Volume 12Number 1

www.thebrandeishoot.com Brandeis University’s Community Newspaper • Waltham, Mass. January 16, 2015

Rev. Walter Cuenin departs Brandeis on short notice

Online controversy provokes intense debate

Sheila McMahon returns to position with Prevention Services

Social media campaign rallies community

By Victoria AronsonEditor

By Jess LindeEditor

photo by marian siljeholm/the hoot

senior midyear exhibition Senior Fine Arts students display their artwork on campus. Read more in our Arts, Etc. section on page 16.

photo from internet source

By Dana TrismenEditor

See OUR HOUSE, page 8

See TWEETS, page 10

By Hannah SchusterStaff

See MCMAHON, page 8

See CUENIN, page 2

Rev. Walter Cuenin, the long-time Brandeis University Cath-olic chaplain and coordinator of the Multifaith Chaplaincy, has left Brandeis with little fanfare due to medical reasons.

“The Archdiocese has in-formed us that Fr. Wal-ter Cuenin’s appointment at Brandeis has ended for health reasons. Out of respect for his privacy we have been asked to not comment further,” wrote Dean of Students Jamele Adams in a recent email to all Brandeis students. Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment An-drew Flagel responded similar-ly in an email to The Brandeis Hoot: “The university respects Walter’s privacy, so we will not comment further beyond hoping he is able to return to health.”

Father Cuenin was a popular figure on campus, well-known and beloved by students regard-less of their faith. He received

his bachelor’s degree from Saint John’s Seminary in 1967 be-fore studying at the Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a degree in sacred theol-ogy in 1969. From there, he was ordained as a priest in 1970. He has worked in many parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston and has taught theology.

“He is a smart and genuine person and one who demon-strates excellent leadership. In his masses, he always made sure to acknowledge and welcome any students, family or staff attend-ing who were of other religions. I think he made a lot of close and irreplaceable connections with the Brandeis community,” said Matthew Chamberlain ’15, in an interview with The Brandeis Hoot. Chamberlain stated that Cuenin inspired him to attend mass every Sunday.

Cuenin had recently gained the support of other students on campus by displaying a large gay pride flag in honor of LGBT History Month. He also lay a

pink cloth over the altar to show support during Breast Can-cer Month. In an article by The Hoot from October 2014, Cuenin stated that there is “No point to come here and pray if you aren’t actually going to do something

Brandeis students rallied around the university in an on-line campaign this winter break, using the hashtag “Brandeis Is Our House” to title positive sto-ries about their experiences at the school. Kelsey Sagaloff ’15 started the campaign following social media reaction to an ar-ticle written by Daniel Mael ’15, on Truth Revolt, a conservative news and commentary website. Mael’s article published multiple tweets by Khadijah Lynch ’16, in which Lynch expressed “no

sympathy” for NYPD officers murdered on Dec. 20. The article caused an uproar online, both in reaction to Lynch’s statements, and what some students saw as incitement to bullying by Mael, resulting in threats of violence to both parties. Brandeis met harsh criticism at the hands of off-cam-pus outlets, such as the conserva-tive publication The Daily Caller. Criticisms ranged from Lynch’s rhetoric to calling Brandeis a hotbed of “leftist indoctrination.”

Thus, the #BrandeisIsOur-House campaign was conceived. “A little before winter break, I met with [Senior Vice President

for Students and Enrollment] Andrew Flagel about social me-dia, so social media campaigns were buzzing in my head,” Saga-loff told The Hoot in an email. “I decided that to combat the anger online, people could just post [their] good memories of Brandeis.” Sagaloff also reached out to her friends and Brandeis student leaders for advice on how to refine the idea. The spe-cific hashtag came after seeing a Facebook status by Ariel Chasen ’16 that quoted a speech given by Dean of Students Jamele Adams

Brandeis University’s Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Specialist Sheila McMahon re-turned to campus on Dec. 15, following a period spent on aca-demic leave. McMahon departed in September in order to com-plete her dissertation with the Rutgers School of Social Work.

