The Justice- Jan. 27, 2009

ARTS PAGE 20

FORUM Skepticism about summer sessions 10

JUSTARTS SHOW

SPORTS Men’s basketball team on winning streak 16 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER

the

OF

BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY SINCE 1949

Justice www.theJusticeOnline.com

Volume LXI, Number 17

Waltham, Mass.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

BUDGET

Rose Art Museum to be closed

■ The Board of Trustees

voted yesterday to close the Rose Art Museum and auction all of its art.

By ANDREA FINEMAN, HANNAH KIRSCH and MIKE PRADA JUSTICE EDITORS

The Rose Art Museum, which houses a collection of modern and contemporary masterpieces, will close in the summer of 2009 after the Board of Trustees voted unanimously yesterday to do so in the wake of the current financial crisis, according to a campuswide e-mail sent by University President

Jehuda Reinharz.

The decision stunned many current and former Rose staff members, University faculty and students, all of whom did not learn of plans to close the museum until after the decision was final.

The University will publicly sell all of the art that is currently housed in the museum, according to a University press release. The building will be converted into a “fine arts teaching center with studio space and an exhibition gallery,” according to the release.

“No one feels really good about closing the Rose,” Executive Director of Media and Public Affairs Dennis Nealon said. “It is being done with a strict emphasis

on what is best for the students who are here now and what is best for the students who are going to be coming in future generations,” he added.

The Rose Art Museum opened in 1961 and currently contains a collection of over 6,000 works, almost all of which were gifts from donors; it features three exhibitions each semester.

This semester’s current exhibition focuses on the work of noteworthy abstract expressionist Hans Hofmann. Some of the works assembled in the Hofmann show have never before been exhibited in a U.S. museum.

University Provost Marty Krauss said the idea to close the museum

MULTIPLE VOICES

was initiated by the Board of Trustees. “Ultimately it was a decision by the Board, not the administration,” she said.

She added that this was an action that the Board had been considering prior to yesterday’s meeting, saying “it became a target of discussion among [the Board of Trustees].”

Prof. Steven Burg (POL), a faculty representative to the Board of Trustees, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice, “It is not clear to me where the initiative for this proposal came from, but similar proposals have been made from time to time in the past, in response to similar, but far less serious economic pressures.”

Faculty representative to the

Board Prof. Leslie Griffith (BIOL) wrote, “Rather than impose cuts on the University that would have an adverse impact on the quality of education and the very nature of Brandeis, the board has chosen to liquidate this University asset. I am sad that this had to be done, but I think it is the right thing to do.”

Rose Art Museum Director Michael Rush could not be reached for comment by press time, but the Boston Globe reported that he learned of the decision yesterday.

“That’s unconscionable, I mean, utterly unconscionable,” Roger Kizik, preparator at the Rose from 1977 to 2003, said of Rush learning

See MUSEUM, 7 ☛

FACULTY

Committee will address curriculum ■ Faculty created a

By MIRANDA NEUBAUER

committee to address budget cut proposals about academics at an emergency meeting last Thursday.

☛

For updated coverage of the budget crisis throughout the week, visit thejusticeonline.com

JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

The faculty passed a unanimous motion last Thursday to establish a committee to consider by March 1 changes to the Arts and Sciences curriculum, cuts to the Arts and Sciences faculty, an increase in undergraduate enrollment and the establishment of an expanded summer session in the face of enormous budgetary constraints, according to several professors and administrators.

The decision came at an emergency

See FACULTY, 5 ☛

STUDENT LIFE

Admin re-evaluating study abroad scholarship policy ■ The policy in question is DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice

Student-faculty solidarity

about portability of meritbased scholarships for students studying abroad.

By JILLIAN WAGNER

Liza Behrendt ’11 speaks with Prof. William Kappelle (HIST) as he exits the Olin-Sang Auditorium after last Thursday’s faculty meeting. A student protest was organized outside the auditorium after students werenot allowed in. See budget coverage, page 5.

JUSTICE EDITOR

The administration is re-evaluating the new policy that made merit-

based scholarships nontransferable to study abroad programs, according to Dean of Financial Services Peter Giumette.

The change was instituted by the Division of Students and Enrollment and announced in an email sent out Jan. 16.

Giumette said he was “surprised” when Student Union President Jason Gray ’10 showed him and

See ABROAD, 7 ☛

Pursuing success

Success at Home

Future of funding

■ Brandeis created five new scholarships for members of the Academic Success Program.

■ The women’s indoor track team finished second out of nine teams at the Reggie Poyau Memorial.

■ Brandeis Hillel will reduce the allocation of its funding to student programs.

FEATURES 8

For tips or info call Let your voice be heard!

Submit letters to the editor online (781) 736-6397 at www.thejusticeonline.com

INDEX

NEWS 3

SPORTS 16

ARTS

17

EDITORIAL FEATURES

10 8

OPINION POLICE LOG

10 2

SPORTS LETTERS

16 11

COPYRIGHT 2008 FREE AT BRANDEIS. Call for home delivery.

2

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

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THE JUSTICE

NEWS POLICE LOG

BRIEF Student Union raising money to help rebuild Mass. Church The Student Union is taking part in a two-week fundraiser to raise monetary contributions to help rebuild the Macedonia Church of God in Christ, a predominantly African-American church in Springfield, Mass. that burned down on election night in what was thought to be an act of racism, according to Student Union Director of Communications Jamie Ansorge ’09.

Brandeis students became involved in the effort to rebuild the church when a friend of the University wrote a letter to President Jehuda Reinharz urging students to respond to this act and to help the church rebuild, Ansorge wrote in the Union’s press release.

According to the press release, Reinharz sent the letter to Student Union President Jason Gray ’10 and asked him to organize a student effort.

Ansorge said that the Student Union wanted to run a relief effort similar to the one they organized for the victims of Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike last September, for which the Student Union raised over $5,000.

Union Director of Campus Advocacy Andrew Hogan ’11, who is spearheading the fundraising efforts, said that he spoke with Bryant Robinson Jr., the bishop of the Macedonian church, who told him that monetary contributions would be the most effective way to help at this time.

“The bishop said that donations have been pouring in from across the country, but that any monetary contributions would be effective, as [it will contribute] millions of dollars to rebuild the church,” Hogan said.

“If an individual wants to support us, the best way to do it is through a financial contribution,” Bishop Robinson said in an interview with the Justice.

Robinson also said he was unsure how much money the church would raise or how much had been raised so far.

There are two main aspects of the relief effort, Hogan explained. Since beginning of their tabling efforts at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial event Jan. 19, at which Hogan said they raised the “bulk of the money so far,” the Student Union has been tabling in Usdan Student Center every day for two hours.

Hogan said that students have raised $290 through tabling as of Monday afternoon.

The second part of the effort is an all-you-can-eat buffet-style dinner that will be held Saturday in Levin Ballroom, will be the “culminating event” of the fundraising, said Hogan.

He expects to raise over $1,000 at the dinner. The night will feature entertainment from student groups like Starving Artists and the So Unique step team. “There is only enough seating [in Levin] for 100 people, but Conference and Events said they would work to provide more room if necessary,” he said.

Hogan met with Students Organized Against Racism, Hillel, the Catholic Student Organization, Brandeis Republicans, Brandeis Democrats, Democracy for America and the Orthodox Christian Association and said that all the clubs were willing to advertise and sell tickets for the dinner.

“Although the Student Union is sponsoring this event, this fundraising is a collaborative effort, and the Union needs these clubs to help,” Hogan said, adding that the clubs will not engage in any independent fundraising.

Medical Emergency Jan. 19—University Police and BEMCo responded to a report of a student who injured his shoulder on a basketball court in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The student received treatment on-scene and refused further care.

Jan. 20—University Police escorted and assisted an ambulance transport from Mailman to the hospital.

Jan. 21—University Police and BEMCo responded to the report of a male with a knee laceration in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The subject received treatment on-scene and refused further care.

Jan. 22—The Massell Quad community development coordinator called for an ambulance to transport a student to the hospital for a psychological evaluation.

University Police assisted with the transport.

Jan. 24—An individual in Mas-

sell Quad reported that a male fell and hit his head. University Police and BEMCo responded and found the male conscious and alert with a small laceration on his head. An ambulance transported him to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Jan. 24—University Police and BEMCo responded to a conscious individual in Massell Quad who was feeling sick with joint pain and fever. An ambulance transported the subject to the NewtonWellesley Hospital.

Disturbance Jan. 20—University Police responded to a complaint of loud music and a possible party on Charles River Road but did not find anything.

Jan. 22—An individual in North Academic Quad reported that three students tried to push into a faculty meeting and gave the reporting party a hard time.

University Police arrived on-

scene and dispersed the students without incident.

Jan. 24—University Police responded to a noise complaint concerning a loud, unregistered party with about 100 people in the Foster Mods. University Police dispersed the party without incident.

Traffic Jan. 21—A University van hit a parked vehicle at the information booth at the University front entrance. University Police responded and compiled a report.

Jan. 24—A University van coordinator called University Police to inform them that a van driver was involved in an accident on Moody Street. University Police took pictures and responded with Waltham police officers. There were no personal injuries.

Miscellaneous Jan. 20—An individual in

Deans Sawyer and Balch answer students’ questions

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification.

E-mail jsw5@brandeis.edu.

—Compiled by Jillian Wagner

SENATE LOG

—Alana Abramson

An article in Sports last week did not end. The last sentence should have read, “The teams then will play at Trinity College Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.” (Jan. 20, p. 13).

An article in Arts last week incorrectly identified the writer in the byline. The writer is Alex Pagan, not WeiHuan Chen. (Jan. 20, p. 19).

An article in Arts last week incorrectly stated the name of Imogen Heap’s new album. Heap’s new album is untitled; it is not called Speak For Yourself.

(Jan. 20, p. 23).

Usdan Student Center reported a male and female in front of the building handing out unauthorized flyers. University Police responded, and the students dispersed after they were given a verbal trespass warning and were advised to leave. The police took no further action.

Jan. 21—An eight-page letter expressing anti-Christian sentiments was delivered to the Shapiro Campus Center. University Police responded, and an investigation will follow.

Jan. 22—An individual in the Goldfarb Library reported seeing a 5 foot, 10 inch, slim-built white male covered in cloth. University Police found a suspect on South Street and notified the Waltham Police Department who arrived on the scene to assist. An officer confiscated the pole carried by the male and an investigation will follow.

MAX BRETITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

Study Abroad Fair Students met with representatives from several study abroad programs and spoke with returning students about their experiences abroad at the Study Abroad Fair last Thursday in the Shapiro Campus Center.

Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer and Associate Dean of Student Life Maggie Balch answered questions from senators and other students. Balch said that housing the midyear students together is going to be a challenge next year because no dorm is being renovated. Sawyer said that his department made budget cuts in terms of programs and services. Balch added that there would be cuts in orientation leader training because the University could not afford to keep a large number of orientation leaders on campus before the beginning of the semester. Sawyer said that his department would not provide the student planner for next year. In response to a question regarding a proposed extensive summer session, Sawyer said that there would likely be about 735 beds in air-conditioned rooms on campus available for students.

After lengthy debate, the Senate passed an emergency money resolution of $1,500 toward a Senior Winter Gala on Feb. 7, which will be organized by Aaron Mitchell Finegold ’09 to benefit Hopefound, an organization that supports the homeless. Some senators were concerned that too much money was going to be spent on alcohol and that students under 21 would not be able to attend. Some argued that the Senate could afford to reduce costs by cutting the number of giveaways at the Midnight Buffet. Senators said that instead of planning events itself, the Senate should provide funding to students so that they can organize the events. After the meeting, Finegold received word from the administration that students under 21 will be able to attend and that those over 21 who wish to drink alcohol will need to wear wristbands.

The Senate chartered the Swimming Club, which aims to provide transportation to a local YMCA while Linsey pool is closed.

Director of Union Affairs Jessica Blumberg ’09 reported that the proposed bike rental program will likely run through the Shapiro Campus Center rather than the library because of budget issues.

Union President Jason Gray ’10 swore in former North Quad Senator Andrew Hogan ’11 as Union Director of Campus Advocacy.

The Senate passed the Student Union Government Operations Budget of $28,000.

—Miranda Neubauer

ANNOUNCEMENTS Poster Session and Workshop

theJustice 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 every Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Justice office.

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02454-9110 E-mail: justice@brandeis.edu

Students are invited to attend a poster session to celebrate and showcase the accomplishments of students, faculty, and staff whose events and programs have been supported by the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance in the 2008 to 2009 academic year.

For more information, e-mail lgrass@brandeis.edu. Tuesday at noon in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

How Technology and Commerce are Changing Journalism

Independent Interdisciplinary Major Information Session

Students can join Founder and Editor-atLarge of Public Affairs Books Peter Osnos ’64 and Profs. Maura Farrelly (AMST) and Eileen McNamara (AMST) in an interactive discussion on the changing face of journalism.

Thursday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Pollack Auditorium.

Students interested in designing an Independent Interdisciplinary Major can attend this information session to learn about the process and hear about previously approved IIMs. UDR Shoshana Wirshup ’09 will also speak about her experience as an Urban Studies IIM major. Monday from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Usdan Student Center.

Master of Arts in Teaching Information Session

Night of Culture and Identity

Attend a Brandeis M.A.T. Program for information on how students can teach in public, elementary or Jewish day schools, or in a secondary school science, history, English or Bible classroom. Four semesters can lead to an M.A.T. degree and a teaching license. Generous scholarship support is available for this program. For more information, e-mail mat@brandeis.edu. Wednesday from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium.

Join the Brandeis Orthodox Organization and the Brandeis Black Student Organization for an evening of desserts, appreciation of differences and celebration of culture. Hear Brandeis students share their experiences in a student panel and see them express their black and Jewish identities through performances.

Assoc. Prof. Peniel Joseph (AAAS) will speak.

Thursday from 8 to 9:30 p.m. in the Usdan Student Center

Résumé Workshop Prepare for the upcoming career fair and the orientation leader application deadline by attending a workshop that will address the elements of a résumés. Strategies regarding how to include and present valuable experiences in résumés in the best possible light will be discussed.

Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Hiatt Conference Room, Usdan Student Center.

THE JUSTICE

VIGIL FOR GAZA

CAMPUS CLUBS

Hillel to reduce program funding ■ Brandeis Hillel will

reduce funds allocated to student programs because of the financial crisis.

By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICEEDITORIAL ASSISTANT

The Brandeis chapter of Hillel, part of Hillel International, will be forced to cut back allocations to student programs and will be unable to hire a full-time Jewish Chaplain for the time being as a result of declining revenues due to the financial crisis, according to Brandeis Hillel Executive Director Larry Sternberg.

Hillel is dedicated to enhancing Jewish life at colleges and universities, Vice President for Communications of National Hillel Jeff Rubin ’81 said that Hillel International has suffered a loss of $620,000 due to investing in Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. He said the Madoff scandal had the greatest impact on Hillel organizations in the former Soviet Union and in Israel.

“To my knowledge, none of the [Brandeis Hillel] major donors were directly affected by the Madoff scandal, but given the overall climate and past experience, it is prudent to plan that there may be a significant decline in donations this year,” Sternberg said. Though Sternberg said that none of the major donors was affected, he did say that some of Brandeis Hillel’s donors were affected by the Madoff scandal.

Brandeis Hillel is mainly supported by donations from alumni and parents of students who participate in Hillel, and by the money raised from fundraising, Sternberg said.

According to Sternberg, Brandeis Hillel does not receive any money from the University’s tuition fees or endowment. However, “In the past, Brandeis has provided loans to cover up to 3 percent of Hillel’s annual expenses, which Hillel pays back, in addition to very valuable” office space, Sternberg said.

Despite the budget cuts implemented by the University, Brandeis is still providing Hillel with “about the same” amount in loans because “Hillel is paying back [the University],” Sternberg reasoned.

“We have a figure toward which we are working to cover on operating expenses,” Sternberg said, but he declined to disclose the amount.

“Professional positions are being vacated and not being filled; programs scheduled to be taking place are not taking place [at individual Hillels],” Rubin said. However, President of Brandeis Hillel Bryan Wexler ’09 confirmed that no student programs at Brandeis Hillel have been canceled this year.

Wexler explained that the Brandeis Hillel Student Board is allocated a figure from the annual Brandeis Hillel budget for student programs by Sternberg.

“Last semester the [student allocation budget] was not affected; it was the same as the previous years,” Finance Coordinator of Brandeis Hillel Andrew Franks said. “We were given $7,000.”

“We have been given a basic budget for this semester, which is not a hundred percent set in stone,” Wexler said. He confirmed that it was lower than previous years’ student allocation budgets but declined to disclose an exact number.

However, Sternberg said that he decided the current student allocation budget with consideration to the trends of past student allocation budgets.

Franks wrote in an e-mail sent to the Brandeis Hillel listserv Jan. 19 that food will no longer be a funding priority, as “the amount requested or spent is often more than needed for the particular program.” In addition, he encouraged students to make use of more local resources such as speakers from the surrounding Boston area to reduce the cost of bringing in speakers from distant locations.

Wexler suggested that students should also continue to look toward other sources such as the Student Union Finance Board and the Jewish Student Projects of Greater Boston for funding because the student allocation budget has been cut.

Furthermore, the search for a new Jewish Chaplain, which began after the previous Rabbi left in spring 2007, has been halted because of expenses, Sternberg said.

He explained that in the past the salary for a full-time Jewish Chaplin was shared between the University and Hillel. “We are extremely pleased with the interim appointment of Rabbi Elyse Winick on a part-time basis, but Brandeis still needs to have a full-time Jewish Chaplain,” he said.

—Shana D. Lebowitz contributed reporting.

will be offered in East Quad, the Castle, the Village and Rosenthal Quad.

By REINA GUERRERO JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

All non-first-year students will be afforded the opportunity to live in gender-neutral housing thanks to a new policy written by the Department of Residence Life, according to interim Co-Director of Residence Life Jeremy Leiferman.

Gender-neutral housing will apply to “all multiple-occupancy rooms on mixed-gender floors in East [Quad] and the Village, double rooms in suites in the Castle and Rosenthal [Quad] and efficiency apartments in 567 South St. and the Charles River Apartments,” according to the ResLife Web site.

The gender-neutral housing policy will not affect students who want to live in single-gender halls. According to the ResLife Web site, “These options will not impact the number of single-gender housing options available.” In an e-mail to the Justice, Leiferman wrote, “There are two single-gender floors in the Village. Students have the ability to select suites and apartments on their own, there-

3

Univ plans to increase enrollment ■ Admissions aims to admit

825 students next year while continuing to operate on a need-blind basis.

By NASHRAH RAHMAN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

In solidarity with Gaza Mohammad Kundas ’10 speaks at the Vigil for Gaza held in the Usdan Student Center last Tuesday. The Vigil was organized by Brandies Students for Justice in Palestine and commemorated and honored the 1300 deaths in Gaza. Several other students shared poems and prayers.

