(01/21/14 5:00am)
In the first meet of 2014 on Saturday, the men's and women's swimming and diving teams hosted the Trinity College Bantams at the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center. Although the Judges shined on the individual level with several victories from Brian Luk '16 and Max Fabian '15, they failed to pull off the overall win. With an eight-man team, the men only lost by 33 points (139-106) to Trinity's squad of 17 swimmers. Their female counterparts, likewise, lost 138-71 to the Bantams. Joanna Murphy '17 led the way for the Judges, garnering two wins on the afternoon. She surged past the competition in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10 minutes and 50.78 seconds, touching the wall 22 seconds ahead of the second-place competitor. In addition to her victory in the 1000-yard freestyle, Murphy eked out a victory in the 200-yard freestyle in 2:02.02-slimly taking first by 15 hundredths of a second. Luk spoke fondly of Murphy as one of the newest, and brightest, additions to the team. "I think she did an amazing job as she swam in almost all of the events and won a number of them," he commented. "Moreover, her attitude toward swimming more events than usual is very positive. We are very proud of her performance, and glad to have her as a teammate." Fabian continued his strong start to the season, winning in both the 1,000 and 500-yard freestyle races. He clinched a victory in both races over Trinity freshman Tom McNamara, finishing the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:08.46 and the 500-yard freestyle in 5:03.33. Fabian out-swam McNamara by 39 seconds in the 1,000-yard freestyle and established a 10-second lead in the 500-yard freestyle. Luk, who seemed to thrive with the support of a home crowd, won all three events in which he participated, including the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle. "I think the atmosphere was amazing," he explained. "Competing at home feels great as we are familiar with the pool, specifically the walls and blocks." In addition to impressively picking up three victories, Luk out-paced the competition by at least 1.5 seconds in all of his events. Luk won the 50-yard freestyle race in 22.46 seconds, the 100-yard freestyle in 48.71 seconds and the 200-yard freestyle in 1:49.06. Edan Zitelny '17 impressed the competition by finishing first in the men's 200-yard backstroke. Zitelny clinched the victory by a slim margin of only .48 seconds over the second-place finisher. As both the men's and women's teams begin to prepare for the finale in this swimming season-the University Athletic Association Championships hosted by Emory University in Atlanta in February-Luk noted the team is focusing on improving and attaining a long sought-after goal. "The team's ultimate goal is doing well [at] the UAA championship meet," he stated. He additionally said that Saturday's meet against the Bantams proved to be another solid step toward team-wide success at the upcoming Championships. "[It's] great to get our minds to racing and preparing for the big meet later," he added. Both teams will jump back in the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center after a two-week hiatus to host local rival Clark University on Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. *
(01/21/14 5:00am)
An article in News indicated that the University eliminated its secure network. The University still has a secure network, however, it just replaced Brandeis_secure with eduroam. (Jan. 14, p. 5) The Men's Basketball standings in Sports included Emory University twice and excluded Washington University in St. Louis. (Jan. 14, p. 15) The cover of the Arts section should have stated the year of publication as 2014, rather than 2013. (Jan. 14, p. 17) Brandeis Talks incorrectly identified Eva Chu ' 14 as Eva Chill '14. (Jan. 14, p. 24) Morgan Brill '17 helped to compile Brandeis Talks, as well as Lilah Zohar '14 and Josh Horowitz '14. (Jan. 14, p. 24) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@thejustice.org.
