(04/16/13 4:00am)
If elected as Student Union president, you will take over the reins of a Union that has both many strengths and weaknesses. What is the biggest flaw in the current state of the Union, and how do you plan to rectify it? David Clements '14 * The biggest flaw in the current state of the Student Union is the perception students have of both its role and its potential. The goals of the Student Union, according to its website, are to "improve University life, advocate for student needs, and protect student rights." Unfortunately, as of late, the Union has not succeeded in accomplishing these goals. As Student Union president, I vow to refurbish the image of the Union from being a governing body looking down on clubs to being a true service for the student body through which they can voice their concerns, propose initiatives and have a real voice. As president, I will accomplish this goal through a more aggressive approach to the administration and Board of Trustees-treating them as partners, not superiors-more advertisement of Union projects and accomplishments, increasing our co-sponsorship and support of individual clubs; promoting and advertising the accomplishments of individual students and clubs; and ensuring that I, along with the rest of the Union, is more approachable, open and responsible to student needs. I truly believe that once the Union gets more "out there," its image will change for the better, thereby improving student life and the trust that the student body has in us. After all, the Union belongs to the students. * David Clements '14 is the Student Union treasurer, the Undergraduate Departmental Representative for the Politics department and a former member of the Student Advisory Board to the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
* Ricky Rosen '14
* I would say that the most prominent flaw in the Union is that its mission has become somewhat unclear; we are not here to cater to the needs of the administration-the Student Union exists to represent students and act on their behalf. The Union president should not be afraid to speak up on behalf of the 3,500 students he or she represents. I would remedy this weakness by raising my voice on the things that matter most to Brandeis students: one, dining; two, housing; and three, tuition. I would advocate for more compromise in all of those areas; In dining, I would work on reforming the structure of the meal plans and push for more on-campus dining options during vacations. In terms of housing, I would speak up on behalf of those students who cannot afford to live on campus. Finally, I would fight for transparency in the budget process; students should know where every penny of the 59,000 we're paying for tuition goes-we should also know what changes are being proposed before it is too late to change them. I am not afraid to speak up for students on the issues about which they care the most. * Ricky Rosen '14 is the Student Union executive senator, Class of 2014 Senator, a Student Conduct Board member and former Vice-President of the Brandeis Libertarian Conservative Union.
* Daniel Schwab '14
* As the senator of Charles River/567 over the past year, I have been exposed to a number of major issues within the student government. The most important issue we can improve upon is transparency of the Student Union's role with the student body, particularly strengthening the role of the senate. The senate's role in the union is to voice the issues of their constituents. However, over the past year senators have been both ill prepared for their responsibilities and not fully informed of their capabilities. To prevent a loss of information between annual elections of senators, I believe that a one-week senate-training program should be instituted. This program will entail having elected senators sit down with more experienced senators to discuss past initiatives and the overall role of a senator. Through this program the legislative branch of the student government will be more effective in voicing the student body's concerns to the administration. These smaller changes will aid in creating a more cohesive Student Union. * Daniel Schwab '14 is the current Charles River/567 senator, a member of the Hunger and Hopelessness for Waltham Group, and a member of the Services Campus Operations Work group.
*
(04/16/13 4:00am)
Like many of my peers, the past few weeks and months have been spent editing r?(c)sum?(c)s, writing endless cover letters, eagerly awaiting responses and doing phone interviews. March and April is internship season, when many of us search for working opportunities and experience in fields we are interested in. Of the three government internships I applied for this summer, all of them are unpaid. Of the internships during the school year I have had, they too have been unpaid. As an intern, I did secretarial and research work, made copies, wrote letters, found background for upcoming legislation and I enjoyed my experience and found it incredibly worthwhile, regardless of pay. However, unpaid internships are unethical, and not because high school and college students work between 20 to 40 hours a week, doing work that an adult secretary or staffer would get paid to do. Unpaid internships give students and young people the experience they would otherwise not be able to get and also can help students get ahead faster. They are unethical for social class reasons. I am lucky enough to be from a family that can support me so that I can come home for summer break and take an internship for no pay. Not everyone is that lucky. Many young people who might want to intern at a law firm or a science lab or for a professor, cannot do so for financial reasons and must get a job in the service industry or retail instead. There is nothing wrong with holding a part- or full-time job during the summer. Summer and school year jobs provide students with work experience and money. However, there is a big difference between being able to put down on your r?(c)sum?(c) that you served an elected official or an esteemed scientist versus waiting tables or babysitting. In no way am I trying to say that one is superior to the other. Unpaid internships and paid work experience are equally beneficial and important, and I wish I had more of the latter. However, not every employer or graduate school will necessarily think so. Like it or not, some schools and employers will be impressed by work experience and work ethic, while others would rather see internships at big-name firms. I'm not saying that every single employer or grad school will feel this way, and many do look at work experience, but that cannot always be guaranteed. There are a few solutions I've come up with for fixing this problem with unpaid internships, and the inherent ethics issues that come with them. The easiest, and best, option for students, obviously, would be to pay students minimum wage or above for the time they spend working. Not only would young people get the necessary work experience that they need to get ahead in their fields, but everyone, regardless of socioeconomic class, would have the opportunity to pursue their passions without worrying about the financial cost. Students wouldn't have to give up on an internship because it is not financially feasible. Obviously, this is not the best solution for firms and employers, and therefore is very unrealistic. Companies have no legal reason to offer any sort of compensation for those who would be working for free. However, given that some of the best and brightest students cannot afford to work for free, companies should try to figure out some balance between profits and attracting young minds who otherwise could not work an internship over a paying job. A more realistic idea would be to provide unpaid interns with some sort of stipend for areas like transportation, food or other common necessities. For example, if a student wanted to intern at a bank, the bank could provide them with some money to buy work appropriate clothing, or if an internship requires public transportation, the intern would get a Charlie Card for free from the company. Alternatively, internships could only be part-time jobs. That way, students could work a paid job and still have the opportunity to try out something they are passionate about. It does not cost a business or the government or a hospital any extra to have two unpaid interns splitting a full work load than it would to have one unpaid intern doing the work by themselves. If anything, part-time internships could increase productivity. Unpaid internships are great, and I've enjoyed all the ones I've done. Employers and groups that offer unpaid internships can and should consider how to make the socioeconomic factors that restrict smart young people from pursuing such opportunities less of an issue. Anyone who can intern, should be able to take an unpaid internship and not worry about the financial burden. *
(04/16/13 4:00am)
The Union presidential candidates expressed their ideas and platforms to the Justice. Daniel Schwab '14 I consider myself ... very social ... I believe that I'm able to communicate very well and efficiently with the student body ... I'm not a candidate who's going to get stepped on by the administration, I'm going to be the voice of the students and push the administration to get what we need and make life more suitable and convenient for the students at Brandeis. [T]here's a problem on campus ... [T]here's not a lot of time to study ... I believe as a very academically-driven university, that 24/7 library hours is something that should be established year-round ... Also, the funds that can be diverted from Einstein's [Bros. Bagels] to EcoGrounds, in addition to keeping at least the green room open 24/7 ... Additionally, I'd like to open the bar on campus, at the Stein, as a sports bar, keeping it open throughout the week ... I feel like it would promote a safer environment if [the bar were] controlled by the University, in addition to the fact that it would have a nice place for the students to hang out and collaborate, talk and socialize. David Clements '14 I've proven myself as the treasurer, which is probably the hardest, most rigorous position .... As part of the Union, I was an assistant treasurer as a freshman and sophomore and then treasurer for this year ... I also understand that I was not able to do this alone. Thankfully, I have 10 assistant treasurers who were able to do a lot of the work with me. I was able to delegate and because of this, I understand the need to delegate in order to get things done but at the same time maintain a responsible and business-like atmosphere within the Union. I've proven myself to be not only accessible to student leaders and student clubs, but I've also been a past club leader ... I think the main issue with the Student Union now is that we're viewed as a governing body looking over the students, and looking over student clubs and controlling their finances ... I plan on changing the image of the Student Union to being a resource for students, to being the segue for students through which they can voice their concerns, propose an initiative ... I just plan on getting more out there, having a presence on campus, Ricky Rosen '14 In my two years in the Student Union, I have demonstrated that I am a proven leader and a proven representative who will not stop until the needs of his constituents are satisfied. As the Class of 2014 Senator, I achieved nearly all of my goals to reform dining, including creating the Senate Dining Committee, adding items to the [Provisions on Demand Market] meal plan, extending [its] hours on Saturday nights and Einstein's hours on Sunday afternoons. Students have come to me over the last two years with a multitude of issues, and they have trusted me to address their concerns with university officials ... I am driven and endlessly determined to carry out every single one of my goals. If elected ... [i]f Aramark stays the provider, I would push for students to have the ability to use more than one meal per meal period and allowing unused meals to carry over into additional guest meals until a limit of 15 guest meals is reached. If Aramark is not the service provider, I would fight for students to have a say in what dining options are available ... I would work to expand Brandeis's work-study program since there are a considerable number of students eligible for Federal Work Study who were not able to find on-campus employment (myself included). By working with the Provost, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Hiatt, I would be able to create more jobs in offices across campus for which only Work-Study students are eligible. My other major goal is for the Union would be to find new ways to connect with the student body-this would involve working with BTV and Getz Media Lab on creating entertaining monthly video updates to inform the student body of Union initiatives.