Gender-neutral housing option will be offered next year fore determining the gender designations of the space is up to them.”

Students who choose to live in gender-neutral rooms will go through the same room- selection process as students who decide to live in single-gender rooms, explained Leiferman. “The only difference is that it is a guy and girl selecting the [same] room,” he said.

“For the time being, [ResLife is] not including incoming first-year students in the group that can participate in gender-neutral housing. Genderneutral housing is based upon a mutual agreement that two students make as they are selecting that room.

First-year students don’t necessarily have the opportunity to mutually agree to live in that type of space together under the current structure,” Leiferman said; however, “First-year students who want a gender-neutral space should contact [ResLife], and an appropriate housing assignment will be made,” according to the ResLife Web site. This means that [ResLife] will work with students who have specific requests. This has been our policy for a number of years, and [it] will continue to be in place,” Leiferman wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

Leiferman explained, “Most schools that have gender-neutral housing don’t open it up to incoming first-year students.”

“We feel that the availability of gen-

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

ADMISSIONS

RESIDENCE LIFE

■Gender-neutral housing

●

der-neutral housing as an option for Residence Life is an important issue,” Student Union Director of Communications Jamie Ansorge ’09 wrote in an e-mail. “Gender-neutral housing supports the University’s non-discrimination policy and fully commits to the principles of social justice with respect to sexual orientation, sex, gender and gender identity. The Union has been closely involved with the development of gender-neutral housing

“

These options will not impact the number of single-gender housing options available.

JEREMY LEIFERMAN

policy for some time now and we’re happy to see that Residence Life and the [gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender] community have reached an agreement.”

The decision to adopt the genderneutral housing policy was finalized midway through the fall 2008 semester, Leiferman said. He explained that since the decision was finalized there

has been work on the gender-neutral housing policy “to refine the language and talking about how we [ResLife] will incorporate the policy.”

“We worked internally with our Gender Neutral Housing Planning Committee and the Residence Life Advisory Committee. We have included education pieces in the Room Selection info sessions and have talked with our Residence Life student and professional staff,” Leiferman wrote.

“I think that a low percentage of students will take advantage of the gender-neutral housing option,” Stacy Soohoo ’11 said. “Most people are more comfortable living with a person of their same gender. I would not personally live in the same room as a guy,” she added.

Matt Gaber ’11 said, “I think that [gender-neutral housing] is going to offer students more [housing] opportunities. I don’t think that it can present more problems than there already are.” He explained that the problems he was referring to are “the inherent issues that arise among roommates.”

“I think that there will be some students that will take advantage of it, but I don’t think that it will be a majority,” Leiferman said.

“The Union is proud to have supported this successful initiative and thankful for the willingness of Residence Life to respond to our calls for change,” wrote Ansorge.

The admissions office plans to enroll 825 students next year, as opposed to the 750 it aimed to enroll last year, according to Dean of Admissions Gil Villanueva.

Commenting on the University’s recent proposal to increase the student body by 12 percent in order to raise revenue, Dean of Financial Services Peter Giumette said, “Like many schools that are moderately endowed, much of our operating budget comes from revenue and the major portion of our revenue comes from tuition payment.”

Villanueva explained that another reason for admitting more students is that “many of our students are actually more and more studying abroad, and also so many are so strong that they are graduating at a faster rate.”

The numbers of regular and early decision applicants, as well as the targeted figure for midyear applicants, are lower for 2009, according to Villanueva.

Villanueva revealed that 6,451 regular- decision applicants have applied as of last Friday, which “is lower than last year’s number by roughly 12.2 percent.”

Villanueva said the numbers of first- round early- decision and secondround early-decision applicants for 2009 are 280 and 159, respectively. Reflecting upon the number of applicants for ED1 and ED2 from last year, Villanueva commented, “[The figures] are down, but not significantly down.”

He said, however, that the acceptance rate for early-decision applicants is “roughly the same.”

The University is planning to admit about the same number of midyears next year as it did last year. The target number of midyears the admissions office hopes to admit next year is 115, in comparison to last year’s figure of 111, Villanueva said.

“When recessions happen, we learned that college attendance went up but the direct beneficiaries were the public and state universities, [so] families are looking at institutions where the cost, or at least the perceived cost, is not going to be as high,” he said. “If you’re comparing a state University versus Brandeis, you’re looking at a cost difference of anywhere between [$20,000 and $30,000], and that is a lot of money for a lot of people.”

Giumette explained that Brandeis admits on a need-blind policy for domestic students so “the admissions office is neither aware nor concerned about a student’s application for financial aid.” He expressed hope that Brandeis will continue to be need blind but said, “many schools have gone to what they call “need-aware” or “need-sensitive” admissions; that means they’re no longer need-blind.

Giumette said, “This coming year we [are going to remain need-blind], but beyond that, I don’t know,” implying that Brandeis’ admission policy may be subject to change in upcoming years in order to meet budget cuts. ”There are also many reasons to consider [being] need-aware [when admitting students] because obviously it allows you to better manage perhaps the type of income one institution will bring into campus; but in keeping with the social justice mission of this school, being need-blind for domestic students is in line,” Villanueva said.

However, Giumette said the financial situations of students on the waitlist are taken into account. Assistant Vice President for Students and Enrollment Frank Urso confirmed, “We don’t know what the numbers [for enrolling students off the wait list this year will look like, but the approach will be the same as any other year.”

In response to Kiplinger.com’s ranking of Brandeis as no. 16 for best value in terms of academic quality and affordability, Villaneuva said, “We want to make sure that our students can move onto the bigger things.”

Want to be the first to know about breaking news on campus?

Join the Justice news staff.

E-mail Jillian Wagner at jsw5@brandeis.edu.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

5

FACULTY MEETING AFTERMATH FACULTY: Nine-person committee formed CONTINUED FROM 1 faculty meeting marked by student protests and described by professors as the best-attended faculty meeting in years. Students were not allowed into the meeting.

According to Provost Marty Krauss, the committee will consist of nine people appointed by the Faculty Senate and herself. She explained that the committee will be able to set up subcommittees so that there can be representation beyond those nine members, including members of the undergraduate and graduate student bodies. “We’re trying to think of the best structure to keep it organized and focused but also inclusive,” she said.

Faculty representative to the Board of the Trustees Prof. Steven Burg (POL) wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that he was appointed to the committee by the Provost. “While it is impossible to “restructure” the entire University in six weeks, … the committee called for by the Faculty Meeting will work assiduously to develop ideas to do as much as is possible and reasonable in the short term” as well as in the medium term.

At a special Board of Trustees meeting that took place yesterday, Burg said that the faculty and student representatives to the Board offered their perspectives on the budget crisis and the Board expressed confidence in the process started by the administration and the faculty.

The emergency faculty meeting was scheduled after senior administrators and the Faculty Senate Council proposed several long-term changes to the undergraduate academic curriculum, including the replacement of the current 43 majors and 47 minors with fewer interdisciplinary meta-majors.

“Right away, [Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe] said that he was not whetted to that idea [of the meta-majors],” Prof. Sarah Lamb (ANTH) told the Justice about the meeting, noting much faculty skepticism to the proposal. “We thought it wasn’t clear that it would save a lot of money for the University and it wasn’t clear that if we rush into [creating meta-majors] it was something that could be successfully done,” she said. Lamb said she sent an e-mail to the faculty listserv the night before the faculty meeting to discuss the proposals and to suggest changes to the curriculum from the bottom up.

Another topic discussed in the faculty meeting was the addition of new academic programs to attract more applicants. Prof. Mark Hulliung (HIST) explained that many faculty believe that “perhaps we should have something like a Business major because that would be, the thought is, a great marketing tool.”

University President Jehuda Reinharz wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that he supports the idea of a Business major.

Prof. Joseph Lumbard (NEJS) ex-

pressed concern that, “in attempting to address the desire of some to have a more practical application for their University education, that we may sacrifice the heart of a liberal arts education, which is that of knowledge for knowledge itself.”

Other faculty saw potential for connecting a business program with the liberal arts curriculum. Prof.

Dian Fox (ROMS) pointed out that there was a suggestion for a business and ethics proposal “because clearly, in these days, we’re finding out that a lot of business lacks ethics.”

Lamb said that since the reduction goal is still quite modest, there is no need “to radically change our structure and throw out all departments and have these meta-majors.”

She said she suggested in her e-mail that departmental and interdepartmental programs could consider necessary cuts. “And these were all ideas that would not weaken the educational mission of Brandeis, but in fact in some ways strengthen it,” she said.

For example, the South Asian Studies program, which she cochairs, is very small and could join with East Asian Studies to create an Asian Studies program. “Feminist theory is taught in both Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies; maybe they could share that course,” she said.

Lamb explained that Prof. David Hackett Fischer (HIST) agreed with her proposal and added lines to the proposal praising the administration for its work. Fischer also supported the summer session to help create the final motion.

Hulliung said Thursday that during the meeting Fischer stood up and said, “‘If we just talk about having a committee, maybe we should charge the committee that they should discuss [points] one, two, three, four and five,’ and that got a round of applause because that was a way of moving forward.”

Lamb said that most faculty believed the summer session should be optional. “Many, many faculty members felt very relieved [about the motion] because we think Brandeis is doing well as it is ... There’s no educational crisis; it’s tough economic times,” Lamb said. “The sense of the meeting was that we don’t want radical restructuring,” she said.

Reinharz established 11 principles in a document drafted for the meeting, including that Brandeis “will continue to pursue excellence by being a research institution with an outstanding faculty and a smaller graduate school than we now have.”

In an e-mail to the Justice, he wrote that the emphasis of the graduate school should be on “excellence, not size” and that faculty would help guide any changes to the program.

“Graduate education and research are critical to Brandeis’ future,” he wrote.

—Hannah Kirsch and Jillian Wagner contributed reporting.

DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice

TRANSPARENCY NOW: Students protest the lack of transparency and student involvement in budget cut decisions.

Students demand to be more involved ■ Many students want the

administration to include them in discussions regarding the budget cuts.

By JILLIAN WAGNER JUSTICE EDITOR

Many students are demanding more transparency and more student involvement in decisions regarding the University’s budget cuts and financial situation, especially after the University’s recent proposals to create meta-majors, increase the student body by 12 percent, decrease the faculty by 10 percent and institute a required summer semester.

Students were not allowed into last Thursday’s emergency faculty meeting held to discuss this academic proposal. Unlike most Faculty Senate meetings, this emergency meeting was closed to students and campus media, a decision implemented by the senior administration and the Faculty Senate so that faculty members would feel comfortable expressing their opinions, according to Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe.

Sahar Massachi ’11, Alex Melman ’11 and Daniel Cairns (GRAD), who write for the blog Innermost Parts and members of the Justice and The Hoot were turned away at the door.

Since the faculty meeting, students have continued to call for more student involvement. Last Friday, students concerned about the budget cuts met in the Castle to discuss how to become more involved. “The pillars of Brandeis are social justice, academic excellence, Jewish sponsorship and nonsectarianism,” Massachi said. He added that the students agreed to “focus on ways to promote and preserve and extend the University’s commitment to academic excellence.”

At the meeting, the students created committees to increase student activism by focusing on projects such as letter-writing and dormstorming.

Massachi said he would focus on faculty relations.

Several students attended Sunday’s Senate meeting, where they and Student Union senators asked Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer and Associate Dean of Student Life Maggie Balch questions about the University’s current financial situation.

Many students plan to attend this Thursday’s Faculty Senate meeting, which will be open to students.

“We stand in solidarity with faculty; we have the same interests at heart. … We’re not against anyone, we’re just for the University … We feel hurt that we aren’t being trusted or haven’t been involved … as much as we feel we could contribute,” Massachi said.

“Honestly, I can’t tell you what to cut because the University hasn’t given me their budget,” Massachi said. He asked Sawyer for a detailed description of the University’s budget at Sunday’s Senate meeting, but Sawyer referred Massachi to other members of the senior administration, such as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Peter French, for this information.

Massachi initially suggested that the University should cut the entire athletics program, not including club sports, before cutting one faculty member. “Right now we pay a lot of money for official University sports, but … they’re not essential to the character of Brandeis,” he said. Massachi later wrote in an e-mail to the Justice, “I’ve changed my mind and no longer hold the same views [regarding] Athletics as I once did.” He clarified that this does not reflect the position of the Brandeis Budget Cuts Committee, which was created last semester to encourage student involvement in conversations about University budget cuts.

When Massachi, Melman and Cairns went to last Thursday’s faculty meeting, Assistant Provost for Graduate Student Affairs Alwina Bennett met them at the door. Melman demanded they be allowed into the faculty meeting, Massachi explained. Bennett said that it was a closed-door meeting, but Melman literally put his foot in the door.

“[Bennett] said to [Melman], ‘Do I need to call somebody?’ and [Melman] responded, ‘I suppose you do,’” Cairns explained. Within minutes, two Brandeis police officers were inside the building, along with Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan. “[The police] said they would charge us with trespassing if we went into the faculty meeting,” Cairns explained.

Massachi and Melman made phone calls to their friends to organize some form of protest while they waited for the police to arrive. Eventually, a crowd of about 30 protesters gathered outside Olin-Sang Auditorium. The students decorated the building’s corridor with flyers that read, “Sunlight is the best of disinfectants,” a Louis Brandeis quote that, according to Melman, demonstrated the importance of student involvement and the danger of transparency.

The other flyers read, “Students need to be a part of the discussion,” and “Transparency!

Transparency!

Transparency! NOW!!!!!!” The students were standing outside the auditorium when the faculty members exited the meeting. Many protestors had the flyers taped to their shirts.

The students invited each faculty member to what they called a “student-faculty summit,” a meeting that took place after the emergency faculty meeting to discuss the issues that had been addressed. Prof. Jacob Cohen (AMST) and Prof. Sabrine von Merling (GRALL) attended the meeting.

“I understand why the students want to be involved, and I think that they should be,” Jaffe wrote in an email to the Justice. However, Jaffe believes that the “Faculty meeting is not … the appropriate forum for student-faculty discussion.” He wrote, “Although certain student representatives typically attend faculty meetings, these meetings have never been a forum for faculty-student dialogues—they are meetings of the faculty.”

—Hannah Kirsch, Miranda Neubauer and Mike Prada contributed reporting.

Faculty respond to the budget crisis and the student protesters Prof.

Steven Burg (POL) on the idea to add a Business major

Prof.

Jytte Klausen (POL) on the metamajor proposal Jytte Klausen “I personally believe that it’s a mistake from the beginning, even before we walk into this meeting, to frame this as a question of creating meta-majors ... Ultimately, this is about cutting faculty.”

Steven Burg “I’ve been an advocate in my capacity as a person who does admissions for a very long time to have a Business major at Brandeis. I think it makes perfect sense and more sense now than ever before.”

Prof. Dian Fox (ROMS) on the choice to keep students out of the meeting Dian Fox “I think there’s a time and a place for things, and I think that people might not speak as honestly or clearly if they were afraid that students would misunderstand or not know the background.”

Prof.

Jacob Cohen (AMST) on the lack of student input Jacob Cohen “What’s amazing to me is that, [of] all the suggestions for changing the curriculum, not a single one, as far as I know, came from any desire on the part of students to have changes in the curriculum.”

Prof.

Peter Woll (POL) on the protest outside the meeting Peter Woll “It’s pretty neat that the students are here. I don’t know why I’m surprised; I guess I shouldn’t be, but I am.”

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THE JUSTICE

THE ROSE IS CLOSED

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

7

STUDENT UNION

VP election will not take place ■ A Brandeis alumnus

discovered that a VP reelection would be against the Union constitution.

By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

REBECCA NEY/Justice file photo

EXIT EXHIBITIONS: Students enjoy the Hans Hofmann exhibition in the Lois Foster Wing of the museum. This is the Rose Art Museum’s keynote exhibition this winter.

MUSEUM: Rose Art Museum will close in late summer 2009 CONTINUED FROM 1 about the news yesterday. “I would have assumed that the current director would have, you know, been apprised of this as it was unfolding within his own University. That’s just a stunning thing,” he said.

Krauss said the University has an arrangement with “a major art dealer that would handle the selling of this collection,” but declined to elaborate.

Nealon said the process of selling the art “could take up to about a couple of years, minimum.”

He added, “With the market the way it is now, we have no way of knowing right now what the value of the collection is now. It’s a very valuable collection, very important collection. We’ll know later as we get down the road; that’s going

to be part of the process, determining the exact value of the collection,” he said.

Burg wrote that he was unaware of the specific University plans to sell the artwork, but wrote, “I doubt that “every piece” in the collection of about 6,000 pieces is even sellable.”

The decision took many professors, as well as students and staff members who currently work at the museum, by surprise.

“I was shocked when I heard about the decision because the Rose Art Museum has been such a big part of my Brandeis experience—more than most people who may just visit it once or twice a year,” Office of the Arts Director Scott Edmiston wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

“I recognize this is just the first step of a long, very complicated,

multiyear process, and I’m trying not to jump to conclusions until we see how things unfold,” he added.

Prof. Ingrid Schorr (PAX) said, “I feel a lot more strongly about this than I do about the [closing of the Linsey] pool. We’ll get a swimming pool eventually, but we’ll never have that collection of artwork again.”

According to an e-mail sent by Beccah Ulm ’11 to the Brandeis Budget Cuts Committee listserv, a sit-in at the Rose will be organized to take place Thursday at 1 p.m.

In addition, a meeting to discuss the closing of the Rose as well as concerns about administration transparency will be held in the Student Union office tonight at 8 p.m., according to an e-mail originally sent to the Union Senate listserv by Senator for the Class of 2009 Eric Alterman.

“I think [closing the museum] is a pretty terrible idea—it’s just such a Brandeis staple, … a pinnacle for culture,” Esther Schloss ’09, a Studio Art major, said.

“The permanence of this is scary—losing the Rose Art Museum and selling all of the work is very scary for Brandeis,” Hannah Richman ’10, another Studio Art major, said.

“These are extraordinary times,” Reinharz said in the press release. “We cannot control or fix the nation’s economic problems.

We can only do what we have been entrusted to do—act responsibly with the best interests of our students.”

—Sarah Bayer, Shana D. Lebowitz, Miranda Neubauer and Jillian Wagner contributed reporting

Student Union representatives have discovered that, according to the Union’s constitution, it is illegal to hold a reelection for vice president because the president, secretary and treasurer are still in office, Student Union Executive Senator Andrew Brooks ’09 said.

Article IX, Section 8, Clause 6 of the Student Union Constitution states, “There shall be no mid-term election for the positions of President or Vice-President except as provided for in Article III.” Article III states, “If all positions of Union Executive Office mentioned in this Constitution shall become vacant, new Executive Elections shall be held. Until that time, the Executive Senator shall serve as interim Union President and shall be responsible for appointing an Elections Commissioner to oversee these elections.”