McMahon’s dissertation fo-cused on sense of community among college students.

Working with other social work students, she analyzed the impact of an implicit curricu-lum—those elements which are not part of a class, but are part of a university’s culture and affect students.

“The implicit curriculum is the independent variable but then those factors get mediated by students’ sense of community and the questions for the disser-tation is whether or not those factors of implicit curriculum and sense of community make students feel more empowered,” McMahon explained in an inter-view with The Brandeis Hoot.

She feels her research will translate to her work at Brandeis in terms of connecting the ele-ments of the Brandeis implicit curriculum to the aspects of her office.

She also plans to examine

Brandeis’ sense of community and its mediating factors in con-junction with student empower-ment.

During her time away from campus, McMahon believes that the university made very good progress in the area of sexual services and feels lucky to have great colleagues who were able to step in.

She cites Rani Neutil, who works with several prevention services on campus and is avail-able for confidential discussions, and Lisa Hardej of Academic Services, who held office hours in the Office of Prevention Ser-vices during McMahon’s absence. “[Hardej] has a lot of positive re-lationships with students, and is a good listener, so I felt her work with students dropping in who needed support was really im-portant,” said McMahon. Kristen Huang, recently hired in Septem-ber, worked with the Rape Crisis Center.

McMahon also praises the stu-dents who have worked diligent-ly on various projects, including Brandon Weintraub ’16 who has constructed the bystander train-ing program, and the three stu-dents hired to organize the Rape Crisis Center, Victoria Jonas ’15, Sam Daniels ’16 and Ava Blustein ’15.

Inside this issue:News: Survey underway around Usen CastleArts, Etc.: “Into the Woods” disappointsOpinion: Midyear students need more supportSports: Women’s basketball continues strong startEditorial: Campus allies can be promoted more

Union VP ResignsSofia Muhlmann informs commu-nity of decision to move on from Student Union in emailnews: Page 9

Resting PeRiodStudents need time between mov-ing back to campus and start of classes for spring semesteroPs: Page 12

Page 2Page 7Page 13 Page 4Page 10

In the wake of the controversy sparked by the tweets of student Khadijah Lynch ’16 published by Daniel Mael ’15 on Dec. 20 to conservative news website Truth Revolt over winter break, the safety of students and the nature of race relations on campus have surged to the forefront of campus discussions.

Lynch, who was attacked for her allegedly insensitive tweets following the December murders of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, was the target of multiple death threats and de-mands for expulsion. These com-ments stemmed from her fellow students, alumni and university parents, as well as external par-ties.

Mael’s article, which has gar-nered over 87,000 likes on Face-book alone, published tweets from Lynch’s personal Twitter

account, which included state-ments such as, “I have no sym-pathy for the NYPD officers who were murdered today.” The tweets have since been deleted, and Lynch’s account has been made private. Neither Lynch nor Mael responded to requests for comment.

Following the article’s publi-cation, a public Facebook group titled “Expel Khadijah Lynch from Brandeis” was created with the intent of demanding Lynch’s expulsion from the university, although it has since been re-moved. The group, whose stated purpose was “to get this woman expelled from Brandeis and ex-posed for the racist that she is,” featured alumni and parents but was created by individuals not affiliated with Brandeis.

In light of the overwhelm-ing harassment and threats

NEWSJanuary 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot 2

Brandeis to hire new Catholic chaplain

in the world.” He stated that he hoped that with the displays, students would be reminded to do just that. “We have to bring our life to the world,” he added. Cuenin also said that he took his role as a confidential resource on campus very seriously, and he hoped that more students would feel welcome to talk with him as a result of the displays.

Cuenin was also known for his annual trip to Rome, the city where he had studied and been ordained.

For years, students interested in Italy and the Catholic reli-gion (regardless of their actual declared faith) were encouraged to attend, with Cuenin acting as tour guide.

