loneliness that pervades the decade, as well as advice literature on how to find a husband, the sexual mores of modern courtship and

the rules to finding satisfaction in staying solo. Today from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Epstein Building multipurpose room.

Webinar: Gender Bias with Bossed Up Founder/CEO Emilie Aries

Emilie Aries, founder and CEO of Bossed Up, will speak to the Brandeis community about the prevalence of gender bias in the workplace and offer suggestions for what both men and women can do to address this issue in their professional lives. Today from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. online.

ICC Presents: Holidaze

Get into the holiday spirit by giving back! Stop by the Intercultural Center and learn about the numerous holidays that are celebrated from November to January. You are also welcome to share your holiday stories with fellow Brandeis students, faculty and staff. We will also have a card

making station to create holiday cards to donate to nursing homes in Boston and Waltham. Free hot cocoa and holiday treats will be served! Tomorrow from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Intercultural Center Lounge.

STAR Study Break

Take a break from studying to come hang out with STAR members and enjoy some free donuts. Kaplan Test Prep will also be available to pass out study materials and information about grad school. Tomorrow from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

BZA Tel Aviv Club Night: Glow in the Dark

Kick off the start of the spring semester with BZA at their glow-in-the-dark Tel Aviv Club Night event. There will be Israeli food, music and dance. Saturday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. in Sherman Function Hall.

THE JUSTICE

●

Reporting policy under assessment ■ A policy is in the works to

provide a path for faculty to become confidential sources in cases of sexual misconduct. By MARISSA DITKOWSKY JUSTICE EDITOR

GRACE KWON/the Justice

SEMESTERLY ADDRESS: Student Union President Sneha Walia ’15 discussed progress and addressed concerns yesterday.

Walia addresses issues in State of the Union Sneha Walia ’15 delivered the State of the Union address last night. By RACHEL SHARER JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

At the annual State of the Union address on Monday, Student Union President Sneha Walia ’15 discussed recent issues on campus including sexual assault, mistrust between students and administrators and budget transparency. Walia discussed the Union’s initiatives to address these problems as well as new campus projects. She stated that the Union is “working on being truly student-focused” this year by concentrating on student concerns and striving to work closely with their peers. Walia also said that the Union is working to “give students more access to administrators” and has succeeded in doing so through events such as Deans’ Night and the roundtable discussion with administrators held last month. Walia went on to say that there have been some “deeply troubling matters” that have affected the Brandeis community this past year. She stated that she is proud that students have shown interest and passion towards these events and have organized initiatives in response to sexual assault issues, unfair labor practices and the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Walia said that, although there has been some “mistrust” between administrators and students in the past semester, increased communication and dialogue between students and administrators will help to “work towards actionable solutions that cannot be ignored.” She did not discuss specific solutions to these problems, but emphasized that the Student Union will work hard to increase and encourage communication surrounding these topics. Walia went on to discuss the specific initiatives conducted by each Union member. She said that along with her initiative of bringing student feedback directly to

administrators, she is also working on creating an effective Riverside shuttle, working with club petitions, increasing the relationship between students and the Board of Trustees and “creating transparency between the the student body and the administration, especially on issues related to fundraising, tuition and financial aid.” Walia listed several initiatives that executive board members have been working on throughout the semester. They included Secretary Charlotte Franco ’15 working to “give the Stein a more Brandeiscentered feel,” and co-Directors of Academic Affairs Emily Conrad ’17 and Shukai Zhang ’15 initiating yet another successful “take your professor to lunch” program and introducing a new program, “take your professor to coffee.” In addition to these campus initiatives, Executive Director for Programming Felix Liu Ku ’15 has been working closely with Deis Day Committee Directors Chloe Man ’17 and Hanyang Li ’17 to plan Deis Day, which will be held on the same day as admitted students day this year. Student Representatives to the Board of Trustees Grady Ward ’16 and Mohamed Sidique ’15 have been working to increase connections and transparency between the Board and students by “widening streams of communication” through conducting discussions with Board members. Chief of Staff Flora Wang ’15 has worked hard to coordinate events and attend meetings and also has served on the provost search committee, which ultimately selected Lisa Lynch as the new provost in October. Walia also discussed the initiatives and projects of all the campus senators. Chair of the Dining Committee Ben Margolin ’17 led a dining forum last month that brought student and Sodexo representatives together to discuss dining issues, leading Sodexo to make several changes in food quality and availability. Class of 2018 Senator Luxi Wen, who is also on the Dining Committee, has continuously worked with the Sustainability Committee to improve sustainability on campus. Off-campus senator

FACULTY

A PRESIDENTIAL PRESENCE

■ Student Union President

TUESDAY, december 9, 2014

Mary Michalos ’16 worked with Class of 2016 Senator Nyah Macklin to plan a student-faculty ski trip. Michalos also organized the Turkey Shuttles that took students to and from the airport around Thanksgiving and helped plan the Midnight Buffet that took place Monday night as chair of the Senate Services and Outreach Committee. Macklin is working on both a class of 2016 ski trip and a transportation initiative in which additional BranVans will be added to the 5 p.m. shuttle run around campus. Macklin is also a member of the Social Justice and Diversity Committee and is working to increase committee events throughout the semester. First-year senators, including Class of 2018 Senators Luxi Wen and Skyler Golann, North Quad Senator Lorenzo Finamore ’18 and Massell Quad Senator Millie Wu ’18, are working together on several initiatives, such as a formal dance next spring for underclassmen, bringing cookware and additional supplies to first-year dorms and organizing a competitive event between North Quad and Massell Quad in the spring. David Herbstritt ’17, Castle Quad Senator, heads the Club Support Committee and has worked with his fellow Union members to meet the needs of various clubs on campus. Additionally, the Allocations Board has ensured that campus clubs have necessary funding to conduct events and has allocated over $338,000 to groups on campus. The Allocations Board also wants to increase availability of the “blanket food waiver,” a waiver implemented recently that allows clubs to decline using Sodexo food at their events if they have sufficient reasoning. Walia concluded by saying that the Student Union recognizes that the current Brandeis students are the “most important” part of the University and the Union will “always be on the side of students” and “always support student values.” The Union then broke into “community working groups” with the audience members to discuss issues such as budget and transparency, student services and facility and academic concerns.

The University is currently in the process of creating an avenue for select faculty members to become confidential sources, meaning that they would not have to report identifiable information about students who approach them to disclose if they or someone they know was a victim of sexual misconduct. Although the University recently mandated all faculty and staff members to report sexual violence and harassment to Title IX Coordinator Linda Shinomoto, a number of faculty and University employees have agreed that there should be a path for faculty who are trained in handling sexual assault and harassment to become confidential sources. “There is some tension between the importance of reporting incidents so that they can be investigated and addressed, and the importance of promoting a campus culture that makes formal reporting safe and confidential for student survivors,” Prof. Rani Neutill (ENG) wrote. Mandatory reporting, a term derived from the Clery Act, is a requirement for higher education institutions to report incidents of sexual misconduct when they are made aware of such incidents. Under this standard, faculty and staff do not have to reveal personally identifiable information about victims or individuals involved. Reporting is primarily used to gather crime statistics for colleges and universities. Faculty members who are considered confidential sources fall under this standard. Counseling services and chaplains, for example, are considered confidential sources, Neutill continued. All other faculty and staff are considered responsible employees, which is a term derived from Title IX and the Department of Education’s April 2011 Dear Colleague Letter that further detailed a universities’ specific responsibilities in cases of sexual misconduct. Responsible employees must report all cases of sexual misconduct to the University, as well as the identity of whoever reports an incident and of all parties involved, if known. The policy of mandated reporting was a previous topic of discussion for the University Advisory Council Subcommittee on Sexual Violence. According to Prof. Bernadette Broo-

ten’s (NEJS) interim report on the subcommittee for the Nov. 1, 2013 Faculty Senate meeting, faculty discussed whether or not they wished to be required to report complaints of student-on-student sexual violence, even when the student requests confidentiality. Brooten noted that some faculty members preferred reporting requirements for public safety concerns, while others felt that this should be handled on a case-by-case basis. The agreement, however, was that a clear procedure was necessary. “One suggestion was that a mandate to report be decoupled from the punitive tone of ‘reporting,’ so that the action of reporting could be seen more as an assistant in the therapeutic movement that needs to take place for the survivor/victim, rather than as pursuing punishment for the accused,” the report reads. Although who should be deemed “responsible employees” is not directly specified in the Dear Colleague Letter, the April 2011 Department of Education document titled “Questions and Answers on Title IX and Sexual Violence” states that a responsible employee is any employee “who has the authority to take action to redress sexual violence; who has been given the duty of reporting incidents of sexual violence or any other misconduct by students to the Title IX coordinator or other appropriate school designee; or whom a student could reasonably believe has this authority or duty.” If a responsible employee is aware of a student-on-student case of sexual harassment or assault, the Office of Civil Rights concedes that the institution “reasonably” should have known about the situation and subsequently investigated and taken action. Brooten noted in her report that faculty are also not legally required to be designated as mandated reporters but that General Counsel Steve Locke viewed faculty as already mandated to do so by Brandeis policy and “strongly prefers that faculty be mandated reporters.” Neutill wrote that determining which faculty will have a gateway to become confidential resources will be based on “a perceived counseling component to the teaching role, and experience/training in supporting survivors.” “We want to make sure that confidential sources are trained to respond to disclosures,” she wrote. Neutill encouraged all students who are not sure about whether they should make a formal report to go to the Office of Prevention Services, the Psychological Counseling Center or the Interfaith Chaplaincy.

BRIEF University partners with Penn Club The University has entered into a partnership with the Penn Club, an alumni club in Manhattan, to serve as a “home away from home” for its New York alumni, wrote Vice President for Alumni Relations Patty Fisher in an email to the Justice. Brandeis first announced the affiliation in an article on the “Brandeis Alumni” page on Nov. 24. This announcement came two months after the University put Brandeis House, the former alumni center in New York, on the market, citing its inconvenient location on the Upper East Side and its small size as reasons for the sale, as the purpose of the House was to host many alumni and large events. The Penn Club is the New York alumni club owned by the University of Pennsylvania, though, according to Fisher, it is common for New York-based university clubs to offer affiliate memberships to other universities. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Vanderbilt University have similar agreements at the Penn Club, Fisher wrote in an email to the Justice. “A partnership with the Penn Club allows us to accommodate our growing alumni community by offering a convenient location

in New York City’s Midtown for Brandeis to host events and professional gatherings,” Vice President for Alumni Relations Patty Fisher wrote in an email to the Justice. Fisher wrote that while many of the New York area alumni events will be held at the Penn Club, some will be held in other locations, depending on the expected size of the event. In addition to allowing Brandeis to host events at the Penn Club, the partnership will give alumni the option of joining the club as affiliate members. This would provide them with access to the Penn Club’s dining rooms, fitness center and massage room, meeting spaces, banquet facilities, overnight guest rooms, living-room library and business center, as well as access to more than 150 reciprocal city and country clubs around the world that offer similar benefits. “We see our partnership at the Penn Club as a true service to our alumni; it underscores our commitment to this vibrant and important group, and we expect that many alumni will take advantage and become members,” Fisher wrote. —Hannah Wulkan

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

●

THE JUSTICE

RECOGNIZING CONTRIBUTIONS

BRIEF University initiates renovations on Usen Castle The University will be conducting surveys to determine what renovations are necessary in Usen Castle, Vice President for Operations James Gray announced in an email sent to the Brandeis community last Wednesday. As Gray noted in his email, the Castle’s age and lack of recent renovations might pose a risk to students as engineering teams investigate its infrastructure. “Please be aware that the study of the exterior [of the building], and the changes in weather, can pose a serious danger of falling debris, especially with a facility like the Castle,” he wrote. Gray also noted that the Castle will be roped off with hazard tape and students will not be allowed on the roof of the building. How-

ever, he also wrote that the disruptions are expected to be minimal. According to Gray, several companies will be responsible for conducting an internal and external engineering survey, with CBI Consulting leading the team. The upcoming survey results will determine how much work will need to be done in the coming months. Gray wrote in an email to the Justice that he hopes this first phase of investigation will be concluded before winter vacation. He noted that while smaller repairs and maintenance upkeep have occurred over the years, the Castle has not been renovated in some time. “The study we are doing now

may not answer all the difficult long term questions involved, but it will help inform the discussions that will be ongoing,” Gray wrote. The Castle, built in 1928, was the pet project of Middlesex University founder John Hall Smith. The Castle was inherited by Brandeis in 1948 when Middlesex University combined with Middlesex College. According to a 1998 senior thesis, “Unlocking Doors to the Past and the Future: An Architectural and Social Exploration of the Irving and Edyth Usen Castle,” written by Amy Debra Finstein ’98, the Castle is a combination of English and Irish architectural influences. —Abby Patkin

panel

GRACE KWON/the Justice

SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION: Dr. Geraldine notes absence of females in Israeli science.

Scholar lauds Israeli women in the sciences ■ Dr. Pnina Geraldine

Abir-Am discussed the importance of female scientists in Israeli history. By Arianna unger JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

“I’m baffled because the record is there, but they don’t say much about women,” said Dr. Pnina Geraldine Abir-Am in reference to the underrepresentation of women in early Israeli scientific literature. Abir-Am, a Brandeis scholar in residence and a historian of science, spoke about women scientists in the first decade of the Israeli State last Tuesday. The lecture was coordinated by the Women’s Studies Research Center. Abir-Am explained that science was of key importance during the early years of Israel’s establishment. She quoted David Ben-Gurion—the first prime minister of Israel—in his 1948 address to the public about the atomic revolution: “We live in a generation of scientific revolution. … The state of Israel will not accomplish its mission—projects of development and immigrant absorption—if it will not introduce science to all aspects of life.” She explained that, because of this notion, “women scientists could justify their careers, since science was giving the State of Israel an edge against its enemies in both war and peace.” Abir-Am first spoke about Anna Weizmann—the sister of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann. She explained that Weizmann was one of 11 scientists—three of whom were women—to establish the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science, which was then called the Sieff Research Institute, in Rehovot, Israel, in 1934. Abir-Am then turned her praise to Ada Yonath, a female scientist born in 1939 in Palestine who earned her Ph.D. from the WIS in 1968. She noted that Yonath was rejected three times by the WIS committee before finally gaining admittance, despite her impressive qualifications. AbirAm explained that Yonath was ultimately awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for successfully mapping the locations of the hundreds of thousands of atoms in the ribosome. In order to accomplish this, Yonath pioneered a method known as cryo bio-crystallography, in which she grew crystals of ribosome material and then irradiated them with Xrays. Abir-Am stated that Yonath was the first female Israeli Nobel laureate and the first woman from the

Middle East to win a Nobel Prize in the sciences. Abir-Am pointed out that most of Israel’s early female scientists did not simply conduct research for the sake of research itself but chose to study specific matters that had practical applications and benefits for the developing industries in Israel. She provided the example of Esther Hellinger—a British-born scientist who lived in the British mandate of Palestine in the first seven years after the State of Israel was created. Hellinger studied plant pathology, Abir-Am explained, because she thought it would be most useful for the agricultural industry in Palestine. Hellinger focused her study on the fermentation of orange peels to help preserve one of Palestine’s main crops. She co-authored a number of papers with Chaim Weizmann himself. Both biochemist Pnina Elson and plant-pathologist Ora Kedem emigrated from Europe at a young age and studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She also noted that both women were members of the Science Corps, an Israeli defense technology company, preparing explosives for the War of Independence in 1948. Abir-Am commended Kedem’s greatness as an individual and a scientist. She added that Kedem, who initially intended to become a physics teacher, was recognized as an outstanding student by one of her professors and awarded a scholarship to study science at Hebrew University. As a freshman, Kedem had already enrolled in a squad leader force. “She was the leading type,” Abir-Am said. Kedem held the conviction, she said, that, “you can’t just do science, you have to be useful. “That is why Kedem studied the absorption of bromine, a very important topic for the early Israeli economy,” Abir-Am explained. One of Israel’s main industries of the time involved extracting minerals from the Dead Sea, bromine being one of them. She said that Kedem also played a crucial role in developing membrane processes for desalination. “This was one of the most important things in the development of the country because it [Israel] suffered from a shortage of water. … From those recycled membranes you could take water from the toilet and recycle it for agriculture,” said Abir-Am. “I hope to write an essay or a book on her, because I think she has a life that’s truly inspirational,” concluded Abir-Am.

Student panelists discuss new volunteer-based course ■ Students spoke about their

volunteer service work with immigrants in the Waltham community and its relation to a new service-based course offered this semester. By rachel sharer JUSTICE editorial assistant

Eleven students spoke about the ways in which a new Experiential Learning course, “The Immigrant Experience in Waltham: A Servicebased Practicum,” challenged their perspectives on immigrant life at an event on Wednesday. The students presented their findings from a semester of community service with immigrants in the Waltham community. The course, taught by Marci McPhee, the director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, combined weekly class sessions with three weekly hours of hands-on community service in the Waltham area. Students volunteered at one of three separate locations: the Community Day Center of Waltham, the Waltham Family School and the Charles River Public Internet Center. According to McPhee in an email to the Justice, the students enrolled in the class must also take one of three “base classes” connected to the course, which include ANTH 1a, IGS 10a or AMST 55a. McPhee wrote that the class not only teaches students about social justice but also gives them the opportunity to apply some of “the frameworks and analysis methods of the base course” to real life through their hands-on service work with immigrants.

