Vandalism in Polaris Lounge causes community damages for North residents
■ If no one comes forward, the Department of Community Living will evenly distribute the total cost for the restoration of the common space.
Residing in North Quad, the Polaris Lounge sits atop campus, steps away from Scheffres, Gordon, Reitman and Cable residence halls. As a common space for first-year students and campus organizations, it boasts several couches, a television and a pool table. However, Polaris Lounge has recently been the scene of an act of vandalism.
In an Oct. 24 email to North Quad residents, the Department of Community Living’s Area Coordinator for North, Celia Henderson, shared that students had been using cue sticks from the pool table to poke holes in the ceiling tiles and the University has yet to identify any perpetrators.
Additionally, Henderson noted that facilities are currently in the process of determining the cost of the damages. She wrote, “After the final cost is determined, we will be moving forward with community damages distributed amongst all North Quad residents, unless someone comes forward taking responsibility.”
In a Nov. 6 statement to The Justice, the Interim Assistant Vice President of Operations and Public Safety, Chief Matthew Rushton, confirmed that Facilities Services is working with the DCL to evaluate the scope of the damage. According to him, the quote for the restoration — including labor and materials — is “approximately $6000.” Rushton clarified that the final figure will not be determined until the work is completed.
In addition, Henderson said the pool equipment will no longer be accessible in the lounge at all times. Instead, the DCL has introduced a new sign-out process for residents in order to “keep track of who is using what equipment at what time.” Now, the equipment will be available for sign-out in the Quad Office between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Students will have to leave their ID or credit card in the office as well.
She concluded, “We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work to resolve this issue. If you have any information regarding the damages,
please contact me directly.”
The University’s decision has sparked widespread frustration among residents, many of whom say they were unaware of the damages until the email alerted them. While the University cites its Undergraduate Room and Board License Agreement 2025-26 as grounds for the community charge, students questioned both the fairness of a collective penalty and the lack of preventative measures, primarily the absence of security cameras in the lounge.
As Henderson’s message established, the vandalism involved extensive damages to the ceiling above the pool table area. In conversation with The Justice, students who viewed the damages firsthand described it as “significant and deliberate.” More specifically, in a Nov. 6 interview with The Justice, Lydia Kestnbaum-Cook ’29 said she counted 57 visibly damaged tiles after receiving Henderson’s email. She described, “it’s not just a few pokes here and there, it goes out into the room, not just over the table. You’d really have to force the cue up there, signaling that this was no accident.”
“Facilities Services was very disappointed to see the damage in Polaris Lounge. These shared community spaces are meant to be enjoyed by students, it is unfortunate when misuse results in disruption to that purpose,” Rushton wrote. “Our focus is to return the lounge to a condition that students can again take pride in and enjoy.”
DCL’s Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Timothy Touchette, emphasized that the University’s approach follows standard residential policy. In a Nov. 5 statement to The Justice, Touchette wrote that Rights and Responsibilities section 9.6 and the Undergraduate Room and Board License Agreement 2025-26 includes “the accountability and responsibility rules for when damage occurs and for assessing the cost of repair, including an assessment distributed to all residents of a community living space if there is damage that cannot be attributed to one or more specific persons.”
Touchette highlighted the third point under the license agreement’s “Rules and Regulations” section: “Each licensee is responsible for the care of the University property in their room and in public areas of the residence hall. The cost of any damage or loss will be assessed to the Licensee(s) responsible.” His statement also reiterated the new policies for pool equipment usage.
For many students, the announcement came as an unwelcome surprise. In a Nov. 5 interview with The Justice, North Quad resident Reed Winkelmann ’29 shared that the damages seemed isolated, making it
Prof. David Sherman (ENG) discusses his role in Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative. By
LEGAL STUDIES DISCUSSION
Making Israel’s legal space: discussions about international law
■ Rephael Stern, ‘11 shared his original research on how Israeli leaders went about determining the country’s boundaries and legal status at its founding.
By CHAVA THIELL JUSTICE NEWS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
On Thursday, Nov. 6, the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies held the event, “We Have Invented a New International Legal Concept of ‘Administered Territories’: Making Israel’s Legal Space, 1948-50.” The event was available for members of the Brandeis community in person, while an online webinar was available to the public. Speaking at the event was Prof. Rephael Stern ’11, a professor at Boston University School of Law, and a Brandeis graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in History. Stern has also received a Master’s Degree in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University, a Doctorate of Law from Harvard Law School, and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. His research focuses on international law as well as Jewish and
Middle Eastern studies.
Stern began the discussion by sharing about his past at Brandeis, noting that he originally came to the University to play baseball and study on the pre-medical track until he eventually shifted course to pursue Middle Eastern history. He noted that Brandeis was key in helping launch his career, especially since he had “great mentors” and was able to receive support from the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, for his senior thesis. The event was also the first time Stern has been able to share his research on this topic.
The primary question that the discussion focused on was how Israel determined its boundaries and territories upon its establishment in May of 1948. While Israel was officially declared a state on May 14, 1948, very little was explicitly stated about the country’s borders. Stern shared that “this omission was intentional” and was used as a means of “keeping Israel’s options open.”
Stern highlighted the work of Israeli lawyers Yitzhak Shaki and Ya’akov Shimshon Shapira. In June of 1948, the two began heading the movement to reclassify this land under proper legal definitions. While many contributed to the effort, Stern named Shaki and Shapira as its primary leaders. Initially, these leaders considered using the term “conquered” as a description of these newly
Third faculty meeting sheds light on Brandeis University’s financial future
■ The meeting mentioned in depth figures about Brandeis’ “growth mode” and efforts to inspire new financial contributions by donors.
By SOPHIA DE LISI JUSTICE EDITOR IN CHIEF
The third faculty meeting of the year convened in Rapaporte Treasure Hall on Nov. 7 with presentations from the Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, Stewart Uretsky, and the Vice President of Development, Stephen Rodriguez on the University’s budget and Institutional Advancement, respectively. The faculty also heard four handbook amendments. Senate Chair, Prof. Jeffrey Lenowitz (POL) outlined these objectives at the start of the meeting.
Provost Carol Fierke thanked faculty for their willingness to implement and participate in The Brandeis Plan to Reinvent the Liberal Arts. “We continue to move our new vision at an unprecedented pace for academia. We are in fast forward mode, so thank you for that,” Fierke said. Five microcredentials have been chosen out of faculty proposals from October, and they will be announced before Nov. 11.
Fierke mentioned ongoing staffing changes associated with the University’s reorganization plan and highlighted “exciting change[s]” — specifically the appointment of Lewis Brooks ’80 P.’16 the director of the Center for Careers and Applied Liberal Arts.
She also reminded faculty who plan to retire in the next five years to read the details of the University’s voluntary retirement program. She touched on how the programs may vary based on years of service.
The meeting transitioned to a budget presentation delivered by Vice President Uretsky, opening with his thanks to the faculty. He said that it has
likely felt like a “nonstop drumbeat of sacrifices that have been asked of our entire community” and wished to acknowledge the sacrifices that have been made in order for the University to embrace “a financial strategy that focuses on sustainable growth and building a brighter future for Brandeis.”
Vice President Uretsky explained that the University is in “growth mode,” which means that Brandeis lacks financial capital, causing a need to focus on resource utilization by having precise initiatives and targeted investments. According to Uretsky, Brandeis’ budget — $415 million — tells a “healthy diversified funding story,” although it is “relatively dependent” on net tuition revenue. Similarly, the University’s expenses also sit at roughly $415 million. Uretsky said that many expenses are “sticky,” meaning that they are “less variable over time than others.” Although the budget for Brandeis’ physical infrastructure is less of a sticky variable, its “strategic space consolidation plan,” — where the University is remodeling or closing down half-used or vacant buildings like Pearlman Hall and Kutz Hall — has made some infrastructure expenses less predictable. For instance, the University is reimagining the vacant Kutz Hall into a Center for Jewish Life on Campus. Associated costs with such projects makes physical infrastructure costs less predictable. Brandeis’ non payroll operating expenses, such as insurance, utilities and dining are also “very sticky.” Uretsky shared that the University has raised $211 million through sponsored research revenue and $39 million through non-sponsored revenue. Since benefits are becoming an increasing expense, he clarified that health plans at Brandeis have increased by 20%. This is a national trend and the University is absorbing half of this cost on behalf of community members.
The third major component regarding the University’s budget is its endowment. He confirmed that while the endowment’s performance has been strong it is “nowhere near the size that it should be” and “ought to be about 50% larger than it is.”
The endowment supports 20% of the University’s total budget and its market value at the end of the
BRIAN LUCY/The Justice.
POLICE LOG
CONTENT WARNING: Mention of rape MEDICAL EMERGENCY
Oct. 31—There was a medical emergency for an intoxicated party. The patient was transported to a local hospital.
Nov. 1—There was a medical emergency for an intoxicated party. The patient was transported to a local hospital.
Nov. 2—There was a medical emergency for an intoxicated party. The patient refused medical treatment. Nov. 2—There was a medical emergency for a party who was vomiting. The patient was transported to a local hospital. Nov. 2—There was a medical emergency for a party with an injured knee. The patient refused medical treatment. Nov. 2—There was a medical emergency for a party with an injured toe. The patient refused medical treatment.
Nov. 3—There was a medical emergency for a party with severe stomach pains. The patient refused medical treatment.
Nov. 3—There was a medical emergency for a party with an injured ankle. The patient refused medical treatment.
Nov. 4—There was a medical emergency for a party having a diabetic reaction. The patient refused medical treatment.
Nov. 4—There was a medical emergency for a party with an injured finger. The patient refused medical treatment.
Nov. 5—There was a medical emergency for a party who was claiming to have previously overdosed on Tylenol and throwing up. The patient was transported to a local hospital.
Nov. 5—There was a medical emergency for an unconscious party who fell from a chair. The patient refused medical treatment.
Nov. 5—There was a medical emergency for a party who fainted. The patient refused medical treatment.
Nov. 6—There was a medical emergency for a party having a panic attack. The patient was transported to a local hospital.
Nov. 6—There was a medical emergency for a party who fainted in a kitchen. The patient was transported to a local hospital.
MOTOR VEHICLE
Nov. 1—There was a vehicle with its door suspiciously open in a parking lot. The situation was cleared.
Nov. 3—There was a motor vehicle stop. A citation was issued.
MISCELLANEOUS
Oct. 31—There was a report of a suspicious person at the door of a residence. The person was determined to be the complai-
Brandeis encourages students to complete mental health survey
On Nov. 10, the Brandeis Counseling Center sent an email encouraging students to fill out the Healthy Minds Survey, conducted by the Healthy Minds Network. The study collects information about adolescent mental health with the intended goal of helping colleges and universities better understand how they can support student well-being on their campus. “Healthy Minds Network” operates out of the University of Michigan and works with institutions across the nation to collect information about both student mental health on individual campuses and on a nationwide scale. According to the Healthy Minds Network’s website, the group works to treat mental health as an issue of public health using a three-pronged approach. This includes collecting research, disseminating information and putting knowledge into practice. Over the course of 15 years, the organization has collected over 935,000 student responses.
