(01/13/14 5:00am)
Despite a strong first half from guards Derek Retos '14 and Ben Bartoldus '14, the men's basketball team suffered a 64-58 defeat to the New York University Violets in their first University Athletic Association matchup of the season. The Judges dropped to 8-4 (0-1 in UAA) on the season and lost in just their second road game of the 2013-14 campaign, this time in front of hundreds of Brandeis alumni and students at the Coles Sports Center. While most students were away on winter break, the Judges defeated Roger Williams University, 81-74, on Jan. 2 and Bates College, 83-78, on Jan. 7. Neither team was able to break out to an early lead, engaging in a back-and-forth affair against NYU in the first half. Retos led the way for the Judges, connecting on five out of six shots from beyond the arc. His fourth and fifth three-pointers of the first half came on consecutive possessions to end the half, leaving all three Violet coaches up in arms. The five connections from beyond the three-point arc move Retos into third place on the Judges all-time three-point list with 188. He needs just 22 more to break the school record, held by Steve Harrington '92. Bartoldus reflected on the Judges' success in the first half against the NYU defense. "To be honest, opportunities were falling for both Derek and I [early] and we took advantage of it," he said. The second half was a completely different story for Brandeis. After a strong start to the half, they held a 52-44 lead over NYU with 11:56 remaining in the game. From that point, though, NYU outscored the Judges 20-6 to fuel their come-from-behind victory. Bartoldus was hesitant to credit either team's play as the reason for the Judges' late-game struggles, ultimately chalking it up to the unfortunate bounce of the ball. "I don't want to say it was NYU's defense, and I don't want to say we executed poorly," Bartoldus said. "[Things] just didn't fall our way." Despite the bad bounces, the Judges had a chance to steal a win from NYU late in the game. After center Youri Dascy '14 converted one of two free throws from the charity stripe, the Judges trailed 60-58 with 3:13 remaining. Guard Gabe Moton '14 then came up with a steal and streaked to the other end before NYU sophomore guard Max Ralby regained control of the ball. On the ensuing possession, Brandeis got another stop. However, they were unable to execute, as Dascy missed a shot in the paint with just two minutes remaining. The Judges got one more crack at it. After NYU junior guard Iyoha Agho missed a three pointer, Retos found himself open from three to take the lead. The shot rimmed out and NYU finally took advantage, securing the eventual four-point victory. Retos led the way for Brandeis with 15 points, all of which came in the first half. Bartoldus contributed 14 while Moton tallied 10 points, three rebounds and five assists. Yet, the senior guard went just two of nine from the field. Sophomore forward Evan Kupferburg led the Violets with 18 points and eight rebounds. On Jan. 7, the Judges held off visiting Bates despite 33 points from Bates junior guard Graham Safford. Retos shined in that contest as well, knocking down four of nine from beyond the arc and six of six from the foul line en route to a team-leading 18 points. Bartoldus excelled in that game, too, racking up 15 points with five-of-10 shooting and five free throws. Forward Alex Stoyle '14 scored 12 points. Moton battled foul trouble the whole game but still managed 13 points, connecting on five of six free throws. The Judges went 20 for 27 from the free throw line, a critical factor in the victory over the Bobcats. On Jan. 2, Brandeis held off Roger Williams' come-from-behind efforts for an 81-74 victory. Retos again led the Judges in scoring, this time with 19 points. He went five for nine from three point land and two for two from the line. The Judges pulled ahead by 17 points at one stage of the game, but Roger Williams never stopped fighting. They cut the lead to six points, 78-72, with 41 seconds left. Clutch free throw shooting and solid defense, though, allowed Brandeis to hold on for the victory. The Judges continue their UAA schedule this weekend, heading on the road to St. Louis and Chicago. They face Washington University in St. Louis on Friday at 9 pm, and then, the University of Chicago on Sunday at 1 p.m. *
(12/10/13 5:00am)
I first came to Brandeis University as a brash and capricious 18-year-old, ready to take on all the challenges that college would throw at me. I looked forward to meeting new people, understanding diverse world-views and forming an overall better rounded opinion of life. Now, as I write my last op-ed as a student at Brandeis, other than now being 19, I cannot think of anything that has really changed in that regard. What has changed, however, is that I believe I have learned a great deal about both myself and others, not only from Brandeis, but from Boston. As I have previously written in the Justice, issues such as a competent public transportation system that connects both transit depots and suburban universities to a sprawling city are important for the rest of the country to take note of. Similarly, eschewing the death penalty with a criminal justice system based on justice would be especially helpful for my home state of Texas. However, more than any divisive, partisan issue, the people of Boston have taught me a valuable lesson in resilience. Whether that is the unyielding loyalty to their sports teams that any fan of the Houston Texans football team, like myself, could learn from, or a determination to continue on with business as usual no matter the how cold it gets or how extreme the conditions, the people here do not give up. In my native Houston, temperatures often become extreme on the opposite end of the thermostat, with summer months regularly boasting highs above 100 degrees. The only response to the scalding heat is to turn up the air conditioning and eschew any and all outside activity that does not feature an ice-cold swimming pool. Boston does not resort to comparably drastic measures when the cold comes. Massachusetts winters bring snow, often by the foot, but we-for I now consider myself a Bostonian in part-continue walking to class or our place of employment. We spend hours on end shoveling the snow and salting the roads so that we can keep going no matter which nor'easter or blizzard may try to stop us. People who grew up here may think this is a silly or superficial point, but I cannot stress enough how different a culture this presents. Regularly battling against the forces of nature is no small point in explaining a unique determination. This determination was shown to the world last April, when Boston was rocked by a terrorist attack that ultimately took four people's lives and wounded hundreds more. When a citywide manhunt ensued to capture the suspects and bring them to justice, we gladly worked together to catch those responsible for the heinous acts. Nationwide, the general public dubbed the reaction "Boston Strong," an honorific given to the great resilience of this city. I believe it is this resilience that helps foster so many excellent universities in this city, with Brandeis being, in my opinion, the most excellent among them. This resilience, this strength, gives us the courage to become truer to the person we really are deep down. I believe this is how Brandeis helped me to learn about myself. For me, I define myself a lot by my political views. As someone who was considered very liberal in Texas, I felt like my opinions would be considered quite popular at Brandeis and looked forward to that experience. But in many cases, they were not popular. Ironically enough, my views are probably more conservative than that of the average Brandeis student, and that has been just as rewarding a learning experience. I would not have it any other way. Brandeis has given me the strength and resilience to understand exactly where I am on the political spectrum, and to come to grips with all of my own views. What use would political opinions be if they were only clearly defined on one side of the spectrum? Since I have now had interactions with many people both more conservative and more liberal than I, I have been able to mark out my own space. Simply put, Brandeis has allowed me to acquire the knowledge to better define myself and the pliancy to put that person to good use. Certainly, I have become a much more rounded person, but most importantly, a better defined one. And I do plan on putting it to good use. Beginning next semester, I will transfer to the University of Texas at Austin, where I will seek new professional opportunities. Accordingly, this will be my last column for the Justice. While my brief sojourn in Boston was tough, between Hurricane Sandy, the blizzard Nemo and the marathon bombings, it has been an experience that will help shape me for the rest of my life. For no matter which Big 12 conference team I will be rooting for next year, I will always be a "Judge." And no matter where I hang my hat, I will always be "Boston Strong."