Four students from the class—Lilah Kleban ’17, Austin Shanabrook ’18, Averi Gardner ’18 and Janel Ridley ’16—spent their semester volunteering at the Community Day Center of Waltham, a center that is open during the day to provide food and shelter to homeless and food-insecure people. The students taught English as a second language to Spanish-speaking immigrants at the shelter, and the students described how they helped the immigrants create résumés and apply for jobs. Kleban said that an important aspect of volunteer work is “figuring out what people need” before intervening to help. “In this way, I could really figure out how people felt about their situation ... my role was to learn about them, not to convince them of something,” Kleban said. The four students all agreed that gaining trust was one of the biggest challenges they faced, but it was very important in order to effectively help the immigrants and learn from this experience.. Five other students from the class—Yigu Liang ’16, Marian Gardner ’18, Grace Gao ’18, Alexandra Libstag ’16 and Sophie Warren ’18—spoke about their experiences volunteering at the Waltham Family School. The Waltham Family School prepares children from immigrant families to enter school and teaches English to Spanish-speaking families. Libstag described how the students, as tutors trying to teach an unfamiliar language, also experienced what it is like to have a language barrier. The difficulties in communication they experienced while speaking with the immigrant family members are the same difficulties that immigrants and nonEnglish speakers must experience

every day. Julie Maschler ’16 and Ziyin Kong ’16 described their experiences volunteering at the Charles River Public Internet Center. According to Kong, the CRPIC serves over 2,000 people in the Waltham area annually, providing free computer access, as well as access to printers and fax machines. The center also offers computer skills classes and English classes. The two students volunteered in a weekly two-hour intermediate computer assistance class and worked with three different immigrants on various computer skills. Maschler said that while the goal was to have the members proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel by the end of the class, they did not get that far. “Working with immigrants… required us to challenge our own potential perspectives on what an immigrant is and all the facets of their identity and story,” Warren said about the overall experience. “This course pushed us to come in with a more open mind…it was our job to teach and to learn,” she said. McPhee wrote in an email to the Justice that “the practicum provides a space for students to reflect on their community experiences critically” and the opportunity for students to connect the theories they were learning to real-life practice and experience. McPhee says her students often take away a “mutually life-changing relationship with immigrants” from this experience, and a “better understanding of the immigrants’ challenges… the strengths they can contribute to our society…and a deeper understanding of critical policy issues.” The event was hosted by the International Center for Ethnics, Justice, and Public Life and cosponsored by the Office of Experiential Learning and Teaching.

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

CHALLENGING PERSPECTIVES: Students (left to right) Lilah Kleban ’17, Austin Shanabrook ’18, Averi Gardner ’18 and Janel Reidley ’16 discuss their experience volunteering weekly with Waltham area immigrants at the Community Day Center of Waltham.

THE JUSTICE

CAMPUS SPEAKER

Princeton professor presents annual Eisenbud Lectures ■ Peter Sarnak gave three

lectures on his research in number theory at the Martin A. Fisher School of Physics. By Sherry Simkovic JUSTICE Staff WRITER

Brandeis’ Martin A. Fisher School of Physics of Brandeis hosted the Eisenbud Lectures in Mathematics and Physics this past week. The series included three lectures given by Peter Sarnak of the Princeton University Institute for Advanced Study, who presented the research of forward thinkers in physics and mathematics on topics such as number theory and their application in other disciplines. In the past, Sarnak’s work on number theory has had an impact on computer science and combinatorics, a “branch of mathematics that studies the enumeration, combination, and permutation for sets of elements and mathematical relations that characterize their properties,” according to the

Wolfram MathWorld website. The title of the series was “Randomness in number theory and geometry.” The series was divided into three lectures, held over the course of three days, from Tues. Dec. 2 through Thurs. Dec. 4. The topic of the first lecture was the topology of random real hypersurfaces and percolation, limited functions that have universal laws of distribution. In the second lecture, Sarnak discussed nodal domains Maass forms, functions of the upper half plane. The third lecture concerned families of zeta functions and their symmetries and applications, which are functions analogous to the Riemann zeta function Sarnak opened the third lecture by presenting the definitions of the different matrices that the lecture topic included. He provided proof of the theories that he discussed by displaying the graphs of functions. Sarnak’s field of research focuses on a natural spectral interpretation of the zeroes of the Riemann zeta function. The Riemann

zeta function is a function of complex variables traditionally used in the study of general zeta functions. Sarnak explained that it was harder to look at individual cases, and, as a result, when conducting his research, he chose to focus on families of zeta functions Throughout the lecture, audience members participated in the conversation by asking questions. Sarnak concluded his presentation by discussing the applications of his research. He explained that, with further development, the research will be used in mathematical proofs when the Riemann zeta function is further researched. He also added that the basis for understanding these phenomena is a symmetry type associated with the zeta function that comes from function field considerations. The lecture series is the result of a donation by Leonard and Ruth-Jean Eisenbud. The donation funds an annual set of lectures by an eminent physicist or mathematician whose work exemplifies the combination of the two subjects.

DOCUMENTARY DISCUSSION

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

Panel discusses SCOTUS case ‘Elonis v. US’ By Saadiah McIntosh JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Director screens film on cultural and literary critic Walter Benjamin ■ After the film screening,

director Judith Wechsler ’62 hosted a questionand-answer session about Benjamin’s life and her film. By SUZANNE SCHATZ JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A screening of Judith Wechsler’s ’62 27th film, The Passages of Walter Benjamin—a documentary detailing the life and work of German cultural and literary critic Walter Benjamin—was held last Tuesday in the Mandel Center for Humanities. Prof. Steve Whitfield (AMST) began the event by introducing Wechsler. She was not the only member of her family in the Brandeis community— her father was a professor at Brandeis. She later became a professor of art history at Tufts University, as well as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was also a visiting professor at Harvard University, the University of Bristol and several other institutions. “It was through my father and the faculty at Brandeis that I was exposed to the History of Ideas as a program of study, and, in a sense, this film can be seen as an extension of that study,” Wechsler told the audience when introducing the film. The film was a pastiche of various images of 19th-century France, pictures of letters and pictures

of some of the important individuals in Benjamin’s life. Just before the screening began, Wechsler introduced Ben Rushman, the film’s editor, and Howard Eiland, a prominent Benjamin expert, who were both in attendance. Eiland appeared several times in the documentary to discuss Benjamin and his work. The film focused on the Arcades Project, Benjamin’s writings about 19th-century life in Paris. In addition to covering his life in Paris and his work on the Arcades Project, the film also talked about Benjamin’s time in Berlin. It touched on his personal relationships and friendships as well as his relationships with other prominent critics like Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno. It also examined the struggles that Benjamin, who was Jewish, faced after the Nazis rose to power. Benjamin was unable to finish the Arcades Project before he committed suicide in 1940 to avoid being deported back into Nazi hands. The film screening was followed by a question-and-answer session, during which an audience member said she found the film’s visual technique to be very interesting and that the film’s beauty brought her “close to tears.” Eiland joined Wechsler for this portion. Wechsler stated that one of the major challenges she faced when she had the idea for the film was how to make a visual project about Benjamin’s work, which is largely text. Wechsler said

she reconciled this by choosing 19thcentury images that she “hoped would give another depth or understanding [to] his words by having images which don’t illustrate what he’s saying per say, but rather which worked in some ways…to be contingent to what he says.” She added that she, Rushman and Erica O’Connor, who helped to edit the film, used many overlays and montages “because Benjamin himself was very interested in montages.” “The background was really helpful [in] thinking about Benjamin and what he went through and why he came up with the theories he did; it was an interesting take to add,” commented Sydney Prindle ’18, who attended the screening and is currently enrolled in a History of Ideas course. Patrick Gamsby, scholarly communications librarian and a lecturer in the History of Ideas, who helped organize the event, said in an interview with the Justice that he enjoyed the film. “I think [the film] was an extraordinarily difficult task that Judith Wechsler took on, to try to capture Benjamin in a documentary,” he said. Gamsby added that he did not know how she was able to do it, but that Weschler told a great story in a finite amount of time. The History of Ideas program organized and co-sponsored the event, along with the Center for German and European Studies and the Robert D. Farber University Archives & Special Collections.

DEBATING JUSTICE: Lauren Jones of the Anti-Defamation League speaks at the event.

Court Colloquium” hosted an event to explore a court case regarding First Amendment rights.

GUILLERMO NARVAEZ/the Justice

TUESDAY, december 9, 2014

CONSIDERING FREE SPEECH

■ A course called “Supreme

FOCUS ON FILM: Scholar Howard Eiland (right) speaks alongside the director of the film Judith Wechsler (left) on Walter Benjamin.

●

Experts in civil liberties, hip-hop, hate speech, victims’ rights, domestic violence and freedom of the press discussed the issues surrounding Elonis v. United States, a case that is currently on the docket of the Supreme Court of the United States, at an event last Tuesday held by a Politics course called “The Supreme Court Colloquium.” The case deals with a man, Anthony Elonis, of Allentown, Penn., who was convicted on multiple counts of threats to the police, his estranged wife and a local kindergarten class. Elonis’ conviction was based on a series of Facebook posts he wrote in 2010. In his posts, Elonis fantasized about making a name for himself by harming others, including his wife and the kindergarten children. While police considered his posts inappropriate and threatening, Elonis is challenging his conviction on the grounds that his First Amendment rights are being violated. “This case is expected to clarify when the law should take threats, particularly those made over the Internet, seriously. What has to be true of threatening language to make it a ‘true threat,’ a class of speech that can be prosecuted under the law?” Prof. Jeffrey Lenowitz (POL), who was one of the event organizers, said in a Nov. 24 BrandeisNOW article. The guest speakers in attendance were all members of advocacy groups and assisted in writing amicus briefs for the court to consider in rendering a decision on the Elonis case. An amicus brief is a written statement of views athat a party uninvolved in the case may submit to the court if it has a strong interest in the subject matter. In the morning, Lenowitz and Prof. Daniel Kryder (POL), who both teach “The Supreme Court Colloquium,” gave opening remarks and provided attendees with an overview of Elonis v. United States. Afterward, the guest speakers sat on a panel intended to give students tips on brief writing. In the afternoon, Professor Erik Nielson of the University of Richmond, Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute and Lauren Jones of the AntiDefamation League spoke on a panel discussing the cases for and against expansive protections of free speech, the standard the Supreme Court should impose in this case and what should be deemed a true threat. Nielson spoke about cases in which certain forms of artistic expression— in the Elonis case, rap lyrics—seem

not to have been protected by the law. In one case, Vonte Skinner of New Jersey was accused of attempted murder in 2005, for which he denied responsibility. The court used rap lyrics Skinner wrote as evidence against him, and he was found guilty at first. Later, the New Jersey Supreme Court struck his conviction down. In overturning Skinner’s conviction, the Court said that “the violent, profane, and disturbing rap lyrics authored by defendant constitute highly prejudicial evidence against him that bore little or no probative value as to any motive or intent behind the attempted murder offense with which he was charged.” Shapiro argued that, to convict, prosecutors should look for more than just “threatening” speech. Jones, on the other hand, argued that the United States does a better job of protecting free speech than other countries—even European countries. She noted that the First Amendment protects most types of speech—not including defamation, imminent incitement to break the law, “true threats” and perceived obscenity. She added that these are all types of “low value” speech that do not contribute to the country’s marketplace of ideas. Jones mentioned the harms of cyber hate and how it follows people home. She also said that because social media websites are owned by private companies, the First Amendment does not apply in the same way. At a session later on, Professor Margaret Drew of the University of Massachusetts Law School, alongside Professor Joan Meier of the George Washington University Law School and Gregg Leslie of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, spoke on a panel called “The Respondent: The Case for Punishing Threats.” Meier opened up the panel by talking about domestic violence. “Without understanding what a threat is or can be in domestic violence cases, what we’re arguing makes no sense,” she said. Meier concluded that threats, like the ones Elonis made on his Facebook profile toward his wife, are oftentimes indicators of domestic violence. Drew proposed that in cases like Elonis’ where threats are posted to the Internet, prosecutors proving that the defendant acted recklessly, as opposed to having to prove an intent to threaten, may be a decision on which the justices could compromise. Leslie argued that there should be a standard of proving intent in such cases to prevent the government from controlling free speech online. “You can’t say because somebody out there was offended by something someone said you can be held criminally liable,” Leslie said. The colloquium was co-sponsored by the Politics department, the Louis D. Brandeis Legacy Fund for Social Justice, the Gordon Center for American Public Policy, the International center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life and the Legal Studies program.

1000 YOU COULD GET UP TO

with an

Follow Justice!

the

Emerald Advance® We know the unexpected happens. H&R Block Emerald Advance provides a year-round line of credit of up to $1,000. Tap into it for bills, car repairs, holiday shopping and unexpected expenses to breathe easier knowing you have a little extra help.

NEW CLIENTS WELCOME | NO W2 REQUIRED Visit H&RBLOCK.COM to find a participating office or call 866-852-9250

85 River Street, Waltham, MA 02453

@theJustice 781.899.3735 HRBLOCK.COM

and like us at: Facebook.com/thejusticeonline

PROMOTION PERIOD 11/24/2014 - 1/15/2015 14-2140

*If approved, you could be eligible for a credit limit between $350 - $1000. H&R Block Emerald Advance® line of credit and H&R Block Emerald Savings® are offered through H&R Block Bank, a Federal Savings Bank, Member FDIC. H&R Block Emerald Prepaid MasterCard® is issued by H&R Block Bank, a Federal Savings Bank, pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated. All products subject to ID verification. Line of credit is also subject to credit and underwriting approval. Fees apply. Products offered only at participating offices. Promotional period 11/24/2014 - 01/15/2015. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. OBTP#B13696. ©2014 HRB Tax Group, Inc.

Join the Justice Photography Staff!

Contact Morgan Brill and Grace Kwon at photos@thejustice.org

THE JUSTICE

PROTEST: Case ignites national student protest CONTINUED FROM 1 students directly involved, and it was a mistaken belief that some or all of the posters had been placed by individuals from outside our Brandeis community,” he wrote. Adams held an informal discussion that same afternoon in the Intercultural Center for students to discuss the removal of the signage. They also discussed the more recent grand jury decision made last week in Staten Island, NY to not indict the police officer who was recorded using an illegal chokehold on Eric Garner, who died as a result of the incident. By Monday afternoon, the Brandeis community responded once again to the decision in the Ferguson case, holding an organized demonstration in solidarity with Michael Brown and other black men who were killed by police officers. The demonstration consisted of two parts: a “Walk Out,” during which students were encouraged to walk out of their classes at 12:45 p.m., and a “Die-In,” which was expected to begin on the Rabb steps at 1 p.m. During the Die-In, students spent four and a half minutes lying down silently to represent the four and a half hours Michael Brown’s body was reportedly left on the street before being taken away. Adams announced the Walk Out and Die-In to the Brandeis community in an email that morning. “This afternoon, students, staff and faculty members may be participating in a national movement” which, he wrote, would include a gathering at the Rabb steps. The students who organized the Walk Out and Die-In, however— Christian Perry MA ’16 (Heller), Rima Chaudry MA ’16 (Heller) and Malika Imhotep ’15—said in an interview with the Justice that Adams’ email took them by surprise. They had been in communication with members of the Men of Color Alliance, the Women of Color Alliance and the African and AfroAmerican Studies department while planning the demonstration. “We, as students at Heller, and students at Brandeis, wanted to do more, and wanted to engage in some way,” Chaudry said. “I think, because of how helpless people are feeling right now in the face of these institutional injustices, people were able to mobilize very quickly.” As planned, at 12:45 p.m. that day, students gathered on the Rabb steps. They sat until 12:50, when Perry, Chaudry and Imhotep, standing toward the top of the steps, began speaking to the crowd. They called for a four-and-a-half minute long moment of silence and then said, “This is a sit in, so the point is to block these stairs.” They read a statement, then asked each person to turn to the person next

to them, introduce themselves and talk about “why this is an important topic for them and why they are here.” After those in the crowd had a chance to speak to those around them, the organizers chanted to the crowd and asked that as those gathered repeat back to them: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.” At 12:57 p.m., the Die-In began— the participants lay down for four and a half minutes in silence while the organizers read the names of several victims of police killings and racial violence, followed by “your friend, your brother, your sister, your niece, your nephew.” At 1:02 p.m., the organizers announced: “Remain or go, but I ask that you continue to reflect all day, or all week, on the lives that have been lost and the lives that will continue to be lost if we don’t take action now.” Most of the demonstrators began to slowly get up from their places and leave the steps. Perry, Chaudry and Imhotep hope that the momentum continues on campus from the Walk Out and Die In. Looking forward, Perry questioned, “What is your college or campus doing to address racial inequalities, obviously that goes as far up as administration representation, faculty/staff representation, the university as a whole on a campus, as well as the curriculum.” Beyond the college sphere, Perry said that they are thinking about their efforts in a city and state context and in a national context as well—toward making sure that “there are systems in place to ensure that the police and the systems are protected on a level that ensures equality for all.” “These are not one-offs, these are systemic problems,” Chaudry said of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. “These are the two names that are in the news right now, and there are countless names that don’t make it to that level.” “It’s impossible for me to divorce police violence toward people of color from general attitudes about anti-blackness and how they pervade our culture, and I think that’s definitely something that plays out on this campus, and we have to keep pushing,” Imhotep said. Looking forward, Imhotep said that there will be challenges in effecting change on campus. “Racism and the psychosocial implications of that aren’t something you can debate on legal grounds, and I think it’s going to be important for any organizing that happens from this point forward that there are things at play in the way we look at each other, the way we see each other.”

JOIN

●

TUESDAY, december 9, 2014

INNOVATIVE THOUGHT

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

Princeton professor Peter Sarnak delivered the Eisenbud Lecture series on his research in number theory last week. See News page 5 for full coverage of the event.