(01/21/14 5:00am)
On Thursday, the Golding Health Center sent out an email to the Brandeis community introducing students to new University Nutritionist Carolyn Butterworth. Butterworth will serve students from the campus' Health Center, adopting the responsibilities of former University Nutritionist Laura O'Gara. In addition to working in the Health Center, Butterworth will begin working with Sodexo's nutritionist at Brandeis, Kate Moran. Butteworth was hired on Dec. 12, but did not begin seeing students clinically until last Friday. Butterworth's main role on campus will be working with students to develop healthier eating habits, offering assistance for student athlete diets and eating disorder counseling. Additionally, Butterworth is available to discuss dining options for students with food allergies. "I wish to promote health and wellness in the Brandeis community," wrote Butterworth in an email to the Justice. "I seek to be a resource to students who are experiencing some [gastroenterological] issues, weight issues, nutrition problems related to stress as well as student athletes and students looking to improve overall health," she continued. Butterworth wrote that college is a critical time for students to construct healthy eating habits, and, that as students learn to become independent, they must learn to make healthy dietary choices that will ultimately shape their eating habits later in life. However, Butterworth said she recognizes that the on-campus selections may not be suited to students' dietary needs for medical or other reasons. She and Moran plan to increase resources for students who lack access to proper nutrition on campus. According to the email sent out Thursday, Butterworth has previous experience working with youth. She has worked as a consultant for multiple preparatory schools and universities, including Wellesley College. In addition, she currently works in the Massachusetts General Hospital in the pediatric gastroenterologist clinic. Butterworth has an extensive background with dietary and digestive disorders and sports nutrition, with a focus on newborns to young adults. Butterworth earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Hampshire and her master's in clinical exercise physiology from Northeastern University. She is also a registered dietician and nurse. Students may schedule counseling appointments with Butterworth in the Health Center, which is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Butterworth is available for appointments on Tuesdays and every other Friday.
(01/14/14 5:00am)
A new year brings with it new resolutions, challenges and opportunities for self-improvement. 2013 was an eventful year for the college: Sodexo took over as the dining services provider, new administrators sat down in executive seats, the University suspended a 10 year partnership with Al-Quds University, and a front page article in The Boston Globe discussing President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz's compensation package led to petitions and protests. As the first semester of 2014 begins, what changes woul you like to see in the University? Prof. Bernadette Brooten (NEJS) I dream of a Brandeis that is free of violence, economically just, and active in pursuing peace in the Middle East and elsewhere. Unfortunately, students report that sexual and other gender-based violence is frequent, devastating and usually unreported. I dream of a day when everyone is trained in bystander intervention, and all staff and faculty know how to prevent and respond to such violence. If violence is in our own backyard, so too is economic injustice. The lowest-paid Sodexo workers earn $12.70 per hour, while senior administrators' compensation have ballooned, and the number of highly paid administrators increased. If these high salaries came down, everyone could earn a living wage of at least $15 per hour. The Daniel Terris, Susan Lanser, and Daniel Kryder report satisfies me that Al-Quds's administration vigorously opposed the hateful November demonstration. I hope that Brandeis will apologize to President Nusseibeh for its precipitous action and ask to re-establish the partnership. Prof. Bernadette Brooten (NEJS) is the Kraft-Hiatt Professor of Christian Studies, and the director of the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project. * Stephanie Grimes
As I look to 2014, I have many hopes for this upcoming year at Brandeis. I would love to see the passions of our community come through to the University not because it looks good in an Admissions video or brochure, but because it is truly a picture of what our students can accomplish. I want students to be involved in what matters to them-whether that is the creation of a conference dedicated to the discussion around Israel, excelling on the sports field or choreographing a dance for their peers to perform in the next show. I want all of us to do things like this because we want to-not because it looks good on our resumes or we want to look good for our supervisors. I would like the students to continue to push the minds of our professors and administrators to think beyond what they know to what they can imagine. Too many times in 2013, I heard comments like "well, I need to do this for my resume" or "if I say no to this project, will I still have a job?" We need to get back to doing things because we want to ... because we love it. Stephanie Grimes is the Director of Student Activities. * Sahar Massachi '11 MA '12