The survey takes approximately 25-30 minutes to complete. Upon completion, all students will be entered into a nationwide drawing for four $250 gift cards and ten $100 gift cards. Additionally, any Brandeis student who completes the survey will be entered in a chance to win a MacBook Air, a pair of Beats headphones, a pair of AirPods, a priority room scheduling appointment or one of 20 available $25 Amazon gift cards.
The survey offers participants the opportunity to share their responses either confidentially or anonymously depending on what their school chooses. However, the survey is designed in a way that prevents any responses from being “personally identifiable” and is aimed at protecting student privacy.
Chava Thiell
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
■ An editor’s note in the News section incorrectly placed a period in the sentence “Justice News Editorial Assistant. Ashhwika ...” It was corrected to “Justice News Editorial Assistant Ashhwika ... “ (Nov. 4, Page 2).
■ An Arts and Culture article incorrectly stated a photo credit as “XILEI CHEN.” It was corrected to “Photo Courtesy of The Deparment of Student Engagement and XILEI CECI CHEN/The Justice.” (Nov. 4, Page 13).
■ An Arts and Culture article incorrectly wrote “Faythe Daly/The Justice.” It was corrected to “Photo Courtesy of FAYTHE DALY” (Nov. 4, Page 15).
The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Send an email to editor@thejustice.org
nant’s roommate.
Nov. 1—There was a report of a suspicious person. They were gone upon the arrival of units.
Nov. 1—A previously reported suspicious person was seen again. The Waltham Police Department located and identified them.
Nov. 3—There was a report of items missing from a laundry room. There will be an investigation to follow.
Nov. 4—There was a report of a rape by force. There will be an investigation to follow.
Nov. 5—There was a report of theft of money by a party’s roommate. There will be an investigation to follow.
Nov. 5—There was a report of a suspicious person. The report was unfounded.
Nov. 5—There was a report of a suspicious person. The individual went into a staff-only entrance. There will be an investigation to follow.
On Oct. 31, an article from Brandeis Stories announced that the Brandeis University Police has earned certification status from the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission. According to MPAC’s website, accreditation from them is a “self-inidiated process by which police agencies voluntarily strive to meet and maintain standards that have been established for the law enforcement profession by the profession.”
MCAP’s program overview lists the mandatory 178 standards for accreditation by their organization. These “standards” represent basic facets of a police organization ranging from use of force, organization and administration, conduct and discipline, training and more. According to the Brandeis Stories article, the certification is the cumulation of a three-year effort to examine and strengthen the Brandeis Police and its policies. This certification, which will cost the
Brandeis Police approximately $3,220 per fiscal year, has an assortment of benefits as listed on the MCAP website. These include: enhancing the agency’s reputation, requiring agencies to commit policies and procedures into written directives, promoting accountability and providing a means of independent evaluation. In short, the main benefit of MCAP certification is having a widely-recognized professional credential that demonstrates excellence in the field of law enforcement.
MCAP grants certification status exclusively for three year periods. When that period expires, the department will be subject to re-evaluation by MCAP to ensure that their standards continue to be upheld by the Brandeis Police Department.
Compiled by Iyla Lichtenfeld
REUBEN GARTENBACH/The Justice.
HAWK : The magestic bird perches by a rock on campus.
Zoe Zachary
Graphics courtesy of CANVA and KEIRA SHEAR/The Justice.
SKYE ENTWOOD/The Justice.
REUBEN GARTENBACH/The Justice.
SCREECH : The hawk has a staring contest with the camera lens.
SKYE ENTWOOD/The Justice.
CORGI : This Pembroke Welsh corgi plays with a tennis ball.
BRANDEIS SOCIAL IMPACT STARTUP CHALLENGE
From Nov. 7 to Nov. 9, small teams of Brandeis students had one weekend to create a startup pitch aimed at making a positive social impact. Winning pitches included an app to reduce food waste, an app to find clincal studies particularly for women and an app to help victims of domestic violence to create safe escape plans. Pictured are the teams giving their final pitches to a team of judges.
VANDALISM: North residents faced with charges for damages to Polaris ceiling
unfair to charge all residents. “It’s the damage of maybe six guys and yet, 400-500 people might end up paying for it. Some people here are on full financial aid, they can’t afford to take a hit for something like this,” he said. As of press time The Justice could not verify the number of residents who will be charged. While the Room and Board license Agreement outlines University procedure for breach of guidelines in common spaces, these policies are often not reiterated to students, relying on the assumption that students would have read these guidelines. Others echoed Winkelmann’s concern. In a Nov. 6 interview with The Justice, David Zaslavsky ’29 said he was “angry and confused” when he read the email. He expressed, “I had nothing to do with this, why should I pay for someone else being irresponsible? It’s unfair, and it's not like they don't have ways to find out who did it.”
Several residents also questioned the lack of surveillance in the Polaris Lounge. Though there are security cameras in many common areas on campus, some surrounding the lounge as well, students reported that Polaris, one of the most frequently used spaces in North Quad, has no monitoring equipment. “I’m surprised they don’t have security cameras,” Winkelmann said. “It should be pretty easy to figure out who did this. If they had one, we probably wouldn’t all be in the situation.”
While most students opposed the collective billing, some acknowledged the University’s dilemma. Molly Kodesch ’29, speaking to The Justice on Nov. 6, said she understood why the DCL might resort to community charges, even if it felt “unfair.” She said, “I get why they’re doing it, but it's annoying, It was probably just a group of boys being stupid. I’ve never even been in the lounge and now I might have to pay for it.”
Kestnbaum-Cook expressed an understanding for both sides. “I understand where the University is coming from, they can’t just eat that cost, but I don't want to pay for something I didn’t do. … People from all over campus use that lounge — it might not even be someone from North.”
Following the vandalism, residents have reported noticing how Polaris Lounge has become quieter, with fewer students spending time there. “Before, it used to be super rowdy, people were in there all night playing pool, hosting events, watching TV, now it’s mostly empty. People don’t want to deal with the hassle.”
Kestnbaum-Cook added that the new restrictions make the space feel less communal. “You have to sign out the cues now at a different location which kind of ruins the vibe and takes the fun out of it.” She continued, “adding cameras would’ve been
ISRAEL: An international law discussion
acquired territories. However, that term implied some sense of conflict, which Israeli leaders felt would be inaccurate. Leaders were seeking to include Jerusalem in these new maps, and if they were to classify this land as “conquered” it may send the wrong message. In Stern’s own words, “Jerusalem is not enemy territory.”
Leaders also considered designating the land as “terra nullius,” said Stern. In Latin, this translates to “land where there was literally no one.” However, since there were already established communities living there, they decided against using the term. Additionally, leaders considered the “territorium nullius,” meaning the land was inhabited but “lacking a territorial sovereign.” The concept of “territorium nullius” was established in the 1870s and 1880s during the conquest of Africa. Though Israeli leaders were intrigued by this definition, they did not fully embrace it. After much discourse, Stern explained, Jerusalem was declared “shetah muhzak” or “administered territory.” This was an entirely new legal concept, but one that was formative in the country’s founding, immediately entwining the nation with issues of international law.
The question of Israel’s new borders was one of many turning points, said Stern. “[International law] is constructed and reconstructed throughout the course of history.” This was merely one instance of its reconstruction, as international law is ever-evolving and “shaped by shifting legal perceptions.”
The event comes at a time of extreme contention surrounding Israel’s legal status since the beginning of the war with Gaza that began in October 2023. According to the Schusterman Center’s website, the center aims to foster an academic environment that “is centered on mutual respect, advancing open, non-judgemental conversations and cultivating dialogue that is committed to deepening genuine understanding and empathy.” Though much of the international conversation regarding Israel’s founding has been contentious, the event felt relaxed and open to engagement. On Brandeis’ campus, members of the Brandeis Jewish Bund have accused the state of Israel of rooting its founding in occupation, committing violence against the Palestinian people and establishing a nation steeped in racism and racial supremacy. This has, at times, led
to conflict between those who support Israel and others who feel it is an inherently unjust state founded on the principle of supporting one ethnic group while systemically disenfranchising another. Stern’s presentation served as a demonstration of some of the ideological differences between members of the Brandeis community and a reminder of some of the tensions the campus has endured regarding the conflict.
Brandeis has been placed in a unique position as tensions have grown on college campuses throughout the country. As an institution with a high percentage of Jewish students, Brandeis has reasserted its commitment to protecting Jewish social, cultural and religious life at the University. The Schusterman Center has brought in Palestinian and Israeli speakers to discuss the conflict with the goal of promoting public discourse and constructive disagreement, reflecting the student population's varying perspectives. Events, such as this one, are one of the latest attempts by the University to foster dialogue and productive conversation about one of the most pressing and controversial global issues today.
a better solution than limiting access.”
Some residents said the DCL’s enforcement could work to deter future instances of vandalism in the community. Kodesch added, “maybe people will treat the space better now.”
However, several residents expressed skepticism that anyone will step forward. “No one’s going to confess,” Zaslavsky said flatly. “They’d get charged anyway, and everyone already knows they’d be hated for it.”
Facilities Services has not yet confirmed a final cost or timeline for repairs, but the ceiling tiles will be replaced once work orders are processed.
Chief Rushton reaffirmed the University’s priority in restoring the space. “We value the North Quad community and will continue to support Community Living as they follow the established student conduct and accountability process,” he said.
Whether through fines, facility updates or new surveillance measures, the incident has opened a conversation about shared responsibility, fairness and awareness of community standards at Brandeis.
FINANCE: Faculty discusses new era of growth with hopes for future donations
past fiscal year was $1.4 billion. The complication with using the endowment is that 90% of it is “restricted by donors for certain purposes,” and even the 10% leftover is still complicated by a “continuum of levels of restrictedness” as its use is designated by the Board of Trustees.
Currently, Brandeis’ endowment performance is 8.3% with a five and 10 year performance return of 8.6% and 8% respectively, whereas the industry standard is about 7%. Uretsky explained that prior to the 1990s, Brandeis had a higher draw rate from the endowment before starting a “10 year draw diet” to decrease the rate to 5%. Over the past several years, Brandeis has broken this draw diet to accommodate impacts from COVID-19 and the University’s new growth state.