(04/16/13 4:00am)
At Thursday's faculty meeting, Provost Steve Goldstein '78 announced that Prof. Robin Feuer Miller (GRALL) has been awarded a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship to work on a book project. Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren also named the winners of several teaching awards, as well as the five Student Achievement Awards given to current sophomores with impressive academic and extracurricular accomplishments. According to a BrandeisNOW press release, Miller is one of 175 academics awarded a 2013 Guggenheim fellowship out of 3,000 applicants. Her project will be about two 19th-century Russian novelists, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy, both of whom she has written books about previously. "I was deeply honored that my proposal ... garnered enough support to result in my becoming a Guggenheim Fellow," she said in an interview with the Justice. "I think what is most special to me is to receive an award that is shared by so many creative artists in fields like photography, poetry and fiction writing. It seems to me that the Guggenheim Foundation strives to honor creativity in a wide variety of fields. In our day and age that is especially affirming to the values which I most cherish." "I am so excited about tackling this project and by the Guggenheim Foundation's support of it-I can't wait to start," said Miller, according to the press release. Miller will be a Visiting Fellow at St. Edmund Hall next year at the University of Oxford, according to the press release. Teaching Awards Also at Thursday's faculty meeting, Birren announced the four 2013 winners of the teaching and mentoring awards for the School of Arts and Sciences. Prof. Don Katz (PSYC) won the Lerman-Nebauer '69 Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring. "My Brandeis students are the ones who inspire me to perform, ... which is enough of a 'gift' for me (my interactions with the Lerman Neubauer fellows, who carry the same name as my award, have been particularly inspiring)," he wrote in an email to the Justice. "The fact that they then turn around and give me ANOTHER gift-the gift of good evaluations-makes me feel ... lucky and well loved." Prof. Sara Shostak (SOC) was awarded the Michael L. Walzer '56 Award for Teaching. "I was absolutely thrilled to receive the Michael L. Walzer '56 Award for Teaching," said Shostak in an email to the Justice. "I love teaching at Brandeis. I am inspired by the students in my classes, and those with whom I've worked on independent research projects. So, receiving an award based on student nominations is deeply meaningful to me." The third teaching prize, the Louis Dembitz Brandeis Prize for Excellence in Teaching, was awarded to Prof. James Morris (BIOL). "I am very grateful to receive this award," said Morris in an email to the Justice. "My sincere thanks goes to all of the students I have taught over the years, as well as to my own teachers. Both have provided me with inspiration and guidance in and out of the classroom." Prof. ChaeRan Yoo Freeze (NEJS) received the Dean's Mentoring Award for Outstanding Mentoring of Students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. According to Birren, one of Freeze's students said that "by mentoring others, she has trained many of us to be mentors ourselves." In addition, Heller School for Social Policy and Management Dean Lisa Lynch presented the Heller School teaching, mentoring and staff awards, which went to, respectively, Prof. Carole Carlson (Heller), Prof. Tatjana Meschede (Heller) and Norma DeMattos, program administrator for both the MBA and MPP programs. "I feel very honored and deeply touched by the comments students wrote about my work with them," said Meschede in an email to the Justice. As I often say, my work with students is one of the most gratifying job I can think of, watching them learn and grow right in front of my eyes, taking in what I can offer and make it their own, and at the same time myself challenged to learn and grow together with them." Prof. Laurie Lesser also won a teaching award from the Rabb School of Continuing Studies. Brandeis Achievement Awards Also at Thursday's faculty meeting Birren announced the winners of the Brandeis Achievement Awards, an annual scholarship prize given to "currently enrolled sophomores who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding scholarship and academic achievements at Brandeis." The students awarded were Gloria Cadder, Paul Kim, Iosefa Percival, Alva Stux and Dana Trismen, all '15. Cadder, who is majoring in English, Creative Writing and Politics and minoring in Legal Studies and Women's and Gender Studies, is the editor of the Brandeis Law Journal and a member of the Mock Trial Association. "I am very honored to be a recipient of this award and to be considered part of such a fantastic group of students," said Cadder in an email to the Justice. Kim, who is double majoring in Chemistry and Biology, works in a chemistry lab, rows on the crew team and is a co-founder of Education for Students by Students. "I definitely feel very blessed and honored to have been chosen," said Kim. "The whole experience has been really humbling, and if anything having now won the award, I feel motivated to work even harder now." Percival studies Environmental Studies and Economics, is president of the Brandeis Surfing Club, and works at the technology help desk. His recommenders said that he has "all the characteristics of a leader, he's personable, inquisitive, intelligent, responsive, empathetic, and wants to make a difference in the world." Stux, an Anthropology major and Legal Studies minor, is part of the Middle East Music Ensemble and a member of SCRAM. One of her faculty recommenders called her "one of the most rewarding students I have worked with over my 17 years of teaching at Brandeis." Trismen, a triple major in English, Creative Writing and Psychology, is an editor of both the Brandeis Hoot and Where the Children Play. Her faculty recommender said that she was "a leader, place her in a small room and she will organize it and make it better." None of the award recipients besides Cadder and Kim could be reached for comment by press time. -Tate Herbert contributed reporting
(04/09/13 4:00am)
I always thought I went to a bagel-and-lox type of school largely inhabited by a quirky mix of awkward dorks. So far, I have defined dancing in college as a less-sober version of my bar mitzvah year, choking on a cloud of body heat and alcohol sweat. Brandeis' hip-hop dance group, Kaos Kids, hosted its first-ever semester show on Thursday night in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium and flipped my stereotyped idea of Brandeis dancing. In fact, it was a very well-executed flip followed by some break dancing and booty-pops. D'Andre Young '15, the convivial emcee of the event, introduced the four-year-old dance group to a sea of students. Its members have a variety of body types and ethnic backgrounds, and I could tell each performer had a different level of experience in hip-hop dance. However, all were able to seamlessly transition between complex formations, and I was stunned when all the female performers slinked into full splits. In this sense, I think "KAOS Kids" is a misnomer: The members' overall performance was not "Kaotic;" it was a polished, greased, ferocious machine. The first choreographed piece, "Kaos in Southeast Asia," was a powerful start to the show. The sharp moves of the dancers mixed with eclectic splicing of various hip-hop songs energized the audience. The group also performed "Kaotic Fairy Tale" and "Kaos in Suffolk," named after its debut performance at Suffolk University. Kaos Kids have also performed at other colleges in the Boston area, as well as Brown University. As a Kanye West fan, I particularly enjoyed the finale piece, "Kaos in Paris." The dance featured a compilation of a variety of contemporary hip-hop songs including West's "N****s in Paris." The dance set was interwoven with performances by two other musical groups. Guitarist and vocalist Ayan Sanyal '14 and saxophonist Bryan Le '14 played a funky duet including one improvisational jazz jam and an original composition written and performed by Sanyal called "Summer's Day." Sanyal's percussive strumming combined with Le's complex jazz riffs made me want to get up and dance. The live musical performance also featured the Brandeis R&B and soul a cappella group, Voices of Soul. The group sang "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" by Blu Cantrell and "F*ck You," by Cee-Lo Green. I had never heard Voices of Soul perform before and I enjoyed their fresh, groovy repertoire. However, the one microphone used to amplify the entire group of Voices of Soul and Sanyal and Le's act did not lend an easy listening experience. I strained to make out what the emcee was saying and what the musicians were singing due to the poor sound amplification and the echoing acoustics of the SCC Atrium. The public venue of the SCC attracted many passersby, but the quality of the performance would have been greatly enhanced if the event were hosted in an auditorium or theater with a stage with an in-house audio system. Overall, the show would have been much more powerful with some simple lighting effects. Despite these minor technical distractions, the KAOS Kids' performance d?