(12/10/13 5:00am)
The men's and women's fencing teams both hosted nationally ranked teams on Sunday at the Brandeis Invitational held in Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. Though the teams did not walk away with winning records, they put forth impressive efforts. The men's team secured a 2-3 record on the afternoon, picking up wins over Johns Hopkins University and the Air Force Academy while falling to No. 5 St. John's University, No. 7 Columbia University and Yale University. The women also defeated Johns Hopkins on the way to a 2-4 record. While they also defeated Yale in addition to their win over Johns Hopkins, but lost to No. 5 St. John's, No. 3 Columbia, Air Force and Cornell University. Saberist Adam Mandel '15, who posted a 13-2 individual record on the day, noted that the team had the right mindset even though their results were less than desirable. "We went out there with the right attitude and the drive to win, but we fell short of beating Yale and St. John's like we wanted to," he said. "We ended up coming close to beating both, but in the end came down to a few 5-4 losses." Although the men's team fell to their two ranked opponents-12-15 to St. John's and 7-20 to Columbia-the Judges managed a close contest before falling to Yale 10-17. They then managed to gain some momentum in their 15-12 defeat over Air Force and 18-9 triumph over Johns Hopkins in the first two bouts. In the win over Hopkins, both Mandel and foilist Julian Cardillo '14 led the way for the Judges with respective 3-0 victories over their Blue Jays opponents. The saberists managed to secure three wins in their five events on the day, followed closely by the ?(c)p?(c)eists and foilists, who both respectively secured two victories on the day. Foilist Noah Berman '15 had a strong day for the Judges, taking seven victories on the afternoon, while ?(c)p?(c)eist Tom Hearne '16 matched Berman's win count with seven of his own. Mandel credited the results to the strong leadership of Cardillo, the Judges' captain, who kept his teammates focused on their strengths. "The team was both very excited and nervous about coming into this meet today," he explained. "A lot of us were nervous about potentially not getting the results that we wanted, but our captain Julian Cardillo, did a really good job in helping us focus on fencing rather than thinking about the results." "I think his message got through to a lot of the team and was directly reflected in our results today." Even though the team could not defeat Yale-a match they targeted beforehand as one they wanted to win-Mandel was still impressed with the effort turned out by the Judges-including wins over teams that sit just outside the top-10 national rankings. "I saw a lot of great wins from the Brandeis team today, like the foil squad against St. John's and the saber squad against Yale," he said. "No one gave up any easy touches and there were many amazing wins which came from it." The women's team managed a 2-4 record on the day, posting a 16-11 victory over Johns Hopkins and a 14-13 victory over Yale. However, the Judges could not overcome St. John's (13-14), Air Force (12-15), Cornell (9-18) and Columbia (4-23). As they did for the men, the saberists led the way for the Judges, securing an impressive 5-1 record on the day. The team only fell to Columbia, and throughout the day, was led by Annabel Sharahy '17 who secured eight individual victories. Foilist Caroline Mattos '16 once again led Brandeis with nine victories, matched by ?(c)p?(c)eist Sonya Glickman '16, who also took home nine wins. In ep?(c)e, Glickman was joined by Gwendolyn Mowell '16, who managed seven victories on the day, including a perfect 3-0 record against Air Force. Even though the teams did not preform as well as they would have liked, Mandel saw plenty of positives in the Invitational. "I think that this team shows more promise than any of the previous years I've fenced on and I'm optimistic about what the rest of the season holds," he said. "We are definitely a force to be reckoned with and I think the Judges will be knocking on some serious doors in years to come." Both Brandeis teams return to the mat with the USA Fencing North American Cup on Jan. 17. *
(12/10/13 5:00am)
Over winter break, the University plans to begin remodeling The Stein restaurant. Though plans have not yet left the early stages, with blueprints unfinished and timelines unclear, the University expects the Stein to reopen for students during the spring semester. Jay DeGioia, Sodexo's resident district manager for Brandeis, wrote in an email to the Justice that The Stein closed just before Thanksgiving in anticipation of remodeling and construction, which Sodexo hopes to begin in early January and which DeGioia estimated could take three to six weeks. When it reopens its doors in the spring, The Stein may surprise students. The Student Union sent out a survey by email on Nov. 9 to collect student feedback regarding the fate of The Stein. Though results from the survey showed that participating students preferred that the University put a franchise in the current location of The Stein, Sodexo and the Student Union decided to take a different direction, according to Class of 2017 Senator and Senate Chair of the Dining Committee David Heaton. The survey sent out to the student population asked students to rate their preference as to what they would like to see from The Stein's upcoming renovations. The Student Union took these ratings and turned them into points that add up to a total score, according to Heaton, who said that most students gave the highest rating to the option of bringing a franchise onto campus in place of The Stein, while "keeping The Stein the same" and "turning it into a sports bar" came in second and third places, respectively. However, Heaton said in an interview with the Justice that all three options ended up with very close scores, negating the presence of an overwhelmingly popular opinion pervading the student body in regard to what should become of The Stein. Analyzing the data, the Student Union and Sodexo decided to take the options that received the second two highest scores-"keeping The Stein the same" and "turning it into a sports bar"-and work on "revamping" the eatery to fit both criteria, according to Heaton. Since The Stein currently presents itself as a quasi-sports bar, Sodexo's goal of "establish[ing] a Brandeis signature pub that is rich in history and would become a landmark in the Brandeis community," according to DeGoia, would involve remodeling the dining room as well as culinary changes. Plans currently in discussion for the new Stein restaurant, according to Heaton, include a brand-new menu, which would include pizzas baked in a "hearth" oven, or open-flame pizza oven. Though students expressed dissatisfaction with the idea of opening a pizzeria on campus, Heaton said that the proposed menu would offer a large option of additional items. The bonus of the pizza oven, according to Heaton, would be the reintroduction of delivery from The Stein. According to Heaton, putting a franchise in that particular location would disadvantage students, as both students and the University would lose much of the control over one of the dining locations controlled by the University. Even in the scenario that a franchise would comply with requests to shut down for events taking place in the nearby Sherman Function Hall, opening the location to a franchise would cause students to lose some influence over food options, and the University would only have power to urge the franchise to listen to student demands, according to Heaton, without any guarantee of compliance. "If we brought in a franchise we'd have absolutely no say," said Heaton. Though Sodexo has brought several franchises to Brandeis since the beginning of the semester, the Stein has a particularly unique characteristic which causes complications when considering whether or not a franchise should replace it. After The Stein stops serving dinner, the location becomes Ollie's Eatery, a late-night eatery which serves breakfast to night-owls. According to DeGioia, one of "the most important identifiers in the survey conducted," aside from students' "desire to control the menu," concerned the fate of Ollie's. According to Heaton, bringing in a franchise would eliminate Ollie's, a dining option that is popular among students, according to the results from the survey. Thus the University rejects not the option of a franchise, but the eradication of Ollie's, among other losses of control, which would automatically follow the introduction of a franchise into the location of The Stein. The decision not to find a franchise to replace The Stein considered student opinions taken from the survey results, but ultimately the Student Union's analysis of the results led to a compromise that would preserve the option of maintaining Ollie's while still appealing to a majority opinion. However, plans to bring in a franchise have not been dropped completely, but instead are being reevaluated. "A chain restaurant isn't out of the question at this point," said DeGioia, "but I think the question is 'Where is the best location for a national brand on campus?'" That question has already undergone discussion, according to Heaton, who said that the Student Union and Sodexo discussed bringing a franchise to the Usdan Student Center, since the survey showed the desire of students to have another franchise as a dining option. No decisions have been made regarding a new franchise in Usdan Student Center as of yet, said Heaton.
(12/10/13 5:00am)
On Dec. 2, Student Union President Ricky Rosen '14 delivered the annual State of the Union address in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium to a crowd of approximately 70 students and administrators. Rosen opened the address by thanking the members of the Union for being so vocal in advocating for their constituents, stating that this has been a "pivotal semester in Brandeis time." He listed changes and new initiatives such as the implementation of the strategic plan, efforts to turn Brandeis into a household name, the arrival of new campus partners like Sodexo and Joseph's Transportation and the changing administration-including Jamele Adams' promotion to dean of students and Cheryl Sousa's '90 new position as assistant vice president of health and wellness, as part of the pivotal semester. Rosen highlighted Union successes this semester, including the addition of hammocks on campus, increasing communication with students through the Student Union bulletin board in the Usdan Student Center, holding more outreach events and making modifications to the Boston shuttle bus schedule to best benefit students. Rosen stated that the Union also hopes to change the time and access for the Wednesday and Thursday Riverside MBTA station shuttles. Rosen also revealed information about a variety of upcoming dining changes. The New York-style delicatessen that will replace Quiznos will be called Louis' and will be constructed over the winter. The delicatessen will open on Monday, Jan. 13, the first day of classes for the spring 2014 semester. The food truck, which serves food in between the Shapiro Campus Center and the Feldberg Communications Center, will begin accepting WhoCash and points next semester. Plans to install a caf?(c) in the science quad are also in discussions that will continue next semester. After an analysis of the results of a dining survey sent out recently, Rosen announced that the Student Union and Sodexo are presenting a joint recommendation to the University that The Stein be turned into a sports bar, instead of the Guy Fieri On Campus restaurant which was initially proposed. "We are hoping that The Stein will become the premiere on-campus weekend destination for Brandeis students," Rosen said. Rosen also stated that the project is in the final stages of planning approval, and a detailed construction timeline will be announced before winter break. The Stein was officially closed on Nov. 19 for the remainder of the semester. Class of 2016 Senator Jon Jacob is also working to have local Waltham restaurants accept WhoCash as a form of payment, in addition to Cappy's Pizza and Subs, said Rosen. "So far, Carl's Subs, Sabatino's and Tree Top Waltham have all expressed interest in joining this program," said Rosen. He added that their goal is to get Asia Wok and Baan Thai to join in the project, which he hopes will be completed by the end of the year. The Union has also been working on constructing new meal plans with Sodexo. These meal plans, which will likely be implemented in fall 2014, will include the element of unlimited access, "meaning students will be able to go in and out of all-you-can-eat dining facilities [using meals and points] as many times a week as they would like," said Rosen. He also stated that more changes would come in the next few weeks. Rosen thanked Class of 2017 Senator David Heaton and Union Vice President Charlotte Franco '15 for their work with the Dining Committee. Rosen also revealed three longer-term changes to the dining facilities: over the summer, the Usdan Caf?(c) will become a buffet-style location. To complement this, Usdan Boulevard will feature "retail food locations and potentially fast food franchise restaurants, including Quiznos," according to Rosen. Sherman Dining Hall will also be renovated the following summer in 2015. One ongoing Union initiative that Rosen highlighted was divestment from fossil fuels. In response to the referendum on divesting Brandeis funds from fossil fuel corporations last semester, a Divestment Working Group was set up over the summer to investigate the possibility of divestment. Rosen stated that this is part of an attempt to "make Brandeis a sustainable institution and reduce our carbon footprint." The group will continue to examine alternative investment opportunities for the University throughout the academic year. In addition to this, the Senate established a Sustainability Committee, headed by Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf. The goal of the committee, according to Rosen, is to reduce wasteful resource usage and streamline student efforts to increase campus sustainability. One notable success of the committee was being approved for a Brandeis Sustainability Fund grant in order to install 60 toilets with dual-flush capabilities on campus. Another Union initiative is to create an email system for the mailroom to notify students when there is a package for them. Rosen hopes the project will be completed by the end of the year; Jacob and Executive Senator Annie Chen '14 have spearheaded the initiative. Rosen also spoke about 'Deis Impact, the weeklong festival celebrating and focusing on social justice. 'Deis Impact is a collaborative effort between the Union and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. The festival will occur from Feb. 1 through Feb. 10 and will feature Ndaba Mandela and Kweku Mandela Amuah, founders of Africa Rising and the grandchildren of the recently deceased Nelson Mandela, as keynote speakers. Rosen also discussed parking on campus, stating that it has been a "serious problem for over a decade." According to Rosen, the Department of Public Safety has issued 3,126 parking permits for the 2,300 parking spots available on campus this year. In response to student dissatisfaction with available parking, research by the Union found that Brandeis is the only school in its conference-the University Athletic Association-that does not have a parking facility on campus, does not allow sophomores to park on campus and requires faculty and staff to pay for parking. Rosen stated that this was one of the Union's "chief objectives," and that the Union wants to "make [parking] a priority for the administration and students in the years to come." The final initiative that Rosen mentioned was the creation of a bus shelter outside of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center, which he hopes will serve as a memento to the 2013 to 2014 Student Union and its efforts.