The discovery, which occurred after former Student Union Vice President Adam Hughes ’11 unexpectedly resigned Jan. 18 after learning of a learning disability, effectively makes illegal last semester’s re-election for vice president in which Hughes was elected after Michael Kerns resigned for personal reasons. “Technically, the last election was unconstitutional, but nothing can be done about it now and Hughes did a great job,” Brooks said.

These provisions were discovered

by Adam Gartner ’07, who contacted Brooks about it last week. Brooks then informed Tia Chatterjee ’09, the secretary of the Student Union, who canceled the elections.

Brooks will serve as acting vice president until the inauguration of the new vice president at the end of April. He will maintain his position as executive senator. As executive senator, it is now Brooks’ responsibility to chair the senate meetings in the absence of the vice president.

“The Union is fully prepared to move forward with [Brooks] assuming the responsibilities of both the executive senator and the vice presidency,” Student Union Director of Communications Jamie Ansorge ’09 wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. “In my opinion the Union has not been hindered by the changes,” adding that Brooks “is entirely ready to assume his new role and has already done so promptly and with great energy.”

POLICY: Administration re-evaluating merit aid policy other administrators a few examples of merit scholar letters that included the clause, “These awards may be used for approved study abroad programs.” Merit scholar letters for the Justice Brandeis Scholarship, Dean’s Award and the Presidential Scholarship sent to members of the class of 2011—but not to the class of 2012—included this phrase, he said.

“Given the financial situation that we’re in, it may be necessary for incoming classes, but it’s unacceptable for students who were already recruited to this campus under the promise of portability,” Gray said.

The other policy changes entail that students will be required to submit a preliminary study abroad form by Feb. 15, 2009 in order to become eligible to study abroad and that they must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 from the time they submit this preliminary form until they go abroad.

Tanya Kostochka ’11 and Chris Lau ’12, two Justice Brandeis

Scholars, created a Facebook group and a petition against the University’s decision regarding merit-based scholarships. Lau and Kostochka plan on delivering the petitions to University President Jehuda Reinharz Feb. 2 to try to get the decision reversed.

The petition speaks on behalf of merit scholar recipients, Brandeis faculty, International and Global Studies majors and Brandeis students in general. It reads, “We are frustrated that the new policy will curtail or even effectively eliminate our ability to follow our passions to study abroad because in many cases our estimated need-based aid simply does not accurately represent the aid we need.”

“There is a common misperception on campus that the study abroad program makes money for Brandeis,” Dean of Academic Services Kim Godsoe said. “It’s always more cost-efficient for an institution to give scholarship money for students who are participating in the on-campus experience

than it is to take that scholarship money and pay it to another institution,” she said.

While a few of the questions on the preliminary application require students to provide some information about their study abroad program preferences, Assistant Dean of Academic Services and Director of Study Abroad J. Scott Van Der Meid explained that students wishing to study abroad in the spring semester are not bound by this information.

Also, Van Der Meid stressed the fact that students can amend the preliminary application up until Feb. 15. Students are also permitted to withdraw their application if they have already submitted it, even after the Feb. 15 deadline. If it is after Feb. 15 but before room selection actually takes place, they can enter the regular room selection process instead of the stand-alone room selection.

The administration considered several alternatives before deciding to make merit-based scholarships nontransferable, such as eliminat-

ing among the more expensive programs from the list of accepted programs. Van Der Meid explained that by doing so, however, the administration would have prevented students from studying in entire regions and countries, many of which are among the most popular destinations for Brandeis students.

“We did look at the varying cost of programs and where students tend to enroll in overseas programs,” Van Der Meid clarified in an e-mail to the Justice. “To simply restrict the most expensive options would affect some majors over others in a disproportionate manner.”

These would have included more integrated programs, “such as internship programs in foreign language countries, programs that have independent study projects that students often come back and turn into a senior thesis and fieldbased programs,” he wrote.

Another alternative the administration considered was making all financial aid nonportable, which would have changed Brandeis’

entire study abroad financial system. Since the fall of 2004, Brandeis has used what it calls “home school tuition fees,” meaning that the student will pay Brandeis tuition for the semester regardless of which program they choose.

Before the home school model was adopted, about 19 to 25 percent of the junior class studied abroad; this year, 45 percent studied abroad, Van Der Meid said.

Godsoe explained, “It seemed almost the antithesis of the social justice nature of the institution to grant educational opportunities on the basis of someone’s ability to pay,” if no financial aid was portable and the home school tuition fee system was abandoned.

“We’re hoping that people will still study abroad,” Godsoe said.

“We feel that it’s a wonderful educational experience for students.

These are difficult decisions to make, but they reflect the economic times that we’re in,” she added.

8

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

just

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THE JUSTICE

features

VERBATIM | John Ciardi A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students.

ON THIS DAY...

FUN FACT

In 1965 Hindi was made the official language of India.

Men get hiccups more often than women.

Creating the college-bound

PICTURE OF SUCCESS: A product of the Academic Success Program, Genevieve Armstrong ’12, stands in front of Usdan Student Center.

JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

Brandeis makes scholarships for five members of the Academic Success Program

By REBECCA KLEIN JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

The program started with two. Ten years ago, Tom Urquidez and his father Thomas A. Urquidez decided they wanted to enact change within three Wichita Falls, Texas high schools by putting together the Academic Success Program.

The program is designed to boost minority students’ academic performance, said Director of Operations Michael Martinez, who was a sophomore in Wichita Falls High School when the program began.

The initiative has since expanded to 15 Texas high schools, and last year over 300 program participants graduated from colleges nationwide.

This year, Brandeis collaborated with the Dallas-based ASP to create scholarships that cover all four years of tuition for five ASP students who will enter the University in fall 2009.

Dean of Admissions Gil Villanueva noted the importance of the ASP in light of the high value Brandeis places on social action.

“Social justice is an integral component of the Brandeis mission,” he said. “Our commit-

ment to attracting scholars from diverse backgrounds and our recent success in enrolling such students make us a natural partner for the Academic Success Program.”

Urquidez, now 29, was a high school senior, and his father was a counselor to at-risk students when they decided to launch the program, Martinez said. “[Urquidez and his father] started very simply,” he added, identifying students that “came from the under represented minority backgrounds [and] had a lot of potential but weren’t living up to [it].”

Initially, the program offered students only leadership and SAT workshops.

“Throughout this process, [Urquidez and his father] started this conversation about college,” among Texas high school students, Martinez said.

The concept of a college education was new to many students, Martinez said. Many from Wichita Falls High School are first-generation college students.

Urquidez, who took advantage of the program’s academic resources, entered Dartmouth College in 2000. Three years later, Martinez enrolled at Princeton University.

“It started [when] Tom and students just began going to places that people in Wichita

Falls never really thought were possible for them,” Martinez said.

He added that just witnessing their peers’ successes motivated some program participants to strive for academic achievement.

“Really, the key to why ASP is so successful is because [of] the interaction that Tom had … with the underclassmen in [his] high school,” he said “That is, whenever you see someone in your high school go off and do something, you start to think that you can do it, too.”

Many of the ASP’s facilitators are recent college graduates who were the first members of their families to attend college, Martinez said.

The facilitators can therefore “relate to the students, and the students begin to look to the facilitators [for] what’s possible,” he said.

Facilitator Eloy Gardea, an alumnus of the ASP in Wichita Falls who graduated from Columbia University in spring 2008, said that as a high school student, he looked up to students like Urquidez and Martinez. They made the idea of attending a prestigious university seem possible.

“Michael Martinez … was my role model because hey, [he] went to [an] Ivy League school,” Gardea said. “The program creates

students looking to other students for inspiration.”

Gardea said that the goal of attending college is enough to motivate students’ academic achievement.

“Often in inner-city schools, … expectation is what’s lacking—that expectation of doing something after high school,” he added.

In addition to leadership training and SAT workshops, the ASP also teaches students about the process of applying to college.

Genevieve Armstrong ’12, who participated in the ASP at Hillcrest High School in Dallas, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice, “I’m embarrassed to say how many schools I applied to because [applying] was so easy.”

Initially, Armstrong said, “I was terrified about applying to college, not to mention I knew hardly any schools outside of Texas, unless they were state schools or Ivy League.”

Armstrong said she learned about Brandeis at one of the information sessions led by representatives from universities all over the country.

The ASP and the Brandeis Committee on Admissions will select the five ASP students to receive the scholarships. The Brandeis Committee on Admissions will select the recipients based on who they think will benefit most from the Brandeis experience, Villanueva said.

Though she’s been at Brandeis for only one semester, Armstrong already appreciates the school’s impact on her education.

Said Armstrong, “Thank God for this program, ... or else I have no idea where I would’ve ended up.”

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

ndelible nfluences

Brandeis alumni encourage social action at the Ethics Center

By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

When Barbara Epstein ’73 was a Brandeis student, the Vietnam War was raging, Richard Nixon was serving as president, the Pentagon Papers had just been published and the United States was plagued by internal political strife. Political activism had reached new heights on college campuses across America.

For Barbara Strauss ’02, Brandeis represented the opportunity to develop her interest in creative writing and meet students genuinely interested in social activism.

Today, Epstein and Strauss hold positions at the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, where they encourage younger generations of Brandeis students to pursue their enthusiasm for social justice.

Barbara Epstein At Brandeis, Epstein said, “there was a lot of talk about social justice, civil rights and anti-war sentiment.” Although Epstein wasn’t involved in any political organizations, she said that she “could not help but be influenced” by the political activities around her, as she decided to pursue a career related to social justice.

For the past year and a half, Epstein has served as the program administrator of the Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence at the Brandeis Ethics Center. Epstein cites her Brandeis education as “a good part” of why she immersed herself in social justice issues.

“I am naturally drawn toward people with a social conscience,” she said.

Despite the politically tumultuous climate, Epstein said she wasn’t as politically active as some of the other students. An English and American Literature major, she took several art courses and was involved in a literary magazine.

Epstein received her master’s degree in clinical social work from Smith College. Between 1994 and 2003, she worked as a freelance consultant for ABT Associates, a government and business research and consulting firm, on projects such as community revitalization, education, homeless housing and workforce development. Before joining the Ethics Center, Epstein was also a senior program associate for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leadership Program, a foundation that aims to improve American health care.

The Brandeis Ethics Center, established in 1988, embodies the concept of social justice that characterized Epstein’s experiences as a Brandeis student. According to the Ethics

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARBARA EPSTEIN

WOMAN WITH A SOCIAL CONSCIENCE: Barbara Epstein ’73 directs the Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence at the Ethics Center. conflicts, focuses on reconciliation efforts in war-torn countries. Most of its students work with international organizations. Past projects have included investigating non governmental organizations in West Africa or studying agriculture and industrialization in India.

Twenty-six students ranging from 20 to 40 years old currently participate in the program. Students hail from such diverse conflict zones as Rwanda, Uganda, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Tibet. As program administrator, Epstein handles program components such as the financial and budgeting systems, fundraising strategy, general administrative systems and outreach.

Barbara Strauss

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARBARA EPSTEIN

FOND MEMORIES: Ethics Center Department Coordinator Barbara Strauss ’02 recalls her “downto-earth” peers as a Brandeis student.

Center’s Web site, the institution aims to “develop effective responses to conflict and injustice by offering innovative approaches to coexistence, strengthening the work of international courts, and encouraging ethical practice in civic and professional life.”

The Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence, a master’s program that teaches students about the resolution of international

Strauss, the Ethics Center department coordinator, echoed Epstein’s passion for keeping social justice one of Brandeis’ core values.

Strauss said her work at the Center includes budget work, publication distribution and event planning. She also helps coordinate the Ethics Center Student Fellowship, a program that selects sophomores and juniors to design summer projects related to peace and coexistence or environmental studies.

Strauss said her return to Brandeis reflected her attachment to the University more than a lingering dedication to social activism.

“I loved Brandeis, so that definitely influ-

enced my decision to look for a job [here], and this type of job would suit me forever,” she said.

Co-editor in chief of the literary magazine Laurel Moon and a member of the Gymnastics Club, Strauss said she most valued the relaxed atmosphere on the campus where she met her husband.

“I just found the students so down-toearth,” she said. “I could say whatever was on my mind—there were no pretenses.”

Enthusiastic as she is about the importance of social activism, Strauss is determined to pursue her more creative inclinations. She majored in English on the Creative Writing track and is currently enrolled in a program at Lesley University to receive her master’s degree in creative writing.

Epstein and Strauss praised the the University’s general progress since their graduations and remarked on the quality of the current undergraduates. Epstein said today’s Brandeis students are much more engaged in active learning than were students three decades ago.

“My generation was defined as a culture of activism, but being back on campus has showed me that Brandeis as an institution now emphasizes social justice,” she said.

The undergraduates involved in the Ethics Center, Epstein said, are “very thoughtful with developed worldviews and an eagerness for hands-on application to the learning they are doing in the classroom.”

9

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009 ● THE JUSTICE

the Justice Established 1949

Brandeis University

MIKE PRADA, Editor-in-Chief ANDREA FINEMAN, Managing Editor HANNAH KIRSCH, Deputy Editor J OEL HERZFELD, DAVID SHEPPARD -B RICK AND DANIEL D. SNYDER, Associate Editors JILLIAN WAGNER, News Editor SHANA D. LEBOWITZ, Features Editor IAN CUTLER, Acting Sports Editor JUSTINE ROOT, Arts Editor JULIAN AGIN -LIEBES AND MAX B REITSTEIN MATZA Photography Editors KATHRYN MARABLE, Layout Editor B RIAN FROMM, Acting Copy Editor C OURTNEY B REEN AND SARA ROBINSON, Acting Advertising Editors

Campus visibility essential Lately, issues surrounding the $10 million budget gap for the next fiscal year have created palpable tension on campus. It seems that many students feel at odds with the modifications of the administration has handed down to try and alleviate the financial crisis.

Time and money are tight, but we firmly feel the administration should invest some of the former and a little of the latter in order to interact more consistently and on a more personal level with the student body.

If administators interact more with students, we will be reminded of the sincerity of the administration.

President Reinharz told the Justice that “it is going to need a community effort in order to get us out of this mess.” We realize that more administrative involvement with students won’t actually improve Brandeis’ financial woes, but it will strengthen the sense of community that would make us more optimistic about the changes that will have to be made.

President Reinharz is a leader and spokesperson for this school, and more interaction with students on his part is key to creating the united community we need.

President Reinharz, along with other high-profile administrators, could eat at campus dining halls, attend sporting events and go to concerts or performances by student groups. Or if he felt like making a bigger investment, he could give an interview with WBRS or BTV. Reaching out to student leaders would provide President Reinharz with an invaluable relationship with those leaders’ groups. He need not provide students with face time in order to hear complaints; simply increasing his visibility on campus will make it harder for students to dismiss the administration as out of touch or disinterested in the student point of view.

We realize that President Reinharz devotes much of his time to important off-campus fundraising, but the sense of unity he could help foster at the University would be well worth the time he would have to take from this work.

In order to avoid having to spend money on initiating new programs, the University could capitalize on missed opportunities to connect with students. Extant committees formerly populated almost solely by student government members could be expanded to include representatives from other aspects of student life— Undergraduate Department Representatives, presidents of pre-health and pre-law organizations and leaders of the campus’ popular cultural or activist groups for instance.

The Campus Life Committee formed last semester is composed of Student Union President Jason Gray ’10, Andrew Hogan ’11, then-Union Director of Community Development Ryan McElhaney ’10, Union Director of Executive Affairs Jess Blumberg ’09, Union Director of Communication Jamie Ansorge ’09, Student Events Director Ilyssa Adler ’09 and member of the Union Office of the Treasury Justin Kang ’09, but the input of other sorts of student leaders might also have been valuable.

In addition, recipients of the Presidential and Justice Brandeis Scholarships were told in their acceptance letters that they would be “invit-

Admin should interact more ed to an ongoing dinner lecture series featuring distinguished members of the faculty, and will enjoy focused interaction with them.”

Few, if any, such programs have taken place. The University should consider that there is an existing population of students who expected to hold these leadership roles when entering their first year on campus and who could be readily approached to do so.

Popular, outgoing professors have created a following on campus through sheer force of personality, a willingness to eat in Usdan and by consistently attending cultural events like VOCAL. Professors like William Flesch (ENG) and Gordon Fellman (SOC) are often seen engaging in a stop-and-chat in the cafeteria line.

Other professors, like Mark Auslander (ANTH), rarely miss a major cultural event.

Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams is one administrator who could easily fall into this same category. Adams is active in the Brandeis Open-Mic Series, inquires into students’ lives and offers help with personal problems when he can. While this deep level of interaction is a part of Dean Adams’ job, other senior administrators could learn from his particularly strong relationship with students and students’ corresponding trust in him.

To reiterate: It’s not only President Reinharz who could improve student morale simply by being there. The deans and leaders of various student life-related administrative organizations such as Residence Life, Dining Services and Student Financial Services could afford to increase their visibility. Simply stopping in dorms and shaking hands, dropping by club meetings or attending student performances would help. Some students might interpret these as empty gestures, but if such a visit is extended in good faith, mature students will understand that these public relations efforts are sincere. With this in mind, we will more easily accept the sometimes-difficult money-saving changes the University will have to make, and currently suspicious students will more easily believe in the administration’s motives behind those changes.

After all, a close-knit community—a phrase Brandeis administrators, faculty, staff and students do not hesitate to use—is one of the main selling points of a liberal arts college. Though Brandeis is also a major research university, the Office of Admissions advocates Brandeis, according to the University Web site, as a liberal arts college that “affirms the importance of a broad and critical education in enriching the lives of students and preparing them for full participation in a changing society.”

Many students in our University seek small classes and personal bonds with their professors and other University community members.

Including senior administration in the liberal arts circle would help the University make good on its liberal arts promise and perhaps even increase some of the transparency for which so many student groups are currently clamoring.

ELI TUKACHINSKY/the Justice

Summer session idea doesn’t pay

By JOEL HERZFELD JUSTICE EDITOR

Right now, our administration and faculty are appraising plans that would have Brandeisians swap a fall or spring semester for a summer semester. The reason they’re doing this is that we’re strapped for money—so far, we’ve lost more than a quarter of our $700 million endowment—and this plan could make us some money. But I don’t think it’s worth it.

The proposal would let us have more paying students enrolled at Brandeis during the same amount of time by replacing a semester of fall or spring studies with a summer semester. Instead of spreading out our 3,200 undergrads over eight semesters in four years, we’d use nine semesters. Of these 3,200 undergrads, 800 would be here over summer for any given summer in a four-year span if this plan goes through. That means that on average, the University could enroll 400 more students per semester.

It’s a neat idea. There’s even a precedent—other schools do this, too. For example, Dartmouth College’s “D-Plan” divides the year into four quarters and requires students to take at least 12 sessions, including at least one summer session.

And the best part is that, according to research published in Innovative Higher Education and Teaching of Psychology periodicals, abbreviated summer courses don’t deserve their reputation as less desirable than regular-term classes.

The learning outcomes are similar, and students perform just as well.