(c)buted talent I did not know existed at Brandeis. The group shined particularly during the solo performances of class of 2013 KAOS Kids members. Zoe Shiovitz '13, David Robles '13, Shaquan Perkins '13 and Samantha Cortez '13 choreographed brief individual pieces to "strut their stuff" before graduating this spring. Shiovitz performed a modern piece to a slow song by Antony & The Johnsons, which was a refreshing alternative to the high-powered style that KAOS is known for. Robles danced like a liquid robot with lots of fluid body rolls and waves punctuated by sharp, fine-tuned gestures. Perkins appeared to be having the most fun; the crowd was responsive to his full splits and wild, uninhibited dancing style. I was particularly impressed by Cortez's edgy choreography and intensity on the floor. The baseball cap she wore that shadowed her eyes and the strength behind her polished movements gave her a fierce appearance, which resonated with her KAOS nickname: The Beast. The enthusiasm the audience showed for these senior performers expressed how much momentum KAOS Kids has gained over its short group tenure of four years. Undoubtedly, one reason why this group is so well rehearsed is its commitment to practicing. KAOS Kids' Artistic Director Mark Borreliz '14 explained, "We practice every Monday and Thursday night, 9:30 to 11:30 in the Gosman Dance Studio." I am now very tempted to drop in on one of their rehearsals and see if I can pick up any dance tips. In fact, everyone could benefit from a little KAOS in their lives. If only they gave workshops, more Brandeis students would be armed with creative alternatives to rubbing up against one another at dance parties. I am slightly disappointed that KAOS Kids' first semester show happened so late into the semester; however, I anticipate what KAOS will bring to Brandeis audiences for the rest of this year and in upcoming years.
(04/08/13 4:00am)
Cholmondeley's is usually a relatively mellow hangout spot where artsy music-lovers gather and crank up some tunes while sipping on vegan milkshakes. However, this past Friday night, the arrival of Ducktails, indie contingent Real Estate's Matt Mondanile's side project, turned the small venue into a bumping party house. Previously touring unaccompanied for his solo effort, Mondanile recently recruited keyboardist Dorian D'Angelo, Big Troubles' guitarist Alex Craig, drummer Sam Franklin and bassist Luka Usmani for onstage support. While the band set up for the show and hung out with the concertgoers in a wonderfully friendly fashion, D'Angelo informed me that, "Most of these guys have been playing together for a while. They all played on his [most recent] record, [The Flower Lane]." D'Angelo was asked to join as a replacement for Ian Drennan, who performed on the album. "I spoke to Matt a few times on the phone beforehand and was like 'Yeah, this is going to work out," D'Angelo concluded. Watching and listening to the quintet blast into its opening number, The Flower Lane's first track, "Ivy Covered House," it was hard to tell that this was a recent Ducktails incarnation and not a group that had been rocking together for years. The band's live renditions were both satisfactory representations of the album versions and possessed an added edge, supported by many extended jam intervals, as well as Franklin's powerful percussion grooves and rhythms. Mondanile sang in almost a whisper, which created an interesting, contrasting dynamic between the louder, harder music and his vocal performance. Despite the evident connection between the band members, Mondanile's control of the group was clear within the dynamic. His ability to lead the group while still interacting fantastically with the other musicians shined during what was perhaps the strongest number, "Under Control," the longest track on The Flower Lane by almost a minute. Though the tune stands as a mellow, yet trippy jam on the album, this third song was the hardest rocking, loudest blasting moment of the entire night, highlighted by Craig's raw guitar solo and Franklin's slamming drum fills. The band remarked on how full Chum's was by the end of the show; packed to the brim with a large, bouncing audience. After the concert, the party continued inside the venue, as the Chum's staff sustained the flow of dance tunes. I was able to speak to opening act, Monopoly Child Star Searchers, a.k.a Spencer Clark, for nearly an hour. He and Ducktails hung out with many audience members outside of Chum's and continued to chat, relax and have fun for several hours with some friends. As one might expect, one friend confessed to me his anti-corporate beliefs about society and government, which several members of Ducktails seemed to share, though much less strongly and passionately. Perhaps this type of interpretation was one that I am not necessarily accustomed to, hailing from the Upper West Side of New York City and attending a private collegiate institution. However, it was this attitude that dominated the 1960s and 1970s, an era during which rock 'n' roll music, in my opinion, thrived most prominently and magnificently. Thus, I welcomed his words. That being said, the concert wasn't just about the music for me, but about the overall vibe and community that was attracted to Chum's and the specific musicians who were playing there. The bands actively embraced the student population that swarmed their van after the show and had no issue talking politics, music, art and life for hours on end. That is cool-that's rock 'n' roll. It's not just about the music; it's about much more. It's about the lifestyle, which Ducktails certainly seemed to live up to.
(04/08/13 4:00am)
As the academic year nears its end, Brandeis' Fine Arts department is working hard to provide opportunities to showcase the work of every student, from first-years to graduate students. To share the works of the post-baccalaureate Studio Art students, the first of two exhibits, titled "Prospect I," opened on Wednesday. The exhibition is currently on view in Dreitzer Gallery in the Spingold Theater Center and will remain open for public viewing through April 14. The architecture of Dreitzer Gallery lends itself well to the spatial and aesthetic organization of the exhibit. Protruding sections of wall attached to the far, curved side of the gallery are used as separators within the exhibit, dividing one student's work from another's. The students whose works are not displayed in these nooks hold spaces along the wall of the gallery nearest the entrance, letting one collection of works flow into the next. Students' names are displayed in trendy black Helvetica decals high up on the wall above their works, and each work is identified by a small, black number decal. Exhibit guides lay in stacks on podiums near the entrance of the gallery so that viewers may guide themselves through the exhibit. The works themselves illustrate a wide range of use of color, medium, mood and message. Most of the paintings are quite large, some longer and wider than I am tall, filling up sizeable portions of the wall; but a few of the paintings are much smaller, taking up less than a square foot of wall space each. The exhibit boasts the work of eight post-baccalaureate students. Viewers can look forward to the works of Rachel Sevanich, Sam Riebe, Erin Bisceglia, Maya Anderson, Adina Geller, Sasha Parfenova, Rob Fitzgerald and Mark Farrell. Some of my favorite works within the exhibit were paintings, a medium which most of the works in the gallery employed. Five paintings created by Sevanich, staged in the nook nearest to the entrance, provided a strong introduction to the exhibit. Sevanich's paintings were all works of oil paint on canvas that layered paint so that parts of each painting were raised and three-dimensional. Sevanich's works used strong colors, many of which were bold primary shades, deepening into darker hues, forming abstract shapes. For example, the bold "Corn Husk Dance," one of the largest paintings in her collection, shows a swirling shape of rich mustard yellows, blues and greens formed upon the canvas. Not all of the works in the exhibit are paintings, however-media ranged from paint to sculpture to alternative pen and ink works. Anderson created several quite unique works using pitch-black pen and ink on waiflike, white Mylar, a thin, semi-transparent paper material. Her works are composed of layers of inked Mylar, so that some of the buried ink shows through the top layer of Mylar to add depth to works. Unlike the paintings in the exhibit, Anderson's Mylar creations use much negative space, contrasting with the highly detailed, dark depictions of people-shape-object hybrids that are the subjects of her works. Working through a much different medium, Fitzgerald's two sculpture pieces provide a helpful contrast to the numerous works hung flat on the gallery's walls. One sculpture is positioned on the ground in the middle of one of the nooks, breaking up the viewer's expectations of the exhibit. The sculpture, which is untitled, incorporates the metal grate of a grocery store shopping cart mounted on a white base, splattered with pink and red paint that drips over the edges of the mound to the floor, like a puddle. While each collection of works in the "Prospect" exhibit tells a different story and masters a completely different medium and mood from the collections next to it, the exhibit as a whole flows beautifully and captures what it means to be an artist at Brandeis: to be different. Students and enthusiasts of art alike would be well advised to make sure to see "Prospect I" before it is dismantled. *