PROMOTIONS: Walker will act as dean of admissions CONTINUED FROM 1 lasting impression on those who worked with him and the thousands of students he personally assisted,” Flagel wrote. Giumette said that he has a number of future plans in mind, including volunteer work for the Heifer International Project, an organization that raises livestock and ships it to developing nations. He said that he is unsure whether he will return to working in higher education but said that any position he would take in higher education would have to be part-time. A farewell celebration for Giumette will be held on Dec. 17. More information will be provided soon, according to Dean of Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel. The Division of Students and Enrollment will continue to undergo structural changes. The University is reorganizing divisions in leadership, as demonstrated by the elimination of Giumette’s job. The Office of High School Programs will now be included under the Division of Students and Enrollment, wrote Flagel in the email to faculty and staff. Associate Vice President for Students and Enrollment Carolina Figueroa, who came to the University in 2012, has been promoted to

the Justice

vice president for enrollment development, according to Flagel. As such, Figueroa will oversee Admissions, Student Financial Services and pre-college programs. Figueroa will join University President Frederick Lawrence’s senior management team. Flagel wrote that Figueroa launched the Global Youth Summit Program to expand recruitment, “leading the development of multiple enrollment and revenue models to help us meet our targets, and establishing new budget planning processes to help us maximize our financial resources. Sherry Avery ’95, who has worked in the Financial Aid Office since she was a student at Brandeis, and Claudia Huntley, who joined the University in 1998, will both support Figueroa. Flagel did not respond to a request for comment on their particular duties by press time. Executive Director of the Office of Admissions Jennifer Walker has also been promoted to dean of admissions after over one year without a dean of admissions at the University. Walker has been at the University since 2007. Flagel wrote that Walker “has led the Office of Admissions in generating the largest application pool in Brandeis’s history while implementing a num-

ber of targeted initiatives to expand our recruiting markets.” Former Dean of Admissions Mark Spencer left the University at the end of the 2012 to 2013 academic year to become director of college advising at Deerfield Academy, a fouryear college preparatory school in Deerfield, Mass., according to a May 20, 2013 Justice article. The University has not had a dean of admissions since has departure. Walker was promoted to her position as executive director of the Office of Admissions in November 2013. When asked about how Walker’s position would compare to Spencer’s position as dean, Flagel was quoted in a Nov. 5, 2013 Justice article as saying that “at the size institution we are and the set of goals that we’re managing, [Walker’s] set of expertise in being executive director is a great match for what we’re trying to accomplish.” Flagel wrote that “this title change is well earned recognition of her impressive accomplishments.” Flagel wrote in an email to the Justice that promoting Walker “provides a management structure for enrollment development that supports the goals of the strategic plan to continue to enhance Brandeis’ reputation across the country and around the globe.”

Contact Rachel Hughes at editor@thejustice.org.

features Purple peers

TUESDAY, december 9, 2014

just

●

THE JUSTICE

VERBATIM | RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

ROOSEVELT INSPIRED: The Roosevelt Fellows program was named so for Eleanor Roosevelt, who taught at and was a trustee to the University during her lifetime.

By ALEC SieGEL JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Aaron Fischer ’15 writes, acts and directs for the Undergraduate Theatre Collective and loves watching Woody Allen films. He has participated in a handful of Brandeis clubs, ranging from Swing Club to Debate Society. He often wears a purple shirt. Ina Karanxha ’15 works at Lemberg Children’s Center and at the Paper Store when she’s in her hometown of Stoneham, Mass. She loves crocheting and Marvin Gaye. She too can often be found wearing a purple shirt. Nick Levergood ’16 is a certified Emergency Medical Technician and volunteers with Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps. He loves playing squash and crafting wooden pens with his father. Like Fischer and Karanxha, Nick has a collection of purple shirts. Purple dominates their outfits on the days they function as Roosevelt Fellows. They, along with 10 other upperclassmen, form a tight-knit group of students whose aim is quite simple: to help

ON THIS DAY…

FUN FACT

In 1793, New York City’s first daily newspaper, the American Minerva, was established.

The University of Pennsylvania has produced more millionaires than any other U.S. university.

The Roosevelt Fellows have a history of using their own experience to advise other students on academic and social life

fellow students. The program, which began in 2001 and borrows its name from Eleanor Roosevelt, a former teacher and trustee to Brandeis, is a resource geared toward helping students with academic concerns—which classes to take, how to navigate the maze of major and minor options, what constitutes a manageable course load—as well as social concerns. The 13 fellows have a wide range of experience within the Brandeis academic and extracurricular spheres, and thus have a range of perspectives to deal with whatever questions their peers might have. Talia Abrahams, a coordinator for the Roosevelt Fellowship program as well as the Senior Department Coordinator for Academic Services, explains the core purpose of the fellows. “The first role of the fellow is to provide one-on-one academic advising sessions,” Abrahams wrote in an email to the Justice. “The second is to develop and facilitate academic programs to be held at orientation events, in

residence halls and alongside other campus partners.” The application process involves a group interview and cooperative games that included “a dinosaur and a flower,” according to Fischer. Abrahams helps vet the prospective crop of fellows. “We look for good listening and mentoring skills, strong academics and good communication skills,” she wrote. The fellows host events throughout the semester, both during orientation and scattered about the rest of the school year. There’s the Ice Cream Social, an event during orientation geared toward first-years that is both delicious and helpful, where students can come armed with questions for their purple-donning peers to answer. They also coordinate various hall events with the Community Advisors, Roosevelt Recommends and Purple Day—a preregistration advising session where students can receive class recommendations and general advice from the fellows. All incoming freshman are

assigned a fellow over the summer, but fellows’ reach extends beyond those who are new to the Brandeis community. The fellows are available to speak with any student, freshman and senior alike, who might need advice on a specific course or professor or even just a simple conversation partner. Fischer insists that the fellows are a resource for the entire student body. “There’s a misconception that we only deal with first years. The reality is we’re a service open to all students,” he said. According to Fischer, some of his most memorable moments as a fellow have been helping students find their way through the confusing social fabric of college. Fischer, a Philosophy and European Cultural Studies major and Theatre minor decided to apply to be a Roosevelt Fellow because of his familiarity with the college academic system and his desire to share that knowledge. “I just know the system. It’d be such a shame to move on and not be able to share that with people,” he said.

TREE OF KNOWLEDGE: The Roosevelt Fellows, with a diverse range of interests and talents, are chosen to act as student mentors. PHOTO COURTESY OF AARON FISCHER

MORGAN BRILL/ the Justice

STUDENT MENTOR: Aaron Fischer ’15 is a Roosevelt Fellow as well as a director for the Brandeis Theater Collective.

Karanxha attributes her interest in joining the collective to an encounter she had with a Roosevelt Fellow as a freshman. “I vividly remember being captivated at how sincerely and serenely he approached speaking and listening to me,” she wrote in an email to the Justice. “I wanted to convey the same level of care and provide a similar kind of comfort and support for other students.” The Roosevelt Fellows are available every weekday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lobby of Academic Services. They can also be reached through personal email adresses that can be found on their website. Levergood shared a sentiment that is common among all the fellows. “Being able to advise Brandeis students is a great gift because it allows me to step out of my own world for a bit and help others,” he wrote in an email to the Justice. Adding a wealth of purple shirts and sweatshirts didn’t hurt either; “Our purple swag is worth the application alone,” he added.

THE JUSTICE

●

TUESDAY, december 9, 2014

Wordplay PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSE APPELL

YOUNG ALUMNUS: Jesse Appell ’12 participates in a photoshoot at Shimao Tianjie, or “The Place,” a cultural hub for fashion in Beijing.

Jesse Appell ’12 speaks to justFeatures about being an American in China and the University’s future as an international school During his senior year, Jesse Appell ’12 was awarded a Fulbright fellowship, that sent him to China to study Chinese comedy. He describes his research as discovering “what Chinese people think is funny,” and does this through writing satire in Chinese, performing on Chinese television, and performing Xiangsheng—a traditional form of Chinese comedy. While in China, Appell produced a viral video, “Laowai Style,” a parody of the K-Pop sensation “Gangam Style,” which received millions of views and prompted interview re-

quests from multiple news outlets, including The Economist and TEDxBeijing. Appell returned to campus in November to perform his newest show “The Great LOL Tour of China” at International Culture Week. He spoke with justFeatures to discuss his False Advertising past, the burgeoning international future of the University, and what he has learned about cultural assimilation through the mediums of comedy and language. justFeatures: What made you interested in Chinese culture? How can other people who are interested in Chinese culture begin to experience it? Jesse Appell: It was always something I was interested in, learning other languages. When I started taking Chinese at Brandeis, I knew I wanted to go abroad. Brandeis makes it super easy to go abroad. ... There are so many international students on campus, just go ahead and talk to them about what is going on. That will ask of the international students to be a little less insular, which is really good. It’s the American side of the equation’s job to reach out a bit more, especially when dealing with Chinese international students; other cultures may be a little more active in reaching out and sharing, so they might not need as much of a giddy-up from the American side. Just act interested. JF: What about Chinese culture, that you have observed, makes you say that?

JA: I know enough Chinese students now who are studying to get into schools abroad, and you have to study for years and years to get the language right. A freshman student coming to America will be overwhelmed not just by language and culture differences but by the same overwhelming schoolwork and friendships and all the things that make going to college socially difficult. In Chinese culture, it’s the job of the host to invite the guest over. As an American in China, China sees me as a guest. But as a Chinese person in America, an American person does not have that same concept. The American mindset is ‘this is America, if you want something, go take it,’ as opposed to holding a banquet for all international students to be invited to. A little cultural understanding could go a long way, and ultimately add value. Chinese students are paying full fare to come to Brandeis, and they deserve to socially interact with American students. This is the great thing about an international university. JF: What were your impressions of the Chinese language program at Brandeis? JA: Professor Lu and Professor Feng [GRALL] were amazing, and the department continues to grow… I get to see them whenever I come back, and get a chance to have dinner with them. I met up with Lu Laoshi the day before I left Brandeis, and she gave me some hot chocolate packets to take back to China, which is a great gift because it’s really hard to find cocoa powder in China. JF: How was it being back on campus in November to perform? JA: It’s always fun to be back on campus. I got to see some old professors, I got to do a cool show on campus. Even after you graduate, it’s possible to remain part of the community, and I’ve gone from being a student, to being somebody who’s bringing back knowledge of the world outside of Brandeis, from my time abroad and my Chinese comedy shows. Also, trying to match up two parts of the university that don’t commu-

nicate that much, which would be the university at large and the Chinese students. JF: Why do you think there is a lack of international students who participate in improv comedy troupeslike you did during your time at Brandeis?

“

“The question is how to make the campus feel like an international campus, rather than just a campus with a lot of international students.”

JA: As an American in a Chinese comedy troupe, I can say it is very hard, even on a purely linguistic level, to be able to perform without a script. Foreign students partake more in speech competitions, or Acapella, because it’s something you can practice. Comedy in general is really hard, because you need knowledge of the culture as well and all the references that go along with that culture. The first step would just be getting international students into the audience, because I don’t see a lot of international students in the audience either. When I was back this time, I got a chance to perform with my old improve troupe False Ad. I looked out into the crowd, and I’m so used to seeing 100 Chinese people when I perform, and I noticed none. If Brandeis is [a certain] percent Chinese, you would think there would be [a certain] percent Chinese in the audience, but there were none. That type of social life is not what people are trained to accept when they go to a liberal arts school... The trick is that a lot of the spirit of the school comes from the fact that students will do events and students will go to events. If you change the demographic of the school, you’re changing what types of events oc-

PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSE APPELL

CROSS-CULTURAL PERFORMER: Appell says improvisation translates easily from English to Chinese because of its reactionary and human nature, but written satire and stand-up require knowledge of cultural opinions.

cur and which people go to those events. This is something the University should be aware of if they want international students to go to events such as improv shows. JF: Why do you think an international student going to an improv show would be valuable both for the student, and for the Brandeis community as a whole? What uniquely can an improv show offer? JA: It’s so key because it’s about people and it’s about fun. An improv show is pure fun. If you can’t be able to go and have fun in that context, then you are very limited in terms of what type of culture you are able to operate in. There are a lot of different types of culture within American culture. Business culture, for example, is something that a lot of people are comfortable operating in. Chinese people who have never been to America can operate within American business culture. But it’s more difficult to go into a situation where people are having fun, having a drink, laughing about how the blender in [Cholmondeley’s] goes off at the worst parts of the scene. Those types of things are really human, and those are the things that make our connections with each other. JF: How has living in China influenced your comedy ? Has it changed at all, or are jokes that were funny in college still funny when translated to Chinese? JA: When I’m making stuff that I think is funny, using my life experience as somebody who has lived between the two cultures, Chinese people understand that the most, as people who have themselves lived between the two cultures. When I’m doing improv in Chinese, it feels the same as doing improv in English, with the caveat that all the words are different. Because the charm of improve is it’s your natural reaction, and you see people going with it, you see the humanity in different characters come out. And that translates really well. Standup comedy is different, because it uses lot of pop culture references. Talking about a hot-button topic such as income inequality is going to be very different in China than in America, in terms of how people show income inequality. How that winds up being played out in the comedy differs between the two cultures. —Rose Gittell

10 TUESDAY, december 9, 2014 ● THE JUSTICE

the

Justice

Brandeis University

Established 1949

Rachel Hughes, Editor in Chief Tate Herbert, Senior Editor Glen Chagi Chesir, Managing Editor Jessie Miller and Sam Mintz, Deputy Editors Jaime Kaiser, Associate Editor Marissa Ditkowsky and Hannah Wulkan, News Editors Rose Gittell, Features Editor Max Moran, Forum Editor Avi Gold, Sports Editor Emily Wishingrad, Arts Editor Morgan Brill and Grace Kwon, Photography Editors Rebecca Lantner, Layout Editor Brittany Joyce, Online Editor Catherine Rosch, Copy Editor Aliza Kahn and Talia Zapinsky, Advertising Editors

EDITORIALS

Stand by protesters of racial violence In recent weeks, Brandeis students have raised their voices along with countless others across the country in protest of the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, and the subsequent lack of grand jury indictment for each of their killers, who were both police officers. Brown and Garner have become symbols of the many other black men and women in America killed by unnecessary police violence. The response of students here has taken several forms, including, but not limited to, taking part in vigils, both oncampus and off, and joining with groups like the Brandeis Black Students Organization. On Dec. 1, students staged a diein event, where hundreds of community members “walked out” of their regular everyday activities with hands up and lay down on the Rabb steps in solidarity with Ferguson, Mo. and other communities affected by police violence. This was part of a larger national walkout protest called “Hands Up, Walk Out.” This editorial board commends and stands with all students who have organized and participated in demonstrations or protests. We adamantly support civic action related to the recent deaths, as well as protests of police brutality toward black people in general. We also commend the University for its support of student action and, by extension, its support of the dire need of discussion on the issue. Rarely do we see the University so unequivocally throw its support behind student activists. Through its arrangement of an on-campus vigil about the events in Ferguson and a discussion with Dean of Students Jamele Adams about the ruling in Garner’s case on Thursday, the University has shown that it is committed to providing spaces for students to mourn, protest or talk. Additionally, the University provided buses to a vigil in Boston last week following the Garner decision, further showing an unusual but laudable commitment to putting resources behind advocacy on a political issue. In particular, Adams has shown a deep commitment to the issue. In an email to the student body on Thursday, he eloquently expressed his rationale for why the greater community must be engaged. “Black Lives Matter without question, nor dispute,” Adams wrote. “The human affirmation sentiments of that statement are representative of many in our community, to the same degree that all lives matter. “I see myself in the faces of each black male lost in this way and in the hearts of their parents, as my own mother continues to tell me to be careful, realizing it could be me.” Adams is not alone in his disappointment with these rulings. The recent nationwide outpouring, both on social media and on the streets, shows the deep resonance of these issues with the American people. And the empirical evidence shows reason for the mass concern; the shocking statistics on hand demonstrate

Support national movement that both police brutality and police action occur at disproportionately higher rates against black people. Between 2010 and 2012, young black males were 21 times more likely to be shot and killed by the police than white males of the same age, according to an Oct. 10 analysis by ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit news organization focusing on investigative journalism. ProPublica’s statistics also quantify police shootings in terms of race. For example, in Oakland, Calif., black people are statistically more likely to be shot by the police. Between 2004 and 2008, of the 45 officer-involved shootings in Oakland, 37 of those shot were black, roughly 82 percent. In comparison, according to the most recent census, only about 28 percent of Oakland is black or African American. The data also supports the thesis of a clear and present problem with how we as a country adjudicate the police forces, as police officers who commit acts of violence against people are charged, convicted and incarcerated at abnormally low rates. Data from FiveThirtyEight.com—a statistical analysis and model forecasting website—shows that the law enforcement officer conviction rate lies at only 33 percent, less than half of the 68 percent conviction rate of the general public. And where 48 percent of those general public defendants are incarcerated, only 12 percent of those law enforcement officers are put into prison. Law enforcement officers, naturally in a position of power, are for whatever reason being allowed to perpetuate a cycle of violence, with minimal judicial repercussions. This public policy enigma must be addressed in a meaningful way, and placing the issue at the forefront of discussion is the necessary first step. Coming from a place of naivete as college students, this editorial board will not assert a solution to the problem. Yet we urge the Brandeis community to continue to be engaged and active in pursuit of edification on the matter. Moreover, the University should continue to be part of the rapidly expanding nationwide movement—from individuals who want to involve themselves on a personal level, to the highest and broadest reaches of the institution. The institutional support that Brandeis has shown to student activists is certainly a good start, but it is the next steps that really matter. We are lucky to be members of the generally safe and sheltered Brandeis community; yet we would be culpable to merely sit on the sidelines, watching the country advocate and protest from a distance. Brandeis owes it to its students, black or otherwise, to continue its commitment to open discussion cultivating the promotion of positive change in all areas where change is needed. The societal issues of race are no different.