So why don’t I think this proposed program is a good idea?

Let’s weigh the costs against the benefits.

This program, if it were mandatory, would cost us enrollment. Most of the people I spoke to said they would not have chosen Brandeis if it had this summer program. This makes that 800-extra-students-per-year figure seem awfully optimistic.

We’d have to compensate by accepting students of lesser qualifications, which would lower our academic rating and make us a less desirable school for the next year’s students.

Now is not the time to be making Brandeis a less desirable place for prospective students to go to school.

Whether we let in less qualified students or not, we’d still lose face to the people—almost everyone, according to the studies I brought up earlier—who view abridged summer courses as inferior to our ordinary offerings. Sure, we could insist in our press that summer courses are no less worthy than full-length ones, but we’d just sound shrill, and no one would believe us anyway.

And what about our professors? We can’t expect them to absorb an extra 800 students a year with no ill effects. Take my word as a soon-to-be-certified high school teacher— every extra student counts.

The same goes for University services, like the Hiatt Career Center and our libraries. Staffers and employees around the board—from Residence Life to the mailroom to Aramark employees—would have to work harder and longer. We’re stretched thin enough already, I think.

Also, this program would interfere with the unity of the student body at large because students would be off campus at different times in their academic careers. And all this semester-shuffling is bound to complicate the inner workings of clubs and organizations on campus.

On the other hand, we stand to reap some much-needed tuition cash. Under the new program, we’d have an extra 800 students per year enrolled—the same number of students that makes up an ordinary Brandeis incoming class. Setting tuition, room and board at $50,000 a year (the total is actually less), we’d be drawing in an extra $40 million per year.

But, according to the University’s Web site, the school awards $9 million in scholarships a year. We also give out need-based aid to “more than 70 percent of students,” the Web site says, claiming that an average need-based aid package “approaches $30,000.”

If we peg the actual amount at $28,000, that comes to more than $15 million in handouts. That and the $9 million we give out in scholarships bring our total gross profit from the extra 800 students per year down to about $15 million.

Subtract from that the actual cost of tuition, room and board to get the net profit. It’s anyone’s guess what that actual figure is, but it’s certainly less than $15 million. I’d call it at less than five.

Worth it? I’m unconvinced.

OP-BOX Quote of the Week “They’ll never ever have anything like [the Rose Art museum] here again. You know that’s … a luxury that most small universities don’t have, and I’m really, really sad. ... I feel a lot more strongly about this than I do about the swimming pool. We’ll get a swimming pool eventually, but we’ll never have that collection of artwork again.”

—Office of the Arts Program Administrator Ingrid Schorr laments the closing of the Rose Art Museum. (See News story, page 1.)

Brandeis Talks Back What role should students have in the budget decisions?

NATHAN J. ROBINSON ’11 “I beleive that the administration should involve students in every aspect of the decision-making process.”

JOSHUA SHEENA (GRAD) “I don’t have a good answer for that.”

TAISHA STURDIVANT ’11 “A very minimal role.”

MIMI THEODORE ’12 “The students should have an active role, working together with the administration.”

THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY JANUARY 27, 2009

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Preference for profit is nothing new To the Editor: When was the last time the University made changes to study abroad policies (“Poor choices for study abroad,” Jan. 20 issue) that didn’t involve students paying more and/or increases in pure profits for the University?

If a student deserves a merit scholarship to study at Brandeis, then they deserve a scholarship to go abroad as well. If even one student chooses not to go abroad because she cannot afford it without the merit scholarship, the University will have done a great disservice to that student and, by extension, to the entire student body.

When a student is abroad, Brandeis incurs no expenses relating to that student, outside of some very minor administrative efforts that could probably be easily covered by a paltry $30 to 50 administration maintenance fee or some such. For the University to ask students studying abroad to pay full Brandeis tuition for that term is indefensible; it generates pure profit with no expenses incurred.

Brandeis touts the benefits of study abroad but continues to hamper its students’ ability to take advantage of the opportunity. In the years since I graduated, policies have been instituted making study abroad more and more difficult. But to what end?

—Travis Seifman ’04

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Rose shutdown risks our image

By EMILY LEIFER SPECIAL TO THE JUSTICE

I am regularly shocked when faced with the concept that art has a price tag. When art is for sale, at least to me, it seems like the clashing of two worlds, the commercial and the artistic.

When merged capably, this clash can comment on both worlds, but when art is auctioned off hurriedly, its vendors eager to convert it into liquid cash, I am left with a bad taste in my mouth.

I am not writing to argue the merits of art and commerce. I only want to present three arguments that I have with the decision to close the Rose Art Museum and auction off its paintings: first the issue of image, second the lack of transparency in the decision-making and third the doubts this decision raises about the University’s commitment to the arts.

More than anything else, this hurts Brandeis’ public image even further. Our image is a moneymaker, in terms of attracting both new donors and prospective students, and a highly publicized auctioning of priceless, high-profile works of art is only going to make it worse. At the time of this writing, The New York Times and the Boston Globe have already published stories about the Rose. With newspapers across the country digging for stories that illustrate the effect of the financial crisis, more bad press for Brandeis is sure to surface.

The timing of the announcement could not be

worse.

Like most Brandeis students, the first notice I received regarding the Rose was a Monday night e-mail from University President Jehuda Reinharz. This e-mail simply informed the student body of the Board of Trustees’ decision to close the museum. The closing reached the student body as a fait accompli, with no room for discussion.

This decision from on high came as a particular blow to students who have been fighting for greater transparency in the budget cut decisions. If the administration truly has at heart “an unwavering commitment to the students,” as a press release from the Office of Media Relations claims, it should be willing to involve the students in major University decisions—especially those that affect our Brandeis experience as much as the closing of the Rose.

In these precarious financial times there is a lot of doing without. This is something we are all prepared to do. There are many services and institutions on campus that I could do without. The Rose is not one of them. The University does not seem to recognize its students’ willingness to see cuts in other areas, such as student services and student activities, rather than in academic and cultural areas.

By cutting the Rose, Brandeis is losing sight of what is vital to the experience of many students. In order for the University and student body to work together toward our core aca-

demic mission, we should have some discussion about what that mission is. For many students that mission involves a strong commitment to the arts, which Brandeis has faithfully displayed up until now.

I feel like the sanctity of art has been part of the communal liberal consciousness for a long time. How the administration can see the value of its art collection in dollars and cents is beyond me. Universities are charged with the task of protecting and disseminating knowledge to all who seek it. The Rose is a key teaching tool. Art is not just something that hangs on the walls and looks pretty. It teaches. Just as our school’s best faculty change hearts and minds with their words, so do the great artists of our time change us with their works. Having these works on campus is vital to our education.

If we want to maintain the strengths this University was built on, we need to keep a dedication to the arts, a dedication that can withstand monetary adversity. I ask that other options for budget cuts be reconsidered. The Rose is something I am very proud to have. Art will never be as physically accessible to me as it has been on this campus. I am sad to see that go and to know that future classes won’t have the pride of going to a school with such a comprehensive art collection.

writer —The Innermostparts.org

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blogger

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Merit scholars deserve to go abroad To the Editor: In response to your editorial “Poor choices for study abroad” (Jan. 20 issue): I graduated from Brandeis in 2006. I received a merit scholarship that covered almost the entire tuition. This was a huge factor in my decision to attend Brandeis—as I believe is the intention of Brandeis’ generous merit scholarship program—and also allowed me to study abroad in Spain. I would have needed to take out substantial loans to study abroad if my scholarship had not transferred.

I do understand that the University needs to cut money wherever it can, and I’m sure this was a difficult decision to make. But I urge administrators to reconsider. It could be fair to begin this policy for next year’s incoming first-years; those students would know when they accepted their scholarships that it would not transfer abroad. But it is not fair to rescind a scholarship that was offered, in writing, with the promise it would transfer abroad.

Studying abroad gives students new knowledge and perspective and opens their eyes to many career options they may pursue after graduation. These wide-ranging choices certainly add value to the Brandeis name, and it would be a shame if students were unable to study abroad and lost the opportunity to gain this perspective.

—Alexandra Perloe ’06

IN NEED OF REPAIRS?

Open debate on “Brandeis Plans” To the Editor: Last week’s protest during the closed-door faculty meeting should make it clear to everyone that Brandeis students care a great deal about the future of their University. Although the protest began spontaneously, growing by text message and word-of-mouth, it has spawned an organized student movement, focused on ensuring student involvement in this time of crisis. It is heartening that we have received support from the faculty, who recognize the students’ need for transparency and participation.

Indeed, just this morning I was notified of a “Brandeis Plans” wiki, where students and faculty elaborate and debate various ideas for improving and sustaining the University. While we have been collaborating closely with faculty, the student movement seeks open, spirited discussion with the administration and staff.

We are no starry-eyed dreamers or campus rebels. It is clear that major changes are in store for our community, and we simply ask that, as denizens of it, these changes are done with our knowledge and consent. In doing so, we hope to weather this crisis by making our school a place of increased cooperation and understanding. All students are encouraged to work with us in this initiative.

—Jonathan Sussman ’11

Write to us

The Justice welcomes letters to the editor responding to published material. Please email letters to justletters@brandeis.edu, or through our Web site at www.thejustice online.com. 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. Oped 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 5 p.m.

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

DILAPIDATED BUT NOT DESPERATE: The furniture is moved away from the walls here in Cholmondeley’s as student staffers repaint the peeling walls.

Funds for education or entertainment?

By DANIEL D. SNYDER JUSTICE EDITOR

Last week, student-run business Cholmondeley’s received at last the renovation funds long sought by its staff. In last week’s Justice article, General Manager Nirja Parekh ’09 attributed the University’s generous donation of $10,000 to “luck and timing” and the cooperation of Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy.

Now, call me conspiratorially minded, but something about this situation strikes me as a little odd. No one is denying that Chum’s was in desperate need of an overhaul, but the timing of the funding boost is worthy of a raised eyebrow. At a time of budgetary crisis, when the phrase pay cut is becoming common parlance, it feels like a less-than-opportune time to hand over $10,000, a hefty chunk of any professor’s

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 opposite page, staff interview four randomly selected students each week and print only those four answers.

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Fine Print

salary, to a less-than-key school facility.

Ordinarily I would dismiss this by reasoning that there are certain funds set aside for such donations, but with the entire budget in flux and the administration shifting so much money around, we have to look at the school’s funds as communal instead of sectioned. If this is the case then it raises questions about the priorities of both the school and the students. Would the administration rather cut funds for entertainment and leisure or education? Do students want another Nas concert or Prof. Flesch?

One possible explanation is public relations. With tensions rising between the administration and the student body over issues of trust and transparency, the donation of the Chum’s funds might be a conciliatory measure. As a student-run facility and popular venue, Chum’s may be, from the administration’s perspective, a symbol of student independence and an ideal depos-

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itory for some goodwill funds to smooth things over. This possibility raises questions about whether the administration is earning some so-called “political capital” in preparation for some extremely unpopular alterations in the future, some of which we already saw in the past week.

Were this, in fact, the case, what should we, the students, do about it? Well, Chum’s could give the money back to the school. If nothing else, it would set an example for the rest of the students and organizations about fiscal awareness and the need to prioritize certain programs and facilities over others.

Chum’s could also just trust that the University has accounted for these funds appropriately and take the money that it has lobbied so hard for. Regardless, it’s a precarious time in student-administration relations, and we need to consider the timing and appropriateness of the Chum’s funds.

Ruth Orbach, Greta Moran, Michael Newborn, Deborah Frisch Forum: Richard Alterbaum, Hillel Buechler, Matt Lawrence, David Litvak, Doug Nevins, Eileen Smolyar, Naomi Spector Features: Rebecca Klein Arts: Wei-Huan Chen, Marianna Faynshteyn, Laura Gamble, Rachel Klein, Emily Leifer, Wei Sum Li, Daniel Orkin, Alex Pagan, Forum: Rebecca Blady Samantha Shokin, Ben Strassfeld, Brad Stern Layout: Brian Blumenthal Photography: Rachel Corke, Emily Diamond, Rebecca Ney, Adina News: Nashrah Rahman Paretzky, Hsiao-Chi Pang, Danielle Schivek, Hilary Sager Sports: Sean Petterson, Adam Rosen Copy: Ariel Adams, Emily Kraus, Marissa Linzi, Sarah McWhirter, STAFF Danielle Myers, Joyce Wang Senior Writers: Miranda Neubauer, Jeffrey Illustrations: Lisa Frank, Gail Goldspiel, Eli Tukashinsky Pickette, Melissa Siegel Layout: Lee Marmor Senior Photographers: Sara Brandenburg, David Brown News/Features Staff: Alana Abramson, Sam Datlof, Reina Guerrero, Michelle Liberman,

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS ARTS: Sarah Bayer

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

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THE JUSTICE

Admins: Remember what we stand for Rebecca

BLADY MAELSTRÖM

A lot went through my mind as I sat behind the closed, guarded doors of the Olin-Sang Auditorium today as the faculty met to discuss this University’s future.

Closed doors. Barred journalists. Student demonstrators. Study abroad, housing policy, scholarship money, missed summer opportunities. More students, less faculty. My entire academic career.

Why I came to Brandeis.

All in the name of what, exactly?

It’s not every day you get to sit in the midst of a brewing protest.

The atmosphere outside the lecture hall this afternoon was passionate and purposeful. At the sight of the crowd of students, spearheaded by writers for campus blog Innermost Parts, an inexplicable, almost electric vibe shook my system. Those students stood for something important, and they were going to make something happen.

Supreetha Gubbala ’12, a demonstrator who skipped class to participate in the assembly, exemplified the students’ passion when she said, “Students know best, and [the administration and faculty] should have asked us first. The fact that they’re not letting us in is a violation of our rights.”

I can’t help but admire those students for heading straight to the scene, adamantly insisting that they have a say in their own academic careers and inviting faculty members to a post-meeting gathering to openly discuss what transpired behind the closed doors of the auditorium. They are genuinely motivated to salvage the academic values that brought them to Brandeis.

It certainly seems that the administration is not on the same page as the students. Budget cuts tend to throw matters out of proportion, but is our administration really prioritizing Brandeis’ unique educational qualities— which students certainly considered when they chose to enroll here—when it makes major modifications to study abroad policies and proposes long-term changes to the curriculum that would completely revamp the nature of this University?

Several hours after sitting outside this dramatized faculty meeting, I remain confused as to where our administration truly stands in terms of the value of our education.

Professors’ comments after the meeting did not ease my skepticism. For example, Prof. Mark Hulliung (HIST) told the Justice, “A major concern ... is the idea that perhaps we should have something like a Business major,

because that would be, the thought is, a great marketing tool.”

Business major? Marketing tool? Unless I’ve misunderstood the term liberal arts institution, career-oriented majors are not the focus of academics on this campus. And advertising career-oriented majors in an attempt to sell this University certainly does not speak volumes about the value of the Brandeis education that so many students sought by enrolling here.

Prof. Jacob Cohen (AMST) concurred: “What’s amazing to me is that all the suggestions for changing the curriculum, not a single one, as far as I know, came from any desire on the part of students to have changes in the curriculum. Contrary to what happened in the ’60s when all the changes came as a result of student initiative, this seems to haven taken place without any student initiative.”

In support of holding fast to Brandeis’ academic character, Prof. Joseph Lumbard (NEJS) added, “My main concern is that in attempting to address the desire of some to have a more practical application for their university application, that we may sacrifice the heart of a liberal arts education, which is that of knowledge for knowledge itself. That is something that must not be lost by us.”

It’s no wonder that so many professors claimed this was the most crowded faculty meeting they had ever attended. The administration is taking a risk by putting Brandeis’ learning environment on the line, not only for tuitionpaying students but also for the faculty who have grown to love teaching and working in their respective departments.

Amid the stirring ruckus that built outside the meeting, Gubbala pointed out a plaque, dated 1961, hanging to the left of the entrance to the auditorium. It reads: “The forum at Brandeis University established through a benefaction of Theodore Shapiro of New York to uphold the basic principles of the University: to speak freely, to question openly, to differ without fear.” It is unfortunate that these basic principles, in addition to those symbolic of a liberal arts institution, have been put on reserve in the name of matters other than a thorough and candid liberal arts education for Brandeis students.

We students are here for one purpose: to learn. Forfeiting the nature of our academic environment will only take us backward.

Listen to the voices of the faculty and student body. Cut the budget.

Make some changes. But none of this should be done at the expense of this University’s character, which students care about and want to help preserve.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on the Justice’s Web site Friday, Jan. 23.

DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice

IMPROMPTU AND IMPERFECT: Daniel Cairns (GRAD) posts hastily printed flyers outside the faculty meeting in Olin-Sang.

Think before you protest

By HILLEL BUECHLER JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

There’s been a lot of chatter about Thursday’s episode outside Olin-Sang, where students staged a protest in response to the restricted emergency faculty meeting.

Surprisingly, most of this talk gives too much credit to the student activists, casting them as heroically defiant by rising up and making a major point to the University.

In reality, the “student activists” or “organizers” or “social justice seekers,” whatever you wish to call them, failed to accomplish anything substantial. They failed to create an effective protest situation, thereby failing to let the University know that students absolutely must be a part of this process and not just an afterthought—a point that desperately needed to be made. It’s time for Brandeis activists to engage in concrete action.

I was at this alleged protest.

Initially, there was discussion among the eight or nine students assembled outside Olin-Sang of how to get the most people to the demonstration. They started frantically calling and text messaging all the Brandeisians in their cell phones. There was some urgent Innermost Parts blogging as well.

By the time some classes emptied and refilled in Olin-Sang around 4 p.m., students had posted flyers around the first-floor hallway of Olin-Sang. There were a bunch of clever phrases; a standard, pertinent Louis Brandeis quotation, “Sunlight is the best of disinfectants”; and, of course, plenty of exclamation points. But there was no one actually protesting.

LEVENSON JULES OF WISDOM

DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice

University starts to let us in on what’s happening with the budget, it will be nothing but a courtesy. It should be out of necessity, though.

The University must consult students before making major decisions. And that’s a point that needs to be shouted, not merely discussed by a relatively small group of students in a foyer.

Student exclusion from important administrative meetings is nothing new. As such, students who consider themselves social activists should have anticipated their exclusion from this emergency faculty session. There should have been plans for mass protest of the faculty’s secrecy before Thursday. The organizers waited until some of their representatives were personally affected by their encounter with the police at the scene of the meeting before they decided to protest at all.

And, even with short notice, it’s the age of instant communication.

All they needed was a plan. If you’re in the business of being an activist, you should be ready to take some action once in a while.

Cell phone chains, text message alert systems—anything would have been an improvement over the actual planning that occurred.

With all that’s happened lately without our consent or consultation, student exclusion from Thursday’s meeting should have sparked a big protest. But there was no planning structure, and any hopes or signs of true action consequently fizzled. I urge the people on the campus who consider themselves ardent activists and supporters of the Brandeis pillar of social justice to get their act together and make their mark in this crisis.