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The University announced on Wednesday that two professors from the History department have been appointed to endowed chairs. On Nov. 26, Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren named Prof. Michael Willrich (HIST) the Leff Families Professor of History and Prof. David Engerman (HIST) the Ottilie Springer Professor of History. "I was utterly surprised and delighted by the news," Willrich wrote in an email to the Justice. "An endowed chair is a special honor for a professor, and I'm particularly honored to be taking on the chair previously occupied by my much-missed colleague Rudy Binion, a brilliant historian who died in 2011." Engerman had a similar reaction. "I was very excited and proud. Academia is a funny world in which one doesn't get many promotions ... so to find out about the University bestowing an honor like that was great," he said in an interview with the Justice. Carl and Phillip Leff established the Leff Chair in 1965 with their wives, all of whom contributed financially to Brandeis' early years. "The chair is an honor, with no particular strings attached, other than continuing to strive to meet Brandeis' high standards for research, teaching and service," Willrich said. Axel Springer, German journalist and media mogul, named the Ottilie Springer Chair after his mother in 1968. "There's a story about the chair in the memoir called A Host at Last by the president [of Brandeis] under whose auspices it was created, Abram Sachar," Engerman explained. "Axel Springer had given a lot of money to Israel and various Jewish causes, and Abram Sachar solicited a gift on behalf of American Jews." Engerman is currently working on a book entitled Planning for Prosperity: The Economic Cold War in India. "It's about American and Soviet competition ... to provide development aid to India," Engerman said. "It's an unusual facet of the Cold War, since we usually think about the Cold War as military competition and this is about economics." Willrich's most recent book is Pox: An American History, about the smallpox epidemic in 20th Century United States. He is "at the early stages of two separate projects, a political history of sports in the United States, and a post-frontier history of Americans who have chosen-and often have struggled-to live 'off the grid,'" Willrich wrote. Willrich, who began his career as a journalist, said that he likes teaching history because "history offers important insights into our contemporary challenges, and I am particularly drawn to the historian's craft of making meaningful arguments through narrative." Engerman is also enthusiastic about his job. "I like teaching because every time I do it I look at the material differently. Even pieces I've taught on and off since I was in graduate school sound different now. Communism sounds more remote to current students than when I was a student or even students in the 1990s," Engerman said. Both professors say they learn a lot from their students. "We're pretty spoiled at Brandeis, because the students here are very smart and engaged-always ready for a good debate," Willrich wrote. "My legal history class this fall is a case in point. Today the students launched into a nuanced debate about President [Abraham] Lincoln's purposes in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation." "Brandeis students in particular are good teachers," Engerman added. "Trying to see it through their eyes gives me new ways to think about things that I thought I knew something about." Engerman and Willrich both started their Brandeis careers in 1999, and their "careers have evolved together as colleagues and beyond," Engerman said.
(12/10/13 5:00am)
An in-depth account examining the demonstrations that took place at Al-Quds University on Nov. 5 and the nature of Al-Quds' subsequent response, titled "A Report to the Brandeis Community on the Events of 2013 Involving Brandeis University and Al-Quds University," was made public yesterday afternoon. The report, written by Daniel Terris, the director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, Profs. Susan Lanser (ENG) and Daniel Kryder (POL) concludes that Al-Quds University acted swiftly to condemn the demonstrations and recommends that Brandeis "resume and indeed redouble its commitment" to the partnership with Al-Quds. Additionally, a resolution from the advisory board of the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life encouraged both Brandeis and Al-Quds to take steps to lift the suspension of Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh from the advisory board of the Center. University President Frederick Lawrence and University Provost Steve Goldstein '78 requested the report and asked the three professors to learn about the demonstration during a previously-scheduled research visit to Al-Quds, according to the report's introduction. The demonstration in question, according to the report, "featured young men dressed in black military-style outfits, wearing black masks, and sporting fake automatic weapons." In response to a Nov. 17 letter regarding the demonstration from Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh, Lawrence suspended Brandeis' partnership with Al-Quds. On the whole, the authors expressed their confidence with the immediate response of Al-Quds to the demonstrations. "Within 24 hours, the University administration had taken steps to address the unacceptable elements of the rally directly with student leaders, it had issued a direct and unambiguous condemnation of the event, and it had set up a formal investigative committee," read the report. In reference to the Nov. 17 letter from Nusseibeh to his students that Lawrence referred to as "unacceptable and inflammatory," Terris, Lanser and Kryder acknowledged that many members of the Brandeis community felt that there was an "indifference or hostility towards the Jewish people and towards the state of Israel" in the letter. However, they put forth their own belief that the letter was a meaningful effort by Nusseibeh to communicate to his students values of peace and respect. "The four lengthy paragraphs of the letter that condemn violence and hatred ... have received too little attention," they wrote. Details of the demonstration The report provided many new, previously-unknown details about the nature of the demonstrations at Al-Quds. First and foremost, the report explained that the demonstration was sponsored by a student organization at Al-Quds whose name "translates loosely as 'Islamic Bloc.'" The organization is described as "an affiliate of the Islamic Jihad political party" that was trying to "exaggerate its own local strength" through the demonstration to another political student group. The report explains that many political student organizations at Al-Quds are "direct affiliates of national parties, which may also provide external funding and advisement." The demonstrators' application to Al-Quds for permission to stage the rally "proposed four activities: a ceremony honoring the three best students in each school with awards; speeches; a dramatization that as to relate in some way to student life on campus; and Islamic music," according to the report. The rally evidently did not follow this plan. Agreements between Al-Quds and student groups prohibit military-style events and the disrespect for any nation or its symbols, including the Israeli flag, according to the report. On Nov. 5, however, a "highly charged political atmosphere" led Al-Quds security officials to conclude that "any intervention or confrontation carried serious risks" and might lead to violence between two opposing student factions-one associated with Islamic Jihad and one associated with Hamas. To avoid any violence, Al-Quds allowed the rally to proceed despite its inappropriate nature. Regarding the link to Nazism, the student group holding the demonstration denied any connection between Nazism and its gesture, according to the report. Instead, the gesture was meant to be related to a pledge supporting Al-Quds. The report also mentions that while scholars on both campuses indicate that the salute is used by other Middle Eastern political groups, "those who perform it can be expected to know that it will be seen as ... a symbol of hatred towards the Jewish people." Al-Quds' response The report explained that the student affairs staff of Al-Quds University gathered all of the student groups "immediately after the rally" to emphasize that the rally had violated Al-Quds' policies. The day following the rally, Nov. 6, Nusseibeh and Executive Vice President Imad Abu Kishek established a committee to "investigate the circumstances of the event and to recommend sanctions for individual participants as well as revisions to University policy." The report indicated that the committee's work was still in process on Nov. 20, when the Brandeis delegation left Al-Quds. In an email to the Justice, Terris wrote that he, Lanser and Kryder "have not had an update about this since before Thanksgiving. As far as we know, the committee is still continuing its work." When asked whether the committee had also considered sanctioning the "Islamic Bloc" student organization who organized the event, Terris responded that he, Lanser and Kryder "do not know exactly what sanctions the committee is considering at this time." On Nov. 17, Nusseibeh wrote a letter to Al-Quds students that was intended to address several different events that had impacted the school. The Nov. 5 rally had served as one of them, according to the report. Lawrence, in a Nov. 18 press release on BrandeisNOW, called this letter, which was translated to English from the Arabic, "unacceptable and inflammatory." Lawrence suspended the partnership between Brandeis and Al-Quds shortly following receipt of the letter on Nov. 18. The authors acknowledge that Nusseibeh's use of the term "Jewish extremists" in the letter is "jarring" but emphasize that there is a distinction between "Jews" and "Jewish extremists," similarly to the way that people have learned the distinction between Muslims and Islamic extremists. "Presumably the same distinction [between Muslim people in general and Islamic extremists] applies when speaking about other groups," they wrote. Community responses Lawrence was traveling in India at the time of the report's release and could not be reached for comment. Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid wrote in an email to the Justice that Lawrence "will review [the report] carefully and he continues to keep the lines of communication open with Al Quds University." "These are sensitive issues and I know that President Lawrence is committed to gathering all of the data that is available and considering a broad range of input from the community," de Graffenreid continued. Terris wrote in an email to the Justice that he had not yet received feedback from the University administration. "The report was just released this afternoon. We haven't received any feedback from those groups that I know about," he wrote. Prof. Mari Fitzduff (Heller), the founding director of the master's program in Coexistence and Conflict, expressed her appreciation in an email to the Justice that the report "paid great attention to the context, the language and the cultural and community nuances that were a necessary part of understanding the Al-Quds incident." She further expressed her support for the partnership. "I do hope the partnership will be actively continued, along with the reinstatement of President Nusseibeh to the Board of the Ethics center," she wrote. Prof. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS) expressed concern with the partnership in an email to the Justice. "Reading the report of the committee, I could not help but wonder how our university would respond if a Ku Klux Klan rally complete with robes, hoods, and the burning of crosses took place at one of our partner institutions," wrote Sarna. "I fear that what we are witnessing here is what George W. Bush once termed 'the soft bigotry of low expectations.'" "I find it deeply regrettable, especially when displayed by colleagues whom I otherwise so deeply respect," Sarna continued. Eve Herman '15, the president of the Brandeis Zionist Alliance, conveyed her distress with the events at Al-Quds in an email to the Justice. "Organizations that support or host anti-Israel or anti-Jewish events (such as the Nazi-style rally) should have no place on our Brandeis campus. All the more so, any similar behavior is not to be tolerated by partnership institutions, and Al-Quds' students' actions were simply unacceptable," she wrote. Representatives from the student organization Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine did not respond to an email requesting comment. Eli Philip '15, the co-president of J Street U Brandeis, expressed agreement with the report in an email to the Justice. "J Street U Brandeis joins professors Terris, Lanser and Kryder in their call to resume a vibrant partnership with Al-Quds University. Engaging with narratives different than our own is often difficult, but ultimately a partnership will help both universities empower productive voices who are interested in peace and understanding," he wrote. -Tate Herbert contributed reporting
(11/26/13 5:00am)
This past week, Brandeis celebrated Trans Awareness Week with a variety of events aimed at educating the student body about the needs of the transgender community, as well as the challenges it faces. The week was co-sponsored by TransBrandeis and the Intercultural Center. Trans Awareness Week is a nationally celebrated week that promotes awareness of the transgender community. According to the website of Fenway Focus, a group dedicated to serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community of Boston's Fenway neighborhood, Trans Awareness Week was first started by the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition to advocate for the transgender community. This year, the week was celebrated nationally from Nov. 11 to Nov. 17. It was recognized and celebrated at Brandeis between Nov. 18 and 24; this marks the third time Brandeis has celebrated the week. The dates differed for Brandeis, according to Sara Brande '15, the coordinator of TransBrandeis, because it was believed that having them cover an entire academic week would be a more effective way of reaching out to the community. TransBrandeis is a branch of Triskelion, Brandeis's umbrella LGBTQ group, which focuses on the transgender community at Brandeis. Brande said in an interview with the Justice that the week had seen a great showing from the community, and that the events had been "very well received." Jessica Pedrick, the program coordinator for sexual and gender diversity at the Intercultural Center, said in an interview with the Justice that the week was a strong success. "There seems to be a large interest in trans awareness on campus," she said. Pedrick said she mainly served in an advisory capacity for the week, meeting with representatives for each event to finalize details and ensure the proper resources were available and "supporting them any way they needed." On Monday, Nov. 19, the Queer Resource Center handed out cookies and informational pamphlets outside of the Usdan Student Center in an effort to promote Trans Awareness Week itself and general information about the transgender community to students. The event on Tuesday, Nov. 20 was the Trans Awareness Week Coffeehouse, which occurred in the ICC Swig Lounge. The coffeehouse received a "strong showing of support from the community," Brande said, and featured performances including a cappella groups, sketch comedy and individual acts. The ICC hosted an "Allies Brown Bag Lunch" on Wednesday in the Swig Lounge, which featured a discussion about the variations in gender identity and expression. The event was very successful, according to Pedrick, as a diverse group of individuals attended, including undergraduate and graduate students, and various staff members from the Interfaith Chaplaincy and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, among others. The brown bag lunch also "promoted the ICC," Brande said. "People don't always visit the ICC, and events like this help expose them to what it can offer," she added. On Thursday, the Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil took place in the Trisk Lounge. There, the names of some of the victims of transphobic murders were read aloud in a memorial service for the 238 reported victims of the past year. Brande said that this event was particularly difficult, as the number of victims "is 238 too many." On Friday afternoon, Trans Awareness week joined the Peace Vigil at the Peace Circle for a ceremony promoting peace among all people. The final event of the week, Queer Swim, occurred on Sunday at the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center. From 2:15 to 4:15 p.m., any person was able to use the male, female and handicapped locker rooms and pool entrances in an effort to promote gender inclusivity. "Basically, anyone [could] use whichever entrance they prefer to identify with," said Brande. "It is a great way to make the space more gender inclusive." Yesterday, a follow-up event called "Allies Topic Training: Coming Out" was held from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Swig Lounge. This discussion centered on how an individual can be a supportive ally, specifically with the challenges that follow when an individual considers whether to "come out" and disclose their sexual orientation, sexual preference or gender identity. Trans Awareness Week is not the only focus of TransBrandeis, however. A major initiative the group has focused on for two years has been implementing gender inclusive bathrooms in public buildings. "There are already gender inclusive bathrooms in many of the residence halls, which is great" said Brande. "The next step is pushing for more [gender inclusive bathrooms] in public buildings around campus." According to Brande, there are only four gender inclusive bathrooms in public spaces: one in the Intercultural Center, one in the Shapiro Campus Center and two in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Pedrick told the Justice that this initiative was "well under way," and that "the majority of the leg-work has been done, and now we have to compile the information into a report." She estimated that a motion would be submitted to the administration sometime during this academic year. *
(11/19/13 5:00am)
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams, in their home opener on Saturday against Wesleyan University at Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center, fought valiantly against the Cardinals but were not able to garner enough points to steal a victory. The men picked up eight individual victories on the afternoon while the women gathered just one victory and a handful of second-place finishes on the afternoon. "It's a lot of fun [to swim at home]," said Max Fabian '15. "Home meets are fun because you've got people there watching and everyone stepped up and did really well." The women, who fell by a final score of 217-35, began the day on a high note with a win in the 1000-yard freestyle. Theresa Gaffney '16 touched the wall ahead of Wesleyan junior Margaret Daly to finish the race with a time of 12 minutes, 5.60 seconds to Daly's 12:21.18. Gaffney just missed the podium in her next event-the 200-yard freestyle-when her time of 2:15.35 registered just eight one-hundreth of a second behind Wesleyan freshman Amy Hood. Fabian said he was particularly impressed with the way Gaffney has grown into a leader for the women's team so far. "[Gaffney is] a really hard worker and a great teammate," he said. "She came a long way as a teammate and really is great to have on the team. She does a really great job leading this year." The women's team was also barely out-touched in the 50-yard freestyle, as Fallon Bushee '16 fell to Wesleyan freshman Serena Zalkowitz by 10 milliseconds. Bushee's time of 25.96 seconds was an improvement on her time during the prelims but was not enough to overcome Zalkowitz. Elsewhere, the Judges received strong performances from Fabian, Brian Luk '16 and Edan Zitelny '17 to hold their own against a team with twice as many swimmers. Although the men fell by a 132-105 margin, the Judges gained two wins from Fabian and three from both Luk and Zitelny. Fabian continued to dominate the 1000-yard freestyle, recording a final time of 10:06.84, both an improvement on the preliminary time by two seconds and almost 23 seconds faster than the second-place finish. Fabian also took home a first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:57.59, nearly five seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Zitelny completed a strong day with wins in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley. He battled Wesleyan junior Stefan Brown in the 100-yard backstroke and finished with a commanding three-second victory over his Wesleyan opponent. Zitelny snuck past Wesleyan freshman Nathan Courville, finishing just 17 milliseconds before his counterpart. Zitelny once again edged an opponent in the 200-yard IM, securing a time of 2:06.84 that was just 21 milliseconds faster than Fabian's own finish. Zitelny impressed the veteran Fabian with his three wins for the day. "He's a great addition and he's happy to break out," said Fabian. "I'm excited to see what he can do." The Judges' eight individual wins were rounded out with three by Luk in the 200-yard, 50-yard and 100-yard events. Luk took home first in the 200-yard freestyle with a final time of 1:46.80, the 50-yard in 22.15, and finally, the 100-yard with a victory in 48.07 over Wesleyan senior captain Russell Madison. Both teams return to the pool this Saturday, traveling across Waltham to face their local rivals in a meet at Bentley University.