GABRIELA YESHUA/The Justice

Views the News on

On Nov. 24, a grand jury chose not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown, sparking a new wave of protest nationwide. Protestors have blocked traffic on highways and tunnels in California and D.C., and lain down in the middle of malls and city streets at “die-ins” in Boston and St. Louis. They also staged a nationwide walkout of businesses and schools on Monday called Hands Up, Walk Out. Within Ferguson, the ruling led to both peaceful protests and riots, causing schools and businesses to close on Tuesday morning. The Ferguson Municipal Public Library remained open and hosted events for students in the area, inspiring over 7,000 people to donate to the library. How do you react to the grand jury’s ruling and the response nationwide?

Jamele Adams 130-150 words is nowhere near enough characters for me to share feelings on the jolt our human community is experiencing. Dr. King said it best: “riots are the language of the unheard,” people that feel like they don’t matter. We all matter. At our best as people, we will hold ourselves accountable on all accords regarding these tragedies and horrors, embrace the responsibility to advance our kinship, exercise measures that demonstrate that there are no second class citizens and not shy from development and discipline as deemed appropriate. There are a multitude of ways to engage social justice at this moment—when clearly defined. For myself, social justice right now would be demonstrated commitment to deconstructing systems of oppression. Black lives—all lives—matter.” Jamele Adams is the Dean of Student Life.

Prof. Chad Williams The recent grand jury decisions have sparked justifiable outrage across the country. Tragically, unarmed black men and women dying at the hands of the police is not new. Indeed, excessive police violence against black people, especially in urban communities, is deeply rooted in American history. In large part due to the power of social media, the high profile nature of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases has exposed the unconstrained power police have when it comes to the use of lethal force against black “suspects” and the unlikelihood of legal accountability. We are now confronted with the fact, long known to most people of color, that our current system of criminal justice is congenitally racist. The rallying cry of #BlackLivesMatters and the wave of national protests are powerful statements of both righteous anger and an urgent need to critically examine what type of country we are and what we hope to become. Prof. Chad Williams (AAAS) is the chair of African and Afro-American Studies Department.

Witney Christie ’17 When I found out about the grand jury’s ruling for Darren Wilson, I was distraught. A young man was shot six to eight times by another human being and the Grand Jury did not see anything wrong with it. Even though I do not know all of the facts regarding this case, I do believe that it has brought to light the United States’ long history of police brutality. The media has reported that Darren Wilson was simply “following protocol.” but this “protocol” is unjust. Many people around the country have similar beliefs. Thousands of people have done various forms of protests to show others that there is a problem with the legal system. I am extremely proud to see many people getting active about this issue because #BlackLivesMatter. It is our responsibility, as Americans, to show the world that #AllLivesMatter, and we have to make change in order to see change. Witney Christie ’17 is the president of the Brandeis Black Students Organization.

Malika Imhotep ’15 This ruling reemphasized fears of my worthlessness as an inhabitant of a black body in America and gave platform to the racism that America has been trying to hide behind Obama’s portrait. During the verdict press conference, speakers dissuaded the potential violence of those who disagreed with the decision. The words “tolerance,” “mutual respect” and “restraint” stuck out to me; the black community was being asked to exhibit the very things they have been begging others for since before the Emancipation Proclamation. These officials believed that rioting—a valid exhibition of black rage— was stupid. Even President Obama’s post-verdict address was concerned with “calm” and “non-violence.” In this instance, non-violence is called up to silence resistance. Think of how Darren Wilson was so thrown off by the fact that his victim was “angry that [he] was being shot at.” Earlier this semester, Howard Winant mentioned how the abolition movement used varied forms of resistance, including moral, legislative, economic, and militant approaches. “Riots,” visual solidarity, boycotts as well as policy forums and public dialogues will all be necessary to facilitate any true and lasting revolution today. Malika Imhotep ’15 helped organize “Brandeis Hands Up, Walk Out.”

THE JUSTICE

●

TUESDAY, December 9, 2014

Tea Party management undermines values of movement Glen

Chesir Chagi’s Chop

When the founders of these great United States set out to establish the country as a democratic republic, one particular issue was forecasted as a major obstacle to the success of the country: faction, or in modern terms, interest groups. Faction, hypothesized James Madison in Federalist Paper 10, could tear at the very fabric of our republic, causing immense “unsteadiness and injustice,” and even resulting in the tyranny of one faction over the general public. The difficulty that factions present to our republic is discussed and developed by many modern day commentators, such as Tufts University political scientist Jeffrey Berry. In his essay “Madison’s Dilemma,” Berry quantifies the issue of faction in terms of personal interest: “People will pursue their self-interest even though the policies they advocate may hurt others and may not be in the best interest of the nation.” Today, the pitfalls of faction appear to manifest themselves in one particular interest group, or as a self-proclaimed party, namely—the Tea Party. Tea Party nominated candidates were victorious 32 percent of the time in 2010—the first year they appeared on the ballot—with 61.4 percent losing, according to an NBCnews study. This is a remarkably high win percentage considering the infancy of the movement. Yet Tea Party success in Congress was reduced in 2012 and even more so in 2014. Although hard numbers are yet to be quantified, according to CNN, “the GOP establish-

ment candidates won most of the contested Republican primaries this year.” Yet what is so interesting about the 2014 decline of Tea Party success was the driving force behind the failure: the Republican establishment fighting back. Soon-to-be majority leader Mitch McConnell has openly stated his goal—to “crush” the tea party. McConnell himself contributed to his self-stated cause, defeating Matt Bevin by almost a 20 point margin in the primary. According to a Politico interview with GOP political advisor Scott Reed, the Republican party decided from the onset of this election season that “they had to take on tea party challengers in primaries and create a more businessfriendly slate of general election candidates who could compete with Democrats.” But why the sudden turn on the Tea Party when Republicans rode the Tea Party to a majority in 2010? And if the mainstream GOP is turning on the Tea Party, where do they find popular support? The second question—discovering the derivation of Tea Party support—appears to be easier to answer. At first glance, the Tea Party appears to favor Libertarian political views, so perhaps support resonates from Libertarians. Yet, libertarians do not share a sense of mutual association with the Tea Party. In fact, according to a 2013 Reuters article, over 61 percent of Libertarians actively choose to not associate with the Tea Party. Further, a 2013 Public Religion Research Institute survey found that only “about one-quarter (26 percent) of Americans who identify with the Tea Party movement are Libertarians.” It would appear then that the Tea Party is embraced by mainstream Republicans, nor Libertarians. The question then remains: from where does the Tea Party derive its support? The answer, ironically, is in direct contrast to the the Bill of Rights—specifically the first amendment—that the Tea Party holds so dear:

conservative religious Christians. According to the same PRRI survey mentioned above, “Twice as many Americans (as opposed to libertarians) who identify with the Tea Party (52 percent) say they are a part of the religious right or conservative Christian movement. In contrast, only 22 percent of Libertarians identify as part of the Christian right movement.” A look into the agendas of Tea Party candidates from this recent election bolsters this analysis. According to ontheissues.org—a website that literally lists via hyperlink every stance a politician and his/her associated party makes on any given issue—the Tea Party agenda, on average of all candidates, is pro-life, opposes gay marriage or civil unions and has an expressed desire to spread JudeoChristian values across the globe. How ironic—the party that claims to uphold a strict reading of the constitution appears to be inflicting its own religious beliefs on the rest of the country and even the world. It is precisely this religious support base of the Tea Party that Republicans are fleeing from. Over the past few years, the Republican party has been labeled as the religious party, mainly because of the headline grabbing positions of the Tea Party religious right. Yet this label is nothing short of erroneous. According to Pew Research Center data regarding the 2012 congress, “69% of congressional Republicans are Protestant, while fewer than half of Democrats (42%) belong to Protestant denominational families. On the other hand, Catholics make up a greater share of Democratic members (37%) than they do of GOP members (25%). And while Jews make up 13% of all congressional Democrats (including one Independent who generally caucuses with the Democrats, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont), they account for less than 1% of congressional Republicans.” In short, religious politicians are scattered amongst both parties fairly evenly; the reli-

gious play for both political teams. The Tea Party was simply inducing a label of religious idealism upon the GOP with their politically extreme and heavily publicized views. It is only natural for the Republican Party to return to the values that it is supposed to promote: a fiscally efficient and limited government that commands a strong global presence. Moreover, the Tea Party leadership also appears to be straying from one of its original agenda points, fiscal responsibility—an issue the Republican Party still strives to achieve. In this most recent election cycle, the six major Tea Party PACs spent approximately $37.5 million on midterm elections, yet less than $7 million was devoted to directly helping candidates, according to the Washington Post. Rather, according to the article, “roughly half of the money — nearly $18 million — has gone to pay for fundraising and direct mail, largely provided by Washington-area firms. Meanwhile, Tea Party leaders and their family members have been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in consulting fees, while their groups have doled out large sums for airfare, a retirement plan and even interior decorating.” Rather concerning for a movement predicated on transparency in Washington and efficiency in government to be spending so much on further self-motivated fundraising—and an interior decorator. The Tea Party is nothing short of a modern day manifestation of exactly what Madison and Berry were fearful of—a tyrannical faction dominating the political sphere. They are an interest group that claims to uphold Libertarian and politically conservative values yet empirically is a potentially corrupt, fiscally inefficient organization, motivated by the proliferation and imposition of a religious Christian agenda on the country. Madison, though, can rest in his grave easily; it appears the Republicans have finally realized that it just isn’t time for Tea anymore.

Look to Nelson Mandela for leadership example in ethnic conflicts Jessica

goldstein ubuntu

It was Dec. 5, 2013; as I sat down to read the news, I was struck with immediate pain, in utter shock at what I read. Nelson Mandela, the first black south African president—also known as Madiba—had passed away. It wasn’t a surprise. He was 95 years old and in ailing health, but an immediate sense of fear gripped me. What would the world be without Nelson Mandela? Now, a year after his death, we have had time to reflect and may be able to answer this question. Mandela’s struggle allowed for the end of an apartheid era in South Africa. According to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, his political involvement began in the 1940s, when he was in his early twenties. His support for the African National Congress began when he irregularly attended meetings, but by 1944 he helped found the ANC Youth League. By 1948, he was elected as the national secretary of the ANCYL. On Nov. 7, 1962, he was sentenced to five years in prison for incitement and leaving the country illegally in order to spread the message of the illegal ANC. He wasn’t released until Feb. 11, 1990, but while still behind bars, Mandela began peace talks with the gradually crumbling apartheid regime. Mandela was unique because he understood the necessity of working with those who were his perceived enemies. He once expressed: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, then it goes to his heart.” He went so far as to learn Afrikaans, the language of the white government leaders while in prison on Robben Island. Following a series of talks with these leaders to end apartheid, Mandela won a Nobel Prize on May 10, 1994, and he was inaugurated as the first black South African president. His persistence allowed for the release of political prisoners and the restoration of political parties. Today, society must turn to Nelson Mandela as a symbol of both overcoming adversity and of the realization that, in order to obtain peace, one must work to forgive his oppressors.

Write to us

The Justice welcomes letters to the editor responding to published material. Please submit letters through our Web site at www.thejustice.org. Anonymous submissions cannot be accepted. Letters should not exceed 300 words, and may be edited for space, style, grammar, spelling, libel and clarity, and must relate to material published in the Justice. Letters from off-campus sources should include location. The Justice does not print letters to the editor and oped submissions that have been submitted to other publications. Op-ed submissions of general interest to the University community—that do not respond explicitly to articles printed in the Justice—are also welcome and should be limited to 800 words. All submissions are due Friday at 12 p.m.

MOZELLE SHAMASH-ROSENTHAL/the Justice

Finding the ability to forgive is challenging, but is ultimately necessary in order to attain one’s goal. Unfortunately, in the wake of Mandela’s death, we seem lost. Crises stretch across the globe that further mar Mandela’s legacy by allowing racial and ethnic tension to prevent the opportunity for collaboration. The world’s newest state, South Sudan, remains imperiled by a man-made disaster. In Dec. 2013, ex-Vice President Riek Machar was accused of an attempted coup d’état by President Salva Kiir. Since then, the country has been engulfed in war between opposing ethnic groups, with the Dinka and the Nuer, rallying behind Kiir and Machar respectively. Some ten thousand people have been killed and a million more have been displaced. As if things couldn’t get any worse, this July, the United Nations Security Council stated that South Sudan’s food crisis is the worst in the world. Nearly a third of that country’s population could be affected. If it were not for two individual leaders’ struggle for power, then South Sudan would not be engulfed in ethnic war. This February, in an attempt to mitigate the fighting, Kiir asked the youth movement of the SPLM party to “reject revenge” and instead follow the examples of two African leaders, one of them Mandela. However, if it weren’t for his faulty leadership, South Sudan would not be caught in this ethnic violence in the first place. Kiir and Machar must them-

Fine Print

The opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the masthead on the opposing page represent the opinion of a majority of the voting members of the editorial board; all other articles, columns, comics and advertisements do not necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature on the last page of the newspaper, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers. The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. Operated, written, produced and published entirely by students, the Justice includes news, features, arts, opinion and sports articles of interest to approximately 3,500 undergraduates, 900 graduate students, 500 faculty and 1,000 administrative staff. In addition, the Justice is mailed weekly to paid subscribers and distributed throughout Waltham, Mass. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods. Advertising deadlines: All insertion orders and advertising copy must be received by the Justice no later than 5 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the date of publication. All advertising copy is subject to approval of the editor in chief and the managing and advertising editors. A publication schedule and rate card is available upon request. Subscription rate: $35 per semester, $55 per year.

selves ensure that the standard set by Mandela is upheld. They must work with the “other” in order to bring peace to the world’s newest state. A bit closer to home, we feel the sting of oppression as we learn about the tragic and cruel deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Upon hearing about these deaths and the grand jury rulings, I couldn’t help but think about America’s history of racial violence, marred by the grotesque murders of boys like Emmett Till and girls like Denise McNair. We are certainly not a post-racial society, but at this point in time, we must reflect on the legacy of Nelson Mandela. In the beginning, Nelson Mandela was, according to biographer Richard Stengel, “hotheaded and easily stung.” After 27 years in prison, he was a new man. When asked what had changed about the man who was released from the man who went to prison, Madiba expressed, “I came out mature.” In the same sense, the leaders in South Sudan must actively call for a cessation of hostilities. This can be accomplished by an expressive recommitment to the peace process and by promoting a transitional government. At the same time, leaders and members of civil society should promote a national identity. Perhaps they should put together a reconciliation committee to address the grievous atrocities committed in war. With this, those of different ethnic groups may be able to reconcile their differences.

The Staff

For information on joining the Justice, write to editor@ thejustice.org.

Similarly, in the United States, those who are mobilizing in protest must find a way to incorporate constructive solutions to the problem of institutionalized racism. Although President Obama announced this week a proposal to spend some $75 million on body cameras for police officers nationally, the money may be better spent in better training programs for police officers. In Garner’s case, the attack was caught on video, and it was still not ruled a murder. In this way, activists could promote these training programs to directly address their grievances. If we can learn anything from Mandela, we must learn that there is a time for everything. When he went to prison, he had much to learn about freedom. When he left prison, he knew that the key to his freedom lay in working with his oppressors. According to The Telegraph, Mandela and de Klerk realized the need to push through their tumultuous relationship in order to bring about reconciliation and an end to apartheid in South Africa. Mandela oftentimes refused to compromise until he achieved an apartheid-free South Africa. At the same time, though, he realized that he had to forgive the leadership and talk to them in order to achieve his goal. It has been a year since Madiba passed away, and the time for grieving is over. Now, we must remember his legacy and work to repair our world. Once we realize that, we will truly be free.