Why did some of the most brilliant minds of the '40s decide to teach at a no-name school with barely any students? Maslow, Roosevelt, Bernstein, etc. came here because Brandeis was meant to be something amazing: a university committed to social change. For the first time in well over 10 years, we have a chance at moving toward that vision, instead of continued backsliding. But should Brandeis run like a non-corrupt corporation, or a non-corrupt social justice university? A Brandeis true to our values would allow students, faculty, and staff an equal say in decision-making. There would be faculty, worker, student, and alumni seats on the Board of Trustees; a cap on administrative salaries tied to our lowest wage; student, faculty and worker input on the budget; a just cause firing language for staff; a written commitment to place students on all search committees regarding hiring administration; not to mention urgent non-structural priorities like divesting from fossil fuels, diversifying our faculty and freezing tuition. It's time to remember why Brandeis was founded in the first place. Sahar Massachi '11 M.A. '12, works at the Wikimedia Foundation and started the "Petition for Fair Executive Pay" on actionnetwork.org. * Daniel Mael '15
Last semester was my first at Brandeis University and I tried my best to get a sense of the atmosphere of Israel-related activity on campus. While I was impressed by the vast programming available, it became evident that there are still many apathetic students. As I enter my second semester here in Waltham, I hope even more students elect to speak up about Israel, whether it is Israeli-Arab politics or simply why Israel matters to them. The number of students who care about and talk about Israel on a daily basis is already truly remarkable, and I look forward to seeing additional students voice their opinions and engage in dialogue. With speakers coming to campuses on a weekly basis, I can think of no better arena in the United States for young college students to explore everything and anything related to Israel. I hope everyone, regardless of their previous knowledge, takes advantage of Brandeis' unique climate. Daniel Mael '15 is the President of Students for Accuracy about Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
(01/14/14 5:00am)
A photograph in Features failed to credit a photographer. The photograph should have been attributed to Josh Horowitz. (Dec. 10, p. 9) The caption of a photo in Sports should have identified its subject as Julian Cardillo, not Jullian Cardillo. (Dec. 10, p. 13) The artwork shown on the Arts section cover was not properly attributed. The painting shown was by Mara Sassoon '14. (Dec. 10, p. 17) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@thejustice.org.
(01/13/14 5:00am)
David Lazarovich '16, a specialist in the breaststroke and the individual medley, has hopes to further mold the sport at Brandeis just two years after the restoration of the swimming and diving team. "It's a rare opportunity to be part of a swim team but even rarer to make a new name," he said. We plan on improving that name every single year." The varsity swimming and diving team came to life with the reopening of the pool in the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center in January of 2012 and, much like Lazarovich, has flourished ever since. He holds the top times for the 2012 to 2013 season in the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke. His top time for the 50-yard backstroke registers just 2.74 seconds behind the all-time school record. However, Lazarovich has stated his determination to push himself into the record books. "It's a matter of training harder, which should result in faster times," he explained. "That's the only thing you can do is move up that list." Lazarovich has done his part to improve his swimming this year, pointing out recent success in the Judges' last meet in December, where he recorded a top-10 finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. "The season is going really well compared to last season where it was the first season of college swimming, and I've already been faster at [our meet at Worcester Polytechnic Institute]," he said. Even though he does not focus on the sroke, Lazarovich also holds the second-fastest time from 2012 to 2013 in the 200-yard backstroke, a feat he does not overlook. "Before college swimming, I swam everything and breaststroke was just better," he observed. "When I got to college the coach and I decided breaststroke would be my stroke, but it is good to be exposed to other strokes. If training for [the individual medley] means training for 200, I'll do that." Any chance for a top time or personal best, I'll take it." As the University Athletic Association Championships quickly approach, held from Feb. 12 to 15 at Emory University, Lazarovich has his mind set on the record books. "For the next two weeks we're focusing on keeping intensity and then championships," he said. "I could easily gain three seconds on turns, so that's something I'll be focusing on for the next three weeks. Things are looking good for the end of the season and hopefully going to finals." In addition to personal goals in the pool-two minutes and 12 seconds or faster in the 200-yard breaststroke and under a minute in the 100-yard breaststroke-Lazarovich has goals for the Judges outside the pool as well. "We're forging our image and we try to keep up that image," he noted. Lazarovich cited the pride individual swimmers take in the program-from talking up the team to wearing their team jackets around campus-as an effective way of building a name for the program. "The whole process is inspiring and you see everything growing so quickly and it's an opportunity that doesn't come around often," he said. "Overall the experience will help me in the long run." Lazarovich and the rest of the Judges look forward to making a name both in the pool and around campus in the upcoming months.