Fire checks violate students’ rights Jules

NECESSARY CONVERSATION: After waiting out the closed-door faculty meeting, demonstrating students ask professors about what they had discussed.

In fact, there were no protesters outside Olin-Sang, either. The only student protesters were those standing around in the foyer outside of the Olin-Sang Auditorium, and there were only 20 of them.

I asked several students, unaffiliated with the protest, who were passing through Olin-Sang if they knew whether anything was happening. None did.

At the height of this protest, I counted 30 students, including the original organizers. When I asked one organizer, Lev Hirschhorn ’11, how he felt the protest was shaping up, he told me that “this is a demonstration showing that students want to be a part of the discussion.”

The language of a large student protest was gone. This was just some demonstration.

According to Prof. Daniel Kryder (POL), it was mentioned and agreed at the meeting that students should play a greater role in the budget-cut process. But almost none of the faculty had any knowledge of the protest until after they left the auditorium—the protest had no weight on that consensus. One faculty member left the auditorium after the meeting and laughed in a friendly manner when she saw the students assembled so neatly.

Now, of course, Thursday’s posts on the Innermost Parts blog portray a somewhat different saga.

One post states that, “The protest was very, very valuable.” Really?

How? However nice the prospect of our possible greater inclusion may be, it isn’t feasible for now; the University has already established a pattern of disregard for our say in making changes, and that pattern has yet to be broken. If the

When I learned of the University’s new policy to fine students $150 for covering dorm smoke detectors, it occurred to me that few things in life are a simple matter of black and white; right and wrong, especially in situations like these, are usually not immediately obvious. The decision to take action on the issue of covered smoke detectors follows the Waltham Fire Department’s discovery of numerous fire safety infractions in residence halls. This is neither as justified as those who support it believe nor as heinous as those who decry it think.

The University—and indeed all its students—have a serious interest in ensuring that, in the case of a true emergency, people do not lose their lives or property due to others’ shortsighted actions. With this in

mind, I urge anyone who is considering covering a smoke detector to think seriously about the consequence. Is it really worth placing people in potential danger just for one person to do as he pleases?

But as much gravity as the issue holds, it doesn’t justify the random room inspections the University said it will start carrying out. These inspections contravene the guidelines delineated in the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook. The University contends that its right to conduct such inspections has grounding in Section 10.5 therein, which states that “the University reserves the right to inspect rooms at reasonable times.”

This is not, however, the only comment the Handbook has on such inspections. In fact, Section 17.3 refers nearly precisely to the issue at hand. To wit, it states that “student residence halls are inspected periodically to evaluate safety.

These inspections will be conducted by floor, section of building, or building. Public notification of such inspections will be provided 24 hours in advance and will specify

the date and time of the inspection for a given area.” Thus, it would seem that the policy of unannounced periodic spot checks is, in fact, in direct opposition to an explicit clause in the Handbook.

This specific breach of the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook is particularly disturbing. The document’s title connotes that students and administrators should be expected adhere to certain standards of conduct. As such, it is only proper that the University uphold its end of the bargain, just as the students are expected to uphold theirs.

When an authority-wielding body makes guarantees about what it will or will not do and then proceeds to break them, the authority’s statements become less definitive. The situation is a most important one, but this does not justify the wanton scrapping of certain key facets of students’ privacy guarantees. A solution to the extremely serious fire safety issues is of the utmost importance, but there are two groups who hold responsibilities, and both of them must follow through.

THE JUSTICE

Both squads perfect at meet undefeated at the Northeast Fencing Conference meet last Saturday at Brown Univ.

By MELISSA SIEGEL JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

When the men’s fencing team faced Brown University earlier this season at the Brandeis Invitational Dec. 8, the foil squad dropped seven of nine matches to the Bears in an eventual 16-11 defeat. Given another chance to face the Bears at last Saturday’s Northeast Fencing Conference meet, the Judges’ foil squad was determined to avenge their defeat, this time on the Bears’ home floor.

“The foil squad worked hard in practice and just came in with a much better attitude, an attitude more of ‘We can win, we can beat these teams, we are the better team,’ and it was successful,” captain and foil Will Friedman ’09 said.

The hard work paid off, as the men’s team defeated Brown 17-10, one of five victories on the day against no defeats. The Judges also defeated Tufts University, Vassar College, Boston College and Dartmouth College. The women’s team also went undefeated in six matches, including a 19-8 win over Brown, the defending conference champion.

“It was very gratifying to come back and beat [Brown and Boston College],” Friedman said. “I think it really speaks to the improvement of [the men’s team] and the work ethic.”

The men defeated Tufts 17-10, Vassar 15-12, Boston College 15-12 and Dartmouth 23-4. The women took down Tufts 16-11, Vassar 20-7, Smith College 17-10, Brown 19-8 and Boston College 19-8.

After the loss to Brown in December, coach Bill Shipman worked with two of his younger fencers, foils Sean Norton ’12 and Andrew Mandel ’11, on their attack moves, hoping to improve their performance this time around.

“With [Norton] and [Mandel], over the last few weeks to hopefully help turn them around, we worked

on a few things,” Shipman said. He added: “Not being so defensive and reactionary, just basic fencing things.”

The men’s squad also avenged an earlier 15-12 loss against Boston College at the Beanpot Fencing Championship Dec. 3.

The women’s team defeated Brown earlier in the year at the Brandeis Invitational in a close 1413 match that was decided by the Brandeis epée squad winning seven of nine bouts. At the rematch last Saturday, classmates Jess Davis-Heim ’09 and Jessica Newhall ’09 won two bouts against Brown sophomore foil Francesca Bartholomew, who went 19-4 at the Brandeis Invitational last month.

“It’s a good accomplishment, I think, [to defeat Brown], especially [for] the women to win so handily as they did,” Shipman said. “We have a very balanced nine-[person] team; we don’t have any real stars.”

Newhall said her win against Bartholomew was particularly rewarding, since the two have a history of fencing close bouts, dating back to their high school careers. Newhall said she changed her strategy, and it paid off, as she took the first four points of the bout and eventually won 5-2.

“I know what I usually do against her, and I know that for me to do that five times in a row is going to be unlikely,” Newhall said. “I knew I had to mix it up and bring some different things to the table, and surprisingly, she just didn’t catch on to any of it,” Newhall also said the team camaraderie has contributed to their success this year.

“The past three years, we’ve always had a really very good team; I think we have our best team yet this year, physically and also emotionally,” Newhall said. “We all get along well; we all are really good friends, and I think it really helps us to pull out the wins that we need to. There’s great team cohesion, there’s great support, there’s great physical ability.”

The women’s team next hosts Wellesley College tomorrow at 7 p.m. The men’s and women’s teams will then travel to Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the Brandeis/MIT Invitational Feb. 1.

INDOOR TRACK: Women fall just shy of first-place finish CONTINUED FROM 16 high jump, Suzanne Bernier ’10 and Lily Parenteau ’12 took first and second place with leaps of 1.60 meters and 1.55 meters respectively.

“We were fantastic [in the sprints and jumps],” coach Mark Reytblat said. “We just did really really well.”

In distance events, Brandeis dominated the one-mile run, capturing the top three places in the event. Beth Pisarik ’10 had the fastest time at 5:11.36, while Grayce Selig ’11 and Hannah Lindholm ’11 nearly crossed the line together, finishing the race 0.79 seconds apart to take second and third place, respectively.

Pisarik, Lindholm, Marie Lemay ’11 and Julia Alpaio ’10 were members of the Judges’ winning 800meter relay team, which finished ahead of second-place Bowdoin by 7.05 seconds.

“This is an important finish for [the team],” Sax said. “It’s our home meet and we’re going to see these teams again in the postseason so performing well here is important. [It shows] we’re going to be able to compete with anyone.”

Like the women, the men’s team fared well in distance events. In the 1,000-meter run, Marc Boutin ’12 was second to rookie Tim Even of

Southern Maine, finishing in 2:36.31 to Even’s 2:35.02. Mike Stone ’09 also did well in the event, placing sixth in 2:38.38.

Much like the women’s team, the men’s squad also crowded the top seeds in the one-mile run. Sam Donovan ’11 took first place in 4:22.49, while teammate Matt Jennings ’09 was right behind him in second place in 4:22.56. Chris Brown ’12 was fifth in the event in 4:24.86.

Brown and Donovan would later join Boutin and Stone to win the 800-meter relay in 8:07.78, beating Bowdoin just as the women’s team did.

“I think everyone is progressing well as far as being in shape and understanding how to race. It was a good race for us,” Stone said. “It’s nice to pick up victories and top finishes at our home meet, but it’s still early in the season so we’re all looking to improve still.”

The Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational is named after former Brandeis runner Reggie Poyau ’04, who tragically drowned off the coast of Senegal while studying abroad in his junior year.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are set to return to action this Saturday, Jan. 31 to compete at the Wheaton College Invitational at 9 a.m.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

13

ON THE RISE

FENCING

■ Both fencing teams were

●

Zhaoyang Wang/The Observer (CWRU)

UP AND AWAY: Forward Rich Magee ’10 fires a sweeping hook-shot in a win at Case Western Reserve University Jan. 23.

MBBALL: Team wins fifth straight CONTINUED FROM 16 to go along with six assists, five rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots. DeLuca and Olson both added 17 points, hitting a combined nine three-pointers, while guard Kenny Small ’10 had 11 points.

“A lot of guys in the league, due to [Roberson’s] quickness, are not going to be able to keep up with him, so he uses that to his advantage, going by them and drawing a lot of contact once he gets to the hoop,” McKoy said of Roberson’s ability to get to the free-throw line.

Against Case Western, Brandeis fell behind 28-12 with under five minutes to play in the first half. Case Western sophomore guard Kevin

Herring scored 19 of the Spartans’ 28 points, including the Spartans’ first 13 points of the game.

Brandeis was able to climb back into the game, answering with a 29-12 run to take a one-point lead with 10:32 to play in the second half.

From there, it was a back-andforth affair, with both teams trading baskets. There were 15 lead changes and six ties down the stretch.

Roberson broke the gridlock with a jumper with 1:07 left to give Brandeis a 66-64 lead. Roberson and DeLuca would combine for seven free throws the rest of the way to give the Judges a 73-66 win.

“We drew up a play to give DeLuca the ball, but [Case Western] was under my screen and I was wide-open

up top,” Roberson said of the play that put Brandeis on top for good.

Roberson had 17 points, going nine-for-11 from the foul line, while DeLuca had 16 points, going eightfor-nine from the foul line.

“My shot wasn’t exactly falling against Case, so I decided to take it to the hoop and I got to the line a lot,” DeLuca said.

Brandeis went to the line a combined 68 times in the two games, with Roberson accounting for 25 of the attempts.

The Judges will host UAA leader and defending National Champion WashU Friday at 8 p.m. and then take on last year’s UAA champion, the University of Chicago, this Sunday at noon.

WBBALL: Judges drop third conference game CONTINUED FROM 16 55-49 with 4:02 left. From there the Eagles scored another six straight points, four on free throws from Emory junior guard LeShonda Lillard, to go up by 12 before ultimately winning by 13.

Breslin said the game against Emory reminded her of the team’s 12-point loss to New York University Jan. 17, when the Judges also shot under 30 percent from the field.

“It goes back to our NYU game,” she said. “We just didn’t respond well to [Emory’s] defensive pressure and had trouble running our sets. When we can, we’re able to

score. If you look at the shooting percentages from both games, they’re both low.”

Brandeis only had two players in double-digit scoring figures in the game. Chapin had ten points despite only shooting 2-11 for the game, while forward Kasey Gieschen ’10 also had 10 points, scoring eight of them in the first half.

Lillard, who came in averaging just 10.1 points per game, paced Emory with a career-high 26 points. She scored 14 points at the free-throw line, where she shot 93 percent for the game despite averaging a 73-percent success rate

coming into the contest.

On Friday night the Judges got their second UAA win of the season with a 79-66 win over Case Western Reserve University. Chapin led the team with 21 points and also had 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Four other Judges also reached double figures in the win.

Brandeis will return home for a pair of UAA games against Washington University in St. Louis Friday at 6 p.m. and against the University of Chicago Sunday at 2 p.m.

—Ian Cutler contributed reporting

14

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27 , 2009

●

THE JUSTICE

SWIMMING & DIVING

Teams end regular season with strong outings ■ The women’s swimming

and diving team won both its meets last weekend while, the men’s team went 1-1.

By IAN CUTLER JUSTICE EDITOR

With four swimmers winning three events apiece, it was no surprise that the women’s swimming and diving team was miles ahead of host Trinity College on the scoreboard last Saturday.

The women’s squad routed Trinity 177-120, closing its dual-meet season with a record of 6-3 following last Friday’s 129-114 win against Clark University. The men’s team also competed at both meets last weekend, coming away with a 133-104 win at Clark but falling to Trinity 154.5-139.5 to put them at 4-5 at the conclusion of dualmeet competition this season.

Hollis Viray ’10 was one of the four women’s swimmers to post three wins at Trinity as the Judges took first place in 14 of 16 team events on the day. Viray won the 400-yard individual medley in a time of 4 minutes, 50.40 seconds and also took two breaststroke events, setting a facility record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:29.73.

“I was proud of my races,” she said.

“I was hoping to go under 2:30 for my 200 breaststrokes and I was able to do that. I think this put me in a good place looking forward.”

The other three-event winners for the women’s team were Siobhan Lyons ’10, Angela Chui ’12 and Julia Derk ’12, who along with Viray were also members of a winning relay team.

Lyons took the 1,000-yard freestyle event in 11:35.82 while also winning both the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly events with times of 1:03.48 and 2:17.77, respectively. Chui captured the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events and also won the 200-yard

DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/Justice File Photo

DOWN BELOW: Aaron Bennett ’11 gets ready to go under water at last season’s senior night at the Linsey pool Feb. 2, 2008.

This year Brandeis was forced to celebrate the careers of its seniors at Clark University last Friday due to facility issues at home. freestyle event in 1:58.96. Derk won three different freestyle events, winning the 50-yard and 100-yard sprints in times of 26.12 seconds and 56.30 seconds, respectively, and the 500-yard event in 5:27.72.

“We had a lot of great performances,” coach James Zotz said. “The women were pumped up; they knew it was our last meet. I felt everybody swam well.”

The men’s team won 10 of 16 events but still fell short to Trinity College by just 14 points. Bobby Morse ’09 led the

way for Brandeis, winning the 100yard freestyle in 58 seconds and the 500-yard freestyle in 4:59.04. He then tied for a win in the 1,000-yard freestyle, catching up to Trinity rookie Adam Eramo toward the end of the race and finishing with a time of 10:16.64. “[Morse] had a great day,” Zotz said.

“You don’t see one swimmer win the variety of events that he did.”

Once again the men’s team did not compete in diving events, which automatically put them in a 32-point deficit

to open the meet.

“It’s not frustrating because it’s just something we have to accept,” Zotz said. “For the rest of the meet you’re depending more on things being consistent, which is unfair on the team because it leaves no margin for error, and that’s hard.”

Last Friday, both the men’s and women’s teams defeated Clark University in a meet that was supposed to be held at Brandeis but was moved to Clark because of the closing of the Linsey pool Oct. 28. Still, despite

being away from familiar grounds, the teams honored their senior members in what would have been the final home meet of their careers.

Three of the five seniors were winners during the meet. On the men’s side, Morse won both the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle in season-best times of 1:48.46 and 4:57.69.

For the women, Leah Lipka ’09 and Rachel Nadas ’09 and were each a part of the Judges’ winning 400-yard medley relay team and also posted secondplace finishes in the 200-yard individual medley and 200-yard breaststroke, respectively.

Men’s captain Michael Rubin ’09 said that despite being away from home, the ceremony honoring him and his fellow seniors was “not too bad,” but Viray, a junior, said the whole scenario was disappointing.

“It was really sad, especially having watched [the ceremony] two years before this [at the Linsey pool],” she said. “It’s such a special day normally where everyone’s families come to the meet and we decorate our pool, and this year we had to trim it down to the bare minimum. All they did was announce [the seniors’ names and accomplishments], and we gave them balloons and flowers, and that was it.

It would have been nice to recognize them more if we had our own pool.”

Both teams now will prepare for the University Athletic Association Championships in Chicago Feb. 12.

Zotz said that despite the many obstacles his team has faced all season he expects them to do well on individual bases.

“This thing really hasn’t sunk in.

We’re just responding to a challenge, and it’s working for us,” he said.

“We’re still going to be doing the same things we’ve been doing all along. I’m expecting individually for everyone to have a great meet. I’d be disappointed if we’re not in the championship finals in a number of events. That’s what we should expect at this point, and that’s my goal for the team.”

THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

AP BRIEFS

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Pat White leads South to 35-18 Victory over North in Senior Bowl

Will Friedman ’09 ■ The foil star led Brandeis to five victories at the Northeastern Conference Meet last Saturday.

Despite finishing seventh out of 24 foils at last year’s NCAA Fencing Championships, foil Will Friedman ’09 has still been trying to improve his game.

“I was taking a very large first step, which a lot of people could counterattack, and I’ve been working on taking a smaller step so that doesn’t happen,” Friedman said. “That’s a very large percentage of the touches that opponents score on me, so working on that has helped and will continue to help.”

His work paid off last weekend at the Northeast Conference Meet, where he went 9-1, to help the men’s team finish with an undefeated record on the day and win the annual meet for the second straight year.

Friedman’s one loss was to a fellow NCAA competitor, Brown University junior Adam Pantel, whom Friedman beat at the NCAA Championships last March. If the two should meet again at this year’s NCAA Championships, Friedman said he knows what he needs to change.

“I think that I’ll be more defensive and less aggressive against him in the future,” Friedman said.

The foil squad went 2-7 against Brown at the Brandeis Invitational Dec. 7, but coach Bill Shipman credited the squad’s performance in helping the men’s team defeat Brown 17-10 at last Saturday’s Northeast Conference Meet (see page 13).

As team captain, Friedman said it was partially his responsibility to motivate his teammates to turn things around.

“It was not fun losing to Brown and

Judging numbers

1

career double-double for guard Jessica Chapin ’10, which she picked up last Friday with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Judges’ 79-66 victory at Case Western Reserve University.

2

events in which both the men’s and women’s indoor track teams won at last Saturday’s Reggie Poyau Memorial Track Meet. Both teams captured the 800meter relay and the one-mile run. Beth Pisarik ’10 took the one-mile run for the women while Sam Donovon ’11 won the same race for the men.

3

second-place finishes for Ali Sax ’09 at last Saturday’s Reggie Poyau Memorial Track Meet.

The senior was the runner-up in all three of the events she in which participated during the meet.

4

events apiece won by swimmers James Liu ’10 and Angela Chui ’12 in last Saturday’s swimming and diving meet at Trinity College. Both swimmers captured three individual events and one relay event.

5

three-point field goals scored out of 23 attempted by Amherst College against Brandeis Jan. 13.