(11/19/13 5:00am)
In an action-packed tip-off tournament in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center this past weekend, the women's basketball team had two strong games to open the season, winning their first against Mount Ida College 74-39 on Friday and just narrowly losing the championship of the invitational to Colby College by a final score of 70-67 on Saturday. The championship game was a tightly fought contest throughout, with Colby making some key free throws and three pointers down the stretch to stave off a Brandeis charge. The charge was led by Judges guard Niki Laskaris '16, with 21 bench points, and forward Nicolina Vitale '14, who posted a double-double-15 points and 10 rebounds-in the narrow defeat. Despite the defeat, Vitale was very impressed with the offensive prowess of the new-look Judges. "The loss to Colby definitely hurt, but both games this weekend taught us a lot." she said. "We are building off last year in the sense of our work ethic and our identity as a team, but I think our energy is at a new level, and that's making a big difference." The energy was well evident as the team marched back from a 33-25 halftime deficit against the Mules to take a quick lead thanks to two big turnovers caused by forward Paris Hodges '17, who led the team in rebounds on the day. Forward Tori Dobson '16 had a strong showing off the bench, contributing six points of her own. Brandeis' second half lead would only get so far as four points in the second half by virtue of a mid-range jumper from Hodges, and from there it was a back and forth affair throughout the night. Colby took full advantage of the early double-bonus that a relatively undisciplined Brandeis defense granted them to regain the lead. Vitale commented on on allowing Colby these easy opportunities, noting that the team stands to improve their defense. "Where we fell short was our half court defense, and we know that's what we take pride in," she explained. "It's definitely something that's going to be stressed in practice, and we will carry into the rest of the season." While the Colby loss was difficult, the Judges proved their scoring prowess should not be questioned, as their first game against a very shorthanded Mount Ida team showed in Friday's win. After an initially tight first eight minutes during which Mount Ida led 13-12, Brandeis poured on an impressive offensive assault led by Vitale and Hodges. Guard Heather Cain '16 added five points and eight rebounds in a successful Brandeis debut for the transfer sophomore. This first half ended on a decisive 27-3 run for Brandeis that had the crowd going wild. Vitale led all scorers with 19 points and matched Cain's game leading total of eight rebounds. In what was an impressive showing on all fronts for Brandeis, the Judges' ability to control a game from the beginning in particular stuck out for Vitale. "Overall, it's nice to know the team has that fight in them right from the beginning, and each day we are improving," Vitale said. "We have a hard working and talented team, if we can continue that and do all the little things right, I think we have a very exciting season." Brandeis looks to build on their early-season successes with home games tonight and Saturday. *
(11/19/13 5:00am)
In an action-packed tip-off tournament in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center this past weekend, the women's basketball team had two strong games to open the season, winning their first against Mount Ida College 74-39 on Friday and just narrowly losing the championship of the invitational to Colby College by a final score of 70-67 on Saturday. The championship game was a tightly fought contest throughout, with Colby making some key free throws and three pointers down the stretch to stave off a Brandeis charge. The charge was led by Judges guard Niki Laskaris '16, with 21 bench points, and forward Nicolina Vitale '14, who posted a double-double-15 points and 10 rebounds-in the narrow defeat. Despite the defeat, Vitale was very impressed with the offensive prowess of the new-look Judges. "The loss to Colby definitely hurt, but both games this weekend taught us a lot." she said. "We are building off last year in the sense of our work ethic and our identity as a team, but I think our energy is at a new level, and that's making a big difference." The energy was well evident as the team marched back from a 33-25 halftime deficit against the Mules to take a quick lead thanks to two big turnovers caused by forward Paris Hodges '17, who led the team in rebounds on the day. Forward Tori Dobson '16 had a strong showing off the bench, contributing six points of her own. Brandeis' second half lead would only get so far as four points in the second half by virtue of a mid-range jumper from Hodges, and from there it was a back and forth affair throughout the night. Colby took full advantage of the early double-bonus that a relatively undisciplined Brandeis defense granted them to regain the lead. Vitale commented on on allowing Colby these easy opportunities, noting that the team stands to improve their defense. "Where we fell short was our half court defense, and we know that's what we take pride in," she explained. "It's definitely something that's going to be stressed in practice, and we will carry into the rest of the season." While the Colby loss was difficult, the Judges proved their scoring prowess should not be questioned, as their first game against a very shorthanded Mount Ida team showed in Friday's win. After an initially tight first eight minutes during which Mount Ida led 13-12, Brandeis poured on an impressive offensive assault led by Vitale and Hodges. Guard Heather Cain '16 added five points and eight rebounds in a successful Brandeis debut for the transfer sophomore. This first half ended on a decisive 27-3 run for Brandeis that had the crowd going wild. Vitale led all scorers with 19 points and matched Cain's game leading total of eight rebounds. In what was an impressive showing on all fronts for Brandeis, the Judges' ability to control a game from the beginning in particular stuck out for Vitale. "Overall, it's nice to know the team has that fight in them right from the beginning, and each day we are improving," Vitale said. "We have a hard working and talented team, if we can continue that and do all the little things right, I think we have a very exciting season." Brandeis looks to build on their early-season successes with home games tonight and Saturday. *
(11/19/13 5:00am)
While many of the other Brandeis sports teams have recently been making a name for themselves, the No. 22 women's cross-country team has quietly become one of the best Division III programs in the country this year. After a fifth-place finish at the New England Division III Regional Championships, held at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, the team qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships to be held next week at Hanover College in Indiana. Led by Amelia Lundkvist '14, who covered the six-kilometer course in 21 minutes, 28.85 seconds and was one of three Brandeis runners named All-New England, the team scored 168 points. Williams College won the meet, earning 44 points. "It feels like a great accomplishment," added Victoria Sanford '14, who earned All-New England honors by virtue of her top-35 finish. "This is a goal that we've had in mind since we got to Brandeis, so it was really exciting to finally achieve it. We worked extremely hard this summer and this season so far, so it's nice to see all our hard work pay off." Lundkvist echoed her teammate's excitement about the news. "It feels amazing, better than amazing, it's hard to put into words," she said. "It still feels surreal. I am so proud of this team." Additionally, the men's squad tied for 17th place with Westfield State University, scoring 480 points. Though Lundkvist has been the team's leading runner for the entire season, she has certainly had some fast teammates to complement her individual efforts. Maddie Dolins '17, the University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, covered the course in 21 minutes, 53.20 seconds, resulting in a 20th place finish and All-New England honors. Sanford placed right behind Dolins, who also earned All-New England designation with her 31st place finish, running in 22:11.10. Kelsey Whitaker '16 finished just outside the top 35, placing 38th in 22:19.68. Brandeis' top four runners each individually recorded less than six minutes per mile for their average pace-an impressive feat. Ashley Picarillo '17 was the team's final scorer, running 22:56.19, which resulted in a 73rd place finish. Additionally, Kate Farrell '17 placed in 129th with a time of 24:11.39 while Maggie Hensel '16 rounded out the field with a 132nd place finish, crossing the line at 24:13.61. While the men's squad didn't qualify for the national championships, the Judges still had a number of impressive performances. Jarret Harrigan '16 was the top finisher for the Judges, crossing the line 50th overall. Harrigan completed the eight-kilometer course in 25:54.55, a 22 place improvement from his performance at the same meet last year. Quinton Hoey '17 capped his impressive first-year campaign, taking 76th in 26:20.71. Grady Ward '16 was not far behind, taking 85th in 26:27.85. Michael Rosenbach '16 barely cracked the 27-minute barrier, placing 111th in 26:58.00. Matt Doran '17 completed the scoring for the Judges, running the course in 27:47.39 for 161st place. Given that the majority of the season's training has already been done, the women are looking to simply fine tune their fitness. "For this next week we're all really just working on making sure we're as fresh and well rested as we can be," explained Sanford. "At this point, all the training is already done, we just need to fine tune it to be at our best for this weekend." The Division III Championships begin on Saturday at 11 a.m.