Editorial Assistants

Sports: Siddharth Mehra, Daniel Kanovich, Colin Warnes

News: Rachel Sharer, Abby Patkin

Arts: Kiran Gill, Ilana Kruger, Nate Shaffer, Anna Stern, Karl

Forum: Jessica Goldstein

Hakmiller, Vanessa Alamo

Sports: Noah Hessdorf

Photography: Michelle Banayan, Hannah Chidekel, Mihir

Arts: Brooke Granovsky

Khanna, Abby Knecht, Bri Mussman, Jeremy Perlman, Abigail

Photography: Guillermo Narvaez

Rothstein

Copy: Carmi Rothberg

Copy: Annie Fortnow, Allie Goodman, Kathleen Guy, Mara Nuss-

Layout: Sydney Miller

baum, Rebecca Shi Layout: Corey Cohen, Josh Sander

Staff

Illustrations: Jason Lipow, Ali Santana, Mozelle Shamash-

News: Kathryn Brody, Saadiah McIntosh, Zachary Reid,

Rosenthal, Gabriela Yeshua

Sherry Simkovic, Arianna Unger Features: Mariya Greeley, Brianna Majsiak, Casey Pearlman Forum: Jennie Bromberg, Aaron Dvorkin, Mark Gimelstein, Kahlil Oppenheimer, Jassen Lu

TUESDAY, December 9, 2014

●

THE JUSTICE

FORUM

Focus Brown and Garner protests on specific goals Max

Moran The bottom bunk

On Aug. 9, in Feguson, Mo., 19-year-old Michael Brown was shot. At 11:54 a.m., he allegedly stole a few cigarillos from a liquor store, and walked a few blocks away with his friend Dorian Johnson until he was stopped by police officer Darren Wilson. Speaking through his window, Wilson told the two teenagers to move to the sidewalk, and saw that Brown fit the description of a suspect in an unrelated convenience store theft. Wilson positioned his vehicle to block Brown and Johnson from leaving, but after a brief altercation with Brown, the officer fired two shots from his weapon. One missed entirely, while the other grazed Brown’s thumb. Brown ran. Wilson pursued on foot. Suddenly the teenager stopped, turned and began to move toward the police officer. At this time, Wilson discharged 10 more bullets from his weapon, killing Michael Brown. The grand jury in Brown’s case, made up of nine white people and three African-Americans, decided last Tuesday that Wilson would not face criminal charges in this killing, and would, in fact, face no legal action whatsoever. This was due to their decision that Wilson had “objectively reasonable” fear for his life, a standard set in a 1989 Supreme Court ruling which holds that in situations where officers have such a fear, they can shoot first and ask questions later. The ruling set off an ongoing series of protests nationwide. Within Ferguson, a brief set of riots occurred on Tuesday night, including fires and the looting of some local businesses. Nationwide, protests have taken on various forms: in San Diego and Washington, D.C., predominantly college-aged individuals blocked traffic on busy highways for 15 and 20 minutes, respectively, including blocking ambulances on their way to hospitals. A movement called Blackout Black Friday urged Americans not to participate in the nation’s biggest shopping day, in order to pressure big businesses into using their lobbying power in the government to bring social change. And on Dec. 1, activists staged a nationwide walkout of schools and businesses called “Hands Up, Walk Out.” These are the few protests that made national headlines this past week. Nationwide, the majority of responses have taken the form of peaceful demonstrations, sometimes outside of law enforcement buildings or in public spaces. When asked why they have organized these various protests, many activists respond similarly. “I am really enraged,” said Californian highway protester Jazzalyn Livingston. “People of color, students of color, often times we don’t have a voice. This is our way of making y’all listen.” The Blackout Black Friday website notes “it’s become painfully clear that people of color, and Black people in particular, are still unjustly targeted by law enforcement and the criminal justice system.” These judgments are both true and tragic. Police profiling, targeting and brutality against people of color has become endemic

GABRIELA YESHUA/the Justice

in the United States, and too often, cops escape justice. Only 33 percent of police officers accused of violent crime are convicted, and of those 33 percent only 12 percent are incarcerated, according to FiveThirtyEight. FBI data shows that the less clear it is that a person “justly” killed by police officers was acting aggressively, the more likely that person was black. Perhaps most telling is that on Wednesday night, a nearly identical case to Brown’s came out of New York: a grand jury did not indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who, while arresting Eric Garner for selling illegal cigarettes, choked him to death alongside several other officers. Video evidence shows him clearly committing the action, even after Garner repeatedly stated “I can’t breathe.” Yet, Pantaleo went free. Protesters have taken to the streets because systemic racism is wrong, and has cost the lives of far too many people. To me, these protests also recall the vigils in my home state of Connecticut shortly after the Sandy Hook school shooting. When faced with tragedy, people need to be around each other and share in their collective grief and anger. It is likely that the protests are as much for the benefit of the protesters themselves as for their goal of a more just judicial system. But therein lies a problem. A vigil is an event specifically for the expression of grief and condolence, and has no other aim but to let people let out their feelings. A protest is supposedly an act aimed at achieving a tangible goal, using tactics and speech di-

rected toward instituting some specific change. The protests in the wake of the Michael Brown ruling have an aim—to end racism in the justice system—but lack the guidance and nuance necessary to bring about that change. Much of the discourse has centered on the tagline “Black Lives Matter,” which though true, does nothing to address the legal grounds and justifications for why Wilson was allowed to walk free. No one in this case denies the equality of black and white life; the problem is why the law so often targets black lives to begin with, and why this discrimination is entirely legal. This tagline frames the discourse in a way that is both unproductive and unfocused on the true issue and allows easy accusations of racism against any who question the direction such a movement takes. Worse, too many of these protests have wound up hurting people completely unrelated to the Brown ruling. Boycotting Black Friday in the vague hopes it will move corporations to vaguely use lobbyists to push lawmakers toward vaguely defined social justice laws is deeply naive. It speaks to the “slacktivism” that its millennial promoters are so often accused of. Worse than simple naivety was the active obstruction of traffic in California and D.C. This disrupted the lives of men and women whom the protesters had no reason to believe were not just as upset as they were at the ruling. How does one justify impeding ambulances, or even simple workers who may be fired or face pay cuts for this tardiness, when none of these men and women were

on the grand jury? Saying people should be made angry so that they’ll get angry about the ruling is a horribly flawed argument. The only people these drivers have personal reason to be mad at are the protestors, thus earning them enemies instead of allies. In the words of Tyree Landrum, a convenience store clerk blocked by protesters in San Diego, “We ain’t got no justice either!” Not all responses have been counter-productive. After the Ferguson Municipal Public Library remained open the day after the riots, a huge outpour of support earned the library donations from over 7,000 Americans. This generosity is a touching and productive response to tragedy. And of course, the dozens of local peaceful protests have given people a way of both expressing their anger and putting pressure on their local law enforcement to be aware of these issues. But the most newsworthy protests, and rightfully so, have been those more motivated by the emotional need to express outrage than the logical focus of knowing at whom to aim it. This leads to the media face of this movement being one of angry and debased Americans who don’t know what they’re angry about—people who want attention, but cannot think of what to do with it. This is an issue that deserves a better image, which means its promoters must have a better response. Identify your target, determine how you want it to change, and then develop a protest aimed at achieving that specific goal. Only then can an issue as complex as this one be fully and meaningfully addressed.

Address police brutality cases against the mentally handicapped By Alexander mitchell special to the jUSTICE

In the wake of the violent deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, as well as the decisions of two independent grand juries to indict neither Officer Darren Wilson nor Daniel Pantaleo, the country has begun a long overdue conversation about the relationship between police and black Americans. People across the country have taken to the streets in protest, as well as to Twitter and Facebook with the common hashtag, #alllivesmatter. Some people have taken offense at the slogan, believing instead that #blacklivesmatter was more fitting. While both statements are obviously true, the latter ignores violence committed by police against individuals of other groups. One group in particular, one that transcends race and culture, has suffered similarly for many years now: individuals living with mental illness. In a case largely ignored by the mainstream media, Robert Ethan Saylor, a 26-year-old man with Down syndrome, was attending a movie with his caregiver in January 2013. He enjoyed the movie so much, he tried to return to the theater for the next showing but did not pay for a second ticket. The manager called the police for help, and despite the protests of Saylor’s caregiver, three sheriff’s deputies grabbed him in a chokehold. While forcing him onto the ground, the officers fractured his throat cartilage, killing him by asphyxiation. A grand jury failed to indict any of the officers responsible for the murder.

Just a few months after Saylor’s death, a similar tragedy failed to make headlines. Keith Vidal was an 18-year-old kid from North Carolina. He had battled schizophrenia for most of his life, and during one particularly bad episode, his parents called the police, asking for help in restraining their son and giving him his medication. The first two officers on the scene made some progress in calming him down. But then, a third officer arrived, tasered the boy and shot him while on the ground. Vidal was dead within 70 seconds of the arrival of the third officer.

“

One group in particular ... has suffered similarly for many years now: individuals living with mental illness. These are far from isolated incidents. According to the Portland Press Herald and the Maine Sunday Telegram, nationwide more than half of all Americans shot by police have a mental illness. In comparison, only 18 percent of Americans are believed to have a mental illness, and only four percent have a serious one, according to the National Insti-

tute of Mental Health. When it comes to the sufferings of those with mental illness, police brutality is merely the tip of the iceberg. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, as many as 40 percent of people with mental illness will go through the criminal justice system at some point in their lives, and estimates of the proportion of inmates with mental illness are as high as 50 percent in some states, although the number is highly dependent on the available number of mental health professionals. Overall, the numbers paint a depressing portrait of the American justice system’s treatment of people with mental illness. While the discussion on racism among American police officers certainly should not be swept under the rug, the need to address violence against mentally ill people by the police is equally pressing. There exists a clear pattern in police violence: that it is targeted at those who are either unwilling or unable to comply with police demands—hardly a capital offense—and the use of lethal force is arbitrary with little to no thought attached to it. The solution is twofold. Practically, police officers must receive more training in deescalating situations. These tragedies have a pattern of officers increasing the tension in a situation instead of reducing it. More philosophically, we as a society need to adopt a less militaristic view of a police force. Officers often go into these situations seeing themselves as good guys going against the bad guys, an especially dangerous mindset when dealing with persons with mental illness. Rather than

seeing the person as an enemy, an officer must understand that the person is neither in control of nor legally responsible for their actions and must be treated with more caution. One successful approach has been crisis intervention training, a holistic approach designed to not only teach officers to exercise restraint in incidents involving people with mental illness, but also engages the police with mental health professionals and their clients. Studies have already shown that officers with CIT training are more likely to engage with suspects nonviolently, and more likely to refer them to mental health services than to arrest them. The tragedies of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, as well as those of Saylor and Vidal, teach us that police training is inadequate when it comes to these types of scenarios and that police choose to use violent or even lethal force too expediently. Individuals with mental illness, who often lack the ability to communicate effectively with police or to respond appropriately to stressful situations, unfortunately pay the price for this propensity to violence. The police are paid, trained and sworn to protect and serve the citizens of this country. While the vast majority do, the violent actions of the few cannot go unnoticed, and they bring disgrace upon the entire profession. There are too many fresh graves to allow this sort of barbarity to continue. —Alexander Mitchell ’17 is the treasurer of Brandeis Students for Disability Activism.

THE JUSTICE

WBBALL: Judges off to best start in six seasons CONTINUED FROM 16 rest of the way, as the Judges gained an important non-conference win. Sodine led the team in scoring and rebounding, as she recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Judges did a good job on the glass, outrebounding Anna Maria 49 to 32 to get 19 second-chance points. The Judges’ two victories this week moved them to 6-1, which marked the team’s best start since the 2008 to 2009 season, when it won its first 10 games. The squad knows that the sched-

●

December 9, 2014

UP FOR THE DUNK

ule will get tougher once conference play begins, but Jackson still has high expectations for the team. “When conference [play] starts, the competition gets better, and I feel that we will rise to the challenge. Our goal is to get to the NCAAs and face Tufts again, this time getting the win,” she said. The Judges' lone loss of the season came to No. 3 Tufts University 74-51 on Nov. 22. The Judges will be off for most of winter break and will return to action on Dec. 31, when they will welcome Gordon College to Red Auerbach Arena.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

Squads swim to fast times at regional meet ■ Max Fabian ’15 won the

1,650-yard freestyle race at the Gompei Invitational in 16 minutes, 29.20 seconds, a full four seconds ahead of second place. By AVI GOLD JUSTICE EDITOR

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams turned in some solid individual performances at the Gompei Invitational, an annual three-day meet last weekend hosted by the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The men’s squad finished fourth out of eight competing teams, improving on a fifth-place finish from last year. The women placed 10th out of 12 teams, down two spots from last year. The meet was split between the preliminary races on Friday and Saturday and the finals races on Sunday. Swimmers were split into one of four finals races—labeled the A, B, C and D Finals—based on their preliminary race times. The women picked up 582 points during the weekend meet, just 61.5 behind the ninth-place squad from Marywood University. Joanna Murphy ’17 paced the women’s squad with a fourth-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, swimming a race of 18 minutes, 11.95 seconds. Her time was just over two seconds slower than the third-place finisher and just behind her season-best 18.08.24. Murphy also picked up a 10thplace finish in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:27.89 and was part of the 11th-place quartet in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Erin Gawronski ’18 picked up a fourth-place finish in the C Final of the 100-yard butterfly, stopping the timer at 1:04.43 and setting a new season-best for the Judges. Gawronski also took eighth in the B Final of the 200-yard individual medley, swimming the race with a time of 2:21.86. “The weekend, while fairly hectic and incredibly busy, was ultimately very rewarding,” Gawronski said. “At a meet of that size, the competition is fierce. You have to put your best foot forward, stay motivated, and above all else, give it everything you've got.” “The energy and intensity never faltered, and as a result, there were a number of seasonal best times among members of the team, both men and women,” she continued. Gawronski helped contribute to a fourth-place finish in the B Final of the 400-yard medley relay, swimming with Murphy, Sherry Tu ’18 and Maya Saar ’18.

The four swam a total time of 4:26.46, a fraction of a second ahead of a team from host WPI. Amy Sheinhait ’18 placed ninth in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.15 seconds, setting both a personal-best record and the Judges’ fastest time in the race this year. She was a drop slower in the 100yard freestyle, finishing the C Final in 56.98. Her sixth-place time in the 100yard freestyle was faster than three competitors in the B Final but a slow preliminary race left her to race in the C Final instead. The men’s squad amassed 1,460 points at the meet but finished 500 points out of third-place overall. Max Fabian ’15 set a seasonrecord for 500-yard freestyle with a final of 4:45.42, more than 10 seconds ahead of the previous record. His time was good for second place in the race, just 31 hundredths of a second behind the race winner. Fabian won the 1,650-yard freestyle race in 16:29.20, a full four seconds in front of the secondplace finisher. Fabian also touched the wall third in the 400-yard individual medley, finishing the race in 4:14.26, and won the B Final of the 200-yard butterfly in 2:06.07. Gawronski pointed to the team’s cohesive support as a factor in the quick times. “More than anything, it was the team dynamic that really motivated the swimmers,” she said. “As a team, we are very supportive of one another. The swimmers' energy and enthusiasm was at a height during [the] meet.” The men also saw an impressive day from Zach Diamond ’18, who took home a sixth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing in 4:58.06, just under three seconds out of a top-five finish. Brian Luk ’16 grabbed a fourthplace finish in the 50-yard freestyle, turning in a time of 21.57, and matched his finish in the 100yard butterfly with a time of 53.32. Luk also picked up a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle race in 47.08 seconds and swam the 200yard freestyle in 1:49.15. Gawronski said that the teams saw plenty of positives from the meet but still have work before the University Athletic Association Championships later this winter. “[The] meet gave us an indication of what to expect at UAA's, and our individual swims gave us an indication of what we're capable of at this point in the season. Either way, this weekend's experience was very positive and optimistic, and I'm excited to see the team continue to get better over the remainder of the season.” Both squads will next swim in a home meet versus Colby College on Jan. 10 before traveling to Trinity (Conn.) on Jan. 17.

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

BRINGING IT HOME: Guard Tim Reale ’17 goes up for a slam dunk in the team’s 63-51 win over Framingham State University.

MBBALL: Men take two of three games on week CONTINUED FROM 16 rattled out as time expired. The Judges converted 16 points off of 19 Tufts turnovers and put back five second-chance points, allowing the team to push its lead as far as 10 points following a three pointer from guard Colby Smith ’16 at 15:13 of the second half. The game featured seven ties and five lead changes, in part due to the productivity of both benches. Each team got 18 points from bench players, including 14 from guard Nate Meehan ’18. Meehan was just one of two Brandeis players to score in double figures but one of eight to put a point on the board. The Judges pulled down 31 rebounds and 12 on the offensive glass, including seven from Powell. On Saturday, Brandeis faced Salem State University in the first round of the Big 4 Challenge. Salem St. managed to get themselves up to a 10-point lead three minutes before halftime with a score of 36 - 26. However, the Judges closed the gap to 38-35, entering the halftime break at only a three-point deficit. When the second half started, Salem St. came out firing, creating their biggest lead of the contest with a score of 54- 41 with 14:50 left to play. Brandeis relied on free throws

throughou the game, with forward KJ Baptiste ’18 netting one of two free throws to cut the deficit to 6459 with only five and a half minutes remaining in the game. The Vikings went on a run from there, scoring the last seven points and putting the game out of reach. Salem State shot 55.6 percent throughout the game and an impressive 59.1 percent accuracy from behind the three-point line. The Judges shot 47.1 percent, led by Vilmont’s season-high 15 points. The Judges got 34 points from the reserves and put three players in double figures but could not contend with the 55.6 shooting percentage of Salem State. Brandeis shot just three for 12 from beyond the arc, resulting in a paltry 25 percent three-point field goal percentage. Last Thursday, Brandeis got its first win of the season over Framingham State. The teams played out a very competitive first half, never having a lead of more than five points. The Judges entered the half with a 25-23 lead following a Vilmont threepointer. In the second half, there seemed to be no budging on either side until the halfway point, when the Judges extended their lead to 44-35 and never looked back. With seven minutes left, Brandeis

managed to put 16 points between them and the visitors, leaving their opponents with no real hope. Brandeis held on to win the match 63-51, putting three players in double figures. Powell netted 13 points, Vilmont scored 12 points, and guard Tim Reale ’17 had 10 points. Brandeis, very impressively, also converted the 20 FSU turnovers into 20 points. The Judges squared off against Becker College last Tuesday and came out flying in the first half, jumping out to a 19-11 in the first 10 minutes of the game. The Hawks responded in kind with a 6-0 run, cutting the Brandeis lead to two. The two teams stayed extremely close in the second half, eventually tying at 49-49 with five minutes left on the clock. However, four points in the last minute ensured that Becker would come out with the win and the Judges would have to keep searching for their elusive first win. Jordan Cooper ’18 got himself into double digits with 11 points, leading the way for the Judges. The Judges will travel to No. 2 Amherst College tonight in their final game of the calendar year before resuming at Roger Williams University on Jan. 2. The team could not be reached for comment as of press time.

SPORTS PHOTOS FEATURES COPY

JOIN THE JUSTICE! FORUM NEWS LAYOUT ARTS ADS For more information, contact Rachel Hughes at editor@thejustice.org. Are you a JUDGES fan? Are you a part of the JURY? Be a fan for the Justice!