(04/08/13 4:00am)
It's shaping up to be a great season for Tiger Woods on and off the green. On March 18, both Woods and Lindsey Vonn, an Olympic gold-medal-winning skier, confirmed their relationship via their respective official Facebook pages. Woods posted a series of professional photos, writing, "Lindsey and I have been friends for some time, but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating." Vonn explained to fans, "I guess it wasn't a well-kept secret but yes, I am dating Tiger Woods." Let's be real: this marks the first positive headline for the 37-year-old golfer in a while. Toward the tail end of 2009, Woods' life seemed to unravel faster than he could hit a hole-in-one. It began with a gossipy story in the National Enquirer about an alleged affair with an NYC nightclub manager which, to be honest, seemed like just another run-of-the-mill fabricated story. Until things started getting fishy-and FAST. Two days later, Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree at 2:30 in the morning while he was still on his own block. His questionable behavior skyrocketed when, days later, Us Weekly published a voicemail message reportedly left by the sports legend for a mistress. And then, in what seemed too unbelievable to be true, over a dozen women came forward in the next few days, admitting to having affairs with Woods. The public couldn't believe it-Woods was a young, athletic guy married to a gorgeous former model with two utterly adorable children. But, in mid-December, the pro announced he'd be taking an indefinite break from professional golf and it seemed that the ridiculous rumors might have some truth behind them. Sure enough, as we all know, Woods was, uh, sleeping around to put it gently. He went to rehab for sex addiction; lost huge sponsorship deals with companies like AT&T, TAG Heuer and Gatorade; and his wife filed for divorce. He gave a televised statement in early 2010 admitting to his indiscretions: "I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt I was entitled." At the end of his heartfelt speech, Woods asked fans to "find room in your heart to one day believe in me again," but it seemed like his career would be a nearly impossible endeavor to rehabilitate. And now, with 28-year-old Vonn on his arm, it seems that Woods may be on the road to a successful comeback. Professionally, he's currently ranked number one after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And personally, he's been courting Vonn for months. The two are carefully calculating every step of their courtship, including the deliberate plan to announce their pairing: "It's very simple," Woods explained to reporters. "We're very happy where we're at, but also we wanted to limit the 'stalkerazzi' and all those sleazy websites that are out there following us." So the duo released the information-and the pics!-on their own terms in hopes of stealing the thunder from gossip mags and television outlets. So, are you a Woods skeptic? Or will love between athletes conquer all? *
(04/08/13 4:00am)
This week, JustArts spoke with Rebecca Miller '13, who is a Theater Arts major, and talked about her production 'Amaranthine,' as part of the Theater Arts Senior Festival next week. JustArts: As part of the Theater Arts Senior Festival, you are putting on an original production entitled Amaranthine. Can you tell me more about this play? Rebecca Miller: Well first of all, Amaranthine is defined as: 1. Of, relating to, or resembling the amaranth. 2. Eternally beautiful and unfading; everlasting. 3. Deep purple-red. Amaranthine is a one-act play about love, loss, death and the control one may or may not have over his or her own destiny. It begs the question, "Is guiltless the same as innocent?" Amaranthine focuses on the lives and afterlives of Anne Boleyn, her brother George Boleyn and her first love, Henry Percy, the sixth Earl of Northumberland. JA: What inspired you to write Amaranthine? RM: I have long been enamored of Anne Boleyn and the mystery that surrounds her life. In an endeavor to combine my passions for both theater and history for my senior thesis, I first looked to dramatic literature. I was curious to research how Anne has been portrayed from Shakespeare's Henry VIII to Howard Brenton's Anne Boleyn which premiered in 2008... I came to the conclusion that I had something different to say about Anne and therefore, because I could not find the voice that I felt captured her, I decided to use my own. JA: How have your Theater studies at Brandeis led to your work in the senior festival? RM: Honestly, I've been thinking about my Senior Thesis since freshman year. An opportunity to present your specific vision as an artist is absolutely thrilling. As my knowledge of theater theory and practice grew, my aesthetic tastes have changed and I have made new discoveries. As a History minor, I have taken courses mostly focused on Britain in the later Middle Ages. This play feels like the final culmination of my passions and studies. As the actress playing Anne, as well as the playwright, I attempted to create a very dangerous, smart and compelling female lead, something that is often lacking in theater today. JA: Could you describe what the Theater Arts Senior Festival is and what it entails? RM: The Theater Arts Senior Festival is a week of performances showcasing undergraduate Senior Theater Arts majors' work. From April 9 through 14 there will be two to three performances every evening in the Merrick Theater in the Spingold Theater Center. Seven shows (and one presentation) are sharing the same space and are working collaboratively to create a cohesive and high quality group of work. JA: What was the process that went in to writing Amaranthine and preparing it for the stage? RM: First, a ton of research. Then, I sifted through the primary sources I had found and decided to incorporate Anne Boleyn's last words as well as a poem she may have written while a prisoner in the Tower of London. Then the writing began. It went through many drafts, 24 to be exact. ...In the fall, I spent my time on the research and writing. In late November, I had an informal reading in my kitchen. Then more rewrites. Over the winter break there were even more re-writes. We workshopped in January and early February. More rewrites. We began our rehearsals in earnest in mid-February and my cast has had to contend with an ever-changing script. They are fantastic. Not only is the writing so important to the process, but working with actors on their feet to determine if certain moments work is vital. JA: Who else did you work with to make the production possible? RM: My thesis advisor, Prof. Janet Morrison (THA) and pseudo-advisor Prof. Alicia Hyland (THA) as well as Prof. Adrianne Krstansky (THA) and Prof. Jennifer Cleary (THA) who are advising and producing the festival. Thank you to our professional lighting designer, Emily McCourt, my director, Grace Fosler '14, stage manager, Betty Ko '13, as well as my fellow actors, Levi Squier '14, Steven Kline '14 and Charlie Madison '15. And of course, thank you to the other Senior Thesis ladies who are working so hard to make it all happen! JA: What is your most memorable theater arts memory from your time at Brandeis? RM: Working with Scott Edmiston on the Brandeis Theater Company's production of Sunday in the Park with George. It was magic. JA: Have you taken classes at Brandeis that involved writing plays, or how did you get started writing them? RM: No! I mean, I really wish I had, but no, I haven't taken a playwriting class here at Brandeis. Playwriting used to be something I thought was beyond my capabilities. But once I made the decision to write my own interpretation of Anne Boleyn, I discovered how much I enjoy the process. JA: Do you hope to pursue work in theater after graduation? RM: Yes, I do. Although I am originally from New York, I plan to remain in the Boston area and pursue a career in the theater. -Jessie Miller
(04/08/13 4:00am)
Possibly the most anticipated arts event of the year, Liquid Latex performed its annual show on Tuesday, March 19 in Levin Ballroom. Approximately 450 students put midterm studying on hold to attend this unique and extremely entertaining performance.