The Judges held the Lord Jeffs to just 21.7 percent from beyond the arc and won on the road 73-58.

JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

[Boston College] earlier [in the year], and I believe that I, along with other team leaders, seniors, imparted that thought to the team,” Friedman said. “I think we would foster that attitude of more passion and

more drive to succeed, and I feel that that has been effective and helped everybody, for the most part.”

—Melissa Siegel

UAA STANDINGS Men’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference W L Washington 5 0 JUDGES 4 1 Carnegie 3 2 Rochester 3 2 New York 2 3 Case 2 3 Chicago 1 4 Emory 0 5

W 15 11 13 12 13 5 1 5

L 1 5 3 4 3 11 15 11

Overall Pct. .938 .688 .812 .750 .812 .312 .062 .312

Not including Monday’s games UAA Conference W L W L New York 4 1 15 0 Rochester 4 1 15 1 Chicago 4 1 13 3 Washington 4 1 12 4 JUDGES 2 3 12 3 Emory 1 4 10 6 Case 1 4 8 8 Carnegie 0 5 5 11

Overall Pct. .938 .938 .812 .750 .800 .625 .500 .312

TEAM LEADERS MBball (points per game)

MBball (rebounds per game)

Forward Steve DeLuca (GRAD) leads the Judges with an average of 16.2 points per game.

Forward Steve DeLuca (GRAD) leads the Judges with an average of 7.1 rebounds per game.

Player Steve DeLuca Kevin Olson Andre Roberson Kenny Small Terrell Hollins

Player Steve DeLuca Terrell Hollins Christian Yemga Kevin Olson Andre Roberson

PPG 16.2 11.1 10.6 9.9 9.6

RPG 7.1 7.0 3.6 3.0 2.9

WBball (points per game)

WBball (rebounds per game)

Guard Jessica Chapin ’10 leads the team with an average of 14.0 points per game.

Guard Jessica Chapin ’10 leads the Judges with an average of 5.5 rebounds per game.

Player Jessica Chapin Lauren Orlando Lauren Rashford Cassidy Dadaos Amber Strodthoff

Player Jessica Chapin Cassidy Dadaos Lauren Rashford Lauren Orlando Amber Strodthoff

PPG 14.0 10.4 7.5 7.3 6.7

RPG 5.5 5.4 4.5 4.4 3.7

UPCOMING GAME OF THE WEEK Men’s Basketball vs. No. 3 Washington University The Judges will battle for first place in the conference at home Friday at 8 p.m.

6

assists to only one turnover for guard Andre Roberson ’10 in the men’s basketball team’s 7663 win at Emory University last Sunday. Roberson also contributed 18 points, four steals, and two blocked shots to the victory.

15

When the Judges host Washington University in St. Louis this Friday night, they will certainly have to be up for a challenge.

WashU is the defending National Champion, and the team has picked up right where it left off last season. The No. 3 Bears are 15-1 after victories at the University of Rochester and at No. 18

Carnegie Mellon University last weekend. The team is also undefeated in the University Athletic Association with a 5-0 conference record.

Brandeis is 11-5 overall and 4-1 in the UAA after three wins last week, including one at then No. 9 Amherst College last Tuesday. A win would put Brandeis in a tie for first place in the conference.

MOBILE, Ala.—Pat White had a message for all those experts who think the West Virginia quarterback might make a better receiver in the NFL: Not so fast.

A local hero from Daphne, just outside Mobile, White led two scoring drives and passed for 95 yards as the South defeated the North 35-18 in the Senior Bowl, a showcase for many of college football’s top prospects.

“I’m just happy I had the opportunity. This was a great coaching staff that taught me a lot in a week,” White said.

“I’m looking forward to keeping working, trying to get better.”

The most prolific running quarterback in major college football history, White stood out among a group of high-profile signal callers and was the most valuable player of the game that featured many top NFL prospects.

If there were doubts about the strength of White’s arm, he tried to erase them in the third quarter when he stretched the South’s lead with an impressive 39-yard scoring toss to Mississippi’s Mike Wallace in the corner of the end zone.

“I just wanted to give him a chance to catch the ball,” White said. “He told me anytime he had a go route, throw it out there and he was going to go get it. That’s what he did.”

Alabama’s John Parker Wilson also played well, completing 7-of-13 passes for 56 yards and scoring on a fouryard scamper in the first quarter.

Wilson was named offensive player of the game, while Robert Ayers of Tennessee was named the game’s outstanding defensive player.

The South was coached by Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio and his staff. Del Rio said he was impressed by his squad.

“We had a good week of practice; the guys really worked hard and had fun. We got after it pretty good, especially early in the week, came out tonight and kind of let it all out and had a good time competing,” Del Rio said.

Even though it was just an all-star game, Del Rio said the win felt good.

“I like winning, winning at anything. To cap off a really good week of work and evaluations with a win, it’s good,” Del Rio said.

The South led 21-10 at halftime and stretched it to 28-10 with White’s scoring pass midway through the third quarter.

The North narrowed the lead to 28-18 early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run by Eric Kettani of Navy and a two-point conversion run by Oregon’s Jeremiah Johnson. But any hopes of getting closer were dashed with 8 minutes, 47 seconds to play when All-American defensive tackle Peria Jerry of Mississippi fell on a fumble in the North end zone for the final South score.

The South dominated in the first half as three different quarterbacks directed impressive scoring drives.

Wilson started the scoring with a four-yard run from the shotgun formation with 7:28 to play in the first quarter. Wilson’s score ended a 16-play, 80-yard drive in which he completed four passes for 37 yards.

The first quarter ended with the South ahead 7-3 after the North got on the board with a 38-yard field goal by Utah’s Louie Sakoda.

White showed what he could do early in the second quarter, leading an eight-play, 68-yard touchdown drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Quinn Johnson of Louisiana State University. The drive included a 33-yard pass from White to North Carolina State running back Andre Brown.

Neither team was able to launch much of a running attack. The leading rusher was the South’s Rashad Jennings of Liberty College in Virginia, who carried nine times for 41 yards.

The North’s Juaquin Iglesias of Oklahoma was the leading receiver, with six catches for 90 yards.

Celtics pick up big home win over Cuban’s Mavericks 124-100 BOSTON—Ray Allen scored 20 of his 23 points in the first half when the Celtics opened a 27-point lead, and Eddie House added seven three-pointers to help Boston beat the Dallas Mavericks 124-100 on Sunday and give the defending NBA champions their eighth straight victory.

House scored 23, making 7-of-11 from three-point range, Kevin Garnett scored 23, and Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists for Boston. After losing seven of their last nine games, a slump that was the worst of the new Big Three era, the Celtics have won eight in a row by an average of 16 points and six straight in double digits.

Jason Terry scored 27 for the Mavericks, who have won just three of their last nine games. Dirk Nowitzki had 18, but the Dallas seven-footer shot 4-of-17 from the field and had the ignominy of having his shot blocked by the sixfoot-one House in the second quarter.

The Celtics shot 65 percent in the first half, and their 74 first-half points were a season high for them and the most allowed in any half for the Mavericks. They led by 15 after one quarter by 12 with 9:10 left in the second before scoring 15 straight points—and 21 of 26—to take a 64-33 lead.

Dallas had cut the deficit back to 27 points, and Nowitzki was going up for a layup when House stripped him of the ball under the basket and started a fast break that ended with Allen feeding Garnett for a crowd-pleasing alley-oop.

The Celtics hit 100 points with 50 seconds left in the third quarter. Garnett and Paul Pierce, who scored eight points, came out with 3:17 left in the third quarter, and all of the Boston starters sat out the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter got chippy with one double-technical and another that was called on the Mavericks bench.

TV cameras focused on owner Mark Cuban, but it was not immediately clear whether the violation was on him.

Dallas had beaten the Celtics in 13 out of 14 before Garnett and Allen joined Pierce in Boston, and now the Mavericks have lost three in a row.

Former Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra watched the game from a courtside seat, as did Patriots running back Kevin Faulk and former infielder Lou Merloni.

just

Sports

Page 16

FINISHING STRONG Both swimming and diving teams honored their seniors as they closed out the regular season, p. 14

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Waltham, Mass.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Judges Brandeis extends its win streak split road games ■ The men’s basketball

team won three games last week, including two road wins over conference foes.

By JEFFREY PICKETTE JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

■ The women’s basketball

team won at Case Western Reserve University last Friday but lost at Emory University last Sunday.

By MELISSA SIEGEL JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

With just over three-and-a-half minutes gone by in the second half of the women’s basketball team’s game against University Athletic Association opponent Emory University, the Judges had trimmed what was a 13-point deficit with 1 minute, 48 seconds left in the first half down to four points. But that was before Emory went on a 12-0 run, scoring four three-pointers in five possessions.

The run extended the Eagles’ lead to 45-29 with 13:56 left in the game, and Emory would eventually lead by as much as 17 points in an eventual 69-56 win. The loss drops the Judges to 12-3, following a win on the road against Case Western Reserve University last Friday. All three losses this season have come against teams in the UAA. “We’re playing against teams at a high level,” guard Carmela Breslin ’10 said. “It’s intense, and all the schools recruit well [in the UAA]. We’re all playing hard day in and day out, and nobody likes to lose.”

Coach Carol Simon could not be reached for comment by press time, and guard Jessica Chapin ’10, the Judges’ leading scorer, who missed nine of her 11 field goal attempts against Emory, declined to comment on the game.

The Judges struggled with their offense all game, shooting just under 30 percent from the field. Meanwhile, the Eagles shot 46 percent from the field, including 4-8 from three-point range in the second half. This performance came after Emory shot just 1-for-21 from three-point range in its 66-59 loss last Friday to New York University.

“They were just hitting their shots,” Breslin said. “It’s not like we weren’t getting open shots. I feel like we missed a lot of layups, and they were hitting them and we weren’t. We’ll definitely work on that this week in practice.”

Emory scored the first points of the game and never played from behind. The Judges tied the score after the Eagles’ first basket, but Emory went on a 7-0 run to take a 10-3 lead. Emory would lead by as much as 13 in the first half, but the Judges went on a 7-0 run from the last two minutes of the first half to the first three-and-a-half minutes of the second half to cut the deficit to 33-29 before the Eagles went on their 12-0 run.

After the run, Emory pulled ahead by 17 with 11:58 to go and again with 10:34 to go, but the Judges battled back, going on a 71 run of their own to pull within

See WBBALL, 13 ☛

The men’s basketball team was holding on to a 69-63 lead in the final minute of last Saturday’s game at Emory University, but guard Kevin Olson ’09 foiled the Eagles’ comeback hopes, burying a three-pointer in front of the Brandeis bench with three seconds left on the shot clock to give Brandeis a nine-point lead with less than a minute to play.

The shot broke the Eagles’ backs, as Brandeis held Emory without a field goal in the final minute en route to a 76-63 victory in the University Athletic Association matchup.

“We had [Emory], but they wouldn’t give up,” guard Andre Roberson ’10 said. “[Olson’s three-pointer] took a lot out of them. … It was kind of a dagger.”

The win at Emory followed a 73-66 comeback win at Case Western Reserve University last Friday. Last Tuesday, the Judges upset No. 9 Amherst College 73-58 on the road, avenging their season-ending loss to Amherst in the NCAA National Quarterfinals last season.

The Judges have now won five in a row and stand at 11-5 on the season.

They are second to No. 3 Washington University in St. Louis in the UAA standings with a 4-1 conference record and will face the Bears at home next Friday hoping to take over the UAA standings lead.

Against Emory, Brandeis held a 2423 lead with 6 minutes, 40 seconds left in the first half, before going on a 10-2 run in the next three minutes of play.

However, Emory answered the Brandeis run, outscoring the Judges 12-1 for the remainder of the half to tie the game at 35 at halftime.

Emory extended this run early in the second half, taking a 43-37 lead with 14:18 left to play. Brandeis was able to battle back, as forward Steve DeLuca (GRAD) and Roberson combined to score 12 unanswered points

to give Brandeis the lead for good.

“Once [our team] saw [Emory go] on a little run, it lit a fire under [us] that made [us] play a little harder,” assistant coach Eric McKoy said.

During DeLuca and Roberson’s 12point run, the two teamed up for a key fast-break three-pointer that gave Brandeis a 48-43 lead with 12:41 remaining. Roberson stole the ball from Emory junior forward Anthony Fernandez and found DeLuca open for the three-point attempt.

“I was just sprinting up the court, brought it up on the right wing, got my feet set, and the shot felt really good,” DeLuca said.

Roberson finished the game with 18 points, hitting 10 of his 14 free throws

See MBBALL, 13 ☛

INDOOR TRACK

Women’s team finishes second at home meet ■ The men’s and women’s

indoor track teams ran in the Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational at home Jan. 24.

By IAN CUTLER JUSTICE EDITOR

Finishing just shy of taking first place in three different events, Ali Sax ’09 epitomized the women’s indoor track team’s afternoon at last Saturday’s annual Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational.

Much like Sax, the women’s team just missed winning its only home event of the season, finishing just three points behind first-place finisher Bowdoin College, which totaled 157 points.

“I was so pleased with everyone’s performances today,” Sax said. “I don’t think there was any outstanding difference between [Bowdoin] and us. I don’t think anyone was disappointed.”

The men’s team placed sixth of 10 teams while tallying 78 points.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute won the men’s meet with 158.5 points.

Sax was caught up in a pair of very tight finishes. In the 55-meter hurdle event, Sax won the preliminary round in 8.92 seconds but came in second to rookie Bethany Dumas from the University of Southern Maine in the finals by just six-hundredths of a second.

In the long jump event, Sax was second to Bowdoin rookie Laura Peterson, even though Sax matched Peterson’s best jump of 5.16 meters.

Normally, the winner is determined by the best jump, but in the event of a tie, the contestant that leaps the farthest in their other attempts is declared the winner.

Peterson’s other two attempts were greater than Sax’s, allowing Peterson to edge Sax for the win.

Lucia Capano ’11 was third in the event, jumping at 4.95 meters, while Anat Ben Nun ’09 was fifth at 4.90 meters.

Ben Nun would win the triple jump, leaping 11.58 meters to once again pass the NCAA qualifying benchmark. Ben Nun had accomplished the feat Jan. 17 at the Bowdoin Invitational. Capano was fourth in the event at 10.64 meters. “[Ben Nun] is phenomenal in the triple jump,” Sax said. “If I’m going to lose to anybody in that event it might as well be her. She’s great.”

The Judges had strong outings in other sprinting and jumping events as well. Michelle Gellman ’11 won the 400-meter dash in 1 minute, 1 second, beating out Bowdoin senior Alison Pilon by 1.33 seconds. In the

See INDOOR TRACK, 13 ☛

DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice

JUMPING AHEAD: Hurdler Kayley Wolf ’12 races during the Reggie Poyau Memorial Invitational at home last Saturday afternoon.

just

ARTS

January 27, 2009

Exhibit provides artistic outlet for Brandeis faculty p 20 Photos: Hsiao Chi Pang/the Justice. Design: Julian Agin-Liebes and Max Breitstein Matza/the Justice.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

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THE JUSTICE

POP CULTURE

INSIDE ON CAMPUS

18-21, 23

■ Honoring Elliott Carter 19 At the concert celebrating the composer’s 100th birthday, Prof. Joshua Gordan (MUS) and pianist Randall Hodgkinson played works by the composer, his mentor and his protégé.

20 ■ JustArts Exhibit The show, located in Spingold Theater’s Dreitzer Gallery, allowed faculty members to showcase their artistic abilities.

21 ■ Staying Stylish in the Snow JustArts looks at those fashions keeping students both trendy and warm this winter.

23 ■ Save the Rose Art Museum One writer offers an argument against getting rid of the campus institution.

OFF CAMPUS

22-24

19 ■ ‘Getting Guilty’ A. C. Newman’s latest album contains songs sparser than those made with his former band, the New Pornographers.

22 ■ ‘Revolutionary Road’ Sam Mendes’ adaptation of the Richard Yates novel, which stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, is a cinematic success.

23 ■ The Case Against Gaga Despite her increasing popularity, one JustArts writer harbors doubts about Lady Gaga’s talent and her status as the savior of pop music.

CALENDAR

Q&A

by Ben Strassfeld

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was the biggest winner following Thursday’s announcement of the Academy Awards nominations with its reception of 13 nods; the film managed to score a place for David Fincher in the Best Director category, as well as one for Brad Pitt in the Best Actor division and one for Taraji P. Henson in the Best Supporting Actress category.

However, while Benjamin Button scored big, it is still the story of the little picture that could, Slumdog Millionaire, which remains the favorite to win Best Picture in most experts’ opinions. The film, nominated for 10 awards, including Best Director and Screenplay, was recently the big victor at the Golden Globes and has continued to draw tremendous amounts of support from audiences and critics alike.

Joining Benjamin Button and Slumdog in the best picture category are Milk, Frost/Nixon, and The Reader, with the final title being the biggest surprise of those nominated. The Reader, by picking up the fifth Best Picture slot, beat out the critically and commercially celebrated The Dark Knight. In fact, the Christopher Nolan-directed superhero film was mostly shut out from the main categories, save for the Best Supporting Actor nomination for Heath Ledger, who is widely expected to win the second posthumous award for an actor in Oscars history.

The shocks weren’t limited to the absence of men dressed as flying bats from the main categories, though, as a number of surprise nominations brought drama and intrigue to the proceedings. Specifically, Richard Jenkins for The Visitor and Melissa Leo for Frozen River were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively. Those paying careful attention

Found in translation ■ The Brandeis Theater Company’s

upcoming production of ‘Hecuba’ is a collaboration between departments.

Everyone remembers reading Oedipus in 10th grade English. How many of us go on to study Aeschylus and Sophocles in their original language? Professors Leonard Muellner and Eirene Visvardi (CLAS) lead our fellow students in the study of these works every day.

MATT SAYLES/the Associated Press

IGNORED NOLAN: In a surprising turn of events, Christopher Nolan was snubbed by the Oscars. may have noticed that each screened their respective films at Brandeis, perhaps gaining a Brandeis awards bump in the process.

Still, it is the Academy’s snub of The Dark Knight which is most noteworthy. The film, which has grossed nearly a billion dollars worldwide as well as appearing on many critics’ year-end top-10 lists, was expected to garner nominations for Best Picture and Best Director for Christopher Nolan. In the end though, the Academy decided to go for a more conventional Oscar pick in The Reader.

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus

Auditions: ‘Splatter Paint’ Erika Geller ’09 is searching for actors to participate in her Senior Thesis creation, Splatter Paint, which is “an original play that proves life doesn’t come in straight lines—it comes splattered all over the canvas.” Geller is seeking for the play two male actors and one female actor who are able to attend three to four rehearsals a week and who are available the play’s performance dates, March 5 and 6. For more information, please contact Erika Geller at egeller@bran deis.edu.

Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the TV Lounge of the Village C House.