(11/19/13 5:00am)
At the Senate's Sunday meeting, members voted to recognize two clubs and charter one. In addition, the Senate passed Senate Money Resolutions to fund the Midnight Buffet. Philosophically Speaking addressed the Senate requesting a name change to the Brandeis Philosophy Journal. The representatives said that they believe the current name deters students from submitting work, as they are not sure what the journal is about. In addition, the club wants to make the journal more structured and is undergoing a rebrand. The name change was unanimously approved. Another club, which would be a University affiliate of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, addressed the Senate to request recognition and charter. NARAL, which is a national organization with state affiliates, has currently sought to introduce chapters on college campuses. The representatives introducing the club stated that Boston University and Northeastern University currently have recognized chapters. The club was recognized with two abstentions and no objections. The club requested charter in order to host events. The representatives said that the funding would solely cover custodial costs and costs to reserve rooms on campus. The club was chartered with two abstentions and no objections. The Student Language Exchange approached the Senate after adding to its constitution, as suggested by the Senate last week. The club, which seeks to recruit tutors to teach students languages that are not taught at the University, was unanimously recognized. A $3,700 SMR for the food, drinks and decorations for Midnight Buffet was approved, in addition to a separate SMR for T-Shirts. The food SMR increased funding from last year to include more food, and the T-Shirt SMR includes 50 additional T-Shirts from last year. Both SMRs were approved. Executive Senator Annie Chen '14 announced that she had a T-Shirt design ready to share with the Senate. Class of 2017 Senator David Heaton delivered the Senate Dining Committee report. He said that there are still several possibilities being explored for the Stein, such as a sports bar or brick oven pizzeria. According to Heaton, the possibility of bringing in another franchise is not off the table. Heaton also mentioned the possibility of bringing another franchise into the Usdan Student Center. Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf delivered the Senate Sustainability Committee report. She said that the committee is currently working on its Brandeis Sustainability Fund proposals of getting toilets on campus with dual-flush capabilities, as well as adding a for-profit one acre farm to campus. Chair of the Social Justice and Diversity Committee Senator-at-Large Naomi DePina '16 said that a poetry slam will take place on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. The location is yet to be determined. East Quad Senator Andrew Savage '16 spoke on behalf of the Club Support Committee, and said that a list with several clubs that could potentially be de-chartered has been compiled. He said that many of these clubs are defunct, and that up to eight will be presented by next week to be de-chartered. Class of 2016 Senator Jon Jacob is currently working on an email notification system for the mailroom. Two proposals are in place: a simple email notification system or a card swipe kiosk with an email notification. According to Chen, the simple email system would require students to remember zone numbers for their packages, whereas the card swipe system would avoid that issue. Jacob also approached five local businesses on Friday regarding his WhoCash initiative, including Carl's Steak Subs, Tree Top Thai Cusuine, Sabatino's Italian Kitchen, Asia Wok and B'aan Thai. According to Jacob, Carl's Steak Subs, Tree Top and Sabatino's are "on board," but would like to know more about the percentage of commission they would make. Savage announced that tables for East Quad have been delivered and are currently in East. He also wants to create a proposal to shorten quiet hours on weeknights during vacations when students do not have classes the next day. Class of 2015 Senator Alison Zheng brought up issues with the BranVan in her report, and said that she would like to fix problems with pick-ups and drop-offs. In addition, senators discussed the possibility of requesting additional pick-up locations and having additional operators, as currently there is only one operator at a time answering phone calls from all University students. -Marissa Ditkowsky
(11/12/13 5:00am)
On Thursday night, Hold Thy Peace, Brandeis' Shakespeare theater group, premiered their production of Hamlet to a small but enthusiastic audience in the Shapiro Campus Center theater. Directed by Samantha LeVangie '15, the play stuck close to its original version, with some cuts to reduce the running time, which was already close to three hours with the cuts. There was also one major change: Horatio is a ghost. The play opened with Hamlet's best friend, Horatio (Aaron Fischer '15), seeing the ghost of Hamlet's father. In this version, however, since Horatio was also a ghost, this scene seemed redundant. In the playbill, LeVangie explained that she wanted to enhance the supernatural already found in Hamlet. Fischer sported ghastly makeup to lighten his pallor and a bloody gash on his cheek, but the change is confusing at first. Once I realized what Horatio was supposed to be, Fischer's performance as Hamlet's voice of reason was convincing, even if his new ghostly identity was not. Hamlet was volatile and his emotion did not seem forced, even in the over-the-top soliloquies that he had to recite while bounding around the stage. When Hamlet talked to himself, he didn't address the audience. Instead, he focused on a point on the stage to address at random, highlighting his alleged madness, which worked brilliantly. The music played in between scenes was appropriately ominous, and the prop as well as furniture changes in between scenes went smoothly. The set, designed and put together by Ryan Kacani '15, who also plays Claudius, was a dark medieval-style castle with colorful stained glass windows that offset the gray and black of the rest of the scenery. This set presented an odd contrast to the costume choices. At the start of the play, Hamlet (Alex Davis '15) wears jeans, a tuxedo-printed t-shirt and sneakers. The rest of the cast wore modern formal clothing, and in one scene Hamlet wore a suit and top hat, but other than that he was dressed casually. Hamlet is supposed to be a rebel, but the jeans were off-putting and out of place. In the scene where Hamlet and his family views the players' performance, Hamlet's costume was given the addition of a cane, which he wielded comically and effectively, adding personality to the otherwise unstable character. Another odd costuming element was the single leather glove, worn Michael Jackson-style throughout most of the play by Claudius. This could be seen as symbolic, since it is worn on the hand that presumably killed Hamlet's father, but came across as an out of place fashion choice for the murderous king. Ophelia, portrayed by Barbara Spidle '16, was a convincing Shakespearean maiden, even in her J. Crew-style pencil skirt and heels. She started out overly bubbly but progressed into a wailing state of madness by the end of the play. Spidle's talents were especially showcased in the scenes before Ophelia's death, wallowing around the stage, singing to herself and handing out flowers. Her portrayal of the grieving Ophelia lent sympathy to the character, who has gone mad but is also mourning the loss of her father. The other actors were spot-on as well, no matter the size of their parts. The small cast meant that many actors played multiple roles, which was only confusing in one scene. Rosencrantz and Gildenstern, played by Connor Wahrman '17 and Zack Kennedy '16, are pronounced dead, and shortly after the actors come back as two gravediggers at Ophelia's grave. It took me a minute to realize that Rosencrantz and Gildenstern did not come back from their graves to dig their own graves. Wahrman and Kennedy's performances are comical and they work well together as the inseparable pair. Max Moran's '17 performance as the eccentric, babbling Polonius, Ophelia and Laertes' father, warrants a special mention. Wandering around the stage and gesturing comically, he delivered Polonius's nonsensical ramblings with gusto and humor. The production went smoothly, and there were only a few minor slip-ups of the complicated Shakespearean dialogue. Overall, despite the odd choice of making Horatio a ghost and some unusual costuming, the play was an earnest rendition of Shakespeare's tragedy. Editor's note: Max Moran '17 is an Editorial Assistant for the Justice's Forum section.
(11/12/13 5:00am)
As any athlete can attest, sports locker rooms are a place like no other. The culture is regimented in its rules, yet loose in its methods of enforcing them. Leadership is the job description of the coaching staff, yet assumed by veteran players. The only way to gain respect is to perform. You do your job, and you'll become a welcomed member of the locker room. I have been an avid sports fan my entire life. I've lived, breathed and bled New York sports for as long as I can remember. The locker rooms of my favorite teams were a revered and abstract place that all my sports idols spoke about; it was the ultimate hub of sports culture. For my 11th birthday, my dad somehow scored tickets to an off-season training program with the New York Giants. The players taught us the fundamentals of tackling, throwing, running and blocking. At the end of the program all the kids got to talk to the players in the locker room itself. I will never forget conversing with Michael Strahan, famed defensive end and Amani Toomer, the always-reliable wide receiver, about what it's like to play football for a living. But the most noteworthy part was the way the players spoke about each other. They relentlessly made fun of each other, yet so evidently respected each other. Every jab or joke was taken in stride because the underlying level of respect always existed. In this vein, everyone who has ever called themselves a sports fan should be absolutely appalled at the current state of the Miami Dolphins locker room. On Oct. 28, rookie offensive lineman Jonathan Martin dismissed himself from the team after a dining hall altercation. In the ensuing days, more and more details continue to be publicized, mostly involving fellow offensive lineman Richie Incognito. Voicemails from Incognito using racial slurs, death threats and even recent reports of physical abuse have all been reported. Martin recently checked himself into a mental health hospital to help cope with the emotional damage that took place in this tumultuous environment. In his first public interview since the reports, which aired on Fox Sports this past Sunday, Incognito pushed part of the blame onto both Martin and all of sports culture. Incognito argued that all of the insults and abuse "came from a place of love" and that vulgar communication was normal among Dolphins players. Incognito continued, "All this stuff coming out, it speaks to the culture of our locker room, it speaks to culture of our closeness, it speaks to the culture of our brotherhood. And the racism, the bad words, that's what I regret most. But that is a product of the environment." Its not my fault, claimed Incognito, it's just what happens in the locker room system. Incognito has since been dismissed from the team. However, Incognito fundamentally misunderstands the culture of a locker room, which is why he sees minimal fault in his actions. Locker room culture is predicated on success; that's where one earns his stripes and earns his respect. It is therefore the responsibility of the rest of the locker room to create an environment for all to succeed in the long run. Pushing rookies to their