(03/19/13 4:00am)
My knowledge of stringed instruments is strictly limited to the few guitar lessons I took in fifth grade and listening to the screeches as my sister attempted to learn how to play violin. Why am I at Fiddle'Deis, a weekend dedicated exclusively to the great variety of fiddle music? I had no clue what I was getting myself into, but despite the lengthy four-hour runtime, the Saturday night performance in the Slosberg Recital Hall was an eye-opening experience to the enchanting music of fiddles. Each of the four performances that took the stage had its own distinctive style, and I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity a seemingly monotonous instrument could create. I had really only heard the classical drone of violins and the Southern drawl of country fiddle music. The first performance featured visiting performer Meena Kothandaramen on the violin who was accompanied by her brother on a simple, two-sided drum. Kothandaramen explained that much of the Southeast Asian music she played honored the Lord Ganesha and another specific song was a sort of preemptive apology to the Mother Goddess in case the musician made any mistakes. Kothandaramen was more than just a performer-she interacted with the audience and educated them about her musical style, which was especially important because many members were violin players (toting their instruments around). Though completely foreign to me, she taught about the rhythmic cycles that form the base of any song and were embellished with fancier overlays. Overall, her music had a mystical and deeply moving quality that was relaxing and melodic. After a brief intermission, Lousiana-based duo David Greely and Chris Stafford took the stage to perform energetic, authentic Southern fiddle songs and even featured Stafford playing the accordion in one piece. Recently, I've been listening to country music so this set filled my country fix, though it was more reminiscent of the Charlie Daniels Band's "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" than Toby Keith's or Brad Paisley's latest hit. Compared to Kothandaramen's performance, Greely and Stafford were equally engaging, though much more lively, with Greely telling several anecdotes about his experiences in fiddle music. I really enjoyed the song they played which, as Greely explained, was about two lovers who can't make things work, despite how much they love each other. Like many of the songs Greely sang along to, it was entirely in French, but this language barrier did not detract from my amusement. The emotionally charged tune conveyed a sense of romanticism laced with tragedy. It was followed by a song titled in English "You'll Never See Me Again" about a man who goes to prison that was part of what Greely described as "family music." It was surprisingly happy and upbeat for a song about being incarcerated. Stafford, who is in his mid 20s, was incredibly talented at both the accordion and fiddle, and the duo played a cover song of an old Creole singer off of Stafford's album. Up next was the Ben Powell Jazz Quartet, led by violinist Ben Powell who came to Berklee College of Music from his native England after becoming enchanted with jazz music. He was accompanied by Tim Ray on piano, Prof. Bob Nieske (MUS) on bass and Bob Tamagni on drums, all of whom excelled at their respective instrument. The tone of this piece transported me to a swanky jazz club with the soulful crooning of a live band. Powell was incredibly animated when interacting with the other musicians, especially during Ray's piano solos, in which Ray's passion for music exploded out of the keys. The songs were generally violin and piano based, but the last song they performed had a highly deserved drum solo. In a particularly touching moment, the quartet played a song called "Judith" that Powell wrote for his godmother. In my opinion, the last musician was the most unique. Casey Driessen took fiddle playing to an entirely new level by using several music pedals to overlay different tunes while he played them live, essentially composing a song on the spot. It was incredibly innovative and I enjoyed watching how Driessen went through this process. I especially appreciated how he referred to the pedals as "his band," which was accurate because it allowed him to "play" multiple parts of a song at the same time. As he began this process for one particular song, I started to recognize the beat. Was that really "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson or was my obsession clouding my judgment? I was right-Driessen explained that he had first composed this song the summer that Jackson passed away and it was one of the many covers that he had in his repertoire. Besides covers, Driessen performed amazing improvisational songs that were more traditionally upbeat and energetic. It's hard to describe his unique sound, but it is like Greely and Stafford's music with a modern, edgy technique spin-taking the fiddle to a whole new level. One of his most innovative ideas was a song that he built around a recording of his unborn child's heartbeat. Despite the overwhelming musical diversity that consumed the recital hall, I did leave with one overall theme-the intensity of interactions between the performers in each piece, including Driessen with his mechanical counterparts. There was a passion that flowed between each of them, whether it was Kothandaramen and her brother's rhythmic drumming; the complementary notes of Greely and Stafford's fiddles; or the bonds that tied together Powell's quartet. *
(03/19/13 4:00am)
This past Wednesday, the long awaited white puff of smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel, signifying the selection of the 266th Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now known as Pope Francis. Francis was born to Italian immigrant parents and was raised in the Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, where he has served as the archbishop. What do you think of Francis' appointment? What do you hope to see from the new leader of the Catholic faith? Reverend Walter Cuenin I think the fact that this is the first Pope from South America has deep significance for the Catholic Church globally. It is very important for American Catholics as we are about 40 percent Hispanic presently. I love that he took the name of Francis, a saint dedicated to the poor. I also am pleased that he is a Jesuit with their history of involvement in higher education and that he is a scientist. Rev. Cuenin is the Catholic chaplain and coordinator of the Interfaith Chaplaincy at Brandeis. Mathew Kuruvinakunnel '15 One can always wonder about the politics behind Jorge Mario Bergoglio's election to the Papacy. But perhaps asking why he was elected is less important now than asking what he can (and is willing to) do? Above the mire of speculation, the Catholic Church's selection of Pope Francis is also the selection of his stance on numerous contemporary issues- austerity, economic equality, openness to interfaith dialogue and perhaps most controversially, opposition to homosexuality but respect for homosexuals-and I think this is a good representation of what the Catholic Church is willing to do today. Mathew Kuruvinakunnel '15 is a Politics major with a focus in International Relations. Prof. Maura Jane Farrelly (AMST) As someone who was educated by Jesuits -and takes the idea that the purpose of a Jesuit education is "to create men and women for others" quite seriously-I was delighted to learn that Francis is a member of the Society of Jesus. The Jesuits were actually suppressed by the pope in 1773, in part because the work they were doing with the indigenous poor in South America did not mesh with the exploitative agendas of the Spanish and Portuguese monarchs who had colonies there. Make no mistake: Francis told us something when he chose to take the name of one of the greatest advocates for the poor the Church has ever had (Francis of Assisi). I have high hopes that this pope will be a man who is "in the world," so to speak, getting his hands dirty as he works to combat the effects of the global polarization of wealth. Prof. Maura Jane Farrelly is the director of the Journalism Program and an Assistant Professor of American Studies. Genevi??ve Zucchetto de Oliveira '15 Having a Latino pope for the very first time in history represents a huge achievement for Catholics in Latin America, as the region is home for 40 percent of all baptized Catholics. Even though the choosing of a new pope is a time of happiness for the Catholic community, there is significant controversy surrounding Pope Francis. Unfortunately, even though his Jesuit background and nationality are unique to his Papacy, his views on controversial issues such as abortion and gay marriage remain the same as his predecessors. Hopefully, with time, his policies will reflect the changing mentality of many Catholics across the world and engage the Church in healthy dialogue. As a Catholic woman, I would like to see more gender equality in the Catholic Church, allowing anyone that wishes to take on important roles, despite their gender. Moreover, hopefully Pope Francis will create an environment of transparency and fairness, allowing us Catholics to remain proud of our church and its leadership. Genevi??ve Zucchetto de Oliveira '15 is an International and Global Studies major and a citizen of Brazil.