(01/13/14 5:00am)
Women's basketball forward Maria Jackson '17 almost looked like she could do it again. Jackson led the Judges with a career-high 18 points in a 73-35 rout of the University of Massachusetts Boston on Jan. 6. On Saturday, in her team's game against New York University, she guided the Judges to a 25-24 lead at halftime, contributing six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. She traded baskets in the first half with the Violets' star sophomore guard Riley Wurtz. However, at the start of the second half, Jackson lost her touch and Wurtz continued to show the hot hand, leading NYU on a quick 10-0 run. Brandeis failed to truly recover, dropping their University Athletic Association opener by a tight 67-57 margin. Brandeis stormed into Coles Sports Center with momentum on its side. In the first half, the Judges matched each run the 11-1 Violets had to offer. A 6-0 NYU lead soon turned into a 7-6 Judges advantage. The Violets surged ahead to a 22-15 lead, but again, Brandeis had an answer, countering with its own 10-0 run. At halftime, the Judges were primed for a major upset, looking to deal the Violets just their second loss of the season. Brandeis' defense was firing on all cylinders, limiting the prolific NYU offense to just a 27.5 shooting percentage. Jackson stated that the squad was in its most ideal situation here. "As a team we decided to really work on playing as a cohesive unit and playing for each other. We want our game to be five people on the court being successful together," she said. However, the game proved to be a tale of two halves. The Violets' sizable 48-35 rebounding advantage and the Judges' 15 turnovers ultimately determined the outcome of the game. NYU, using its 10-0 run to open the second half would not relinquish the lead. Yet, with four minutes, 32 seconds left, guard Janelle Rodriguez '14 nailed a jumper that brought the Judges within striking distance. NYU had one last run in store, reeling off five uncontested points to secure the victory. Rodriguez led the team with 13 points while Jackson once again reached double digits, recording 10 points and three steals. Center Angela Miller '14 led the Judges with eight rebounds in the loss. The Judges fall to 6-6 after securing three wins in their past four games. Brandeis also fell to Trinity College on Jan. 4 in a 71-57 decision. Meanwhile, against UMass Boston on Jan. 6, the outcome was all but certain from the first minute. The Beacons looked lost on offense, missing their first 17 shots. Junior center Kristin Morrison secured the first basket with just 5:36 left in the first half, but by then Brandeis had run away with the game. The Judges were up 28-10, and by the second half, Brandeis had all of the momentum. After two quick UMass Boston baskets to trim the deficit to 28-18, the hosts raced out on a 10-0 scoring run. By the 7:43 mark, the lead was up to 31 points after a smooth break-away layup from rookie guard Paris Hodges '17. From there, the Judges cruised to a 73-35 victory. Jackson led the offensive outburst, securing 18 points on seven-of-10 shooting. Forward Nicolina Vitale '14 also recorded double digits, scoring 13 points and, additionally, securing a team-high three steals. Hodges and Miller were effective on the boards, contributing seven rebounds apiece. Just two days earlier against Trinity, though, it was a different story. In that game, Brandeis failed to gain control. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, featuring four ties and six lead changes, the last of which resulted in a 35-30 Trinity advantage. After recording the first two scores of the second half, Trinity eyed a chance to put the game to bed. The Judges made sure that was not the case, answering with four forced turnovers and a 14-4 scoring run. Guard Kasey Dean '14 brought the Judges back into the game after a 12-2 Trinity run, converting a steal into a layup that cut the deficit to 55-48 with just under nine minutes remaining. Trinity, though, made sure Brandeis wouldn't score again, securing a 71-57 win. Vitale led the team with 14 points and Dean proved to be a presence in the paint with six rebounds. Brandeis looks to recover from its second-half collapse in New York with two critical UAA matchups. Jackson, in looking ahead to future matchups, noted how important it will be to move past adversity. "The conference schedule will definitely be tougher than what we've had so far so we just plan to focus and keep working in practice and get better every day. Our team is never one to give up. We always work hard and play until the end and we are going to need that for our next games," she said. The Judges will travel to play the University of Washington in St. Louis on Friday, and then the University of Chicago on Sunday.