Write for Sports

Email Avi Gold at sports@thejustice.org

THE JUSTICE

●

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

FENCING

jUDGES BY THE NUMBERS Men’s BASKETBALL UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Points Per Game

Not including Monday’s games

Robinson Vilmont ’17 leads scorUAA Conference Overall ers with 9.2 points per game. W L W L Pct. Player PPG WashU 0 0 8 0 .1000 Robinson Vilmont 9.2 Carnegie 0 0 7 0 .1000 Samuel Dowden 8.9 Case 0 0 6 1 .857 Jordan Cooper 8.4 Emory 0 0 6 1 .857 Carlin Haymon 8.3 NYU 0 0 4 2 .667 Rebounds Per Game Chicago 0 0 5 3 .625 Rochester 0 0 4 4 .500 Colby Smith ’16 leads the team JUDGES 0 0 2 5 .286 with 5.4 rebounds per game. Player RPG Colby Smith 5.4 UPCOMING GAMES: John Powell 4.4 Tonight at Amherst College Samuel Dowden 3.6 Jan. 2 at Roger Williams College Tim Reale 3.6 Jan. 3 at Curry College

WOMen’s basketball UAA STANDINGS

TEAM STATS

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference W L W NYU 0 0 7 WashU 0 0 6 Carnegie 0 0 7 Rochester 0 0 7 JUDGES 0 0 6 Case 0 0 5 Emory 0 0 4 Chicago 0 0 2

Points Per Game

Overall L Pct. 0 .1000 0 .1000 1 .875 1 .875 1 .857 2 .714 2 .667 4 .333

UPCOMING GAMES: Dec. 31 vs. Gordon Jan. 3 at Endicott Jan. 6 at UMass Boston

Niki Laskaris ’16 leads the team with 12.4 points per game. Player PPG Niki Laskaris 12.4 Maria Jackson 11.4 Sydney Sodine 8.6 Frankie Pinto 7.7

Rebounds Per Game Sydney Sodine ’17 leads with 7.9 rebounds per game. Player RPG Sydney Sodine 7.9 Maria Jackson 5.9 Olivia Shaw 5.0 Hannah Cain 4.7

SWIMMING Results from the Gompei Invitational at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

TOP PERFORMERS (Men’s) 500-yard freestyle

SWIMMER Max Fabian Zach Diamond Taku Harada Joey Barr

TOP PERFORMERS (Women’s) 100-yard backstroke

TIME 4:45.42 4:58.36 4:58.45 5:03.19

SWIMMER Abby Damsky Sherry Tu

500-yard freestyle

SWIMMER Joanna Murphy

TIME 1:05.39 1:05.69 TIME 5:27.89

UPCOMING SCHEDULE: Jan. 10 vs. Colby College Jan. 17 at Trinity (Conn.) College Jan 23. vs. Bridgewater State University

Track and field Results from the UMass Boston Invitational on Saturday.

TOP FINISHERS (Men’s)

5000-Meter Run RUNNER TIME Jarret Harrigan 15:27.17 Quinton Hoey 15:38.29 Liam Garvey 15:46.40

TOP FINISHERS (Women’s)

1 mile Run RUNNER TIME Kelsey Whitaker 5:12.27 Kristi Pisarik 5:16.43 Kyra Shreeve 5:22.30

UPCOMING MEETS:

Jan. 11 at the Dartmouth Relays at Dartmouth University Jan. 17 at the Tufts Invitational at Tufts University Jan. 24 at the Smith Invitational at Smith College

GRACE KWON/the Justice

LOCKING BLADES: Anna Craven ’18 (left) squares off with an opponent from Cornell University during a home meet on Sunday.

Teams combine for five wins as meeting hosts ■ Saberist Adam Mandel ’15 went 11-1 at the Brandeis Invitational, including a 3-0 record versus Yale University. By AVI GOLD Justice editor

The men’s and women’s fencing teams went a combined 5-4 as the hosts of the Brandeis Invitational on Sunday behind a number of impressive performances from both squads. Both teams faced Johns Hopkins University, St. Johns University, the United States Air Force Academy and Yale University, while the women also welcomed Cornell University to the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The women offset 19-8 losses to both Cornell and St. Johns by defeating Air Force, Johns Hopkins and Yale. Saberist Jaclyn Hammond ’17 noted that the squad has been able to mix new fencers into the team this year, producing in positive results. “The team has clicked a lot; there are a number of [first-years] that have come in and integrated well,” she said. “[When you can] turn around and know the team is behind [you] rooting, it’s a powerful thing to have.”

The squad matched up evenly with Yale, taking the foil bouts 7-2 and falling by the same score in the sabre bouts, but clinched the 14-13 victory on the final bout of the epee bouts. Epeeist Gwendolyn Mowell ’16 went 10-2 overall on the day, including a 2-1 performance against Yale. The epeeists swept Air Force 9-0 en route to an overall 17-10 victory for the Judges, during which both Mowell and Liz Feller ’18 were undefeated in all three bouts. Hammond went 2-1 against Air Force, helping the squad clinch a 5-4 victory in sabre bouts. The Judges needed a close 5-4 victory in the epee bouts with Johns Hopkins but used 7-2 wins in both foil and sabre to earn a 19-8 victory. Foilist Caroline Mattos ’16 went 3-0 in the victory over Yale, while saberist Ashley Jean ’17 had a productive day with an 8-5 overall record and was a perfect 3-0 in bouts against Johns Hopkins. The men’s squad went an even 2-2 on the day, falling to St. Johns 19-8 and Air Force 16-11 but defeating Yale and Johns Hopkins. The Judges’ victory over Yale was the squad’s first win against the Bulldogs since the 2007 to 2008 season, using a 7-2 victory in sabre to claim a 17-10 victory. Saberist Adam Mandel ’15 went a perfect 3-0 against Yale en route to a

nearly flawless 11-1 record overall on the day. The squad had four fencers post a winning record against Yale, as foilists Noah Berman ’15 and Guillermo Narvaez ’18 and epeeists Justin Kwon ’16 and Hunter Stusnick ’18 all went 2-1. “Our two wins are a result of the power of our saber and foil squads which lead the way in both victories,” Stusnick said. “[The] team has a lot of returning starters who are strong fencers but they have also integrated the first years into the team well.” Saberist Len Grazian ’17 went 3-0 against Johns Hopkins, while Mandel went 2-1 in the loss to St. Johns. Hammond said the competition revealed a number of things she can work on before returning to action. “It [was a] tough competition but I need to work on improving speed, I thought that I was a bit slow,” she said. “That is something I can work on over break.” Both squads will resume their seasons on Jan. 17 in the Western Invitational at Air Force before traveling to Brown University for the second Northeast Conference Meet on Jan. 24. —Editor’s Note: Guillermo Narvaez ’18 is an editorial assistant for the Justice photos section.

pro sports BRIEF Inaugural College Football Playoff selects The Ohio State University as fourth seed over Big 12 teams On Sunday afternoon, the selection committee for the inaugural College Football Playoff announced the four playoff teams. The University of Alabama, the University of Oregon, Florida State University and The Ohio State University were all selected to the fourteam tournament. The tournament is the first of its kind after years of a one-game winner-takes-all championship. For decades, fans have complained about the system that allows for only two teams to compete for the title. The new playoff format was supposed to alleviate this issue by allowing four teams to have a chance, but this season has had many of the same concerns as before. Two Big 12 schools, Texas Chris-

tian University and Baylor University, were both left out of the playoff after spending all year as top teams in the country. TCU as recently as last week had been ranked as the No. 3 team in the country but was moved aside for Ohio State after the Buckeyes’ 59-0 thrashing of No. 17 Wisconsin University on Saturday. TCU had a dominant day on Saturday as well, dismantling a weak Iowa State squad 55-3. Ohio State faced adversity all season after losing their starting quarterback Braxton Miller to a season-ending injury before their first game. The Buckeyes lost an early September game to Virginia Tech that looked to take them out of the national title picture.

The team’s troubles increased even more when it lost quarterback J.T. Barret, who had been playing extremely well in relief of Miller, in early December. With its third-string quarterback Cardale Jones at the helm, the squad has overcome the odds to make the College Football Playoff. Keeping TCU and Baylor out of the tournament was not an easy decision for the committee to make. Both teams had only one loss on the season, as Baylor lost an early season game to West Virginia and TCU lost a nail biter by three points to Baylor. TCU and Baylor will still play in big-time bowl games as TCU will square off against No. 9 Ole Miss in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and Baylor will take on No. 8 Michigan State in

the Cotton Bowl. Even though Ohio State was able to slip into the field of four, they will face a tough task with a matchup against Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Alabama has been the No. 1 team in the nation for the last few weeks and come into the matchup favored by 9.5 points. The game marks the 68th straightgame that Alabama has been favored in its contests. Alabama will look to continue its dominance of the college football landscape, as it has won three of the last five national championships. The other semifinal features No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Florida State comes into the game as an 8.5 point underdog even

though it is the only undefeated team in college football. Florida State will took to defend its national title with last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Jameis Winston. The game between FSU and Oregon will feature arguably the best two college quarterbacks in Winston and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. Mariota was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy on Monday. Both semifinal matchups will take place on New Year’s Day, when a spot for a national title game appearance will be on the line. The winners of OSU vs. Alabama and FSU vs. Oregon will play on Jan. 12, 2015 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. — Noah Hessdorf

just

Sports

Page 16

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE The men’s and women’s fencing teams hosted the Brandeis Invitational on Sunday, p. 15.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Men’s basketball

CONTESTED SHOT

Team stops skid with two victories ■ The squad defeated Tufts

University 52-50 on Sunday to earn third place in the New England Big 4 Challenge. By COLIN WARNES JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The men’s basketball team notched its first two victories of the season last week, taking the consolation game of the New England Big 4 Challenge on Sunday afternoon and defeating Framingham State University last Thursday. The Judges sit at 2-5 overall with the pair of wins. The squad faced Tufts University in the consolation game of the Big

Waltham, Mass.

4 Challenge, using a double-double from center John Powell ’17 to edge its way past the Jumbos. Powell netted 16 points and 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, and added a pair of assists and a steal for the game. Neither squad was able to do much from the field as the Judges shot just 30.9 percent while Tufts recorded a 28.8 shooting percentage on field goals. Brandeis took a lead that they would not relinquish with just over two and a half minutes remaining when guard Robinsion Vilmont ’17 knocked down a pair of free throws. Tufts had a last second chance to win the game with a deep threepointer, but the off-balance shot

See MBBALL, 13 ☛

Track and field

Judges begin year at UMass Boston meeting ■ Jarret Harrigan ’15 ran a

career-best time of 15:22.17 to win the 5,000-meter race on Saturday. By NOAH HESSDORF JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

The men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their seasons at the non-scoring University of Massachusetts Boston Invitational at Northeastern University on Saturday where the Judges secured five top-three finishes. The men contributed for five of the top six places in the 5,000-meter race. As he did during the fall cross-country season, Jarret Harrigan ’15 led the Judges. Harrigan ran a career-best 15:22.17 to win the race. His time was a good three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. In the same race for the Judges were Quinton Hoey ’17 and Liam Garvey ’18, whose times of 15:38.29 and 15:46.40 were good enough for fifth and sixth place, respectively. Both the men and women were prepared for their first competition of the season. First-year runner Haliana Burhans commented that the team was excited for the early meet. “[We were] all really looking forward to the meet. It was our first meet of the season, so we all were super excited to see where everyone stands”, she said. “We didn't put too much pressure on ourselves because it was the first meet of the season.” In his first collegiate track run, Mitchell Hutton ’18 finished second overall in the 3,000-meter run. Hutton finished one second ahead of the third-place runner and 11 seconds behind the winner of the race, an unattached competitor. Brian Sheppard ’18 placed fifth in the race with a time of 9:13.86. Trying to duplicate his AllAmerican success from a year ago, Mo Sidique ’15 ran a career best 2:01.97 to secure a third-place finish in the 800-meter race. Sidique’s time was the top for a Division III runner, as an unattached competitor and Division II Stonehill College racer finished ahead of him. The career-best times continued

with Grady Ward ’16, who ran the mile in a new low of 4:23.29. The time gave him a third-place finish, losing to two Stonehill runners by a combined five seconds. Also in the race for the Judges were Ryan Stender ’18, who ran the mile in 4:27.15 for fifth place, and Greg Bray ’15, who received eighth place with a time of 4:28.17. The women also had several strong finishes in the competition. Lydia McCaleb ’17 had top performance for the women as she finished in third place with a time of 11:08.85 in the 3,000-meter run. McCaleb was only half a second behind the runner-up and a second ahead of the fourth-place finisher. Molly Paris ’16 ran to an eighthplace finish with a time of 11:19.21. Burhans and the rest of the team were happy with their first performance of the season. “[There were many] people who were setting their personal records and many people placed really well in the overall meet. It was also a great time for team bonding too,” she said. The mile was arguably the women’s top event of the competition as they placed three runners in the top seven. Fresh off her appearance at the DIII Cross Country championships, Kelsey Whitaker ’16 secured fourth place with a time of 5:12.27. Kristi Pisarik ’15 ran a career best 5:16.43 for fifth and Kyra Shreeve ’18 ran the mile 5:22.30, good enough for seventh. The team’s other top-10 finish came from Burhans, who was coming off of her own NCAA appearance with the women’s soccer team. Burhans, in her first collegiate race, finished the 200-meter dash in ninth place with a time of 26.95 seconds. About the rest of the season, Burhans commented that there are “very high expectations for our team in the future. Especially with this great start to the season, I think we can only improve from here.” She continued that, “Our coaches are the best most of us have ever had, and they will really push us and help all of us perform to the best of our abilities.” The Judges will continue their season on Jan. 11 when they travel to New Hampshire for the Dartmouth Relays.

MIHIR KHANNA/the Justice

STEPBACK JUMPER: Guard Sydney Sodine ’17 shoots over a defender from Johnson & Wales University in Saturday’s victory.

Women dominate in two triumphs at home ■ Guard Niki Laskaris ’16

netted 19 points in Saturday’s 73-56 home victory. By DANIEL KANOVICH JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

The Brandeis women’s basketball team continued its impressive start to the season by picking up two more home victories last week, beating Anna Maria College last Tuesday and Johnson & Wales University on Saturday, bringing their record to 6-1. The Judges controlled the majority of both games, besting Anna Maria with a score of 65-38 and Johnson & Wales 73-56 to drop both opposing teams to 3-3. On Saturday, the Judges opened on a 10-0 run in the first 3:09 of the game and never trailed the rest of the way. The team held Johnson & Wales to 31% shooting from the field in the first half and just 1-of-14 shooting

from the beyond the arc. Guard Niki Laskaris ’16, on the other hand, was efficient from the three point line, shooting 3-of-4 to lead the Judges with 11 points in the first half. Even with a powerful offense, forward Maria Jackson ’17 gave most of the credit to the team’s strength on defense. “As a team, our main focus is discipline. Every practice and game we try to follow the game plan and play solid, disciplined defense,” she said. The Judges increased their lead to 15 with a 7-0 run to start the second half. While Johnson & Wales would manage to cut the lead to single digits on a pair of free throws with 8:08 left in the game, the Judges secured the win with a run of their own that would grow the lead to 20 points at the 2:40 mark. Laskaris led the team with 19 points, while guard Sydney Sodine ’17 led the team in rebounding with nine boards and guard Hannah Cain ’15 added five steals. The Judges had similar success

against Anna Maria on Tuesday, but it wasn’t until the second half that they began to pull away. Brandeis got off to a lethargic start to the game, shooting 1-of-7 through the first 4:20 to go down 12-2. After a 30-second timeout, the Judges clamped down on defense and held Anna Maria to just four points over the next nine minutes and 11 seconds of game time to take a 24-16 lead over the visitors. Jackson stressed the importance of help defense to the team’s success on that end of the floor. “[It is important to] always look out for the girl next to you, and don't let her be stranded and left alone,” she said. The Judges entered the half with a 32-26 lead after recovering from their slow start, and they would dominate after the break. Their defense once again led the way, forcing Anna Maria to shoot a startlingly low 5-of-29 from the field in the second half. The team’s lead was never put into question the

See WBBALL, 13 ☛

JustArts Volume LXVII, Number 14

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Waltham, Mass.

‘QUICKIES’

»20

Spring Concert Preview - From House of Blues Boston to TD Garden, Boston will be the height of music this spring » 23

Boris’ Kitchen Sketch comedy festival shows talents of Brandeis students who were joined by students from other universities » 21

INSIDE

‘‘

Your weekly guide to arts, movies, music and everything cultural at Brandeis and beyond

Close Looking Christian Gentry Ph.D. ’12 leads discussion on Elizabeth Murray’s “Duck Foot,” which is on view at the Rose Art Museum » 19

Music and Dance from Ghana Class performs end-of-semester concert, led by their instructor Faith Conant, and joined by two guest musicians » 19

justARTS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014 | THE JUSTICE

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus this week

ON-CAMPUS EVENTS Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra Messiah Sing

The annual Messiah-Sing is a timehonored Brandeis tradition. The Brandeis community, their friends and their families are invited to a sing-along of Handel’s “Messiah.” The BrandeisWellesley Orchestra and the University Chorus will lead and accompany the community concert. Music scores and holiday-themed refreshments will be provided. Today at 4 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. This event is free and open to the Brandeis community.

Seniors’ Midyear Arts Exhibit Reception

The Fine Arts department sponsors Brandeis seniors as they present their midyear exhibition. The exhibit opens with a reception where viewers will have the opportunity to meet the artists and discuss their work. Tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m. in Spingold Theater’s Dreitzer Gallery. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the gallery will remain on view through Jan. 12. This exhibit is free to view and open to the Brandeis community.