physical and mental limits, within the scope of reason, is vital to each player reaching his ultimate potential. Just as associate lawyers are the last to leave the office, and first-year investment bankers wont see daylight as first-year employees, so too football players must work up the proverbial ladder to achieve the success and, subsequently, earn the respect of their peers. This "earn-your-stripes" environment is what Incognito was referencing when he claimed the behavior was "coming from a place of love" and simply an act of "brotherhood." He may have actually thought he was helping Martin reach his potential by acting in this manner-he seemed rather genuine in his interview. But there are fine lines between pushing one to reach his potential and basic harassment. Incognito blatantly crossed those lines with his deplorable behavior. Racial slurs have no positive implications whatsoever and physical abuse has no practical implications whatsoever. Michael Strahan, the New York Giants player I met as a child, now works as a commentator for Fox Sports. When asked if any hazing occurred during his tenure as the veteran leadership of the Giants, Strahan replied, "We never did anything like that." Strahan elaborated that the hazing on the Giants under his tenure from 1993 through 2007 consisted of having the rookies bring breakfast sandwiches on Friday and donuts and coffee on Saturday. Rookies learned their place in the locker room and respected their elders. Never offensive. Never harmful. The problem therefore lies not in locker room culture, but in how Incognito interpreted that culture. Veterans have an obligation to help rookies reach their full potential, and part of that process is learning to respect those who came before them. That, however, does not give Incognito, or any veteran player, the right to abuse anyone else. Incognito crossed the line that differentiates constructive hierarchy to harmful abuse. Hopefully, the rest of the sports world will learn from his mistakes and situations like this will never arise again. *
(11/12/13 5:00am)
As any athlete can attest, sports locker rooms are a place like no other. The culture is regimented in its rules, yet loose in its methods of enforcing them. Leadership is the job description of the coaching staff, yet assumed by veteran players. The only way to gain respect is to perform. You do your job, and you'll become a welcomed member of the locker room. I have been an avid sports fan my entire life. I've lived, breathed and bled New York sports for as long as I can remember. The locker rooms of my favorite teams were a revered and abstract place that all my sports idols spoke about; it was the ultimate hub of sports culture. For my 11th birthday, my dad somehow scored tickets to an off-season training program with the New York Giants. The players taught us the fundamentals of tackling, throwing, running and blocking. At the end of the program all the kids got to talk to the players in the locker room itself. I will never forget conversing with Michael Strahan, famed defensive end and Amani Toomer, the always-reliable wide receiver, about what it's like to play football for a living. But the most noteworthy part was the way the players spoke about each other. They relentlessly made fun of each other, yet so evidently respected each other. Every jab or joke was taken in stride because the underlying level of respect always existed. In this vein, everyone who has ever called themselves a sports fan should be absolutely appalled at the current state of the Miami Dolphins locker room. On Oct. 28, rookie offensive lineman Jonathan Martin dismissed himself from the team after a dining hall altercation. In the ensuing days, more and more details continue to be publicized, mostly involving fellow offensive lineman Richie Incognito. Voicemails from Incognito using racial slurs, death threats and even recent reports of physical abuse have all been reported. Martin recently checked himself into a mental health hospital to help cope with the emotional damage that took place in this tumultuous environment. In his first public interview since the reports, which aired on Fox Sports this past Sunday, Incognito pushed part of the blame onto both Martin and all of sports culture. Incognito argued that all of the insults and abuse "came from a place of love" and that vulgar communication was normal among Dolphins players. Incognito continued, "All this stuff coming out, it speaks to the culture of our locker room, it speaks to culture of our closeness, it speaks to the culture of our brotherhood. And the racism, the bad words, that's what I regret most. But that is a product of the environment." Its not my fault, claimed Incognito, it's just what happens in the locker room system. Incognito has since been dismissed from the team. However, Incognito fundamentally misunderstands the culture of a locker room, which is why he sees minimal fault in his actions. Locker room culture is predicated on success; that's where one earns his stripes and earns his respect. It is therefore the responsibility of the rest of the locker room to create an environment for all to succeed in the long run. Pushing rookies to their physical and mental limits, within the scope of reason, is vital to each player reaching his ultimate potential. Just as associate lawyers are the last to leave the office, and first-year investment bankers wont see daylight as first-year employees, so too football players must work up the proverbial ladder to achieve the success and, subsequently, earn the respect of their peers. This "earn-your-stripes" environment is what Incognito was referencing when he claimed the behavior was "coming from a place of love" and simply an act of "brotherhood." He may have actually thought he was helping Martin reach his potential by acting in this manner-he seemed rather genuine in his interview. But there are fine lines between pushing one to reach his potential and basic harassment. Incognito blatantly crossed those lines with his deplorable behavior. Racial slurs have no positive implications whatsoever and physical abuse has no practical implications whatsoever. Michael Strahan, the New York Giants player I met as a child, now works as a commentator for Fox Sports. When asked if any hazing occurred during his tenure as the veteran leadership of the Giants, Strahan replied, "We never did anything like that." Strahan elaborated that the hazing on the Giants under his tenure from 1993 through 2007 consisted of having the rookies bring breakfast sandwiches on Friday and donuts and coffee on Saturday. Rookies learned their place in the locker room and respected their elders. Never offensive. Never harmful. The problem therefore lies not in locker room culture, but in how Incognito interpreted that culture. Veterans have an obligation to help rookies reach their full potential, and part of that process is learning to respect those who came before them. That, however, does not give Incognito, or any veteran player, the right to abuse anyone else. Incognito crossed the line that differentiates constructive hierarchy to harmful abuse. Hopefully, the rest of the sports world will learn from his mistakes and situations like this will never arise again. *
(11/12/13 5:00am)
Basketball is a game of opportunity. An unexpected fast break down the court, an open three-point shot, or a foul leading to two key free throws can make all the difference. This philosophy, meanwhile, has guided Rashad Williams '02, the all-time leading scorer for the Judges' men's basketball squad, to be a Product Line manager in the Jordan Brand footwear line at Nike. "I get to create sneakers for a living, which is crazy," he said. "I go to work in jeans and a T-shirt and live out my passion, working with the brightest, most competitive sports minds to keep me motivated and focused." It sounds like the dream job for any die-hard basketball fan-and yet, it gets better. Williams collaborates with several of the top players in the National Basketball Association, including Los Angeles Clippers center Blake Griffin, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, to develop products that enhance their performance on the game's biggest stage. "I gain insights and help the best players in the NBA perform better on the court," he said. "As a player and fan who understands their lifestyles, this is the perfect fit." Yet, Williams' first big opportunity came from the most unlikely of places-a liberal arts school located in Waltham, Mass. As a senior forward from Woodside High School in Redwood City, Calif., Williams ultimately aspired to continue his playing career at nearby Stanford University. Brandeis men's basketball former assistant coach Wallace Johnson then entered the picture. Johnson coached Williams' Amateur Athletic Union team for two weeks during his sophomore year of high school. He only needed two weeks to know that Williams had the makings of a special talent. Johnson then placed a phone call to Williams in April of his senior year and pitched the opportunity to play for the Judges. Brandeis had never popped up on Williams' radar, which makes it understandable that he was reluctant to move 3,000 miles away from home. However, he then consulted with his best friend's father, a professor at Stanford, who knew of Brandeis' presige and told Williams to jump at the opportunity. The rest is history. Williams entered Brandeis in 1997 as a student in the Transitional Year Program. In the next five years, he proceeded to earn 1,928 points, shattering the previously established scoring record set by Rudy Finderson '58. He also recorded four All-University Athletic Association Honors and secured a spot on the UAA's Silver Anniversary Team. In addition to meeting his wife, Marsha Pierre-Jacques '01 at Brandeis, Williams took advantage of opportunities on the court to establish invaluable relationships. "The relationships I gained with my teammates were truly the greatest," he said. "It was rewarding to open my eyes to new people and new experiences. This environment is what sustained me in the long run." He also applied his passion on the court to his academics as an American Studies major, seeking to make the most of Brandeis' focus on social justice. That focus allowed him to capitalize on yet another transformative opportunity as an intern for the Oakland Raiders. "At the time, I was writing a final paper on the state of female executives in the NFL for a Women's and Gender Studies class called 'Gender in America,'" he said. "I then managed to track down Amy Trask, Chief Executive Officer of the Raiders at the time and interviewed her for my paper. One thing eventually led to another and I had the privilege to intern for the Raiders." After graduation, Williams received several offers from professional teams to play overseas, but he had his sights set on an entirely different career path. He began his career at a marketing and promotional agency in Boston for young adults and teens and eventually shifted to sales and consumer research, conducting analyses of companies such as New Balance, Nike, Timberland and Converse. It was at Brandeis, though, where Williams discovered his true passion. "I lived the [basketball] culture and knew about these [sneaker] brands," he said. "It definitely sparked interest in something I love to do." Williams got his first big break in FILA's tennis division. After nine months, he relocated back to the West Coast for a position on Adidas' lifestyle business line. For the past two years, he's been hard at work at Nike and relishes every moment of his current work experience. "I never expected something like this to happen, but the most important things are to always work hard and to consider all relationships and opportunities," he said. It is safe to say that Williams has been a leader in this game of opportunity-and has made a significant difference in doing so.