Furthermore, Uretsky said that the surplus was $69,000 on a $415 million spending budget — 0.2% in comparison to the industry standard being three to four percent — which would be $12 million to $16 million. “We don’t have either operating contingency or strategic contingency funds to invest in unanticipated opportunities that present themselves outside of our normal budget or the funds to handle those things that oftentimes come up that we don’t anticipate,” he explained. Regarding cash flow, Uretsky said that it’s ideal to remain “flat.” Two notable dips between fiscal years 2022-24 were primarily caused by the pre-spending for the Science 2A building before the project was put on hiatus for fundraising purposes, and an “unanticipated water infiltration event” in the Usdan Student Center. Water was leaking through Usdan’s courtyard, through the ceiling and into the dining hall, which forced the University to remodel the courtyard. “$7 million later, we now have a dry and flat courtyard, but that was an example of a significant capital expense that we weren’t anticipating for which we needed to address,” recalled Uretsky. Such unanticipated costs take place each year — including more water leaks — but Uretsky expressed optimism regarding the upcoming fiscal year as the University manages its budget. He stressed the importance of acting quickly and elaborated on ways individual faculty can support “revenue-generating areas within the academy,” such as creating more interdisciplinary programs to integrate undergraduate and graduate experiences, becoming actively involved in admissions and communicating with
stakeholders and prospective donors.
Stephen Rodriguez, the Vice President of Development, outlined new developments in Institutional Advancements and how faculty can get involved. The Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Jordan Tannenbaum ’72, joined the presentation via Zoom. Tannenbaum said that IA’s mission has been to introduce worldwide connections between alumni, families, friends and donors, which will support Brandeis’ mission, and that it is in the “midpoint” of its campaign.
So far, the campaign has raised $365 million out of Brandeis’ $750 million goal, Tannenbaum said. He highlighted the contributions of the University’s campaign executive committee members and shared that its major gift officers are making a lot of progress in raising revenue by identifying and contacting “top prospects.”
Vice President Rodriguez expressed that Institutional Advancement has worked alongside President Arthur Levine ’70 to ensure that the campaign’s goal remains $750 million at a minimum. “We want to far exceed the goal, but we want to do that in a way that builds momentum, excitement and confidence that we’re going to exceed that goal, so we’re staying firm to that number,” he said. Additionally, since Brandeis’ last campaign was in 1997, Rodriguez stressed that the University is moving at a fast pace in order to “get the campaign up to speed,” since having long periods between campaigns is “abnormal for higher education.” Currently, Institutional Advancement plans to publicly launch the campaign on campus in about a year. Rodriguez suggested that the campaign’s public launch could resemble the University’s 75th anniversary celebration.
Rodriguez explained that the campaign will focus on supporting the endowment “whether that’s professorship, financial aid, programmatic funds and the ever-elusive, unrestricted endowment gifts that we hope to get many more of in the future.” This campaign will also support the Center for Jewish Life, constructing the new residence hall and the Center for Careers and Applied Liberal Arts. Institutional Advancement has an “aspirational goal” of finding a donor willing to provide the funds for the liberal arts center and name it.
Rodriguez reiterated the work of the campaign’s executive committee, which has been “externallyfocused” and contacting individuals outside of the
community on behalf of Brandeis. He said that President Levine’s vision has “transformed” the Board of Trustees, and the market increase in growth over the past four fiscal years are testaments to the committee, faculty’s work in the classroom and donor’s gifts.
“[Faculty] are the engine of what we do,” Rodriguez said. Although he, Tannenbaum and the campaign team work hard to network with donors for the University, he shared, “the real magic of an institution is its students and faculty, and we need to deploy and partner with you more.”
With this in mind, Rodriguez emphasized that Institutional Advancement plans to solicit more fundraising ideas from faculty and encourage them to connect with students and donors in person. The library created a database for IA team members to access research projects across all disciplines, which will deepen IA’s understanding of Brandeis’ research. Having a better understanding of these projects will allow campaign committee members to be more equipped to locate donors with similar interests. On the other hand, Rodriguez said that Institutional Advancement will also provide faculty with more transparency about its work and organization, since it will give faculty a clearer understanding of how the team promotes Brandeis and presents its data. Faculty will have access to a portal: a “one-stop shop” where faculty can find all the information needed about IA in one place. This portal will allow faculty to coordinate using their spare professional travel time to meet with a donor or host a fundraising event in the area, if they choose.
Prof. Lenowitz transitioned the meeting into voting for faculty handbook amendments. The first motion was put forward by the University’s Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice and was already approved 118 votes for and 25 opposed. This amendment changes the handbook’s description of DEI “to align with recent changes made to the Office of Access and Excellence, remove unnecessary functions and better reflect existing federal and state law,” Lenowitz said. With no objections, the debate concerning the amendment closed.
The second amendment is a motion proposed by the Handbook Provision committee, which clarifies text in the faculty handbook concerning voting procedures. With this motion, “double voting is eliminated for all matters other than handbook
amendments, … the term ‘legislation’ is replaced with ‘resolution’ throughout … , substantive amendments to propose handbook amendments are prohibited at the second reading stage and four, references to members present in voting are eliminated from section seven to align with electric voting procedures.”
Prof. Dan Breen (LGLS), a member of the Handbook Revision Committee, explained that the committee raised this motion to remove ambiguity from the voting process. This motion will streamline voting in a way that allows faculty to propose one amendment at a meeting, give attendees the opportunity to adjust it and vote on the changes. After this process, faculty will vote electronically, and there will be a second reading. The most significant change in this motion will be that no amendments will be accepted after the motion’s second reading.
After deliberation regarding the motion’s wording and clarification about the changes it would make to the voting process, the second motion was approved to send to a full faculty vote next week. The third amendment reads, “The Brandeis faculty handbook section on tenure postponements, the amendment to direct the committee on faculty rights and responsibilities, to work with Human Resources when evaluating postponement requests, and to mention that the law might require leaves greater than four semesters.” This motion will guarantee that the University will abide by the Americans with Disabilities Act, ensuring that administrators will not be required to look at personal medical records. The motion passed for voting next week.
The last motion up for deliberation was introduced by the Faculty Senate and the handbook revision committee that the Board of Trustees must elect a faculty member from each of the four academic schools to represent their schools. All votingeligible faculty members will be able to participate in these faculty representative elections — should there be no nominees from a school, the position will become an “at-large seat” for that election cycle. The position will revert to a seat designated for a single faculty member during the next election cycle. After clarifying conversations about the election cycles and particulars about the representative position, the motion was passed.
PROTEST : Waltham residents organize against ICE presence in their.
SKYE ENTWOOD/The Justice.
features
You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.
ON THIS DAY…
Germany signed an armistace document ending World War I.
FUN FACT
Humans begin to form memories in the womb.
Teaching Second chanceS
Brandeis Prof. David Sherman (ENG) expands on his experiences teaching English literature to incarcerated individuals in Boston and his mission to give everybody a second chance.
By EMMY ZHOU JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In a small classroom on a Thursday evening, a group of students gathers around a table to discuss James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues.”
Among them are probation officers, district court judges and people rebuilding their lives after incarceration. They are part of a class called “Changing Lives Through Literature” taught by Prof. Sherman (ENG). It’s one of several programs under the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative, where faculty and graduate students bring higher education beyond campus walls and into correctional and reentry spaces across the Boston area.
“For about six years now, faculty and graduate students have been organizing the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative,” Sherman said in a Nov. 3 interview with The Justice. “Our goal is to provide educational opportunities to criminal justice-impacted people — people who’ve been convicted and are serving time or probation and getting back on their feet.”
The initiative offers a range of courses, from literature and writing to technology and health workshops. The initiative partners with the Partakers Empowerment Program, a nonprofit that supports formerly incarcerated people with work, housing and reintegration. With them, faculty and volunteers at the University teach “core literacy” training workshops on technology, health and many other life skills such as financial literacy. These classes are not centered around traditional reading or writing instruction, but rather highlight practical and emotional skills for navigating life after incarceration.
“Financial literacy,
technology training, even health literacy — these are things many people haven’t had access to,” said Sherman. He then talked about his own class, “Changing Lives Through Literature.”
In his course, participants on probation spend several months reading and discussing short stories and poems with probation officers and judges who join them in the classroom. Everyone sits together, reading the same texts and listening to one another. Stories they’ve discussed include “Sonny’s Blues,” a story about two brothers, art and redemption.
these amazing conversations. Beyond one or two short stories or poems, they also do brief journal writings about the readings as well. The students are thoughtful and they bring all their amazing experiences to connect with and the conversations that happen are incredible. I’ve taught it many times but each group brings out something new.”
classes,” Sherman said. “There are always other staff offering life-skills training but we focus on academic learning, giving people a space to use their intellect and creativity.”
For many students, these classes are a break from monotony. “It’s not mandatory at all. The routines inside can be so boring, so it’s a chance to have real
“That’s a common question,” he said. “But no, not at all. The students I meet are warm, respectful and deeply engaged. The men’s classes tend to be very polite and guarded and the women’s classes are often livelier and full of humor. But across the board, everyone’s motivated. They know if there’s conflict they’ll lose the opportunity and there’s
— things they can’t look up themselves because there’s no internet access. It was a cool connection. People were friendly, curious, and it felt like a real exchange.”
That spirit of exchange extends beyond the prison walls. On campus, the professor teaches “Literature in the Age of Mass Incarceration,” a course that explores prison writing and the cultural consequences of mass incarceration in the United States. “It’s not just for English majors,” he added. “There are students from Sociology and Legal Studies too. I like when those departments collaborate — it broadens how we think about justice.”
When talking about his work, one theme returns again and again: second chances. “Almost everybody who’s incarcerated is going to get out one day,” he said. “We want people to come out with hope, training and social connection. That’s better for everyone. I had to commit early on to the principle of second chances, and I think our society is better off when there’s space for that.” For him, the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative is more than a teaching project, it’s a moral responsibility. “Universities like Brandeis have an obligation to offer opportunities beyond campus,” he said.
“If there’s anything we can do to give folks a second chance, we have to do it. We’re lucky to be able to.”
“They come in having read the material,” Sherman explained. “We have
Beyond literature, BEJI sometimes also runs creative writing or public speaking workshops at the Suffolk County House of Correction in South Boston. Some sessions focus on exploring the possibility of college for students nearing release. “What we can contribute are college-level
conversations, to connect with people from different parts of the prison. Sometimes it’s just a space to say, ‘I’m writing a book,’ which is my favorite sentence to hear.”
When asked if teaching in correctional settings feels uncomfortable, Sherman didn’t hesitate.
too much at stake.” Brandeis undergraduates have also joined these classes as peers. “Last year, three undergrads came with me,” he recalled. “They didn’t get course credit but they received a stipend. They did the readings and worked with the incarcerated students to help with research
In classrooms where judges and probationers share a table, where undergraduates sit beside incarcerated men and women rediscovering learning, the Brandeis Educational Justice Initiative transforms education into empathy and justice into understanding.
Design: BRIANNA EARLE/The Justice. Photo courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS.
Frame of Mind: Memory Exploration
How the Brandeis Psychology department is exploring research in aging and memory.