Emily Duggan ’14

Student directs Boris’ Kitchen’s annual show MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

This week, justArts spoke with Emily Duggan ’14, director of Boris’ Kitchen’s 15th Annual Sketch Comedy Festival, about the company’s shows this weekend. justArts: Did you have any challenges as director?

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS

Emily Duggan: There was a lot [that went] into [the festival]. We invite other colleges to come perform, so getting in contact with them [was a challenge]. All of the [Boris’ Kitchen executive] board was involved in contacting them and raising money so that we could host them. ... I also don’t have a lot of directing experience—I have acting experience. I’d done Boris’ Kitchen for two years before I started directing, but I’m a very quiet person, I guess. I’m not very good at being an authority figure. I was fine with knowing what the jokes were in the sketches to be able to direct people to the funniest parts—hopefully—but when it came to cracking the whip, that was probably the biggest problem that I ran into. Everyone in the troupe kind of stepped up to do what they could to help with props and giving notes on sketches and stuff. I assistant directed one of our smaller shows, “The Old Sh*t Show,” last year, so … I had that experience, but this was very different from that. JA: What makes this year’s festival different from past years’? ED: This year we only invited other colleges. I think we have more colleges than last year, too. And different colleges, some who haven’t been to Brandeis in years—some who I’m not sure have ever come to the festival before. So that’s really awesome. In the spring, we do this sketch competition at [Boston University] called Funderdome, so we meet other troupes there. One of the troupes is coming this year because some of Boris’ Kitchen did stand-up comedy openmics last summer in Boston, and some kids from the [Boston University] troupe also did stand-up [at the competition]. We met there and networked there, which is a cool thing. Obviously, the directors and the assistant directors and the producers and the assistant producers change every show. So that aspect is different. We also had a whole different staff for writing coordinators and a lot of new voices writing sketches for us. So that changes things up, too. The diversity of voices is a big thing—there’s a lot of different things to see in our part of the festival. I don’t know yet what to expect from the other troupes, but a lot of them have been impressive in the past. JA: How does Boris’ Kitchen relate to these other groups? Is there a specific way that the different groups approach sketch comedy? ED: It heavily depends on who’s writing. I’ve seen a lot of different and really talented writers, just in the three years that I’ve been here. My first year I wasn’t in Boris’ Kitchen, but a couple of my friends were, and I saw the shows. There’s so much diversity of experience with comedy and with sketch and with acting and with writing in the troupe itself. We just kind of audition actors, and then sometimes they turn out to be writers. And we take writers who have no interest in acting to write our sketches, too. A consistent thing with Boris is that the actors have a say in what sketches they’re cast in, so that way if there’s something that they’re uncomfortable with doing, they never have to do it on stage. So everyone is put in a role that they’re comfortable with. I think that the thing about Boris is that they really commit to a joke. Even if it’s not the funniest thing, you just have to treat it as if it’s going to [make the audience] explode with laughter, no matter what. For the sake of the troupe, I’ve seen a lot of people do a lot of really silly stuff, and I love that. I think that’s great. Even if [they] have some doubts about it—like will [the joke] be funny? Will I be funny?—They just go for it. JA: Is there something that the cast of Boris’ Kitchen is most excited for? ED: Yeah, a lot of people have the same funny moment that they really like. One of our actors, [Andrew Agress ’17] who’s just a standout performer [who] can take the simplest roles and the simplest dialogues, is playing Abraham Lincoln. There’s a sketch where a bunch of U.S presidents are in U.S. president heaven, and there are some really funny lines. … I don’t know if people are excited for it, but there are a couple of meta sketches. There are sketches where we play ourselves or there are sketches about sketch comedy. The final sketch has a big dance-ish number that everyone’s involved in, so that’s cool. —Brooke Granovsky

Boston Ballet: ‘The Nutcracker’

A classic winter tradition, Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker takes to the stage just in time for the holidays. The show follows Clara as she falls asleep and dreams of a winter wonderland complete with battles, banquets, a nutcracker prince and lots of amazing dancing. The critically acclaimed production features recently updated sets and costumes and is lauded by critics each year. Performances run through Dec. 31 at the Boston Opera House. The show plays at different times each day. Matinee shows are at 1 p.m., and evening shows are at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $172. Student discounts are available.

Lyric Stage Company of Boston: ‘Allergist’s Wife’

The Lyric Stage Company’s production of Allergist’s Wife features a middle-aged doctor’s wife whose midlife crisis is interuppted by the reappearance of a childhood friend. The play, written by Charles Busch, explores life in New York’s Upper West Side in a comedic and entertaining way. Performances run through Dec. 21 at 140 Clarendon Street. Matinee shows are at 2 or 3 p.m., and evening shows are at 7:30 or 8 p.m. Tickets range from $37 to $60.

‘Adriana Varejão’ exhibit

Adriana Varejão is one of Brazil’s most well-known artists. Her first solo museum show in the United States spans her work from 1993 to the present. The exhibit details Varejão’s interpretation of cultural cannibalism, a phenomenon where countries feed off of other countries’ cultures. The exhibit’s works reference historical maps, Baroque church interiors, Brazillian mining culture and Portuguese tiles. Varejão’s most recent work addresses race and miscegenation. The exhibit is on view through Apr. 5 at the Institute of Contemporary Art. Student tickets are $10.

‘Walden, revisited’

Walden, revisited showcases contemporary artists’ work that takes its inspiration from Henry David Thoreau’s novel Walden. Thoreau’s message of living intentionally resonated with the artists and inspired them to create sculptures, installations, performances, paintings, drawings and videos that interact with this theme. Artists include James Benning, Ana María Gómez López and Pamela Jordan, among others. The show is on view at the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum through Apr. 26. Admission is $10 for students.

Michael Cole: Could Renaissance Sculptors Draw?

Michael Cole, a professor in Italian renaissance and Baroque art history at Columbia University, will lead a talk at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner museum. Cole’s talk is titled “Could Renaissance Sculptors Draw?” The lecture will seek to analyze Renaissance sculptors’ drawings and disucss why these drawings were made. Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner museum. Admission is $5 for students.

‘Curtains (Vidas perfectas)’

“Curtains (Vidas perfectas)” is the latest monthly performance in the MFA’s “Conversation Piece” series. The performance features dancers from the Boston Ballet as they perform in front of artist Sarah Crowner’s expansive and curtain-like abstract paintings. The series explores how people interact in the modern work and aims to inform the interplay between painting, design and dance. Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Admission is free students with their Brandeis I.D.s.

O.P.C.

A new comedy from Eve Ensler, the author of The Vagina Monologues, O.P.C. explores the theme of consumption and politics and questions how we as a race can survive while decidedly insisting on destroying our own world. The show portrays a dumpster-diving freegan who is squatting in an abandoned apartment, but whose mother, a candidate running for the Senate, tries to make her toe the party line. Mother and daughter wrestle with the inconvenient truths at the heart of consumer culture as they are tossed between political compromise and political correctness. Presented by the American Repertory Theater and showing from Nov. 28 through Jan. 4 at the Loeb Drama Center. Tickets range from $25 to $55.

Pop Culture n !

ww semester is winding down, and The work is ramping up. Once finals end, though, you’ll have earned a muchdeserved break. The nominations for the 2015 Grammy Awards were released on Friday. This gives you ample time between the end of finals and when the show airs on Feb. 8 to brush up on your music knowledge. Since this is my last column for now, as I will be abroad in Dublin next semester, this Grammy guide is my goodbye present to you. The nominations brought the usual mix of shoe-ins, surprises and confusion as to what the various categories actually mean. Crash course: the Grammy Award for record of the year refers to individual single, not the entire album like album of the year, and everyone from the artist to the producers are eligible for nominations. Song of the year, on the other hand, refers to the songwriting, and only the songwriters are nominated. Heavyweights Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams and newcomer soul singer Sam Smith tied for the most nominations, with six nods each. Not shockingly, Beyoncé continues her reign as queen of the rhythm and blues music scene. Her nominations include album of the year, best urban contemporary album and best surround sound album for her self-titled surprise fifth album, best R&B performance and best R&B song for “Drunk In Love,” and best music film for her tour video with her husband, Beyoncé and Jay Z: On the Run Tour. The ever-present producer and hiphop and pop artist Pharrell earned six nominations, including three in the album of the year category, for producer on Beyoncé’s album and Ed Sheeran’s X and for his own album, Girl, which is also nominated for best urban contemporary album. His hit single “Happy,” from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, is also nominated for best pop solo performance and best music video. Smith will be competing with Pharrell and Beyoncé for album of the year for his debut, In the Lonely Hour. He also received nominations for record of the

By Ilana Kruger

CREATIVE COMMONS

STACK UP: Sam Smith ties with Beyoncé and Pharrell for the most Grammy nominations. year, song of the year and best pop solo performance for his hit single “Stay With Me,” as well as best new artist and best pop vocal album. Joining Smith in the best new artist category is hip-hop star Iggy Azalea, who rose to the top of the charts this summer with her hit “Fancy” with Charli XCX, which was also nominated for best pop duo and group performance. Azalea’s The New Classic is also up for best rap album. Other new artist nominees are British rockers Bastille, sister pop-rock trio Haim and country singer-songwriter Brandy Clark, although I’m predicting a tight race in the category between Smith and Azalea. Behind album of the year, the record of the year race is another hot category

to watch. Four of the five nominees are female. Along with “Stay With Me” and “Fancy,” pop newcomer Meghan Trainor’s surprise hit “All About That Bass” is up for the award, as well as mysterious songstress Sia’s “Chandelier.” Taylor Swift, who has had a successful year with her fifth hit album, 1989, rounds out the category with her single “Shake It Off,” which is also nominated for song of the year and best pop solo performance. Predicting the winners is harder than usual this year with the categories so tight, so I’ll leave that to the professionals. If nothing else, the nominations give tons of options for your winter break playlist, so crank it up and enjoy!

ARTS COVER IMAGES: HANNAH CHIDEKEL, MORGAN BRILL and GUILLERMO NARVAEZ/the Justice DESIGN: MORGAN BRILL /the Justice.

ON CAMPUS

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, december 9, 2014

ART TALK

Framingham prof speaks on “Duck Foot” By brooke Granovsky justice editorial assistant

During a discussion of Elizabeth Murray’s “Duck Foot” on Wednesday night, participants analyzed and dissected the piece. In the middle of the discussion, an eightyear-old girl raised her hand. With

a clear voice, she asked the speaker, “What is it?” Noting her question, the speaker, an assistant professor of music at Framingham State University, Christian Gentry Ph.D. ’12, opened the subject to discussion: what exactly is “Duck Foot”? Currently on view at the Rose Art Museum, “Duck Foot” is com-

plex but compelling. The painted structure takes up a full wall in the Mildred S. Lee Gallery. It covers the space with five semi-structured shapes, interlocking and painted in fiery colors. Alternating red and orange shapes are stacked vertically, one on top of the other, with a small orange circle forming base the tow-

HANNAH CHIDEKEL/the Justice

SOUNDS OF ART: Christian Gentry Ph.D. ’12 spoke about Elizabeth Murray’s “Duck Foot,” looking at the piece in a musical context.

er. The two-dimensional structure’s overlapping shapes are covered with painted black “holes,” making the painting look three-dimensional. Gentry’s background in music led to some unexpected points about the interplay between how one analyzes and experiences music versus how one observes and relays art. His talk on Thursday was the latest from the series of Close Looking discussions at the Rose Art Museum. He described the painting in musical terms as some 30 participants sat in the gallery and casually discussed Elizabeth Murray’s “Duck Foot.” Gentry’s analysis aimed to add to the viewers’ experience of the painting by analyzing their reactions and perceptions of “Duck Foot” without any explanation of what exactly it was depicting. Gentry explained that there are three basic textures in music: monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic. Texture, in music, refers to the way rhythms and harmonies are combined in a composition. Monophonic texture is when one rhythm acts on its own, making up the entire composition, for example, the song “Pop Goes the Weasel.” Homophonic texture is when the interplay of two rhythms creates the composition, Jazz music for example. And polyphonic texture is when many rhythms run their own courses and these different strands create the music, like in Renaissance music. Gentry thought that the many colors and intersecting pieces of “Duck Foot” were reminiscent of homophonic and polyphonic movements. The

art looked like it was an example of interplay between several different pieces and, at the same time, also composed of independent colors acting to create the appearance of coherence. Gentry noted that there were “moments of repose where you [were] not completely overwhelmed by [the painting]” and its many shapes and colors. The bottom of “Duck Foot” looks incomplete, with dried green drips of paint falling toward the bottom of the red shape near the bottom of the tower. Gentry thought these drips could be the visual equivalent of a “coda”—the ending section of a work that ties it all together. Gentry suggested that the green drips made the viewers appreciate just how many shades went into these shapes, reminding them of the interplay between independence (the many colors) and harmony (the effect that these colors created together). As the talk neared an end, Gentry pointed out that, like music, art should be an experience. People go to museums, he suggested, to see and experience art. Concertgoers have a similar experience—they listen to musical works for the sake of listening to them, thinking about them and reacting to them without necessarily liking or understanding them. This awareness of how we experience art gave new meaning to the question, “What is ‘Duck Foot’?” Gentry’s comments suggested that it’s not paramount to define art— what’s important is to see it, hear it and experience it.

concert

Students and guests perform Ghanaian music By emily wishingrad justice editor

The concert started with a loud cry of poetry from Faith Conant as she beat on the lead drum, prompting the rest of the group to join in on their instruments. Playing on drums and other percussion instruments in a semi-circle were the students from Conant’s “Fafali: Music and Dance from Ghana” class, joined by a few special guests. As the first piece, “Gahu” went on, beats reverberated off the walls of the hall, filling the whole room with powerful, intense rhythms. The concert, held on Sunday night in Slosberg Music Center, was the class’s end-of-semester concert. “Fafali” is a for-credit-only class, and some students take it for multiple semesters. Conant said that this group was a mixed one—some of the students had been in the class for two or three semesters while some had just

started. According to Conant, Fafali means peace and coolness in Ewegbe, one of the Gbe languages, which is spoken in Ghana and Togo. The concert focused on pieces in the Fon language and incorporated dancing, singing and drumming. Attah Poku and Ben Paulding, the two guest musicians, previously worked together in Ghana. Poku is a Ghanaian and a master Ashanti drummer. He now works at Tufts University, teaching African music. Paulding is in the music masters program at Tufts University where he studies under Poku and has spent the last few years in Ghana studying and performing. Paulding will be teaching the Fafali class next semester. After the first two pieces, Conant gave the audience some context for the music. She talked about the original setting of the drum performances—how they are usually played

GUILLERMO NARVAEZ/the Justice

RHYTHMIC ROUNDUP: The “Fafali: Music and Dance from Ghana” class, joined by two guest musicians, performed their end-of-semester show on Sunday.

with the audience sitting around the performing group. She also spoke about the music itself, deconstructing the beats for the audience with individual demonstrations of some of the instruments. Conant noted that in the pieces there “is a lot of repetition but a lot of subtlety being used.” The third piece was a piece that referenced the music itself. Conant translated the lyrics as, “It is difficult and we will play it.” She noted that the lyrics refer to the polyrhythmic nature of the piece. Conant started the piece by reciting the poem in the original language in a loud and powerful voice. The students proceeded to come out onstage and performed a choreographed dance to the beats of the drums. The group could only afford one of the extravagant costumes, Conant said, but she told the audience to imagine that all the dancers were wearing the large, colorful and puffy tutu-like skirt.

Near the end of the concert, guest musician Paulding introduced a piece the group was about to perform, originating from the Ashanti region in southern Ghana The Ashanti region, Paulding explained, was one of the largest pre-colonial empires in Africa. The piece used Kete beats (the Ashanti royal music) and necessitated a different set of drums than the previous pieces used. The piece also used a loud bell that kept everyone in time, Paulding said. Poku and Paulding then played a duet. Paulding introduced the duet as an experiment that he and Poku had been working on while in Ghana. He said that they had wanted to figure out a way that two people could play the Ghanaian pieces traditionally meant for large groups. Their solution was a drum set. Paulding had a history in drumming, so the drum set, with its multifaceted range of rhythmic instruments, seemed like

the perfect solution. So the drummers took on the challenge—Paulding on the set and Poku on one of the larger Kete drums. Paulding told the audience that he wrote an article on the piece in which he included its music notation, if any drummers out there wanted to learn how to play it. The last piece they performed was the same as the first, but this time, the students danced in sync with the music. In jade-green geometrically printed apparel, the students moved in a circular formation with intricate footwork and slightly bent postures. At some points in the dance, the students paired up for certain steps, and, at the end, danced in a line off stage. During the concert, it was hard not to be completely mesmerized by the intricate and strong beats of the drums, the lively, brightly colored dancers and the poetic singing and chanting. It was a great way to forget about finals.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014 | THE JUSTICE

theater

PHOTOS BY MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

BRAIN BLAST: In “A Study in Sherlock,” Sherlock Holmes (Adam Fischer ’15) exclaims “brain blast!” and expresses his shock at solving the missing jewels case.

FAMILY MEETING: A married couple in “Projections” fights over how to react to their child’s changing gender identity while their child listens quietly nearby.