(11/12/13 5:00am)
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams both traveled to Worcester Polytechnic Institute this Saturday-the men taking on both WPI and Babson and the women taking on WPI, Babson, and Smith College. Even though both squads were defeated by significant margins, Brian Luk '16 had a positive outlook on the day; the closest margin of defeat for either team was 83 points. "We learned that it is a process toward success when it comes to [University Athletic Association]," he said. "We look back and think about how we can improve in our races in hindsight, which can be extremely important to us individually or as a team later as the season goes on." For the men, both Luk and Max Fabian '15 continue to be bright spots for a team that has had trouble finding early season success. Luk managed to pick up wins in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle, while breaking his previous best time in the 200-yard freestyle. Luk swam the race in 1:46.45, a full 1.63 seconds faster than his previous best time. He also managed to score second in the 50-yard freestyle, getting out-touched by WPI freshman Erick Burgwardt by .02 seconds. This marks the second time on the season that Luk has finished second in the 50-yard freestyle. Luk was quick to share his optimism of the first-years on the team. "I am impressed by the first-years," he said. "They are all very talented. They work hard every day, and I am sure they will do very well when it comes to UAA [Championships] by February," Fabian added a win of his own for the men in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:12.12. He also secured two second place finishes in the 500-yard freestyle and the 400-yard Individual Medley. Fabian was bested in the 500-yard freestyle by just .15 seconds by Babson senior Isaac Breen-Franklin who pulled off an impressive display in the final 50-yard stretch of the race when he managed to overtake Fabian. The 500-yard freestyle was emblematic of both the men's and women's struggles on the day. Joanna Murphy '17 was the lone bright spot for the women on Saturday as she managed to pick up a win in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:02.57, just barely beating out WPI senior Sonja Kent, who had led for the first 100 yards of the race. Murphy also managed to place third in the 200-yard butterfly while setting a personal best on the season with a time of 2:23.45. She also finished in fifth place in the 100-yard butterfly. Other top-five finishes by the women included Theresa Gaffney '16 in the 1000-yard freestyle, Fallon Bushee '16 in the 100-yard freestyle, and Gabby Drillich '15 in the 200-yard backstroke and 400-yard individual medley . Murphy and Luk are the young future that the swimming program has been looking for. The program has had trouble trying to grow in numbers over the past few years and in attracting talent to the small yet dedicated group. The process has been difficult after the closing of the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center forced the aquatics teams to be put on hiatus after the 2009 to 2010 season. Head coach Mike Kotch was hired in 2011 and tasked with rebuilding the program. While the performance in the pool is what the team focuses on week in and week out, it can be difficult when recruitment continues to be a major issue going forward for both of the teams. Luk thought that the team did well when it came to the aspects that the team could control. "I don't see any major problem that the team has in general," he explained. "We are all training very hard and this meet, along with any other meets going forward, are opportunities for everyone to practice racing and preparing for the UAA championship meet." Both the men's and women's teams will try to get their first wins of the season when they host Wesleyan University on November 16th in the Linsey Pool.
(11/12/13 5:00am)
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams both traveled to Worcester Polytechnic Institute this Saturday-the men taking on both WPI and Babson and the women taking on WPI, Babson, and Smith College. Even though both squads were defeated by significant margins, Brian Luk '16 had a positive outlook on the day; the closest margin of defeat for either team was 83 points. "We learned that it is a process toward success when it comes to [University Athletic Association]," he said. "We look back and think about how we can improve in our races in hindsight, which can be extremely important to us individually or as a team later as the season goes on." For the men, both Luk and Max Fabian '15 continue to be bright spots for a team that has had trouble finding early season success. Luk managed to pick up wins in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle, while breaking his previous best time in the 200-yard freestyle. Luk swam the race in 1:46.45, a full 1.63 seconds faster than his previous best time. He also managed to score second in the 50-yard freestyle, getting out-touched by WPI freshman Erick Burgwardt by .02 seconds. This marks the second time on the season that Luk has finished second in the 50-yard freestyle. Luk was quick to share his optimism of the first-years on the team. "I am impressed by the first-years," he said. "They are all very talented. They work hard every day, and I am sure they will do very well when it comes to UAA [Championships] by February," Fabian added a win of his own for the men in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:12.12. He also secured two second place finishes in the 500-yard freestyle and the 400-yard Individual Medley. Fabian was bested in the 500-yard freestyle by just .15 seconds by Babson senior Isaac Breen-Franklin who pulled off an impressive display in the final 50-yard stretch of the race when he managed to overtake Fabian. The 500-yard freestyle was emblematic of both the men's and women's struggles on the day. Joanna Murphy '17 was the lone bright spot for the women on Saturday as she managed to pick up a win in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:02.57, just barely beating out WPI senior Sonja Kent, who had led for the first 100 yards of the race. Murphy also managed to place third in the 200-yard butterfly while setting a personal best on the season with a time of 2:23.45. She also finished in fifth place in the 100-yard butterfly. Other top-five finishes by the women included Theresa Gaffney '16 in the 1000-yard freestyle, Fallon Bushee '16 in the 100-yard freestyle, and Gabby Drillich '15 in the 200-yard backstroke and 400-yard individual medley . Murphy and Luk are the young future that the swimming program has been looking for. The program has had trouble trying to grow in numbers over the past few years and in attracting talent to the small yet dedicated group. The process has been difficult after the closing of the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center forced the aquatics teams to be put on hiatus after the 2009 to 2010 season. Head coach Mike Kotch was hired in 2011 and tasked with rebuilding the program. While the performance in the pool is what the team focuses on week in and week out, it can be difficult when recruitment continues to be a major issue going forward for both of the teams. Luk thought that the team did well when it came to the aspects that the team could control. "I don't see any major problem that the team has in general," he explained. "We are all training very hard and this meet, along with any other meets going forward, are opportunities for everyone to practice racing and preparing for the UAA championship meet." Both the men's and women's teams will try to get their first wins of the season when they host Wesleyan University on November 16th in the Linsey Pool.
(10/29/13 4:00am)
Judah Friedlander, the actor, comedian and self-described world champion, well-known for his eccentric hats and his roles in 30 Rock, Zoolander and Meet the Parents, performed a stand-up routine in the Shapiro Gym on Friday, Oct. 25 as part of this year's Fall Fest. The opening act, performed by James Huessy, a comedian and student at Northeastern University, was short, no longer than around 15 minutes, and disappointing. Huessy's jokes, which ranged from rants about how much he hated his internship to a story about an interaction with a pigeon, fell short. When he made a transphobic joke about the Brandeis women's basketball team, the audience reacted with awkward silence. It was very odd that a non-Brandeisian was selected to open, especially when the University has many improvisation and stand-up groups with talented comedic performers. However, Friedlander did not disappoint. Amid whoops and cheers from the audience, he started off by thanking everyone for "a sitting ovation" and went on to talk about myriad of topics from politics to karate to his numerous world championships over the course of an hour. The show felt more like a dialogue between audience and comedian than a traditional performance. The material was funny and off-the-cuff and seemed like a mix of improv and prepared jokes and monologues. Friedlander was casual and conversational, throwing around phrases like "dude" and "you know" instead of being more formal and scripted. Oftentimes, in the middle of a thought, he would randomly call on a member of the audience, ask them questions about where they were from and what their major was and then would mock them relentlessly. Other times, he would invite the audience to call out answers to questions about sports, politics or whatever was on his mind. The focus of Friedlander's performance was on his self-described status of world champion, and most of his bits revolved around his various exploits, ranging from "[going] to DeVry Elementary School" to his ability to say "Rosetta Stone in over 500 languages" to the time he raced a cheetah and won. Part of Friedlander's charm comes from the fact that he is not the athletic powerhouse he claims to be. With straggly, slightly grey hair and a body that would never belong on the cover of Sports Illustrated, he just looks like someone's awkward uncle. But that's what makes his performance and status as world champion even more hilarious. However, his talents really came through when engaging with the audience. During one such engagement, Friedlander formally announced his plans to run for president in 2016 and invited everyone to ask questions about his platform. When asked about potential running mates, Friedlander looked the questioner straight in the eye and responded with "a hero does not need a sidekick" to laughter and applause. Other parts of the Friedlander platform included "mandatory gay marriage," cars with lower emissions that are powered by sexual energy and a plan to invade North Dakota because "if I'm psycho enough to invade my own country, imagine what I'd do to another country." Friedlander managed to handle sensitive topics, such as abortion and illegal immigration, with humor and seemingly without offending anyone in the audience. The audience had a number of questions for Friedlander, and he was more than happy to answer them. When asked about which of his ubiquitous hats was his favorite, Friedlander seemed outraged, retorting with "I don't play favorites." There were also many questions about 30 Rock. Friedlander quipped about how he "heard it [was] a good show, been meaning to watch it" and joked about the animalistic chemistry he and Tina Fey had at his first audition. Although sometimes Friedlander tripped up, one time quite literally over a stool, he calmly shook it off and would deliver yet another quip. Shapiro Gym, while packed with only a few empty seats, was not an ideal location due to the acoustics, which could make it difficult for Friedlander to hear the audience. At one point in the middle of the performance, during a question period, he simply admitted "I [couldn't] hear anything so I just rambled shit." Even if Friedlander was just rambling, as he claimed, he blew the audience away. Even after the show was supposed to end, he kept performing and answering various questions, and ended up staying around after the show to chat with students and take photographs. Judah Friedlander's performance was easily one of the best pieces of live stand-up I've ever seen. With a mix of deadpan humor, casual attitude and eagerness to interact with everyone present, he certainly blew me and the rest of the Brandeis community, away. *