Brandeis Open Mic Night This event, which will act as the conclusion to the series of weekly open mic nights that began last semester, will feature performances by those finalists competing for a spot on the Brandeis Poetry Slam Team. As members of the team, students will participate in the Collegiate Poetry Slam, among other events.

Tuesday from 9 p.m. to midnight in the Castle Commons.

‘Inside View: Master of Reality’ The Rose Art Museum invites students to hear the unique perspective of an artist-ascurator during a gallery tour of “Master of Reality” with Joseph Wardwell (FA), Assistant Professor of Painting. The “Master of Reality” exhibit “showcases the absorbing work of five New York-based artists who inventively twist and transform the lens of the global society that we all exist in.” Those artists whose work is displayed in the exhibit include Kanishka Raja, Angela Dufresne, Chie Fueki, Francesca DiMattio and Matthew Day Jackson.

Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Rose Art Museum.

Hooked On Tap’s Annual Show This year, the annual show by the Brandeis University tap dance ensemble, Hooked On Tap, will honor the club’s fifth anniversary.

For more information on this show and on the classes, workshops and other performance opportunities H.O.T. will offer throughout the year, e-mail club leaders at tapdance@brandeis.edu.

WHAT’S ON?

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOOKEDONTAP.COM

HOT FOR TAP: Hooked on Tap, the Brandeis University tap dance ensemble, will be celebrating its fifth year at the group’s annual show, which will be held Jan. 31.

Saturday from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater.

AREA CONCERT CALENDAR Glow In The Dark Tour Aziz Ansari, an actor and comedian based in Los Angeles, will be performing with special guest Dan Boulger at the Middle East Downstairs. Tickets are $15.

Thursday, doors open at 8 p.m., at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge.

Leedz Edutainment Presents A multitude of performers, including M.O.P., M-Dot, Heddshotts, Mynestate Militia, Vice Versah and Da Green Team will make an appearance at this show, which will be hosted by Edo G. DJ On&On, from JAMN 94.5’s “Launchpad,” will provide music. Tickets purchased in advance are $17, while those purchased at the door will cost $20.

Friday, doors open at 8 p.m., at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge.

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Bruce Bruce Comedian Bruce Bruce, who is well known for having hosted “BET’s 10th Anniversary Comic View” for two seasons and the BET program “Coming to the Stage,” will be performing at the Wilbur Theatre. Tickets range in price from $27 to $37, and can be ordered over the phone at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.thewilburtheatre.com.

Friday from 10 to 11:30 p.m. at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston.

The creators of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, which premiered in 2007 on the Adult Swim channel and featured sketches, songs and mock commercials, will be performing at the Wilbur Theatre. Tickets will cost $27 and can be ordered over the phone (800) 745-3000 or online at www.thewilburtheatre.com.

Saturday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and again from 9:45 to 11:15 p.m. at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston.

JustArts: I understand this production of Hecuba comes out of a class project where the students translated the play from the original text. Why did you choose Hecuba?

Leonard Muellner: Actually, the production is an initiative of Prof. Eric Hill of the Theater Arts Department for the Theater Arts and the Classical Studies department to collaborate and produce a Greek tragedy every three years.

Greek students and I worked with him and students in the Theater department for the first time in 2005-2006. Greek students and I produced a translation of Euripides’ Bacchae that he then adapted and produced (with exceptional success). The fall 2005 class that worked on the translation also met with the fall 2005 Suzuki acting class to discuss what we know about the production of tragedies in ancient Athens, and to learn about the Suzuki method ... . This year, two professors and four students (Lee Marmor ’10, Jack Bouchard ’10, Zach Margulies ’10 and Emrys Bell-Schlatter ’09) worked on the translation of Euripides’ Hecuba, and our class observed the Suzuki acting class twice. ... The choice of which play to produce was also made jointly by the three professors: Visvardi, Hill and [myself]. We all had our reasons for converging on this choice, and here are a few of them: Eric Hill took part in performances of this play when he was part of Tadashi Suzuki’s theater company in Japan, and it suits his directing style; Eirene Visvardi has been working on the interpretation of this play and Euripides’ Trojan Women in her research, and she has a special fondness for Hecuba as a relatively neglected but powerful play about war and its consequences; I last read it in graduate school in 1965, during the Vietnam War, when it also had a lot of resonance with current political and moral circumstances.

JA: How would you say the collective effort of the class affected the final version of the text?

LM: What the class produced last time (in 2005-2006) and what we have tried to do again this time is a line-by-line translation that is as faithful to the Greek original as we can make it. ... [as it is] a point of departure for the director, Eric Hill, and for Eirene Visvardi to use to produce a play that works within the conventions of modern American drama. Since we haven’t seen the final version of the adaptation yet, I can only speculate on the basis of what happened before.

JA: Theater is an area of classical studies that almost all students are familiar with, as plays like the Oedipus trilogy and Medea are taught frequently in high schools. Do you think this production of Hecuba will seem familiar to students, or will play-goers find something altogether different from what they expect?

Eirene Visvardi: Certain elements will probably sound familiar from other plays that people have read before, for instance the myth of the Trojan war and some of the characters in the play. But the play itself tends to be less often read and not very often staged—even though there has been more interest in producing it since American troops were sent to Iraq. So as far as the plot goes, I think it may be less familiar than the more canonical plays. As for the production itself, I for sure expect it to be unusual and powerful because of the different forces that are coming together for it. I am talking about Eric Hill’s adaptation of our translation from the original; his influences from Suzuki theater and his use of Suzuki training; the music that David Rakowski composed for the show; and a very talented cast of actors, to mention only a few things.

-Andrea Fineman Editor’s Note: Lee Marmor is a layout staff member of the Justice.

Top 10s for the week ending January 27

Box Office

College Radio

Billboard

WBRS

1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 3. Gran Torino 4. Hotel for Dogs 5. Slumdog Millionaire 6. My Bloody Valentine 3D 7. Inkheart 8. Bride Wars 9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 10. Notorious

1. Of Montreal – Skeletal Lamping 2. I’m From Barcelona – Who Killed Harry Houdini?

3. David Byrne and Brian Eno – Everything That Happens Will Happen Today 4. Decemberists – Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series 5. Her Space Holiday – XOXO Panda, And The New Kid Revival 6. School of Seven Bells – Alpinisms 7. Dears – Missiles 8. Los Campesinos! – We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed 9. Belle and Sebastian – The BBC Sessions 10. Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads

1. Taylor Swift – Fearless 2. Beyonce – I Am ... Sasha Fierce 3. Nickelback – Dark Horse 4. Soundtrack – Notorious 5. Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak 6. Soundtrack – Twilight 7. Britney Spears – Circus 8. Jamie Foxx – Inuition 9. Keyshia Cole – A Different Me 10. David Cook – David Cook

1. Community Calendar – “Community Calendar” 2. Phish – “axilla” 3. Sugarcult – “Stuck in America” 4. Deborah Allen – “Baby I Lied” 5. 3rd Eye Blind – “Semi-Charmed Life” 6. Sponsors – “Sponsors - Popliker” 7. Maria Moita – “Carlos Lyra” 8. David Byrne – “Tree” 9. Najima – “Atish Fishan” 10. PSA – “LIVE WX”

Album information provided by Billboard Magazine. Box office information provided by Yahoo! Movies. Radio charts provided by CMJ.

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

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ON CAMPUS MUSIC

MUSIC

Brandeis celebrates Carter

‘Get Guilty’ gets spare, breathes easier

■ Prof. Joshua Gordon (MUS) and Randall Hodgkinson played several pieces by the famed composer in honor of his 100th birthday.

By ALEX PAGAN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Good artwork can be described as that which breaks the stagnation of everyday life and thereby forces the members of the audience to reorient and, by so doing, reexamine, their lives. Elliott Carter’s music presents such a challenge: to reexamine our definition of music by presenting something that is abstracted from what we typically consider to be music. On Jan. 26 a concert was held in honor of the 100th birthday of Elliot Carter, an influential contemporary composer. The evening’s fare was a combination of solo performances on piano and cello and a rendition of Carter’s Sonata for Cello and Piano (1948). The evening’s performers were Lydian member and cellist Prof.

Joshua Gordon (MUS) and pianist Randall Hodgkinson. The program included pieces by Carter as well as some by two other composers, Carter’s mentor Charles Ives and his protégé Tod Machover.

Hodgkinson began the evening’s music with “Thoreau for Piano,” a movement from Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata. The music was distinctly modern and began with a somberly dissonant piano figure. The closeness of the tones in the first exploratory line coupled with liberal use of the sustain pedal resulted in a rippling sound that, despite its softness, had a distinctive physical quality: a sort of pulse perceivable in the thorax. The piece meandered at times, becoming rhythmically loose and harmonically undefined, then recollected, gathering in forceful crescendos before ending in consonant harmony. As the piece became more focused, hints of jazz in the lower register of Hodgkinson’s piano playing emerged. But beyond this incidental resemblance, the spirit of jazz in the performance was present only abstractly in the piece’s exploratory, discursive nature. Otherwise, the style was purely modern classical, atonal and metrically complex.

In accordance with the evening’s theme, “Thoreau for Piano” was a piece of music that could not be examined separately from the instrument for which it was composed. It exploited the piano’s historically important feature—the dynamic range for which it is named “piano-forte” (literally translated, “soft-loud”). The piece shifted from soft, reflective washes of sound and muted low-register ostinato to percussive, chaotic expressions in the upper register, all the while never losing the piano’s distinct subtlety to the soft-loud binary. The piece ended as it began, tentatively and subtly, with its sonic elements embodied by the movements of the performer.

It was evident from the beginning of Carter’s Figment for Solo Cello that the relationship between the cello and the piano was central to the performance. When compared to its counterpart, the piano, the cello is starkly deficient in terms of polyphony. The cello has only four simultaneous voices, while the piano, with a single performer, has at most 10. Nevertheless, the cello presented a complex dialogue of several distinct musical voices throughout the piece as Gordon masterfully executed the subtle double stops and interspersions of pizzicato figures. In this way, the music seemed to imitate the polyphonic nature of the piano while simultaneously reflecting the cello’s unique sonority. When not presenting a dialogue, the piece lapsed into monologue in which flowing legato lines were bookended by the characteristically Carter-esque stop-start double stops and unrelenting fermatas. There was a persistent feeling throughout the solo piece that Carter was celebrating the cello by approaching it from every angle at once: it was a cubist re-imagination of a familiar instrument, fragmented and reassembled in way that presented multiple contexts simultaneously.

■ The latest album from

A.C. Newman, a former member of the New Pornographers, contains songs that are unburdened by overproduction.

By ANDREA FINEMAN JUSTICE EDITOR

DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice

HONORING WITH ART: Prof. Joshua Gordon (MUS) played several pieces at the concert for Carter, including some by Tod Machover.

The second solo cello piece was also a figment. It was titled Figment No. 2 and was dedicated to Charles Ives. In Figment No. 2, the cello was again used to explore unfamiliar sonic territory, this time to mimic the long, sustained tones of the piano. There were elements of Ives’ music incorporated into the piece, such as hanging sonorities and delicate, tentative legato lines. There was a point, of course, when the cello eclipsed the sonic capabilities of the piano with a phrase that was entirely composed of flights of harmonics drawn from up and down the neck of the cello.

After the end of Figment No. 2, Hodgkinson returned to the piano and began Carter’s Piano Sonata. In this performance, both the influence of Ives and Carter’s own distinctive voice were preserved, although when filtered though the piano, Carter’s voice was both amplified and intensified. It produced the same general effect as his cello pieces, but through more discursive means; there were constant, unrelenting arpeggios and nimble lines all fused into a single sheet of sound through the use of the sustain pedal. And in contrast to the incredible technical displays were periods of more subdued, declarative chord changes and simple bass ostinato, which gave the upper-register meandering a sense of definition.

The Sonata’s second movement was more subdued, and the piece flowed in

a way that was more harmonically and melodically predictable. This sense of normalcy was soon abandoned, though, as the rhythmic counterpoint of the first movement was quickly taken up again. The piece became progressively more focused before entirely devolving into atavistic stabs and percussion. After this climax, the piece resumed its previous theme and came to a close. After the intermission, the music resumed with Tod Machover’s With Dadaji in Paradise for solo cello. Composed while Machover was traveling in India, this piece was an exercise in unfamiliarity: when first heard, it seemed strikingly alien, replete with harmonics and atonal slides. However, the listeners soon realized that this unfamiliarity was a relative feature and that there was nothing incomprehensible or inherently unmusical about Machover’s music—it was simply a question of context. It obeyed conventions that were foreign to the lay listener (or at least the listener uninformed in the minutia of contemporary composition), but there was at least a sense of order evident in the music. Although it was a common theme throughout the night, the use of metric modulation was featured prominently in the latter half of Machover’s piece. For despite the fact that the music was almost entirely composed of nearly-continuous flurries of notes, there was a distinct order present in

the music as the meter incrementally expanded and contracted, breathing in a way that is unfamiliar to most Western music but not to the Indian music by which Machover was inspired. At the end of Machover’s piece, Gordon revealed that the composer was in the audience. This fact lent the music, even when considered in hindsight, a sense of vitality and contemporaneousness that is often absent in more traditional repertory music.

Finally, the time came for the evening’s feature performance, Carter’s seminal Sonata for Cello and Piano (1948), in which Hodgekinson and Gordon’s combined efforts made for a sublime performance. The music was much in the vein of the earlier performances, and highlights included the rousing fugue in the second movement and delicate interplay throughout. Rather than focusing on the individual character of the instruments, as was the rule in the solo performances throughout the first half of the concert, the Sonata celebrated the intersection of the two instruments’ compatible sonorities in a way that was unpredictable but aurally satisfying. Carter’s centenary celebration offered music that was at once disorienting and enjoyable and offered a respite from the banality and cold comfort of the music (or should I say Muzak) to which we have become accustomed.

I hate to bring up the dreaded economy angle in yet another piece of journalism. Changing times, however, create trends in culture and consumption—two areas that bear heavily on the world of popular music. I predict that upbeat, jangly pop music will see a resurgence in the upcoming weeks and months.

A.C. Newman, best known for his work with the New Pornographers, is coming out with a new solo album in the nick of time.

Newman’s brand of melodic, fastpaced indie pop, which very much emulates the music of the aforementioned band, was given a place to shine with last week’s Get Guilty . The New Pornographers, a jangle-pop “supergroup” (If you consider selected musicians from bands Destroyer, Immaculate Machine and Limblifter, along with singersongwriter Neko Case, to be “super.” It’s okay, I haven’t heard of some of those bands either) frequently overburden their songs with too much production. Get Guilty provides similar songs with a sparer production, allowing the songs to breathe better—something I think the New Pornographers’ songs dearly need at times.

The album is sprawling from the start, not unlike the truly collective-sounding Bright Eyes tracks off his storied 2002 album Lifted, such as “Make War.” The first couple songs, especially album opener “There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve,” wouldn’t be out of place on Saddle Creek Records, home of Bright Eyes and his ilk. The songs sound allencompassing, with echoed backup vocals and fast melodies that run all over the place.

There’s a technique Newman has of using somewhat difficultto-understand lyrics that break suddenly into chorus at strange times. “Submarines of Stockholm” features verses and la-lalas that break forth into the phrase “One in a series of, one in a series of, highlights and holy lows, one in a series.” It is nonsensical. But, if you can believe it, it’s highly catchy.

I’ve often thought that Newman’s songs, like the New Pornographers’, lack depth. Beyond the infectious, catchy melodies and the (at times) creative instrumentation, the songs don’t have a lot of soul. In this regard, I think Get Guilty may fare better than 2004’s The Slow Wonder. There may not be a track as off-the-bat catchy as that album’s “Miracle Drug,” but overall, I think these songs have more replay value than some of the tracks from The Slow Wonder.

WBRS is giving away tickets to Newman’s show on Saturday, March 14 at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston. I’ve never seen Newman live, but I have seen him perform with the New Pornographers, and if their live act is any indication of Newman’s solo performances, one can rest assured that his set will undoubtedly serve to take concertgoers’ minds off their budgets.

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THE JUSTICE

ART

Staff showcases talents The JustArts exhibit is a first for faculty

By JUSTINE ROOT JUSTICE EDITOR

Many Brandeis students are probably unaware that a great number of faculty members are harboring secret artistic talent.

However, upon attending the JustArts show—the first-ever exhibit of artwork by Brandeis faculty and staff—it becomes evident that this number is much greater than one may have expected. For in the Dreitzer Gallery of Spingold Theater there are works in a variety of media (paint, pottery and photography, to name but a few) by staffers employed in a range of departments, from athletics to LTS. For instance, students are probably most familiar with Sheryl Sousa ’90 as the director of athletics. However, Sousa, who began working at Brandeis in 1998, is also a skilled painter. “Painting has been a hobby of mine for years,” the athletic director said, “and the show presented a great opportunity [for me] to show my work.”

Sousa’s work focuses primarily on the depiction of landscapes and

still lifes, as well as the “use of expressive color.”

And many people may not be aware that Prof. Susan Dibble’s (THA) artistic talents extend beyond her abilities as a choreographer; “Over the last three years, I’ve been painting much more. I had a one-person show in 2007 in a gallery in Great Barrington, Mass.

The show was very successful, and I’ve had commissions since then.”

For Dibble, “choreography and painting are a good marriage,” as her art provides “a way to develop themes and images for dances that I make. ... I love to allow myself the freedom to find out what turns up on the paper.”

So if you’ve always had an inkling that your English professor might actually be a talented painter or that the mailroom staffer might have a talent for photography, perhaps you should drop by the JustArts show; chances are, you’ll find their work on the walls among that of many other unexpected artists. The exhibit is located in the Dreitzer Gallery in the Spingold Theater Center and runs until Saturday, Jan. 31.

DAPPER “DOUG”: This work was created by Jasmine Chen Ph.D. ’06, an adjunct faculty member in economics.

PAINTINGS BY PURGUS: An adminstrator in biochemistry who spent most of her adult life in Mauritius, Claire Pavlik Purgus painted “Bright Bedclothes,” above, in 2007.

BOWLS AND BEEF: David Wedman Ph. D. ’02 painted “Cuts of Beef,” above, while Lois Widmer of LTS created this bowl, right, during her quest for “the perfect ceramic pot.”

ALL PHOTOS BY HSIAO CHI PANG

“GLASS BOTTOM BOWL:” Production manager Leslie Chu’s pieces, such as this bowl, are made using “a process called fusing and slumping to create functional pieces.”

THE JUSTICE

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

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nowy stylings Students stay warm with trendy, updated fashions.

By LAURA GAMBLE JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

COLD COMFORT: A plaid hoodie protects Abdoul Diallo ’12 from the fierce Waltham wind.

Even though the weather outside is frightful, ’Deisians are besting Jack Frost with cozy coats and the warmest winter accessories. Students across campus have been spotted embracing the rich hues and jewel tones that have made their presence known on runways from Paris to Los Angeles.