(03/19/13 4:00am)
In the year 2012, the United States experienced two mass shootings barely six months apart. On July 20, James Holmes killed 12 and injured 58 at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colo. On Dec. 14, Adam Lanza killed 20 children, seven adults and himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Both men were young, in their early 20's, and were described as incredibly intelligent by their families and friends. Both men used semi-automatic weapons that were legally purchased. Both men had mental disorders. It is hard to define what a mental disorder is. The most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders includes everything from anxiety and depression to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia to paranoia, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, as well as brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism. There is no one consensus of which disorders should qualify as mental illness and which should not. Each of these disorders is serious, but in varying degrees. The National Institute for Mental Health estimates that more than one in four Americans over the age of 18 suffer from at least one mental disorder. Nearly half of those afflicted have two or more mental disorders. I am one of them. I have depression and severe anxiety and am currently on medication. I am not comparing myself to Adam Lanza or James Holmes by any stretch of the imagination. I was fortunate enough to receive help and medication for my mental problems, and now I am fully in control of my anxiety and depression. Adam Lanza and James Holmes are very disturbed young men with violent fantasies and intense mental problems that had not been seriously addressed, magnified by their easy access to guns. The United States needs to have a serious discussion about mental illness and how to help the 26 percent of Americans who suffer from mental disorders. I can attest from my own experience how hard it is to tell people, even my friends, about my depression and anxiety, and how sometimes people will treat me differently once they find out. Medication, such as Prozac, is not considered to be preventative, and is not necessarily covered by health insurance. Some insurance companies, including Harvard Pilgrim Medical Care, used to put a cap on how much patients could spend on mental health care in a single year. Individuals with serious mental disorders, who are a danger to themselves and others, can easily purchase guns. Congress needs to pass legislation to make sure seriously mentally ill individuals are not able to purchase guns. However, this legislation is not enough. There also must be gun control laws that do not only target members of the mental health community, but also would make sure assault-style weapons and armor-piercing ammunition cannot be easily bought or sold in the United States. Mentally ill individuals are not the only ones who commit violent gun crimes. Last August, in Oak Creek, Wis., a Sikh temple was attacked by Wade Michael Page. Page killed six and wounded four before he killed himself. Page was also a white supremacist who had ties to two white power music groups that the Southern Poverty Law Center considers to be hate groups and are under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was able to legally purchase the gun and the 19-round magazines he used at the shooting, and he was never formally diagnosed with a mental disorder. Thousands of other people who commit gun violence, be it in a gang shooting or in a drunken disagreement, do not have mental disorders either, and yet they too are dangerous and should not have easy access to guns. Congress should pass laws that make background checks stricter, so people on terrorist watch lists or who are members of groups investigated by the FBI cannot easily purchase guns. Congress should require background checks and waiting periods for all gun purchases, without exception, and should require stricter penalties for those who violate gun laws and not just punish people who suffer from a mental disorder. It goes without saying that we need to make sure that those who are at risk to both themselves and others cannot, and do not, have access to weapons. However, limiting the mentally ill's access to guns is not the only answer to the growing gun violence problem. We have to make sure our gun control measures target everyone, not just the mentally ill. *
(03/19/13 4:00am)
The Latin American and Latino Studies Program hosted an event last Wednesday titled "Our America/Nuestra America: The Future of Area Studies" in honor of its 50th anniversary. The event featured a panel consisting of three distinguished alumni who spoke on their experiences in the program: Frances Hagopian '75, Peter Kornbluh '78 and Jeff Arak '07. Hagopian, the Lemann Visiting Associate Professor for Brazil Studies at the department of government at Harvard University and faculty chair of the Brazil studies program of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, spoke first. Hagopian described her initial reason for becoming involved in Latin American studies. "I thought I was going to take a European politics class, and I went to the first class ... and [the professor] said, 'I don't want you in this class if you don't know X, Y and Z,' and I thought, 'I don't know X, Y and Z,'" she said during the event. "So I said to my boyfriend at the time, 'What am I going to do?'" Hagopian's boyfriend at the time had been taking a Latin American history class, which he invited her to take with him. "It was the beginning of a lifelong love," she said. "I dropped the boyfriend; Latin America has been with me ever since." Hagopian travelled to Chile in during the summer of 1974 as a part of her senior thesis, which focused on the fall of the Chilean regime in September 1973. Since then, she has written several books and continues with similar research. In addition, she advises and educates both graduate and undergraduate students, with emphasis on democratization, political representation, political economy, religion and politics. Kornbluh, director of the National Security Archive's Chile Documentation Project and of the Cuba Documentation Project, writes and researches U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. As a writer and an awarded journalist, he has been featured in such publications as the Washington Post and the New York Times. Similar to Hagopian, his senior thesis discussed the situation in Chile; however, his focus was on U.S. intervention. According to Kornbluh, he noticed an article written by former U.S. ambassador to Chile, Edward Korry, regarding his discontentment with President Richard Nixon and then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Kornbluh immediately sought to contact Korry to interview him for his senior thesis. "I saw the opportunity and thought, 'This will get me highest honors,'" said Kornbluh. Kornbluh drove to meet Korry in Connecticut, prepared only with a 60-minute cassette tape. Seven hours after the tape ran out, Korry was still reading confidential documents to Korbluh. Kornbluh was able to use these confidential documents that Korry had shared with him in the interview. "I got highest honors," Kornbluh said. Arak, an up-and-coming documentary filmmaker, directed video portraits, as well as his newly-released film Life on Death Beach about a group of volunteer lifeguards in a town on the cost of Oaxaca, Mexico. Arak plans to pursue a career in filmmaking and producing documentaries. "Documentaries can really be a catalyst for conversation," Arak said. Arak emphasized the importance of working in Latin America to gain cultural competence. "Working in Mexico added a style of closeness to my work," he said. During the question-and-answer session following the panel discussion, several inquirers asked about the panelists' thoughts on the small number of students enrolled in area studies programs such as the Latin American and Latino Studies Program. It was asserted during the event by both the panelists and participants that students who would be interested in Latin American and Latino Studies have been choosing to major in International and Global Studies for a broader education. However, the importance of area studies and the continued existence of the program were defended by the panelists. "Area studies help us understand reality in the arts as opposed to holding onto stereotypes," said Arak. As the panelists persistently mentioned throughout the discussion, Brandeis' program was initiated during a time when such emphasis on Latin American area studies was uncommon in universities. "Never forget that this program was founded in a very special context," Hagopian said. "It was one of the most exciting intellectual experiments in the history of higher education when it started, and creating programs like this one was part of that intellectual ferment."
(03/12/13 4:00am)
In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama cited the up-and-coming project of mapping the human brain as an example of how the government should "invest in the best ideas." The President compared it to the mapping of the human genome project, which returned $140 for every one dollar invested. What do you think about the potential of mapping the brain? Prof. Paul Miller (BIO) As a computational neuroscientist, I would love to explore a human brain map-or connectome as it is dubbed-but I have to wonder if this is the best use of resources. Our brains have about 80 million neurons with a trillion connections so uncovering a human connectome is an immense undertaking. Yet, we know that for the simplest possible networks of two or three neurons, the connectivity is both insufficient to explain or predict function and different connectomes can produce the same function. Moreover, the brain is the centerpiece of a dynamic feedback loop between our sensations and actions, which alter our environment to produce new sensations. Each of our connectomes is not only uniquely established by our genetic makeup but also by our individual lifetime of experience. One snapshot of the connectome, without knowledge of the experiences which produced it, is insufficient to disentangle causes from consequences of any medical condition-the highly altered connectome of a blind person is beneficial, heightening acuity in other senses, and far removed from any cause of the blindness. Perhaps, moving beyond direct tangible benefits, could revealing a human connectome, like landing on the moon, inspire a new generation of scientists? My worry is that if the hype is greater than the payoff it could as easily deter some from an exciting and fruitful field of study. Paul Miller is an Assistant Professor of Biology with an expertise in computational Nueroscience. Denny Poliferno '13 Creating a working map of the brain would be a very useful endeavor. Billions of dollars are spent on care for patients with neurological diseases, and the number of people who will develop the "elderly" neurological diseases (Alzheimer's, etc) is projected to grow as the average lifespan increases. If scientists can determine what neurons or pathways are involved in these diseases, then effective drug or behavioral treatments could be produced and the cost of care would decrease. In addition, people who have lost limbs could get bionic limbs attached that are hooked up to and controlled by the brain, increasing their quality of life and their ability to be independent. The possibility of mapping the brain is a complex process that could take years or even decades to achieve, but then again, mapping the human genome used to be a similarly futile idea. Denny Poliferno '13 is a Neuroscience major and a staff member of the Justice. Bridgette Tran '14 If the government chooses to invest in this project, this research could potentially change the field of neuroscience and psychology by exploring the functions and structure of specific areas in the brain. This project could then prompt private investors to invest in research facilities that explore the biological causes of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and more. However, though mapping the brain could provide clues about human behavior and neurodegenerative diseases, there are many limitations to studying the brain. Even with a map of the specific areas of the brain, we must account for the fact that human behavior and disease is complex and is a result of the interaction between multiple areas of the brain. It's plausible that this project will only provide neuroscientists and psychologists with a stepping stone in which they must build upon. Bridgette Tran '14 is a Undergraduate Departmental Representative for the Psychology department. Justin Lesser '14 I am both skeptical and extremely excited about the prospect of a project to map the human brain. On one hand, creating a brain map would potentially be extremely important in understanding the causes behind many disorders, and the push to fund a product gives me great hope about the future of the field. However, the brain is much more complicated than that; almost the entire brain is involved somehow in everything we do. I have some doubts whether such a feat can actually be done. Regardless, it is refreshing to know that the future is bright for the field I am involved in. Justin Lesser '14 is a Neuroscience major and a member of Brandeis Mens ultimate.