By SAAYA DAGA JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
When Mona Houjazy ’26 steps into the Aging, Culture, and Cognition Lab each week, she is thinking about what most of us take for granted — how we see, and how those sights remain in our memory. A neuroscience, psychology and biology major, Houjazy is investigating how subtle visual details such as sharpness and brightness affect short-term memory.
Her project, executed under Prof. Angela Gutchess (PSYCH/NEURO) in the Aging, Culture, and Cognition Lab and Prof. Robert Sekuler (PSYCH/NEURO) of the Vision Lab, asks a seemingly simple question: When you look at something, whether it be a room, a tree or a blurry photo, what about it engraves it in our memory?
To answer that, Houjazy focuses on two key features of any image: spatial frequency and contrast.
“Spatial frequency tells you how detailed an image is,” she explained in a Sept. 24 interview with The Justice. “Something that has low spatial frequency is blurry or not very detailed, while high spatial frequency is very detailed.”
Contrast, meanwhile, “is how well you can tell brightness levels,” she said. “With high contrast, you can see the lines between the black and the white and they’re not blurring together. With low contrast they blur.”
In other words, the difference between a foggy forest and a fluorescent-lit office goes deeper than the atmosphere. One contains hazy shapes and muted edges; the other has clean lines and sharp distinctions. Houjazy’s study tests how these differences influence how quickly and accurately people can remember what they’ve just seen.
Her experiment uses a series of black-and-
white photos with no color to distract the viewer. Some are indoor scenes such as offices or hallways, which tend to have higher spatial frequency and contrast. Others are outdoor scenes like trees or bushes, which are generally softer and less defined.
Participants see one image at a time on a computer screen. “They’re going to be given an image that varies in how blurry it is,” Houjazy said. “It’s either going to be very low blur, sort of a medium amount of blur, or a high amount of blur.”
Then, the image disappears. After a delay, either zero, two or seven seconds, participants must recall the image that they saw.
“That’s going to tell us a couple of things,” Houjazy said. “How quickly were they able to answer, and how accurate were they? That can tell you about how easy the task was for them and how well they were able to keep it in their brain based on the length of time.”
Short delays force participants to rely almost entirely on short-term memory, the brain’s brief holding space for information. Short-term memory, sometimes called working memory, is what allows you to keep a phone number in your head just long enough to dial it or remember the start of a sentence until you reach its end. It’s limited in both capacity and duration. Most people can only hold a handful of items in mind for a few seconds before they fade or are replaced.
By contrast, long-term memory is the system that stores information more permanently, allowing us to recall events, facts and skills even years later. But transferring information from short-term to long-term memory takes time and repetition through a process known as encoding.
“You’re having to use your short-term
memory because there’s not enough time to encode this into long-term memory,” she said.
This fall’s study builds on a pilot version Houjazy conducted over the summer with 20 participants. The pilot tested 80 indoor and outdoor images in blurred and non-blurred forms. Each participant had to quickly classify what they saw by pressing the “I” key for indoor or “O” key for outdoor.
“We were looking at how accurate a person was and how quick they were,” Houjazy explained.
By comparing these reaction times, the research team identified which images were most effective. “It gave us information about which stimuli were good and which were hard,” she said. “We wanted a good representation of images [for the fall study], so it’s not too easy, but also not too difficult that you’re just sitting there getting frustrated.”
The data from that pilot helped shape the refined experiment now underway. Houjazy hopes to recruit between 20 and 60 participants this semester.
Previous versions of the experiment looked at differences in scene representation — how people visually interpret indoor and outdoor environments — but not specifically in terms of short-term memory. Houjazy’s project extends that work by combining the visual and memory components.
Although she is not currently collecting cross-cultural data, the broader framework remains important to her. “I joined the ACC Lab because I like looking through science in
terms of a cultural lens,” she said. “A lot of research that we do in America, or in science in general, is based on a white male perspective and that is not how the world works.”
Her motivation reflects an inherent truth in psychology and neuroscience that environment and culture shape perception as much as biology does. “The way we see and perceive the world is going to be different based on a person’s environment and what they grow up understanding and doing,” she said. Ultimately, the results could shed light on what types of visual information people process most efficiently and which are more confusing or forgettable.
Those findings could have wide implications for how we design educational materials, advertisements and digital interfaces. Understanding which kinds of images are easier to hold in short-term memory could improve how visual information is presented.
For Houjazy, the study also reflects a deeper curiosity about the hidden complexities of ordinary perception. “There’s a lot to it that goes beyond what originally meets the eye,” she said. “Some of these things kind of seem very clear or obvious, but it’s really not as clear-cut as that. I kind of like the nuances behind everything.”
As the study progresses, Houjazy hopes to refine the experiment further. For now, she remains focused on understanding the interplay between sight and memory and uncovering what our eyes can teach us about the mind.
Photos Courtesy of BRANDEIS
DR. GUTCHESS: Gutchess works in the Aging Culture and Cognition lab.
PROF. SEKULER: Sekuler runs the Vision Lab on campus.
A free ride? The case for expanding Brandeis’ shuttle service
Like many other schools in the Greater Boston area, Brandeis offers a free shuttle service directly into the city Friday through Sunday. However, students who are looking to go into Boston during the week are forced to take the commuter rail train, drive or Uber to wherever they’re trying to go. For most, these means of transportation are costly and inconvenient.
At Brandeis, several of the major and minor programs include an internship component. For most students these internships are off-campus, and more often than not they are located in Boston or Cambridge. Despite the numerous groups of students who are required to commute into the city multiple times a week, the University does not directly offer any way of getting out to job sites. Furthermore, the majority of internships that require commuting into Boston are opportunities provided directly by Brandeis.
If Brandeis is actively connecting students with opportunities in locations beyond their scope of transportation services, they should also be willing to provide students with more reliable options than the commuter rail train that runs inconsistently, often with delays, and only provides access to a sliver of the city’s neighborhoods.
The Hiatt Career Center offers funding opportunities for costs associated with transportation for jobs and internships that
students can apply for on a rolling basis, however, the funding does not always cover the full cost of the commute.
Adding a more frequent route into the city throughout the week would allow students to connect with more opportunities beyond Waltham and help ease the stress of commuting. By alleviating worries about how a student will be able to get to and from their internship each day, consistent transportation provided by the University would allow students to put more focus into their work.
If the cost to add another shuttle route would be too taxing for the University’s budget, then it may also be in their best interest to explore offering discounted MBTA ticket rates for students as most other Boston-area universities already do.
Similarly, during the Thanksgiving break Brandeis offers shuttle services to Boston Logan Airport as well as Penn Station, costing $10 per student. Although these transportation charters only run during holiday breaks, it is clear that the University has the ability to expand their pre-existing charter routes.
For a University that is rebranding itself with an emphasis on career development, ensuring that students have proper access to opportunities and the transportation necessary to be involved with them should be a priority.
Resources for those facing food insecurity
The 2025 government shutdown is now officially the longest in U.S. history, having reached 36 days on Wednesday, Nov. 5 — and there is no clear end in sight, as disagreements over allocations of government funding remain firmly gridlocked. The shutdown has innumerable consequences, not only to the daily functioning of the government but also to the wellbeing of U.S. residents. One such consequence is the potential budget cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps to provide food for low-income families and individuals. With nearly 41 million people in the United States dependent on SNAP for sufficient access to food, it is a major concern that this program may be impacted by the shutdown.
While it is necessary to pay attention to how these issues manifest at a national scale, it is even more critical to see how those in our communities are being directly impacted and how we can make a difference. In light of this uncertain time, this board is taking this opportunity to share accessible resources designed to aid community members who are facing food insecurity.
The Brandeis Pantry, located on the third floor of the Shapiro Campus Center, allows students in need to sign up to receive prepackaged bags of nonperishable food items and other necessities like hygiene products. The Pantry is partnered with Healthy Waltham Food Distribution, another valuable local resource dedicated to relieving hunger. Healthy Waltham’s food pantry offers shelfstable and fresh food, and registrations can be made through Your Market online.
“Too Good to Go” is an app that aims to minimize food waste on campus and sustainably increase access to food. Through the app, you can buy bags of surplus food at a discounted rate. This food is fresh and perfectly safe to eat, but would normally be thrown away after the locations close for the day. The Brandeis website claims that this program is active at multiple locations on campus, including Einstein Bros. Bagels and The Hoot Market, but unfortunately the program does not appear to be available at Einstein Bros. Bagels when actually trying to access it on the app. It may be open for future use as a Brandeis Hospitality display near Sherman Dining Hall states it will launch this
summer. Swipe Out Hunger is an organization partnered with over 900 campuses in the United States, including Brandeis. Students can confidentially apply for free meal swipes in blocks of five to 10 to use at any on-campus dining location that accepts meal swipes. Unfortunately, due to high demand, the request form currently states that there are no Swipe Out Hunger meals available. Students are able to donate their extra guest swipes to Swipe Out Hunger, but it is disappointing that student donations seem to be the primary solution rather than a commitment from the University to keep this resource funded and usable. Between the unclear status of Too Good to Go and the lack of available Swipe Out Hunger meals, we call on the University to be more transparent about these campus resources and to prioritize their maintenance. If you or someone you know on campus is facing food insecurity, the members of this editorial board urge you to take advantage of these resources — we as a community are here to support you. You can learn more about available campus resources by visiting the Brandeis website or by contacting the Office of Student Financial Services. Even if you are not in need of these resources, we still encourage you to take the time to familiarize yourself with resources available on campus, spread the word to your fellow students and contribute in any capacity you can. Volunteer with Healthy Waltham or consider joining a student organization dedicated to fighting food insecurity such as Challah for Hunger, the Food Recovery Network or Waltham Group’s Hunger and Homelessness. If you don’t have time to volunteer, you can still help support the Brandeis Pantry by participating in the library’s “Food for Fines” program, which allows students to pay off their overdue fees by donating non-perishable food or hygiene products that go directly to the Pantry to benefit your fellow students. National change starts locally, and in times of political disruption and dissent it is more important than ever to look out for each other.
— Editor’s Note: Senior Editors Eliza Bier ’26 and Anna Martin ’26 are Program Coordinators for Hunger and Homelessness.
Protecting the Global Fund and PEPFAR Brandeis University, Partners in Health Engage Waltham, Massachusetts
As Congress holds still with the government shutdown, it is vital to remember that the U.S continues its support for the Global fund and PEPFAR; two initiatives which have saved missions of lives protecting not just the world, but also Americans. Since its creation, PEPFAR has provided HIV treatment to over 20 million people around the world and lessened the burden of the condition on families substantially. The Global fund supports programs to fight a range of diseases from Tuberculosis to malaria in over 100 countries around the world. These initiatives also serve to aid Americans, with less risks of infections across the world, it in turn keeps Americans safe as well. Together, PEPFAR and the Global Fund are some of the most suc-
cessful global health efforts in U.S history. However, despite their success, the current U.S government is making efforts to cut funding to global initiatives, such as their removal of USAID. The removal of PEPFAR and the Global fund would not only impact our efforts to help people across the globe, but damage global health security, putting everyone at further risk.