‘Quickies’ features one-act sketches By brooke granovsky justice editorial assistant

Many artistically-minded students choose Brandeis for its breadth of theater opportunities, performances and productions. Brandeis Ensemble Theater’s production of Quickies, a series of student-written one-act plays and sketches, definitely falls into these ideas of opportunites and inclusive theater productions. The show, held on Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater, was decidedly low-key. Actors intermittently walked out of the green room and into the theater to watch their friends between acts, joining the almost sold out crowd sitting in the house. Quickies is unique in many ways. In an email to the Justice, the show’s co-producer Carly Chernomorets ’16 said that one of the show’s main values is inclusion. Chernomorets went to on explain that the Brandeis En-

semble Theater board oversees the selections process and tries to include as many writers, directors and actors as possible. This year, the team selected 10 “quickies” for the festival. True to its name, the rehearsal process for Quickies was very fast-paced. Chernomorets explained that “the day of Quickies, all of the actors, directors, and production staff are called to the theatre at 10 [a.m.] for the morning meeting, and after that [they] rehearse until around 6 [p.m.], at which point we get ready to open the house for audiences”. The rehearsal process for Quickies was essentially just one day of rehearsals. This is no more time than the 24 Hour Musical had earlier this year to prepare their show. The show opened with “Another Lesbian Farce,” written by Ayelet Schrek ’17 and directed by Ariella Assouline ’17 and Morgan Winters ’17. The skit was an entertaining parody of A Midsum-

TO DATE, OR NOT TO DATE: In “Don’t Catch Feelings,” two college students struggle through an awkward conversation while the pair’s inner voices offer advice.

mer Night’s Dream that turned on the fact that the two female leads were lesbians. In the parody, the male leads pursue the women until they realize that they would rather pursue each other. Later on in the show, “Crusty the Roadman” parodied the classic holiday song “Frosty the Snowman.” The sketch replaced the snowman with a homeless Vietnam veteran. Amanda Ehrmann ’18 wrote “1, 2, 3, The Color Red,” a dramatic and insightful skit directed by Bethany Greenbaum ’15. The play followed a 40-year-old woman named Penelope (Lily Elderkin ’18 in the hospital, Hailey Saul ’16 in flashbacks) in the hospital, suffering from hallucinations and synaesthesia, a neurological phenomenon that links different senses. Penelope told her doctor (Andrew Elmers ’16) the story of how she met her now-fiancée Brian (Sara Brande ’15), a man with obsessive compulsive disorder, in college.

The end of the play featured a shocking plot twist as it revealed that Penelope had been hallucinating at least part of her relationship with Brian. One of the funniest plays was “A Study in Sherlock,” written and directed by Sam LeVangie ’15. Aaron Fischer ’15 gave a hilarious performance of Sherlock, a London detective. Fischer portrayed Sherlock as a conceited and seemingly all-knowing detective whose only true skills were taking credit for the police’s work and ignoring his sidekick Watson’s (Mo Pepose ’17) intermittent declarations of love. Arguably the cutest play of the night was, “Don’t Catch Feelings” written by Sarah Duffett ’17 and directed by Dennis Hermida ’16. The lighthearted sketch ended the show on a happy note. The play followed a man and a woman with a romantic past talking in a café (Zach Marlin ’16 and Rachel Liff ’16, respectively) as their inner voices (Justin Cates

’17 and Danielle Frankel ’17, respectively) narrated what they were truly thinking. The play ended with the two characters hugging and deciding to pursue a relationship, which elicited a chorus of coos from the crowd. Chernomorets stressed the importance of Quickies to Brandeis’ campus culture and theater scene. She mentioned that “Quickies is a space of inclusion, and we really do our best to get as many people involved as humanly possible,” she said. “Quickies is a great way to get a taste of what it’s like to be involved in a big production without the time commitment and with way less pressure.” The show was entertaining to watch—it had its dramatic moments, its comedic scenes and even poignant social commentary about mental health and gender. However, Quickies’ role in fostering an inclusive, inviting and welcoming campus culture, as referenced by Chernomorets, may be even more important.

THE JUSTICE | TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

COMEDY

Boris’ Kitchen and outside groups perform in annual festival

PHOTOS BY GUILLERMO NARVAEZ/the Justice

BENDING OVER BACKWARDS: Ayelet Schrek ’17 (left) and Emily Duggan ’14 (right) capture Deesha Patel’s ‘16 crazy dancing and energetic moves.

By aNNA sTERN justice Staff writer

The lights went up on a restaurant scene. Using overly exaggerated, comedic facial expressions, Yael Platt ’17 asked Michelle Wexler ’15, the annoyed hostess, if she could have a table for one. The audience began to laugh. Next, Dennis Hermida-Gonzalez ’16 walked into the resturant with a dog. Wexler asked him to leave the dog outside, but Hermida-Gonzalez replied that his dog was his “emotional support companion.” This same scenario went on, using other animals such as a gorilla and an elephant. At the end of the sketch, Deesha Patel ’16 walked in with Rodrigo Granados ’18. Wexler said that the restaurant didn’t allow any support animals anymore. To end the scene, Patel delivered punch line, “That’s my boyfriend.” This was the opening to Boris’ Kitchen’s set at the 15th Annual Sketch Comedy Festival on Saturday night. Hosted by the sketch comedy group, the two-and-ahalf hour show was held in the Shapiro Camus Center Theater. On Friday night, the opening acts were Yale University’s Fifth Humour and Tufts University’s Major: Undecided. On Saturday, the opening acts were Emerson College’s Jimmy’s Traveling All-Stars, Boston University’s Callbacks and Skidmore College’s Sketchies. Each group had a unique sketch style and varied cast sizes. Skidmore’s group had five performers compared to Boris’

Kitchen’s 16 performers. Emerson’s set consisted of long-form sketches. These sketches ranged from an incompetent news reporter to three soldiers talking about the people and animals they missed most. My favorite sketch was about a motivational speaking group holding a talk about peer pressure at a high school. The talk did not go the way the audience expected and turned dark very quickly. The audience laughed the most at Emerson’s highly talented cast, which is no surprise considering Emerson’s reputation as a performing arts college. BU and Skidmore didn’t have any memorable sketches in particular, except for a strange one from BU where two cast members stated random animal facts in funny voices while eating ice cream. Boris’ Kitchen came on after intermission and wowed the audience with various memorable pieces. Some sketches were long narratives, while others were short jokes, including a running sketch that used Jesus puns. In one sketch, a couple was dancing when a nun (Sarah Duffett ’17) shouted, “Make room for Jesus.” All of a sudden, an actor dressed as Jesus ran out and started dancing in between the couple. One unforgettable sketch, titled “12 Years Later,” written by Danielle Frankel ’17, told the story of a couple that reunited 12 years after the husband was sent to prison. The couple forgot how to interact romantically with each other, and in the end, they discovered that the husband, played brilliantly by Hermida-

Gonzalez, was in love with a mop. The scene was quirky and had lines from Beyoncé songs, which I liked a lot. Another memorable sketch was “3 Jocks of Brandeis,” written by Andrew Agress ’17 and Zephyr Wright ’17. That sketch satirized how no students understand the athletes at Brandeis. The sketch pointed out that the majority of the Brandeis population does not understand sports. Karen Lengler ’15 stood out in that sketch as the only girl who played one of the athletes. The most valuable player of the evening was Emily Duggan ’14, who also directed the show. This show marked Duggan’s final performance at Brandeis and she brought her all. Whether it was through memorable written sketches, such as a sketch about little-known President Franklin Pierce wanting to have his face on Mount Rushmore or showing off her comedic timing in a scene with Patel and Ayelet Schrek ’17 at a frozen yogurt shop discussing the “aesthetics” of sweaters and Instagram, which showed off Boris’ Kitchen’s physical humor, Duggan directed a memorable show and left her legacy at Brandeis. Boris’ Kitchen’s 15th Annual Sketch Comedy Festival showcased many of the wonderful talented students both at Brandeis and near the Boston area. I was highly impressed by the creativity in every sketch, as well as the different styles of each group and the performers. I am eagerly awaiting the imaginative ideas the come out of the next Boris’ Kitchen performance.

DIRTY DANCING: In one of the Brandeis sketches, a nun is telling two dancers to “make room for Jesus,” when— suddenly—an actor dressed as Jesus runs between them.

AIRPORT SECURITY: A traveler (Rodrigo Grandos ’18, front) is interrogated by a TSA agent (Michael Frederikse ’15, back).

A GRAVE DISCUSSION: Yael Platt ’17 (left) engages in a pretend conversation with a dead soldier (Raphael Stigliano ’18).

Everyone has a story. Help us find it.

Write for the features section of

the

Justice

Contact Rose Gittell at features@thejustice.org for more information.

Want to become red carpet famous?

Write for Arts Contact Emily Wishingrad at arts@thejustice.org CREATIVE COMMONS

TUESDAY, december 9, 2014 | THE JUSTICE

music

ABACA PRESS/MCT CAMPUS

CREATIVE COMMONS

RED CARPET STATUS: Neil Diamond will perform at TD Garden on March 23. In the above photograph, he is with his wife, Katie McNeil, at the Kennedy Center Honors.

DROP THE BEAT: Boston-based band Dropkick Murphys will perform at the House of Blues Boston from March 12 through 15. Bass guitarist, Ken Casey, is pictured above.

Boston spring concert preview By jessie miller justice editor

With the start of the new year, Boston will see a new lineup of concerts that you won’t want to miss. Whether it’s at the TD Garden or more intimate venues like the House of Blues Boston, the city always hosts the biggest concert tours of the year. For country fans, Garth Brooks with Trisha Yearwood will be performing in TD Garden from Jan. 23 through 25. The two country singers, who have been married since 2005, have performed together in previous concerts. The Man Against Machine world tour is Brooks’ first tour in 13 years. Brooks has been a major presence in the country music industry since his first single “Much too Young (to Feel this Damn Old)” was released in 1989. More recently, Brooks has returned to performing

after taking break, beside doing several charitable performances, and released his latest album and the single “People Loving People.” Punk ska band Reel Big Fish is coming to the House of Blues Boston for what is sure to be an incredibly energetic concert. The band found mainstream success with their song “Sell Out” in 1997 but is no longer signed on to a major record company. Reel Big Fish’s last album, Candy Coated Fury, came out in 2012, and the band has announced that they are releasing a new EP, titled Happy Skalidays, in mid-December. On March 3, Maroon 5 will perform at the TD Garden. The band’s fifth album, V, was released this past September to mixed reviews, but both singles “Maps” and “Animals” are frequent radio plays. This is the band’s second world tour after their Overexposed World Tour in 2013, although the

CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT CAMPUS

COUNTRY TIME: Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, will perform at TD Garden from Jan. 23 through 25. The two commonly perform together.

band has toured extensively with other artists over the years. For their Boston tour date, Magic! and Rozzi Crane will open for the band. Quincy-based band Dropkick Murphys will return to their hometown of Boston from March 12 through 15 to play four shows at the House of Blues Boston. The American Celtic punk band is best known for their song “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” that was featured in the film The Departed, but their first single “Tessie,” released in 2004, is still one of their most famous tracks. Their eighth and latest studio album Signed and Sealed in Blood was released in 2013, showing off their distinct sound and Boston attitude. A cappella sensation Pentatonix comes to Boston on March 16 and will perform at the Agganis Arena. The band won the third season of the a cappella contest The Sing-Off on NBC in 2011 and have since re-

leased several EPs and full length albums, most recently That’s Christmas to Me. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Diamond will perform at TD Garden on March 23. Diamond has been active in the music scene since the 1960s and continues to record and release new music. In April 2013, at the first Red Sox game after the Boston Marathon bombings, Diamond performed a surprise set of “Sweet Caroline” and later released a single that’s proceeds benefitted One Fund Boston. His 32nd studio album Melody Road was released this past October. Alternative rock band Taking Back Sunday will perform on March 26 at the House of Blues Boston. Their latest album Happiness Is was released in 2014, but their most famous album so far is Louder Now, released in 2006 and featured popular songs like “Make-

DamnSure” and “Liar (It Takes One to Know One).” Although the band has not been as commercially popular in recent years, the concert will attract the band’s core following who have been loyal over the years. Rounding out the next semester before the summer season of concerts, The Script will perform at the House of Blues Boston on May 26. The pop rock band first became popular with their songs “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Breakeven (Fall to Pieces)” in 2008 and have since released three albums, most recently No Sound Without Silence. “Superheroes” off their latest album is their most recent hit and holds a frequent spot on the radio. Although many people tend to think of the summer as prime concert season, the next few months have plenty of local shows to keep you entertained.

CREATIVE COMMONS

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Maroon 5 will be performing at TD Garden on March 3,, and Magic! and Rozzi Crane will open for the band. Lead singer Adam Levine is pictured above.

TUESDAY, december 9, 2014 | THE JUSTICE

TOPof the

ARTS ON VIEW

Brandeis TALKS

CHARTS

Quote of the week

for the week ending Dec. 7

“It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

BOX OFFICE

1. The Hunger Games: MockingjayPart 1 2. Penguins of Madagascar 3. Big Hero 6 4. Interstellar 5. Horrible Bosses 2 6. Dumb and Dumber To 7. The Theory of Everything 8. Gone Girl 9. Birdman 10. St. Vincent

—Chanted by students gathered at the Die In last Monday. (News, p. 1)

How do you celebrate the end of finals?

NYT BESTSELLERS

MORGAN BRILL/the Justice

Max Hart ’16 “To celebrate the end of finals, I’ll probably play a lot of Mario Kart with my friends and maybe go into the city.”

PUZZLE PIECES: This mixed-media piece by Justice editor Morgan Brill ’17 was inspired by the work of photographer David Hockney. The piece in its original form is approximately four feet wide and six feet tall.

the justice wants to see your original artwork! Send works to photos@thejustice.org for a chance to be featured in next week’s issue.

CROSSWORD

Jonathan Dweck ’16 “Hug a turkey.”

Tiffany Li ’18 “Probably eat a lot, go out with friends, watch a movie.”

Catherine Tepoz ’15 “I feel like I just throw everything away.”

ACROSS 1 Early 20thcentury Met baritone Pasquale 6 City on the Nile 10 “’Sup”’ 14 Three-time Oscar-winning director 15 OS X basis 16 Scholarly Islamic title 17 Rasp 18 Place to pick up some pets 19 Yankees coach Tony 20 10% of MDX 21 Common file folder abbr. 22 Reno and others: Abbr. 23 Popular ’60s- ’70s garb 28 Thick-trunked tree 29 Put on a pedestal 30 Bee product 31 Followed 32 Makes a decision 35 Word with lake or lick 36 World’s largest user of cheese, according to its website 40 Goes after, as flies 44 Alternativemedicine staple 45 Fastball, in slang 46 Some sightings 48 Airline with headquarters in Amstelveen 49 Energy source 50 Improv session 51 Premium factor 53 Two-band 54 Bashes 56 Etonic competitor 57 Extend one’s service 58 __ layer 59 One might be staked 60 Mallorca, e.g. DOWN 1 Clemson Univ. is in it 2 Only actor to speak in Mel Brooks’ “Silent Movie” 3 Ill-fated 1967 mission 4 Pioneers 5 Poison __ 6 Hit the gas 7 Agitated 8 Routing aids 9 Send packing 10 Not square 11 “Seriously” 12 Asia’s longest river 13 Got a lot of 21 __ mentality 23 Summer party invitation letters 24 Part of Wayne’s world 25 Neighbor of Tempe 26 Eponymous skater Axel 27 “Chicago” song

1. Taylor Swift—“Blank Space” 2. Mark Ronson—“Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars)” 3. Hozier—“Take Me to Church” 4. James Newton—“The Hanging Tree” 5. Meghan Trainor—“Lips Are Movin”

BILLBOARD

1. Taylor Swift—1989 2. Pentatonix—That’s Christmas To Me 3. Various Artists—ShadyXV 4. One Direction—FOUR 5. Sam Smith—In The Lonely Hour 6. Rick Ross—Hood Billionaire 7. Ariana Grande— My Everything 8. Beyonce—Beyonce: More Only (EP) 9. Soundtrack—Frozen 10. Maroon 5—V Top of the Charts information provided by Fandango, the New York Times, Billboard. com and Apple.com.

33 What you once were? 34 Last things written on applications? 36 Super saver? 37 “No harm done” 38 Enhances the details 39 Considerate 41 Got stuffed, maybe 42 Material 43 Yearbook sect. 45 Buzz 47 __-Loompas: Dahl characters 52 Dennings of “2 Broke Girls” 53 NPR journalist Shapiro 54 __ long way 55 Hardly a long time

STAFF’S Top Ten

STUDY SNACKS FOR FINALS

INSTRUCTIONS: Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

“Well, I’m probably the worst person to ask about this. I usually go for an eight-mile run and then take a cold shower, and then I just read until I fall asleep. So that’s how I celebrate the end of finals.”

—Compiled and photographed by Grace Kwon and Guillermo Narvaez/the Justice.

Nonfiction 1. 41—George W. Bush 2. Killing Patton—Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard 3. Yes Please—Amy Poehler 4. What If?—Randall Munroe 5. The Andy Cohen Diaries—Andy Cohen

iTUNES

SUDOKU Samuel Chakmakjian ’17

Fiction 1. Hope to Die—James Patterson 2. The Escape—David Baldacci 3. Gray Mountain—John Grisham 4. Revival—Stephen King 5. The Burning Room—Michael Connelly

Solution to last issue’s sudoku

By sydney miller

justice EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

I love to snack as I do my work, especially now that finals week is here. Sometimes, though, it gets hard to resist those junk foods that are so tempting to reach for. Here are my favorite healthy snacks that will help keep you focused as you juggle your exams, papers and projects and they’re delicious too! 1. Banana and peanut butter 2. Blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry salad 3. Trail-mix 4. Air-popped popcorn 5. Frozen grapes 6. Carrots and guacamole 7. Crackers and cheese 8. Dried fruit 9. Dark chocolate 10. Pita chips and hummus