(03/12/13 4:00am)
I was born in Israel to an Israeli father and an American-born mother who moved there after college. When I was five years old, my family and I left Israel. While I admit that most of what I recall from my years in Israel deals with the monkey bars at the local playground rather than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are nonetheless a few distinct memories that have stuck with me. I remember the sealed "safe room" in our apartment that we would have to enter if a bomb siren sounded. I remember the heated political discussions that broke out whenever family came over. I remember singing songs about peace at my kindergarten graduation. Sadly, in the nearly fifteen years that have passed since I left Israel, not much has changed in regards to the conflict. The cycle of violence is ongoing, there is no lasting peace, and both sides are as frustrated as ever. Too many people, both in Israel and in the United States, seem to have accepted the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a fact of life. The truth of the matter is that now is the time for both sides to sit down, compromise and work towards a two-state solution before it is too late. The idea of having two states for two peoples is older than the State of Israel itself. The Peel Commission of 1937 and the United Nations Partition Plan of 1947 both came to the conclusion that the land in question be divided between Jews and Arabs. In the decades since then, every legitimate peace talk has operated on that principle as well. It is clear that this is the only solution that maintains Israel's Jewish and democratic nature; any of the so-called one-state solutions are just ploys to either eradicate the Jewish state or even prevent the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. For as long as this two-state solution remains a viable option, it should continue to be pursued as the only reasonable solution. While the fulfillment of this vision-that of a strong Israel living side-by-side with a thriving, independent Palestinian state-has eluded the region for decades, both sides must continue to have faith in its future success. With that in mind, the first step in the peace process must be direct conversation and negotiation. This has happened at many points in the past, most recently in September 2010 when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met in Washington, D.C., and is the only way valid way to work towards true peace. Although peace talks have been stalled since the recent escalation in the Gaza Strip, and the leaders are refusing to budge, the vast majority of people on both sides want peace. In fact, according to a 2010 poll by Fafo, a Norwegian-based international research foundation, 73 percent of Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza were in favor of peace negotiations with Israel, but stressed that a settlement freeze should be a precondition to talks. Likewise, two 2012 Israeli polls revealed that over two thirds of Israeli Jews support a peace agreement establishing a demilitarized Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, Israel's retention of major settlement blocs, and a division of Jerusalem. There is no lack of ideas regarding solutions to different parts of this conflict, but there is a noticeable lack of leadership. Whether this is for political reasons or their own personal beliefs, these leaders must be willing to come to the negotiating table without any preconditions. This has been done in the past including at the Oslo Accords of the mid-1990s and the Camp David Summit in 2000, and it is clear that meeting face to face leads to a greater understanding of the other side's position and allows leaders to work together. I sincerely hope that when President Obama visits the region later this month, he can serve as an impetus to reignite peace talks. The president has expressed his firm support for the two-state solution, and if he chooses to use his influence wisely, he could have an incredible impact on bringing the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. United States involvement has been critical in almost every negotiation in Israel's history, and now that the president does not need to focus on his re-election campaign, he can dedicate more time and energy to this cause. The president, like so many others, recognizes that the demographics on the ground are changing. As he said to thousands of pro-Israel Americans at the 2011 American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference, "We can't afford to wait another decade, or another two decades, or another three decades to achieve peace ... the world is moving too fast." While I am not so na??ve as to believe that negotiations will resume the moment President Obama lands in Israel, or even that his visit will manage to have any depolarizing effect, I hope that President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry dedicate serious time and commitment to work towards peace. After all, only once negotiations begin, a rapport is built between the parties, and a general outline concerning the borders of both states is agreed upon, can they go on to discuss more complex issues such as the West Bank settlements, security arrangements and the future status of Jerusalem. The road to a two-state solution is not simple. It will take years of dedication, building upon the decades of work and thought already invested in it. Even if a solution is reached, the transition can be tedious, agreements can be broken, and Israel's security can be threatened. Each side must understand that neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are going to receive precisely what they want; that is the nature of compromise, but the beauty of it is that by working together, these two nations can build a brighter future for themselves and each other. When I moved away from Israel there was no peace. Now, there is still no peace. But I hope and pray that when my children visit Israel, and hopefully a peaceful, cooperative Palestine, they will be visiting countries of prosperity, security and peace. Daniel Koas is an executive board member of the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs committee.
(03/12/13 4:00am)
Last Tuesday, Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, pediatric oncologist Jessica Sachs and Prof. Sylvia Barack Fishman (NEJS) spoke about their professional journeys on a panel called "Desserts & Dialogue: Women in Leadership." The event was a part of the Brandeis Leadership Week sponsored by the Department of Community Living and the Department of Student Events. The three women spoke to a packed audience in Levine-Ross in the Hassenfeld Conference Center, and began by presenting narrations of their career paths. McCarthy was born and raised in Waltham. After receiving an undergraduate degree in biology from Boston College, she worked in a factory for four years, attended night school to receive a law degree from Suffolk University and attended graduate school at Northeastern University. Later, she volunteered for the Waltham community and ran for the school committee, a position that she held from 1986 to 1991, according to her website. Ultimately, McCarthy decided to get involved with politics in order to "give back." She worked first in the City of Waltham law department for seven years, and in 2004, became the mayor. She was the first woman to hold the position in the town's history, beating opponents that included an incumbent and a former mayor's son, she said. "I've been fortunate to be the mayor of my hometown," McCarthy said during the panel, citing Waltham's diverse population and "two beautiful universities" among the town's assets. McCarthy added that her legal and science training have helped her in her career path. Of additional aspects to her approach as mayor she said, "I try to be honest and tell the people, 'I can do this, I can't do that.'" Sachs, who works at Massachusetts General Hospital and Millennium Pharmaceutical Company, called herself a "transplant to the area," having moved to Newton, Mass. from Maryland in high school. In her career path, Sachs said that she was initially sure of four things in which she was later proven wrong. As an undergraduate biology student at Duke University, Sachs said she was first sure that she wanted to be a scientist and had no interest in medicine. After then choosing a Doctor of Medicine program for financial reasons, she said that she thought she was sure that she wanted to do research rather than working with patients. However, after working in a clinic and enjoying working with patients more than she anticipated, the third thing she said she thought she knew was that she did not want to work in pediatrics "because I found children very frustrating," she said. Sachs said that she was ultimately drawn to pediatrics, in part because children are generally healthy. "It was very empowering, to be able to fix someone, ... knowing that they could go on to lead perfectly normal lives," she said. Then, while at what is now Tufts Medical Center, Sachs said that the fourth thing she initially thought was that she wasn't interested in oncology. However, during her residency, she said that she discovered that pediatric oncology was indeed the right route for her and went on to an oncology fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital, which was both the worst year of her life and "definitely also one of the best things I've ever done." "Every one of those children I've cared for is part of who I am, part of my identity," Sachs said. Fishman, the department chair of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, was born in Wisconsin. "I always loved to read, and I loved to read things that weren't true," she said. She eventually went on to study English at Washington University in St. Louis. Despite beginning her career in what she called "the bad old days," in which she, as a married woman with children, was denied academic and professional opportunities, Fishman went on to teach English at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Fishman first began her time at Brandeis assisting with sociological research. Ultimately, she said, she was the first female in the NEJS department to be on the tenure track, and is also the first woman to act as chair of the department. Fishman observed the "shared motif of 'winding paths'" in the three women's journeys. She said that this quality has always been true of women's career paths, but that it is now true for both men and women. Another motif that she noted was that of "people that throw their whole heart and soul into whatever part of the path they're on." In response to an audience question about women being cautioned against dressing femininely in the workplace, Fishman said, "I didn't wear nail polish until I got tenure." At the time that she was beginning her career, she said that dressing professionally but not calling too much attention to oneself as a woman was important. McCarthy added that because those in the political sphere "judge you upside, downside, every side" until they get to know you, a positive first impression is important. Her frequent response, however, is that "you didn't pay me for dressing up; you pay be for my brain," she continued. In response to an audience question about sexism in the field, McCarthy said that she keeps her mother's advice in mind: "What you do reflects upon you, and what other people do reflects upon them, and just remember that." She advised the audience to "very respectfully stand your ground" in such situations. Fishman similarly advised the audience to "stick up for yourself without being defensive" and to be "appropriately forceful in the way you present yourself." As a final word of advice, McCarthy said, "you have got to have experience to know what you really want, [and] you have got to have courage to change what you want when you're not happy."