(01/13/14 5:00am)
The top collegiate fencers in the nation will officially be convening in Waltham come the 2016 season. In a video release on December 11, 2013, the NCAA announced Brandeis will host the 2016 National Collegiate FencingChampionships at Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The meet will bring nationally-ranked fencers together from Divisions I, II and III. Following 1994, 1999, and most recently, 2004, the 2016 edition of the NCAA tournament will mark the fourth time that the Judges have hosted the meet. The Judges, encouragingly, have had success in years that they have hosted the tournament. Brandeis produced All-Americans in two of the three years as hosts and earned a school-record 12th overall finish in 1999. Coach Bill Shipman outlined how the hosting opportunity came to fruition for the University. "Since we hosted the tournament [in 2004], it was always in the back of our minds to host in the future, and I proposed to [Director of Athletics] Sheryl [Sousa] '90 to put our name in the bidding process," he explained. "Nowadays, more schools want to host-probably to give a better opportunity to win. Sheryl went through the process and paperwork and I think they wanted to come back to the East Coast." Shipman also expressed his excitement for the opportunity to host such a prestigious event. "The last three or four tournaments have been at big cities and at big universities, like Ohio State University, so it's a little unusual," he continued in his explanation. "We're one of the only [Division III] schools to host in recent history, so it gives us a lot of visibility as coaches and parents come to the area. Hosting puts our name on the fencing map a little better, and it's pretty exciting some times. Some people who don't see fencing come out and see the tournament-students, faculty and staff-which is nice." Shipman stated that, in hosting the tournament, fencers will have extra incentive to perform above and beyond expectations. "It certainly gives extra motivation to fencers who have the capability to make NCAAs and to make NCAAs in front of a home crowd is a nice addition to the honor of being there ... but it's not as easy as it used to be," he noted. He also stated that the announcement illuminated the development of the school's fencing program. "I'd like to think [that our program has developed], and [our hosting] lets people know we have a solid program and the Athletics department believes enough in fencing and is willing to showcase the department, facility and everything," he said. The selection of Waltham came as part of a new NCAA Championship bidding system, which created the largest host-site announcement ever. The NCAA announced 82 championships across a four-year cycle in December, a move designed to allow the host sites as much time as possible to plan the championship. "We really want to thank everyone who put in a bid," said Mark Lewis, NCAA Executive Vice President of Championships and Alliances, in a press release on Dec. 11 that accompanied the announcements earlier that day. "The competitiveness of the bids made it extremely difficult for the sport committees to select sites as there just weren't spots for all of the great bids we received. "Ultimately the sites that were selected will provide our student-athletes, coaches and fans the best experience possible." Shipman, in his remarks, also chose to affirm Lewis' comments. "In general, I think it's a good idea," he said. "Obviously it gives more time for facilities and publicity. Two or three years are a good amount of time." The NCAA also announced the 2017 and 2018 hosts of the tournament in the video release, confirming that the tournament will stay around the East Coast. The nation's top fencers will visit the University of Notre Dame in Fishers, Ind. and Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa. in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
(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. *
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