While this colorful trend has most noticeably manifested itself in the form of bright pashminas, those more daring have been spotted sporting jewel-toned coats. Traditional patterns such as tweed or houndstooth are good ways to lessen the vibrance while still participating in a fun trend.

Double-breasted peacoats are great pieces for keeping warm, and they come in a variety of colors from gray to red. They are available at most retailers, including the Gap, Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.

Other trendier patterns are also on the rise on campus. While plaid is most commonly seen on buttondown shirts, it is making its way onto the outermost layer as well.

Plaid is fun and colorful, but investing in a plaid piece that comes in neutral shades is ideal if you’re looking to give it a more classic and timeless feel.

A fur or faux fur coat provides a controversial look bound to get you a fair number of lengthy stares and dropped jaws. Although fur is extremely warm, the fashion industry is infamous for killing millions of animals a year. As a result, many designers such as Stella McCartney and Ralph Lauren have vowed not to use it in their collections.

Probably the most classic and timelessly chic option is the belted trench. It is almost universally flattering, especially in black. Paired with leather gloves, a scarf of your choice and shield sunglasses, it will keep you cozy and looking your best even in even the harshest of weather.

Whatever color, cut or type of coat you choose to wear this winter, bundle up and keep warm!

HANNAH KAPLAN/the Justice

PRETTY IN PINK: Michal Pearl ’11 stays cozy in a houndstooth peacoat.

HANNAH KAPLAN/the Justice

TRENDY TRENCH: Sarah Wolf ’09 mixes jewel tones to brighten up the drab winter days.

ENDURING STYLE: Allison Vanouse ’09 demonstrates a tasteful way to wear fur.

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

BLACK BELT: Justin Becker ’09 is all attitude in a belted coat, leather gloves and sunglasses.

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

WRAPPED IN A RAINBOW: Nathan Robinson ’11 has stripes to spare on his long, colorful scarf.

HANNAH KAPLAN/the Justice

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THE JUSTICE

OFF CAMPUS FILM

‘Revolutionary’ a cinematic leader ■ Sam Mendes’ latest release is a triumph, due in part to excellent acting by Winslet and DiCaprio.

By JUSTINE ROOT JUSTICE EDITOR

I have to wonder how many weddings have been canceled as a result of engaged persons having gone to see Revolutionary Road. The film is so incredibly devastating and so tension-filled that if it were to be shown at a wedding reception, it wouldn’t surprise me if director Sam Mendes’ latest film about the travails of a married couple sent newlyweds begging for an annulment in the middle of cutting the cake.

Amazingly enough, the film starts off on a romantic note. The opening scene depicts the initial meeting of April (Kate Winslet) and her future husband Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio), an event characterized by a wide-eyed, innocent infatuation and a sharing of their aspirations for the future. After that hopeful scene, though, the film’s tone quickly darkens as Revolutionary Road flashes forward to a depiction of a now-married April and Frank living a drastically different life than the one they once imagined for themselves.

The couple’s feelings of mediocrity—which were instilled in the couple after their move from the dynamic city to a stifling suburbia—seep from every aspect of Revolutionary Road ; the colors of April and Frank’s world are dull and muted, and Frank’s daily venture into the city for his detested desk job is marked by a swarm of identically dressed men in gray suits and fedoras.

However, as the movie progresses, the Wheelers’ feelings of mediocrity are replaced by crazed whims inspired by a sudden decision to move to Paris. This drastic

PHOTO COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT VANTAGE

ROCKY ROAD: Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet star as Frank and April, the unhappy, combative spouses in Sam Mendes’ adaptation of Richard Yates’ 1961 novel. turn, which becomes even more intense when Frank develops cold feet, turns the film into an emotional, heartrending study of a marriage forced to the brink by a battle between one spouse’s desire for fulfillment and another’s fear of failure and the unknown.

But what makes the film truly intriguing is Revolutionary Road’s exploration of the various reactions and results of April and Frank’s decision to flee to Paris; friends dis-

parage the couple and their decision while simultaneously grieving the monotony of their own lives, and Frank and April’s marriage momentarily picks up only to fall even farther than before in the wake of Frank’s hesitation.

Of course, the film’s ultimate triumphs are Winslet’s and DiCaprio’s performances.

Winslet’s April walks a fine line between passion and insanity and DiCaprio perfectly acts the part of a husband who,

BLOOD DRIVE

Brandeis University Blood Drive Tuesday, February 3 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, February 4 noon to 6:00 p.m.

Hassenfeld Conference Center Sign Up Today!

Log onto www.givelife.org.

Use sponsor code 965, or visit us at our table in Usdan from 11-2 and in Sherman from 5-8

American Red Cross Positive ID Required www.newenglandblood.org

while appearing confident in his actions, actually requires frequent validation and regularly declines to take action due to his inner weakness.

Really, the film’s only stumbling point is its frequent need to remind the audience that the Wheelers are “special,” something viewers are perfectly capable of determining on their own. And indeed, this is a question the audience should have been allowed to answer themselves;

for one of the core questions of the film regards whether the Wheelers are actually superior to the average couple. Unfortunately, the frequent fawning by their neighbors pushes onto viewers a forceful “Yes.” Essentially, Revolutionary Road, with its overpowering, incredibly personal moments and dynamic acting, is a must-see film.

Unless, of course, you’ve already made reservations for your wedding reception.

THE JUSTICE

Closing of the Rose arouses shame and anger

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

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TOP PERFORMER OR POP FLOP?

■ Brandeis’ decision to

close the on-campus institution is, in one writer’s eyes, a foolhardy, poorly planned sacrifice.

By DAN ORKIN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

I have never been more embarrassed to be a part of Brandeis University than I am at this very moment. Yesterday, the Brandeis Board of Trustees unanimously voted to close the Rose Art Museum in an effort to combat the ever-deepening budget fiasco the school is facing. The Rose’s precious collection of contemporary masterpieces will be thrown on the auction block in an effort to raise money to bandaid the school’s budget shortfalls.

The school is set to sell authentic treasures from the likes of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and others, not unlike a junkie pawning his wedding ring.

The decision comes as a shock to many and as an insult to others; while the Rose may not be as profitable as any of our famed buttersubstitute-generating research labs, it remains an absolutely vital component to our history, prestige and identity as a respected institution of learning and as a celebrated center of art and culture. Cashing in on one of the essential pillars of our creative legacy for the sake of minor fiscal security is an insult to the integrity of our academy and a blight on the reputation of this institution as a haven for free thought and expression.

Clearly, these are difficult times, and I openly accept that sacrifices will need to be made in order to keep Brandeis alive, but this radical decision is not simply a matter of fiscal policy or creative fundraising. Instead, this decision comes as a revelation of the bottom-line ethos that guides this school and of the essentially heartless depths to which the administration is willing to sink. The Rose’s prized collection was largely acquired through gifts from patrons and art lovers; gifts not only to the Rose but also to the students of Brandeis so that they might be inspired by the works’ brilliance. Those pieces purchased by the Rose were funded by similar means, through gifts to the Museum. The University’s closure of the Rose, requisition and sale of its collection, and the profits it will earn are a sign of how little the University cares about art and how little it respects its students.

While President Reinharz can gaze at the Matisse in his bathroom whenever he wants, the Rose offers the rest of us at Brandeis the opportunity to see a truly world-class art museum in our own backyard. As the official Brandeis press release politely phrases it, “The decision to close the museum is part of an emerging new vision for the University aimed at streamlining it for the future.” This so called vision for the future is one in which the Board of Trustees and the administration can openly rob the students of their heritage, as an institution that prides itself on the label liberal arts can abandon the arts altogether.

In making this decision, the administration is dismantling on the essential pillars of our creative legacy. When University assets gained not through investment, endowment or tuition but through gifts from patrons to a respected institution of art can be sold to the highest bidder, than the fundamentally corrupted principals of the Brandeis administration are revealed. When the going gets tough and Brandeis’ single greatest bastion of art is put on a chopping block by means of isolated committee, than its time for the student body to fight back. Don’t let this happen.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC'S EXTRANET

GAGA THE GREAT?: Lady Gaga, whose song “Just Dance” recently reached number one on the Billboard 200 Chart, has been compared to fellow pop-artist Madonna.

The likes of Lady Gaga must go ■ The pop artist’s eccentric

act irritates a would-be fan with her vacuous sound.

By BRAD STERN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

If you are at all familiar with me, you know full well that the subject of Lady Gaga is one that warrants constant brooding within my world. One minute I’m spouting poisonous condemnations of the up-and-coming celebri-lite and the next I’m mumbling my way through “Poker Face” and its unstoppable “muh-muh-muh-my!” moments.

I have encountered an artist that manages to simultaneously inspire equal levels of vitriol and joy. I’ve tried on no less than three separate occasions to weave together my inconsistent, unconnected Gaga thoughts to no avail. But with the recent news of Gaga’s “Just Dance” creeping up to the number-one spot on the Billboard 200 Chart nearly one year after its initial release, I thought I’d gargle on some Gaga for a change. Keep in mind, though, that my thoughts are still forming and scattered; this is simply how I feel right now.

Chances are you’ve seen Gaga toting her disco stick along somewhere: On stage at the Miss Universe awards, on YouTube or perhaps even at your favorite late night New York City haunt. If not, you probably will soon.

With a self-professed intention to save the world “one sequin at a time,” Lady Gaga is on a mission to revitalize the pop world and bring new energy to the scene.

Her slow rise to fame has already granted her comparisons to the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna: Both artists grew within the New York City club circuit, slowly garnering a loyal fan base. Fear not, Madge enthusiasts— there’s no competition.

On stage, Lady Gaga’s performances are entertaining, if not briefly captivating. She performs in futuristic garb—tight V-cut leotards and exaggerated, sharp shoulder pads that make her appear not unlike a giant triangle onstage. Along with the fact that Gaga tends to sing live (a rarity in pop, though not necessarily a plus), she has an arsenal of props in tow: her oftenmentioned “disco stick,” a light-up ice wand that serves no real purpose other than to be swung about and stuck in between opportune places and chunky, black, illuminated LED glasses with scrolling text that reads “Pop music will never be low brow,” to name a couple. There’s even a strange vocoder microphone that she occasionally straps on for instant autotunage.

Off stage, Gaga conducts interviews,

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC'S EXTRANET

PROPS FOR POP: During live performances, Gaga frequently totes several trademark props, including a pair of LED glasses. backup dancers at her side, as she vogues in massive shades. This is where her detractors can truly have a field day: Not only does Gaga give off a pretentious air of top pop-mindedness, but she’s got a way of speaking that falls somewhere between Paris Hilton and a slightly stoned Fran Drescher.

Last October the Lady released her debut album, The Fame. With the collection, Gaga hopes to spread the word that fame is a state of mind and that with the right attitude, anyone can construct their own celebrity. It’s, like, totally the American dream!

Now we’re here in 2009. And as much as statements like “Pop music will never be low brow” fired me up with the promise of Nü-Pop at the onset of 2008, I have since been left with nothing but a cheap, tinny feeling in my mouth in this post-Fame world.

To be fair, it is the winter, and I tend to suffer from seasonal, allergy-related sinus flare-ups that cause the same feeling, but I digress.

Ironically, I’ve never encountered an artist (and keep in mind, I’ve listened to STEPS before) that managed to cheapen the genre quite so much.

For while Gaga may claim to be saving the world “one sequin at a time” with her music, I have severe doubts about her legitimacy as an original act (to say the least!). After all, prancing onstage with a slapped-on Bowie lightning bolt, a borrowed Grace Jones ensemble and a stage name inherited from a Queen track doesn’t make the man. Rather, it just makes for one

large “Greatest Hits” performance piece dedicated to the finer artists of our generation.

But the worst part is that I don’t even want to feel this way. It’s exciting to see an artist cite Grace Jones’ latest album as one of her favorites of ’08 or refer to Liza Minelli as a style icon.

She seemingly shares the same love and respect of the industry’s finest as I do, yet her shtick ultimately remains unembraceable and forced.

Yet all is not amiss—The Fame was one of my Top 10 albums of 2008. As a whole, the album contains many more worthwhile hits (“Paparazzi” and “Poker Face”) than misses (every ballad on the album) and performs extremely well upon its first play. But after three weeks, I completely forgot about the album and lost all interest in the Gaga Project. Why? Each track consists of three minutes of middlerange production, hook-heavy electro and a mouthful of self-prescribed fame. The Fame is easily digested, throwaway pop that lacks even the slightest hint of intricacy. And unlike that of her contemporaries, Lady Gaga’s crop has an incredibly short shelf life.

That isn’t to say that Gaga isn’t talented. One need only watch a few moments of her acoustic rendition of “Poker Face” (however overindulgent the performance may be) to know that she bears both the pipes and the professionalism to carry herself as an artist.

Considering the fact that Larry Rudolph instantly picked her for two

bonus tracks for Britney’s Circus after being in the mainstream consciousness for only a year, Gaga has also proven that her song-scribing skills are qualified for the strictly Top 40 crowd. And coupled with the chops of Christina Aguilera (albeit dashed with an Orange County fake-and-bake speaking voice), this Lady’s got some lasting potential in the industry.

That doesn’t mean that she should be doing her own gig. I tried. And, believe me, I tried. But, after subjecting myself to numerous YouTube interviews and performances, I found myself firmly pitted against the Haus of Gaga.

“Just Dance” deserves the number one spot on the Billboard 200 Chart, though it’s about a year too late for me to ride the wave. Maybe I’m just being bitter, but nothing boils my blood more than a boasty musical recommendation from a friend about this “new song” they heard on the radio by this weird Gaga chick. She’s not weird—she’s just a collective of the things I’ve enjoyed over the past years shoved directly in the mainstream’s face.

(You know what? I decided to quickly rewatch the acoustic set of “Poker Face.” Yes, she sang it, but 2 minutes, 50 seconds into the song, I become too revolted by her performance antics to classify this as a good time.)

I realize now that I really don’t care for Lady Gaga, the entertainer. She should continue writing for other artists, but this Gaga gig has simply got to go.

24

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2009

●

THE JUSTICE

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Taking some time out of your usually busy social life could be just what you need to help you focus on putting those finishing touches on your plans for a possible career change.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) A misunderstanding about a colleague’s suggestions could create a delay in moving on with your proposal.

But by week’s end all the confusing points should finally be cleared up.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) You might feel overwhelmed by all the tasks you suddenly have to take care of. But just say the magic word —help!—and you’ll soon find others rushing to offer much-needed assistance.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) Finishing a current project ahead of schedule leaves you free to deal with other upcoming situations, including a possible workplace change as well as a demanding personal matter.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Turn that finetuned feline sensitivity radar up to high to help uncover any facts that could influence a decision you might be preparing to make. Devote the weekend to family activities.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A state of confusion is soon cleared up with explanations from the responsible parties. Don’t waste time chastising anyone. Instead, move forward with your plans.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) You might feel obligated to help work out a dispute between family members. But this is one of those times when you should step aside and let them work out their problems on their own.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Your ability to resolve an on-the-job problem without leaving too many ruffled feathers earns you ACROSS 1. Bake sale org.

4. TV reality series 8. Venomous vipers 12. Lummox 13. Destroy 14. Cancel a dele 15. Flattery 17. Uncomplicated 18. Passbook abbr.

19. Orator’s place 21. Redeemable item of yore 24. Trench 25. Swiss canton 26. Oktoberfest souvenir 28. Jabbers?

32. Give temporarily 34. Married ... With Children mother 36. Eats 37. Reason 39. — Mahal 41. Khan title 42. Tibetan gazelle 44. Big cheese 46. “Confounded!”

50. Zodiac cat 51. Wheelbase terminus 52. Never to return 56. Approach 57. Privy to 58. Previous night 59. “No ifs, —, or buts” 60. Slave to crosswords?

61. Morning moisture DOWN 1. Neg. opp.

2. Chinese path 3. Developing an attachment?

4. Usage 5. Lennon’s lady

kudos from co-workers. You also impress major decision-makers at your workplace.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) Newly made and long-held friendships merge well, with possibly one exception. Take time to listen to the dissente’s explanations. You could learn something important.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Be prepared to be flexible about your current travel plans. Although you don’t have to take them, at least consider suggestions from the experts in the travel business.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) A problem with a recent financial transaction could lead to more problems later on unless you resolve it immediately. Get all the proof you need to support your position.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Daydreaming makes it difficult to stay focused on what you need to do. But reality sets in by midweek, and you manage to get everything done in time for a relaxing weekend.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your ability to reach out to those in need of spiritual comfort makes you a much-revered, much-loved person in your community.

BRANDEIS

Through the Lens

Solution to last issues’s crossword.

REBECCA NEY/the Justice

True to Life An installation by Roy Lichtenstein, titled “Forget It! Forget Me,” in the Rose Art Museum hangs alongside a piece

Sudoku 6. Techno-datebooks 7. Sleep 8. Germ-free 9. Attempt 10. Mexican money 11. Charon's river 16. Potent stick 20. “— Wiedersehen” 21. Nonsense 22. Sandwich cookie 23. Young seal 27. Obtain 29. Kept tabs on 30. Takeout request 31. Booty 33. Some go for the gold

35. Roscoe 38. Bill’s partner 40. 1974 Dolly Parton hit 43. Rolling Stones classic 45. Shell-game need 46. Carvey or Delany 47. The yoke’s on them 48. Pleased 49. A long time 53. “Smoking or —?”

54. Rd. 55. Evergreen type

Sudoku Copyright 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

King Crossword Copyright 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

■ Herpetologists can tell you that of all the victims of rattlesnake bites, only about half of them actually hear the telltale rattle before being bitten.

month in which you are most likely to be shot, strangled or poisoned is December. They don’t seem to venture an opinion regarding why, however.

■ It was famed Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare who made the following sage observation: “Beauty is all very well at first sight; but whoever looks at it when it has been in the house three days?”

■ On average, British women are shorter than women in the United States.

■ The Guinness Book of World Records used to have a category for how many live goldfish a person could eat at once, but it was eliminated.

Interestingly, the reason for the elimination had nothing to do with cruelty to animals, but rather had to do with the difficulty of preventing cheating. It seems that some would-be competitors were breeding smaller and smaller fish for consumption.

■ The word “alimony” is derived from the Latin word “alimonia,” which means “nourishment.”

■ Those who study such things say that the

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into each blank space so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains one of each digit.

■ Who among us isn’t familiar with the line, “Quoth the Raven, nevermore?” As virtually anyone who made it through middle school English class can tell you, it’s from Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poem The Raven. Considering the ubiquitous nature of the work, though, you might be surprised to learn that Poe earned a grand total of $9 from the first publication of the poem.

■ The brain of an ostrich is actually smaller than one of its eyes.

Thought for the Day: “Bureaucrats write memoranda both because they appear to be busy when they are writing and because the memos, once written, immediately become proof that they were busy.” —Charles Peters

that unfortunately foreshadowed the fate of the institution; for the Rose, life (or more specifically, the budget) proved to be a killer.