As students, we have a responsibility to advocate for continued support and compassion into global health, protecting others as well as ourselves. We at Partners in Health Engage urge our representatives to fully support the Global Fund and PEPFAR, pushing back on efforts to reduce their funding. America’s leadership in global health reflects the values we hold dear, and now is the most important time to stand by them.
Graphics courtesy of CANVA and KEIRA SHEAR/The Justice.
SHUTTLE: The Brandeis shuttle passes the “Light of Reason.”
ELIZA BIER/The Justice.
Tips and tricks for humanities course registration: senior edition
By ESTHER BALABAN JUSTICE FORUM EDITOR
With course registration on the horizon, I wanted to give a few tips, tricks and recommendations I’ve collected during my time at Brandeis. For more specific advice, you should meet with your academic advisor and consult your department head to make sure you stay on track to complete your major.
Strategize:
A common stereotype of Brandeis students is that we all have six majors and 13 minors, which, in many cases, is at least partially true. If you are a student who has committed to multiple departments, you must be strategic and intentional with your course load. Make a document with the requirements for all of your majors and minors listed out so you can see if there is any overlap that can be cross-listed across departments. Many departments put a cap on the number of classes that can crosslist, so be conscious of this. Some departments, such as European Cultural Studies and History of Ideas, are entirely interdepartmental, with the majority of classes for those departments being cross-listed with other departments, so they are useful for getting involved in more departments without having to commit to five additional courses for a minor or 10 for a major.
On top of attempting to make your classes count for multiple majors, be aware of how they will factor into completing the Brandeis Core. Don’t choose classes purely on whether or not they will help you meet your requirements; A future class could both match your interests and fulfill a requirement. Most departments on the Provisional University Bulletin include lists of courses that fulfill each requirement, and you can look through past years on the Schedule of Classes to see how regularly each course is offered, so you can plan future semesters without having to spend time on courses you have no interest in just to fulfill departmental requirements. If your majors and minors require you to take five or more classes every semester until graduation, I would recommend reevaluating your load, as this can be unsustainable and can cause your mental health, social life and GPA to decline.
Many classes fill up quickly, so make a saved schedule on Workday so that you can sign up for all your classes simultaneously. You will receive a date and time in which registration will open for you, and I’d suggest setting an alarm for this time so that you don’t forget to register for classes. If you get waitlisted for a course, you can email the professor and ask to sit in on the first few classes to get a feel for the class and not be missing anything if you do get taken off the waitlist. The professor may also allow you to register for the class if you take initiative, so don’t give up hope. Know Thyself:
If you are not a morning person, an 8:00 a.m. class will not make you one. If you have the misfortune of having an 8:00 a.m. class, set five alarms. Be honest with yourself about your capacity and capabilities: An overly ambitious registration period can ruin your semester and tank your GPA. Keep in mind that most people aren’t able to focus when they have three classes in a row, especially if there is no lunch break in between. If you need academic accommodations, contact Student Accessibility Support as soon as possible and make sure to email your professors your accommodations letter in the first week of classes.
Shop Around:
If you’re unsure of which classes or professors you’d enjoy, or if you have too many classes you’re interested in, I’d recommend making good use of the “shopping period.” The shopping period, or the add-drop period, is the first two weeks of instruction every semester where a student can add or drop classes as they see fit. Next semester, this period will be from Jan. 12 to Jan. 26. Register for five or six classes, even if you only intend on taking four, and drop whichever class you feel isn’t serving your schedule, interests or learning style. I would recommend making a list of around seven classes that you can explore during the shopping period to ensure you get the perfect selection.
Many professors will allow you to sit in on a class during the shopping period, just make sure to ask permission beforehand. Furthermore, many professors already have the draft of a syllabus, so don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for the syllabus for a class you’re interested in.
If you are a first-year or sophomore who is still unsure of what major to enter, this is your time to explore classes in different majors. Oftentimes, the introductory course is not the best class to gauge what your experience will be in a specific major, so take other lower-level classes within that major that interest you for a more authentic experience.
Impactful Professors:
Many Brandeis seniors will tell you that the professors are the greatest asset the University provides. Among this quality crop, there are a few standouts who are well-known by the students in their field to be incredible lecturers and extraordinarily kind people. The standard for which I asked for recommendations was whether or not the student felt as if they had learned something new after every class, and if after completing the course they felt highly knowledgeable about the topic that was being covered.
This list was compiled by asking some of my peers who are seniors in the humanities and is not representative of all humanities departments or professors. This list is also biased based on the preferences of teaching styles that the individual holds. I will also only include professors who will be teaching next semester. Standouts in the English department include Professors Quinney, Tharaud and Flesch. The History department boasts Professors Kapelle and Sreenivasan, and Professor Ratzlaff is excellent in the Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies department. Professors Lamb and Horton are remarkable in the Anthropology department and Professor Suh is singular in the Sociology department. The Art History department is blessed with Professor Wong; the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies department boasts Professor Chaudhry and The Justice’s journalists recommend Professor Silvio from the Journalism program. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, and I’d recommend exploring different professors and departments to find who best suits your learning style. Overall, aim to find courses that you’ll enjoy with professors who you can learn from. You go to college for the academic experience, so make sure you aren’t wasting your time with classes that don’t suit your needs and fulfill you intellectually. I hope this guide helps and best of luck with registration!
College dating in the digital age
By MARK SILVA JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Dating apps have come a long way since the now-archaic computerized dating services that first rose to prominence in the 1960s. Since then, decades of digital advancements and software innovations have refined dating apps with highly efficient features designed to match the user to others based on specific dating preferences and common interests, creating a vast pool of people to choose from. However, the ubiquity of apps like Tinder, Hinge and Grindr, begs the question — are dating apps truly a good way to find a partner? With almost 50% of college students reporting using them, as of 2023, these apps boast convenience and speedy matchmaking, yet a laundry list of cons, risks and flaws are entailed in their usage. The spaces created by these apps can seem confusing and contradictory, with great disparity between intention and outcome creating insecurity and harm where the apps promise success.
For one, these apps perpetuate isolation and social disconnect. While using dating apps means putting yourself out there with the hope of meeting new people, a layer of superficiality is also ever present. On an app like Tinder, a user can either swipe right or left to indicate interest or disinterest. At first glance, this seems like a practical system that both gives the user autonomy and allows for a multiplicity of dating options to be viewed earnestly. However, when approached through a more critical lens, these decisions are made on surface-level assessments that pivot attraction and compatibility almost entirely around physical appearance, with little regard for other monumentally important traits and facets of an individual that should be addressed in determining romantic affinity. This mindless motion of swiping left and right, viewing people merely as a small photo with a name and age on their screen rather than a real human being, can have a desensitizing effect. It enables individuals — as much as 56% of Gen Z — to treat relationship-seeking as a game, ironically largely distancing the user from the person they are seeking to connect with.
In a college campus with a student body in the lower thousands, such as Brandeis, using a dating app means inorganically creating, and more importantly, refusing to create relationships based on shallow features through a screen, instead of natural circumstances that might very well allow a relationship to prosper where it would fail in its tracks on a dating app.
Essentially, these apps create a sociocultural environment that, to a great extent, equates physical appearance to compatibility and constricts romantic and social connections
to something highly digitalized, facilitating a mindset of risk-prevention that discourages students from confrontation or simply talking to romantic interests for fear of rejection. Where dating apps succeed in creating a sense of availability in options, they fall short in consistently creating something sincere and long-lasting.
That’s not to say that these apps are all bad by any means; in fact, they can be great in connecting you to people you might otherwise never have met. It can be exceedingly difficult to meet people outside of your social circle, classes and dorm building, so the expansiveness and scope of these apps can prove immensely helpful in meeting people from different years or even different schools. Nonetheless, even this undeniable benefit is held back by another critical drawback of dating apps: subscriptions. Beyond being superficial, diminishing natural social interactions and even the proven impacts on mental health — such as links to higher rates of depression, anxiety and lower self-esteem — these apps block a plethora of valuable features behind a paywall, even limiting the number of people seen by non-subscribers. By paywalling the capacity for users to find a partner, these apps more or less monopolize the ability to find a relationship.
Ultimately, the allure and prospects of entering the dating world without having to leave your room have made dating apps bustling hotspots for college students to meet other college students. This holds particularly true in a post-pandemic world where social anxiety is at an all-time high among young people. However, in terms of efficacy, the promises of these apps and the ambitions of their users often fall short, instead feeding into hookup culture, redefining social norms around dating for the worse and all the while yielding less-than-desirable results on an individualistic basis.
To improve the state of dating culture, the responsibility lies on the community collectively to push back against a growing trend of shallowness and highly appearancecentric outlooks on relationships, which is both worsened by the popularity of dating apps and simultaneously the reason these apps have become so popular in the first place. In a dating culture that has grown to devalue the very essence of social connection, there is nothing more important than simply going outside and, in doing so, rejecting the notion that companionship is a task to be done through a phone: Seize positive change by talking to people face-to-face instead of becoming complacent in a society that makes closeness feel intangible and unobtainable.
DATING APPS: A person attempts to find love on their computer.
Photo Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS.
Sports just National Hockey League Misconduct
The Justice Arts & Culture Editor, Maeve Coakley '26, writes about the NHL's recent history with sexual harassment and domestic abuse cases.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
The NHL has an accountability problem
■ The situation surrounding the Vegas Golden Knights and Carter Hart is the latest example of the NHL showing their true priorities.
By MAEVE COAKLEY JUSTICE ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
CONTENT WARNING: This articles contains mentions of sexual assault and domestic abuse.
A little over two weeks ago on Oct. 26, the Vegas Golden Knights signed Carter Hart to a two-year, $4 million dollar contract, and they still have yet to make a post on social media announcing the deal. Typically, when a National Hockey League team signs or re-signs a player, they celebrate the deal by announcing it online. Instead, Hart’s contract announcement came in the form of a quiet post to NHL.com. In fact, the only official announcement regarding Hart’s involvement with the Golden Knights organization is a press statement issued on Oct. 16 when it was revealed that Vegas had signed Hart for a professional tryout. To be clear, a press statement to address a player joining an organization is decidedly not the norm in the NHL.
Yet, Vegas clearly felt that welcoming Hart into their organization necessitated an atypical approach, likely because they anticipated the controversy that would follow their decision.
In January of 2024, Hart, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were criminally charged with sexual assault regarding an incident that occurred in London, Ontario following the 2018 Hockey Canada Foundation Gala. In July, Hart, along with the four other former Hockey Canada players, were found not guilty of the sexual assault charges.