(03/05/13 5:00am)
After the release of his new single, JustArts sat down with Cameron Wolff '15 to discuss his passion for music and electronic band RapidFflow. JustArts: Would you tell me about the history of RapidFflow and how the group got started? Cameron Wolff: So, in the summer of 2008, I went to a music place in San Francisco and started messing around with online music making programs and then I showed Chris Atanasian, my best friend and the other half of RapidFflow, and we started making music. JA: How would you describe the style of music that RapidFflow makes? CW: We make electronic music, but there are a lot of sub-genres, like techno, trans-house, so we cross a lot of different styles. I also put in classical flare to the music like Mozart style. JA: How did you come up with the name RapidFflow? CW: To get the 'rapid' Chris used part of his computer username and mine is my last name backwards, so then we smushed them together to create RapidFflow. JA: How many songs has RapidFflow come out with? CW: We've come out with two albums, the first one entitled RapidFflow and our second Handful of Ownage, and we've had two singles since then, "Digital Mist" and "Mystery". JA: Tell me more about your new single "Mystery" that just came out. CW: "Mystery" just came out as the single for our new album that is coming out hopefully at the end of summer. I'm probably going to dedicate one of the songs to my Grandma who passed away recently called Nama, which is what I called her. For "Mystery," my friend Michael Leung '15 made the artwork and worked on other stuff as well. JA: What types of songs will your new album feature? CW: It has songs like "Mystery" and previous songs, but it also has songs that are completely different than anything we have ever done before; it still has our melodic style that listeners recognize and keeps our fans coming back. We also evolved our production of the music to make everything sound better and we really worked on trying to make it sound comparable to other top artists' music. JA: How have you seen your music evolve over time? CW: The first album was really raw, not much mixing and more simple beats. The second album we got a little better making chord progressions, and our most recent singles are a huge step for us putting in a lot more sounds, mixing and mastering it and really going for the professional sound of other artists. JA: What is your biggest musical influence? CW: I have to say the Beatles, but Chris' influences range from System of a Down to Daft Punk to the Crystal Method. JA: What other notable experiences have you had with music production? CW: This summer I interned at Hans Zimmer's studio, the guy who's made the music for Lion King and Inception. I got to sit in with composers and watch them work on the music for Assassin's Creed and all their different techniques which helped me learn different styles of music. I had previously just worked on music, but I got to see how they produced the music for movies and video games too. JA: Are you majoring in anything music related? CW: I am minoring in Music and last semester I took an electronic music class which helped RapidFflow because I learned how to mix and master tracks to sound more professional. Now, we have over 200,000 views on our page so we are doing pretty well. JA: Where do you see RapidFflow going in the future and your own work in music? CW: I would like to continue doing this for 10, 15 years, but realistically I'm not sure that can happen because it's hard to make it in the music industry. JA: Tell me more about your fan base. CW: Most of our fans are based on watching our videos on YouTube, but we've sold a lot of music in Australia, Canada, all over the United States and we've even had some random sales in Austria, Germany and the U.K. I would love to spread more into Europe because they love this type of music there. JA: What do you think makes RapidFflow unique? CW: I think the fact that Chris and my writing style is based off of rock and classical music, not just electronic, shows that we are making electronic music out of other sounds that people have never heard before. * -Jessie Miller
(03/05/13 5:00am)
* Amid the speculative and fearful environment surrounding the federal spending cuts that began as part of the 2013 sequestration this past Friday, it is difficult to know what is actually going to happen. Apart from the fact that the Sequester itself is incredibly complicated and difficult to understand, no one really seems to have any definitive predictions on what the effects will be for average American citizens. * What I have been able to glean from the abundance of articles, analysis and reports, however, is that many of the cuts will have a disproportionate effect on low-income families and individuals. According to a March 3 Huffington Post article, the proposed cuts include the furlough of more than half of the over two million government workers in the United States and significant reductions on education spending including cutting 70,000 pre-kindergarten students from the Head Start program and the elimination of 7,200 special education teachers and aides. * There are a number of other proposed cuts that will affect middle- and upper-class families and individuals, like the closure of many runways at some of the nation's busiest airports, and the reduction of visiting hours at national parks, but the impact of these cuts seem trivial when compared with the loss of vital healthcare and education services for people who actually rely on those government programs to survive. * Sadly, I am not surprised that the worst losses will likely disproportionately affect the poor. After all, with America's rugged individualist and "pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps" mentality, it's just not in our nature to emphasize programs that appear to foster dependency and laziness, rather than a strong work ethic and a determination to haul oneself out of poverty. * I am however, incredibly frustrated by the negative impact the Sequester will have. Our government's consistent efforts to save money and cut spending, which often end up being harmful to the poor, stem from our overwhelming faith in the "American Dream"-because of America's freedom and opportunity, you will be able to better yourself as long as you are determined and work hard. * Unfortunately, in today's day and age, the "American Dream" is a myth. According to Fareed Zakaria's February 2013 column in Time Magazine, economic mobility in the U.S. today is low. Our nation's poorest rarely become rich, or even achieve middle-class status. The moving stories we hear of those who pull themselves out of poverty and attain incredible wealth and success are the exception, and not the rule. * The fact of the matter is that the circumstances of life in America have changed a great deal since the "American Dream" was a realistically attainable goal. Our economy is stagnant, there aren't enough jobs, higher education is more expensive and competitive than ever and even without significant cuts to federal spending, economists worry that social security will not be able to support future generations that are getting ever bigger. * If we want to make significant strides towards ending poverty, the American mindset needs to change, and the government needs to heave itself out of our glorious past and start making policies that make sense for our current economic situation. * We keep telling ourselves that even with significant cuts to government programs like education and healthcare, the poor will work it out for themselves because they can always pull themselves out of poverty if they really want to and work hard enough. * Here's a little reality check for all of us: no one can pull themselves up by their bootstraps if they don't have boots. No one can buy boots if they don't have a job that generates significant income, and for many low-income laborers, they can't even get an income-generating job if they don't have boots. * Poverty is not a simple problem with a quick fix. * We tell ourselves that there's always an out if you want it badly enough. But the truth is that there isn't an out because we keep raising the bottom rung on the ladder of economic mobility a little higher every time we make another cut to federal spending on vital government programs. At this point, the bottom rung is so high that no one, not even those extraordinary individuals with incredible talent, can reach it without a very significant external boost. * I am no economist. I know that the United States is in very serious trouble if we can't find a way to cut down on spending to reduce our national debt, and I don't pretend to have a better solution than the one the government is currently trying to implement. * On the other hand, I also know that the United States will be in a different kind of very serious trouble if we keep ignoring the needs of the poor, blocking their exit routes and then blaming them for their own poverty because they are lazy and dependent and not working hard enough. * If we pride ourselves on our freedom and opportunity, then it's time to find a way to make the "American Dream" a reality once more, albeit with a few alterations tailored to our current circumstances.
(03/04/13 5:00am)
I am drifting on a dhow, an Arab sailing vessel, down some exotic Middle Eastern river; it could be the Tigris or the Euphrates or the Nile, but what I do know is the wind guiding me: "New Sounds from the Arab Lands," a musical performance that enchanted a crowd ranging from students to curious off-campus patrons on Thursday night in the Slosberg Recital Hall.