After two months, the high profile Canadian trial came to a close when Justice Maria Carroccia reached her not guilty decision, she alone decided the verdict after twice discharging the jury. The first mistrial involved the conduct of Hillary Dudding, who was representing Forementon. The second involved Dudding and Daniel Brown, also representing Forementon, wherein the jury accused both lawyers of inappropriate behavior.
On July 24, roughly a week after the acquittal, the NHL announced that all five players were still ineligible to return to the league as “the allegations made in this case, even if not determined to be criminal, were very disturbing, and the behavior at issue was unacceptable.” The National Hockey League Players Association took issue with the statement and referred to it as "inconsistent with the discipline procedures” outlined in their collective bargaining agreement.
Less than two months later, on Sept. 11, the NHL issued another statement declaring that the players would be eligible to sign NHL contracts on Oct. 15 and would be allowed to return to play on Dec. 1. Even so, in this statement, the NHL reiterated that the events described in the case “were deeply troubling and unacceptable.” Furthermore, the NHL "determined that the conduct at issue falls woefully short of the standards and values that the League and its Member Clubs expect and demand.” Initially, rumors swirled about where any of the five players might end up, as before their arrest in 2024, Formenton was the only one not playing in the NHL. However, McLeod and Hart received the most NHL interest by far after neither were asked back to their former teams.
In September, it looked as if the Carolina Hurricanes were interested in both McLeod and Hart, while the Golden Knights were primarily interested in Hart. Mark Lazerus of The Athletic visited both teams in the preseason to ask about the potential signings. While investigating Carolina, Lazerus was able to speak with head coach Rod Brind’Amour, captain Jordan Staal and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. In Vegas, it was a different story. The Knights refused to allow Lazerus to speak with head coach Bruce Cassidy, and later, when Cassidy began his press conference, Lazerus was removed from the room and his press pass to that night’s preseason game was revoked. Lazerus was asked to leave the practice facility immediately as a spokesperson for the organization claimed Lazerus “ambushed” player Noah Hanifin that morning with questions about Hart during routine locker-room media interviews.
For their part, Carolina did not end up signing McLeod. Once the rumors began, a group of Hurricanes season ticket holders organized to contact the team with a very clear message: Signing McLeod or Hart would put an end to their
support of the team and the Hurricanes organization. Whether or not the upset fans affected Carolina's decision to sign McLeod is unverifiable.
On Oct. 9, McLeod signed with Avangard Omsk from Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League rather than the Hurricanes.
The backlash from Carolina fans likely inspired Vegas’ press statement when they signed Hart for a professional trial. The statement detailed that the Golden Knights agreed with “the process and assessment” that the NHL and NHLPA undertook to reach their decision to reinstate the five players, and that signing Hart aligns with the organization’s “core values.” By the NHL’s own admission, the way Hart, McLeod, Dubé, Foote and Formenton acted that night in 2018 was reprehensible and deserved some manner of discipline, the league doled this out in extending the timeline of the players’ return; in total, they will have been away from the league for almost two years. In light of this, one struggles to imagine which of the Golden Knights’ “core values” hiring Hart adheres to; his conduct may not have been found to be criminal, but it was disgusting nonetheless. Ironically, the need to issue a press statement about signing a player may indicate to some that the individual in question might not, after all, adhere to your organization's core values.
Thus far, the Golden Knights have appeared unable to make up their mind about what to do with Hart. First, they refuse to comment in the preseason, instead electing to immediately go on the defense by punishing Lazerus for asking the same questions every other member of the press would be asking roughly a month later when Hart’s signing was made official. Continuing in this manner, they issue a press statement but now bizarrely, they appear to get cold feet when it comes to advertising Hart’s new contract. Either the organization needs to own up to signing Hart and the controversy involved with that decision, or they should cut him loose, especially seeing as it is highly likely that once Hart is allowed to play and travel with the team on the road, he will continue to face ongoing scrutiny from journalists and the media.
The reinstatement of all five former Hockey Canada players did not occur in a vacuum.
In fact, Hart’s return to play for the NHL is indicative of a much larger problem. The NHL is the only one of the four major North American sports leagues that lacks a clear, comprehensive and formal policy on domestic abuse and sexual assault. The NFL, NBA and MLB all have one. Instead, in the NHL, each incident is handled on a case-by-case basis by Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. This is why the players were initially not reinstated: it was simply a matter of Bettman and Daly’s discretion. Furthermore, Hart is not the only controversial individual in recent memory to return to the league after being involved in a legal case regarding sexual assault.
In July of last year, the NHL made the decision to reinstate Stan Bowman, Al MacIsaac and Joel Quenneville after they were banned from working in the league in October 2021.
All three men worked for the Chicago Blackhawks organization when the team won the cup in 2010. At the time, Bowman was the president of hockey operations and general manager for the Blackhawks, MacIsaac worked in the front office as senior director of hockey administration and Quenneville was head coach. In 2021 an independent investigation by law firm Jenner & Block revealed the Blackhawks organization failed to take adequate action when then-player Kyle Beach brought allegations of sexual assault against then-video coach Brad Aldrich. The investigation found that five members of the Blackhawks front office — Bowman, MacIsaac, Donald McDonough, Jay Blunk and Kevin Cheveldayoff — and Quenneville were aware of the allegations made by Beach in 2010; they chose to ignore the issue in favor of focusing on the team’s cup run.
Not one of these individuals confronted Aldrich or followed up on the disturbing events detailed to them by Beach. Despite the allegations brought before them, Aldrich’s name was inscribed on the Stanley Cup, and Quenneville personally wrote Aldrich a positive performance evaluation. Their inaction and gross negligence enabled Aldrich to leave the organization, find work at Houghton High School in Michigan and sexually assault a minor. Aldrich pleaded guilty and was convicted of criminal sexual misconduct with a minor in 2013: he served nine months in jail.
When the findings were made public, Bowman and MacIsaac were still working for the Blackhawks; both stepped down in October 2021. Quenneville, who was the Florida Panthers’
Women's basketball sweeps season opening
■ The Judges put together a pair of well-rounded victories to start off their season hot.
By BEN KHAYAT JUSTICE SPORTS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Brandeis kicked off the women’s basketball season on Friday, Nov. 7 with an evening game against the Regis College Pride at home as part of the Brandeis Invitational presented by the Park Lodge Hotel Group. Regis, Brandeis, as well as the Swarthmore College Garnet and New York University Violets took part in the invitational that wrapped up on Saturday with Brandeis finishing with a 2-0-0 record.
Regis got on the board first with two consecutive baskets. After trading two-pointers to bring the game to 6-2, the Judges went on a 9-0 run to take the lead, and never relinquished it. The Judges never stepped off the gas, being in the lead by just seven points after the first quarter, but extended their lead to 17 by halftime. Ava Skladanowski '28 capped the first half off with a buzzer-beating three points to keep momentum for the Judges. Brandeis kept the run going in the third quarter, outscoring Regis 23-14. After a quieter fourth quarter from both teams, the Judges finished their season with a resounding 80-53 victory.
Brandeis’ win can partially be attributed to a dominant rebounding performance, grabbing 64 boards compared to just 29 for Regis. Maya Williams '26 led the game with 16 rebounds, closely followed by Katherine Vaughan '26 with ten as part of her fourth career double-double. Vaughan also made Judges history, becoming the first player in women’s basketball his-
tory to clear 100 career blocked shots, having already cemented herself as the career leader in rejections in her junior season. Vaughan finished the game with four blocks, setting her career mark at 101. However, the Judges did struggle with turnovers, giving the ball up 21 times compared to only 13 from the Pride. Aside from that, they played solid defense all game. The Judges’ defense held the Pride to just 31.4% from the field as well as 16.7% from three, which proved to be enough to compensate for the lack of takeaways. Overall, the Judges’ offense could prove to be the most important takeaway from the opener. Even though no single player scored more than 13 points, six Judges finished the game with double-digit scoring performances. Having as many scoring threats as the Judges have could prove valuable against future opponents with particularly strong defenses. The Judges finished the invitational off with a 58-51 comeback win against Swarthmore, with Abby Kennedy '26 leading the game in scoring, putting up 23 points on 9-16 shooting. Swarthmore held the lead after a big 24-point second quarter, but eventually fell behind after the Judges outscored the Garnet 18-8 in the fourth quarter. Katherine Vaughan led the late-game rally with 14 points, singlehandedly outscoring the entire Swarthmore team in the last ten minutes. The defense stepped up in the final minutes as well, with the Garnet shooting 0-8 with two turnovers in the final four minutes of the game.
Ultimately, the reigning DIII Champion NYU Violets were the most impressive team at the invitational, annihilating Swarthmore 108-49 on Friday and Regis 114-35 on Saturday.
Following the Brandeis Invitational, the Judges sit at a comfortable 2-0 record ahead of their Nov. 13 matchup at home against Rhode Island College, which will be at 6 p.m. at the Auerbach Center.
Waltham, Mass.
REBOUND: Number 30 grabs an offensive board.
JULIAHNA FALCIGLIA-MATTES/THE JUSTICE.
BRANDEIS SWIMMING AND DIVING
On Nov. 7, Brandeis swim faced Bentley University in their annual Battle of Waltham meet. Both the men's and women's teams fell to Bentley, but secured five individual wins between the two teams.
Photos: JULIA MINEVICH/The Justice. Design: JOAN
JUDGES BY THE NUMBERS
HOCKEY: Double standards
head coach at the time, resigned that month as well after a meeting with Bettman. Cheveldayoff remained in his role as general manager of the Winnipeg Jets and is still in that position today. The investigation prompted two lawsuits against the Blackhawks: one filed by Beach in 2021, another filed in 2023 by a former Blackhawks player known only as "John Doe." Beach settled with the Blackhawks in 2021, and John Doe settled with the Blackhawks on Sept. 25, 2025. The decision to reinstate Bowman, Quenneville and MacIsaac was made in July 2024. Three weeks later, Bowman was hired as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers. Quenneville took longer to return; over a year later on May 8, 2025, the Anaheim Ducks announced he was their new head coach. The NHL’s only formal response to the investigation was to fine the Blackhawks organization $2 million in 2021.
The Athletic reached out to Daly when Anaheim announced that Quenneville was to be their new head coach. On the matter of Quenneville and his past, Daly said, “Upon full reinstatement we considered (and continue to consider) the matter to be closed.” Before the Blackhawks settled the second lawsuit concerning the organization’s mishandling of the allegations against Aldrich, not only had Bowman, Quenneville and MacIsaac been reinstated, but Bowman and Quenneville were back working in the league. MacIsaac has yet to return. Additionally, at the time of Quenneville’s return, Daly considered the matter closed despite ongoing litigation. Bowman and Quenneville have both separately expressed their regret about the situation and taken accountability. Both also claim to have spent their time away from the league working on themselves and with programs to better educate themselves about victims of abuse. In Bowman’s case, his more recent actions could be considered to overshadow the statements he made when he was hired by the Oilers because in March he refused to comply with a subpoena in John Doe’s lawsuit.
When Hart’s professional tryout was announced on Oct. 16, Hart made similar comments to the media saying, “I’ve learned a lot. I’ve grown a lot. I’m ready to move on.” Being ready to move on is certainly a sentiment that Hart shares with Bowman and Quenneville, in the case of the latter the media seems to agree. Bowman and Quenneville have at least had the opportunity to claim remorse for their actions. In truth, they can also claim to have put in years of work on themselves and understanding their failure as leaders. In terms of time spent working on himself to better understand the harm his actions caused, Hart cannot say the same. Mistakes do not vanish as soon as one decides they are “ready to move on.”
After all, it is worth noting that in Hart’s case, a not guilty verdict and acquittal do not guarantee one’s innocence. In the case of Bowman and Quenneville, it is worth noting that the choice they made to ignore Beach was despicable, and in doing so, they are directly responsible for the harm Aldrich inflicted on multiple people for many years. This harm may have easily been prevented if Quenneville, or Bowman, or any other member of the Blackhawks front office had done anything when Beach first accused Aldrich. But winning was more important. With logic like this, one
wonders if they should have been allowed to return to the league at all, regardless of how they conducted themselves in the years following the investigation.
In the time between these cases, has the league changed how it deals with sexual assault allegations? No. The NHL has a demonstrated accountability problem, which extends beyond sexual assault. On Oct. 26, the Washington Capitals fired assistant coach Mitch Love over allegations of domestic abuse. The NHL suspended Love for the 2025-26 season for “conduct detrimental to the league” but stated that Love can apply for reinstatement for the 2026-27 season as long as he meets “certain conditions.” In August 2024, the New York Rangers quietly reached a settlement agreement with a then-Rangers employee who claimed that forward Artemi Panarin sexually assaulted her in December 2023. One settlement was individually reached with Panarin, and a second was reached with Madison Square Garden Sports. Panarin never missed any playing time and was named the Rangers’ Most VP for the 2024-25 season.
The NHL’s culture of unaccountability even goes so far as the discovery that Hockey Canada from which, while not being league affiliated, the NHL still finds many of their prospects, had a discretionary fund whose sole purpose was paying sexual assault settlements in cases brought against Hockey Canada players. In fact, before there was a criminal proceeding involving Hart and the four other former Hockey Canada players, they had already reached a settlement regarding the allegations. It was when news of this settlement agreement leaked that the criminal investigation was reopened. Each of these examples is from the last two years, but it doesn’t take much to find that the NHL’s history with such cases extends far beyond that.
Bettman, Daly and the league as a whole have had many years to address this problem, yet they continue their inaction. Without a comprehensive league-wide policy, nothing will change, because players and leadership are allowed to remain part of the league regardless of their actions and without true consequence. Some may say that Hart, Bowman, and Quenneville’s years away from work in the league is enough a consequence for their misconduct. But, they are not entitled to a position within the league; all three are perfectly capable of finding work elsewhere. Playing in or working for the NHL should be a privilege, not a right, and second chances are earned, not deserved, though the NHL seems to consistently fail at upholding even these principles.
Vegas has already begun to face a minority amount of backlash, online and at games, for their choice to sign Hart. Only time will tell how that publicity may increase when Hart officially starts playing for the team, the negative reaction may very well grow, something Vegas seems to have anticipated by refusing to post about Hart’s contract. The sad truth is that the amount of scrutiny Hart faces will likely be tied to his ability to play, as we have yet to see if two years away from the league has impacted his skill. However, if he plays well, it is likely that everyone will forget about the circumstances of his signing, as in the NHL, one’s talent and legacy are all that matter, not one’s character.
BELIEVE WOMEN: Clipping of Golden Knights players
Photos: Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS and ELIZA BIER/The Justice. Design: SKYE ENTWOOD/The Justice. Waltham, Mass.
JustArts & Culture
“The MerchanT of Venice: a reiMagining” — ShakeSpeare’S MoST infaMouS play Turned crowd-pleaSing SpecTacle
By LUKE BENANAV JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
A man and a woman, the man holding his chest while on his knees. A large, white, Venetian-style bridge. Three stained glass panels depict a heart, scales and coins. These are the three images that greeted the audience of Hold Thy Peace’s fall production of “The Merchant of Venice: A Reimagining” over the past weekend. Directed by Laurel Kane ’26, this production took one of Shakespeare’s most infamous comedies and transformed it into a powerful piece of dramatic theater that left audiences in awe.
Before diving into the actual content of the HTP show — which, if you want a spoilerfree review, was fantastic — I would be remiss if I did not mention the controversies about the unaltered version of Merchant.
The original show is an incredibly antisemitic comedy, and there is a lot of challenging content surrounding the framing of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender. Shylock in the original text is a vengeful moneylender who demands a pound of Antonio’s flesh if Antonio is unable to repay his debt. Shylock is framed as the villain of the show, being attacked and harassed throughout and eventually “defeated” by being forced to renounce his Judaism. Due to the intense antisemitism, along with other scenes of abusive relationships, “The Merchant of Venice” has been heavily critiqued in the 400 years since it was first written. In modern interpretations the show, has been presented as a drama, with Shylock taking on a more tragic-hero and victim role in the story.
HTP went a step further with their modern interpretation, cutting several scenes or sections of scenes to focus the audience on the most critical points of the show. Their emphasis lay in how Shylock was mistreated and why he harbored revenge, Bassanio’s love for Portia and how Shylock’s daughter Jessica navigated being both Jewish and a woman in an era that approved of neither. There were also additional scenes or parts of scenes — created by the production crew — inserted to keep the flow of the show moving and to leave a lasting impression on the audience.
The performers in this show were nothing short of spectacular. Phoenix Yuan ’26, who played Shylock, did an impressive job of portraying the many mixed emotions of the character in this version of the show. Yuan’s Shylock never felt like an unsympathetic villain, but rather as though he was truly so broken from being harassed for so long that he really believed a pound of flesh was a reasonable exchange should Antonio be unable to pay his debt. At the end of the show, when Shylock is baptized and has his Judaism stripped from him, a scene not shown in the original Shakespeare play, Yuan’s performance is nothing short of heartwrenching.
Xavian Plasencia ’28, who played Antonio, was wonderful to watch perform, especially when he shared the stage with John Henry Holcomb is ’27 Bassanio. Their chemistry was noticeable from the very beginning of the show, and it carried on throughout the entire production, lifting every scene that they shared. It took no effort to believe that Antonio and Bassanio were subconsciously — or consciously — in love with each other, and the conversations between the two characters flowed easily and clearly for the audience.
In terms of chemistry, however, nothing can match the electric energy between Jateja Spriggs’ ’28 Portia and Casadie Parent’s ’27 Nerissa. From the first scene that these two characters are in, the audience was enraptured. Portia and Nerissa felt completely natural, and there was never a moment when either actress seemed lost in what she was saying. Spriggs commanded both the script and stage in every scene she was in, lifting every actor to a new level of performance, and Parent’s memorable moments on stage made the audience laugh or connect with the show in a new light, such as when she showed Nerissa’s shock at Portia’s idea of pretending to be men in the court in Venice.
Maya Gonta’s ’28 Jessica and Noam Radwin’s ’28 Lorenzo were also great together for the entire show. However, their performances in the final scene, where a drunk Lorenzo shouts at the recently converted Jessica, were elevated to new heights that reminded the audience of all the pain that Jessica had been through during the show.
AMAZING ALBUM
T he B eau T iful S ound
Katlyn Farrin ’28 and Em Clemens ’28 brought some of the comedy elements back from the original “Merchant” production, which occasionally clashed with the darker tone of the dramatic scenes, but the pair’s portrayals of Gratiano and Salanio were absolutely hysterical and usually gave the audience much-needed relief from the weight many scenes carried.
Of course, even in this reimagining, the antisemitism of the show cannot be ignored. It is framed in a more negative light, thanks to the alterations made to the script, but some characters, such as Amadeus Coleman’s ’28 Launcelot Gobbo the clown, are strikingly antisemitic. Amadeus’s Launcelot was a Shakespearean-era Joker, with a manic voice and unpredictable arm swinging, hopping and running around the stage in a monologue that completely shattered the fourth wall. “Merchant” was already a very physical show, with lots of people jumping and running and hunching over to make sure that the audience understood the meaning behind the old English, but Launcelot was a completely different form, creepily hovering around the other actors and waiting to shout a line. In some ways, the excessive insanity that emanated from Launcelot softened the blow of his harsh words about Shylock and Jessica, as he came off as a madman rather than a more mentally stable jester.
From truly jaw-dropping lighting choices — a shoutout to Ciel Shandell ’26 and Eva Levine ’28 — to a beautiful set designed by Dalya Lessem Elnecave ’27 and Ian Chen ’27, fabulous costume — designed by Eva Sanborn ’26 and Ellen Richards ’27 — and incredible acting from every performer, Hold Thy Peace created a wonderfully complex, nuanced and thought-provoking experience that navigated very challenging topics in a fantastic way. Congratulations to the entire cast and crew on a wonderful show!
By ALICE NGUYEN JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
Released on Oct. 24, Daniel Caesar’s fourth studio album, “Son of Spergy,” has reintegrated the grassroots nature of R&B back into the community. The album was highly anticipated after Caesar teased its upcoming release with a string of free pop-up shows. Across 12 tracks, Caesar experiments with new genres including folk and gospel and explores the struggle with his father and religion through intricate storytelling. “Son of Spergy” is Caesar’s most unique album yet.
Prior to its release, Caesar embarked on a tour across North America. Although it’s common for an artist to go on tour to generate excitement for an upcoming album, Caesar added a twist that is nearly unheard of in the modern music industry: The shows were completely free. The tour was comprised of locations that held sentimental value for Caesar, with the first two concerts taking place in Canada, Caesar’s home country and the tour concluding in Caesar’s current hometown of New York City. By showing up with no more than 12 hours notice, using public parks as his venues and performing free of charge, Caesar dismantled the physical and monetary barriers between the artist, audience and the art. In an age where concerts are becoming increasingly expensive, this gesture reestablished the sense of community and humanity that makes up the roots of R&B.
“Son of Spergy” offers a unique sound, mixing genres such as R&B and neosoul with gospel and folk. While past albums from Caesar have experimented with blending genres, “Son of Spergy” boldly leans into the gospel and folk aspects, evident in his collaborations with Bon Iver and Caesar’s own father, a former gospel singer. This album features sounds of folky guitars, piano melodies, peaceful strings and beautiful adlibs from Caesar. Occasionally nature sounds and church choirs will also fill the background. The surprisingly wonderful blend of noises adds a new spirit that hasn’t been heard in his previous albums.
However, the sound isn’t where the album deviates from Caesar’s discographical norm. “Son of Spergy” explores themes of identity, family, faith and masculinity, making this his most introspective and personal project yet. The title itself is a testament to this fact. Spergy is a nickname for Caesar’s father — a gospel singer and pastor. Accordingly, the title of the album represents the biological and spiritual relationship between Caesar and his father. When Caesar was 17 his father kicked him out for wanting to pursue the nontraditional path of songwriting, which led to him being homeless for a while. The album dives into their previously strenuous relationship, their years spent apart and what led to their current reconciliation.
Interestingly, the connections to his family don’t end there.
The track “No More Loving (On Women I Don’t Love)” features an artist by the name of 646yf4t who is actually Caesar’s brother, Zachary Simmonds, an emerging artist himself. Additionally, the nature sounds that loop in the background come from a recording on Caesar’s phone that was taken during a trip to Jamaica, the country where his family is originally from. It’s rare for Caesar to mention his family in his music, so the continuous familial references shows how introspective this album is for him.
Another major theme is Caesar’s personal struggle with his religious identity. For the first half of the album, he repeatedly calls out, pleads with and confides in the Lord. These cries are accompanied with loud church choirs and gospel music which conveys the feeling of his tense inner-battle. However, during track nine, “Sign of the Times,” he stops directly addressing the lord and replaces it with an unidentified “mister.” While religion continues to be a prominent theme in the second half of the album, the choir and gospel shifted to play quietly in the background — concluding Caesar’s struggle with his faith, which no longer feels like a battle, but instead a soft whisper.
When “Son of Spergy” initially came out, it received negative feedback. Although Caesar’s fans mostly enjoyed the album, many said that it was underwhelming compared to his previous projects. A common concern among his fans was that it was boring and didn’t feature dramatic, popular hits similar to how his previous albums had. These concerns are valid, but I believe those critics are wrong. “Son of Spergy” is, in my opinion, Caesar’s most beautiful album. In the past, he has focused on themes of love and relationships, but Caesar has turned 30 years old recently, so the themes of this album mark a new beginning; the calamity and quietude of the album reflects his personal growth and maturation. Listeners should recognize that the strength of this album doesn’t lie in its sound, but in its storytelling.
Overall, I believe that “Son of Spergy” is Daniel Caesar’s best album and is on track to be one of the best albums of 2025. Caesar experimented with new themes, genres and sounds and exceeded expectations. Although the album didn’t create trendy hits, it produced timeless songs — my personal favorites from the album were “Who
and
I’m interested to see if Caesar will continue to lean into more personal themes and what his blend with gospel and folk will do for the R&B community.
Knows”
“Moon (Feat. Bon Iver).”
COLE HAMNER/The Justice.
THE LADIES: TELL ME MORE
By SOPHIA GARCIA JUSTICE ARTS AND CULTURE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Since August 2025, artist Danielle Joy Mckinney has been the Rose Art Museum’s artist in residence. Her exhibit “Tell Me More” will be touring until January 2026, and the Rose is Mckinney’s first ever solo museum exhibit, featuring 13 of her pieces with two being exclusive to just the Rose Art Museum.
Mckinney started her career as a photographer, attending Parsons School of Design in New York. She was inspired to transition into painting in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to escape the world around her. On Nov. 6, Mckinney hosted an artist talk and walkthrough of her exhibit at the Rose. This talk consisted of Mckinney walking students and staff through not only her process but the why behind her art. As an African American woman growing up in the south, Mckinney draws from her childhood, making her art tell not only her story but the story of those lost in art history.
During the tour Mckinney shared, “When I started painting and I started showcasing the work, I was like ‘why am I painting Black women?’ And I opened my books and asked, ‘where are all the Black women?’ So I made the references, it wasn’t political, it was just inherent.” She spoke of a need to find a way to see herself in her art; this led to the creation of her “ladies,” as she has affectionately named her pieces. Her ladies were a way for Mckinney to tell her story but also to showcase a different light in art. She added that she didn’t see her art as political, because she didn’t intend for it to be. The making of her art was this kind of spiritual release for her, a way to separate herself from the discombobulation of the world, not necessarily a way to make a statement. This being said, Mckinney acknowledges the power and voice many find in her art and says she quite likes to see the way people view her art.
Mckinney was asked about her thoughts on if her art was still her art now that it had entered into the public view. To this she commented, “They are no longer my ladies. They
CINEMA CRITIQUE
are now your ladies, the day they leave my studio they are no longer mine.” Many artists echo Mckinney’s sentiment on art in the public view now belonging to the viewer and not the artist. What was striking about Mckinney’s take was that she didn’t seem to feel a sense of loss for the ladies. If anything, she was happy that she could share them and their stories with the world. Mckinney referred to her ladies as “the ladies” because as she said they were no longer hers; they were everyone else’s. When looking at the pieces you could feel the ladies, and the space they took up. One of the aspects to note about Mckinney’s art is that every picture had a room. Her pieces were constructed around each of the ladies and the space that she required to be fully captured.
There was also humility in the pieces. A kind of strong but gentle vibrato seemed to melt into the eyes of the viewer. As Mckinney spoke, you could feel her paintings come to life around her and feel her sense of empathy and humility, which seemed to emulate her paintings. There was a deep sense of nostalgia in Mckinney’s art: a feeling of calmness that washed over you as you viewed her art. Mckinney said, “As a girl growing up in the south, I never saw anyone in my family rest. They were always doing something. I think I paint resting ladies, because this sense of relaxation was seen as a luxury.” By painting her ladies as relaxed, it feels as though Mckinney is reclaiming the lack of rest in her childhood. Nostalgia comes out in her presentation of the ladies and their need to take back the concept of rest.
Mckinney’s paintings have a common theme of reclamation to them. She reclaims the African American voice, her childhood, and the power behind rest. All of her pieces tell her stories, but also the stories of the viewers who come in contact with them. Her ladies — and inherently the viewer’s ladies — and the need for them to travel creates this allencompassing feeling of rest and quiet power draped over the backs of humanity.
Frankenstein: the DiFFerences Between Mary shelley’s page anD guillerMo Del toro’s screen
By ELIZA ROTHFELD JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
It is common knowledge that producing an adaptation from novel to screen perfectly is nearly impossible. This is no exception with Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” (2025) starring Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth and Oscar Isaac. While each actor put on an amazing performance and encompassed the souls of each of their characters successfully, there was so much lost when del Toro adapted Mary Shelley’s novel of the same name into a movie. First published in 1818, Shelley’s novel is an enduring classic which has fascinated us for centuries. Shelley’s writing, while it may seem confusing at first, is a beautiful representation of what it is to grapple with narcissism and man’s constant reach for greatness. She created a character, Victor Frankenstein, that houses so much nuance within him and leaves us — the readers — grasping for more. We are urged on with every page and wonder who is the true villain of this story, all the while unknowingly falling in love with the creature Frankenstein creates. This is where my greatest critique of this new movie lies — there is no room for us to consider how much or how little we want to believe in these characters. The movie hits the nail on the head, too obviously showing us that we need to believe Frankenstein is the real monster. While the choice to make every death directly at the hands of Frankenstein instead of at the hands of the creature is gripping at first glance, it takes away the joy of realizing that the Creature isn’t really at fault for these murders. The real culprit is Frankenstein, whose desire for power fuels the creation of the creature, but Frankenstein’s choice to push his creation away forces the creature to choose a life of violence. What I am trying to get at is the obvious lack of nuance within these characters and the lack of subtlety with their actions. The nuance and creativity is one of the most important parts of Shelley’s novel, and without, it the movie feels lackluster.
Despite this critique, one element of the movie that is formidable is Jacob Elordi’s portrayal of the Creature. From the moment we see his brown doe eyes encompass the screen it is impossible to deny the desire we feel to love his character. There are many scenes, characters and background information that are lost when the novel is adapted to film. What is lost, majorly, is the creature’s growth as a living being and his exposure to the world. The novel depicts an individual that is pure to the world, living as a blank slate. As he encounters the world he comes to realize how heinous and dirty it really is. The novel shows the creature constantly being let down by those surrounding him-not only his creator, but by any and every person he encounters. It is because of those interactions that he is driven to madness and to hate the world.
However, Elordi is able to portray the purity of the creature’s essence, which leaves us readers-turned-movie-goers satisfied. From moving his body perfectly to imitate a newborn to watching the rage against his creator and master manifest, the dedication Elordi has put into this role shines through. The set design, costumes, visual effects, score and cinematography truly are beautiful — all of these parts working together in order to highlight the skills Elordi, along with Isaac and Goth, possesses. Their brilliant work, though, can not overshadow some of the very obvious pitfalls within this movie — the most major one being the abrupt shift from confusion and curiosity within the Creature to pure unadulterated hatred towards Frankenstein. Yes, it is true that we see the creature’s confusion and anger toward Frankenstein portrayed within the scenes of him being chained up and left to die in the fire. However, it also feels like one moment the Creature is going to find out who he is and what happened to him and the next minute he is swearing that he will be the downfall of Frankenstein. This incomplete character arc drives home the point I made previously about the loss of Shelley’s writing in this adaptation — we lose watching the Creature come to terms with who Frankenstein is over a long stretch of time, after being let down by Frankenstein time and time again. Frankenstein as portrayed by Shelley is a weirdo, a loner and overall an egotistical 20-year-old child. These traits bring together an individual who wants to accomplish greatness because of an inferiority complex that grips at his soul. However, in the film this characterization is lost in a major way as Frankenstein is reduced to a man with a Freudian obsession with his mother and a lifelong inability to impress his father. Not only do they change the story of Frankenstein’s mother in order to accentuate his lack of maternal love, his internal complexes then become directly due to his orphanage, resulting in the overly accentuated relationships with his parents. This choice again comes back to the lack of subtext in this movie, the nuance that was lost. The complicated and strained relationships with his parents become basically the forefront of this movie and we lose the idea that Frankenstein has been gripped by this question his whole life and feels he has no
other option than to destroy everything to create man. We see Frankenstein’s relationship with his mother explicitly portrayed through Frankenstein’s obsession with his brother’s fiancée Elizabeth and his pursuit of something just out of his reach. He must have her and is willing to hurt his brother William in order to get it. Frankenstein’s obsession is driven home by having Mia Goth play both the mother and Elizabeth, giving the only pivotal female figures in his life the same face.
Despite all of this though, I do think it is important to give credit where credit is due and highlight the ways in which del Toro accomplished greatness and captured the essence of Shelley’s novel — a feat which is hard to accomplish. Written by a 19-year-old girl, there is a purity and hatred towards the world that is captured within this novel, something that gets hardened and tamped down as we grow older. This feeling that Shelley is trying to get across, that men in that time are constantly striving for greatness and will stop at nothing, is poured into the movie del Toro produced. His script directs each actor to portray the essence of each character, producing a movie that overall is heavily reminiscent of the novel. While there are scenes lost, the acting and production make up for this — and overall the film is a beautiful adaptation.
Photo Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS. Design: MAEVE COAKLEY/The Justice.