Cuenin had been making ar-rangements and amassing a group to attend this year, be-fore plans changed. In an email sent to students involved in this year’s Rome trip, Cuenin wrote, “I regret that I have to cancel the Rome trip due to medical issues. I am just not up to doing it this year … I am in a clinic in Mich-igan for treatment. Prayers please and Happy New Year.”

Chamberlain was one of the students planning to attend the Rome trip this year.

“I was interested in the Rome trip mainly because I’ve never been to a foreign country outside of the continent, and it was an incredible opportunity to learn

From CUENIN, page 1 about religion and the culture of Rome. I was most looking for-ward to the Italian food and the locations we were going to vis-it,” Chamberlain said. “When I found out it was canceled, I was certainly disappointed, but I was considerably more concerned for Father Cuenin’s well-being. I can only hope for his recovery at this point.”

As stated, Brandeis adminis-tration members have refused to comment on the exact circum-stances of Cuenin’s illness and departure.

This is partly because (as Fla-gel stated): “Our Catholic chap-lain role is an agreement between Brandeis and the Boston Dio-cese.” When contacted, Cuenin himself did not comment, simply saying: “I don’t think I can [re-spond to questions] as I am in a clinic in Michigan.”

When asked interview ques-tions, Protestant Chaplain Matt Carriker provided a collective re-sponse from the chaplaincy team: “The Brandeis Multifaith Chap-laincy wishes Fr. Cuenin a return to full health. The Division of Student Life is actively engaged in efforts to ensure that the needs of the Catholic Communi-ty on campus are met. All of the chaplains are available to the stu-dent community for spiritual and pastoral support, through this difficult time and always.”

Brandeis has arranged for Cuenin’s responsibilities to be covered on campus. “As our Catholic Chaplain comes to us

from the Archdiocese of Boston, we are working with them and will be meeting with our Cath-olic parishioners, both students and greater community mem-bers, about a process for identi-fying a new Catholic Chaplain.

In the meantime, Sister Marie, who has long worked within our community, is assisting us in making sure Services are avail-able this weekend,” wrote Adams in his email to the student body. “We are continuing to work with

the Archdiocese to learn whom will cover Services henceforth. In place of our regular Sunday evening Service in the Bethlehem Chapel, there will be transporta-tion provided to attend Service in Newton.”

photo from internet source

father cuenin Here Cuenin (left) stands with Brandeis University President Frederick Lawerence (right).

By Emily SmithStaff

Usen Castle starts beginning stages of renovation processs

Usen Castle and Schwartz Hall will be undergoing an engineering sur-vey and renovations in an effort to modernize the two buildings. Vice President for Operations Jim Gray announced the school’s plans for the survey and renovations in an email to students in mid-December.

The Castle is the oldest building on the Brandeis campus, built in 1928 as part of Middlesex College of Medi-cine and Surgery and was later con-verted into student housing. As the oldest building, the Castle has expe-rienced maintenance and structural issues over the years, issues that the university has been working to cor-rect and prevent. The engineering survey being conducted on the Castle will look at the interior and exterior of the building as part of the renova-tions and renewals that the university is planning.

Campus Operations will be taking various precautions to ensure the safety of Brandeis students during the survey and renovations. Gray, in a campus-wide email, encouraged students to “please be aware that the study of the exterior, and the changes in weather, can pose a serious danger of falling debris, especially with a fa-cility like the Castle.” He explained that the building will be roped off in order to protect students from any potential dangers that the construc-tion and survey may pose. The roof of the Castle will remain off-limits for the duration of the survey and con-struction.

According to the Department of

Community Living, Usen Castle and Schwartz Hall house 120 students and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to res-idences, the Castle houses a pottery studio open for student use. The Cas-tle was set to undergo repairs in 2012. In October of 2011, Castle residents with broken windows had rooms reaching freezing temperatures. Cas-tle residents frequently complain of inadequate or broken heating, as well other structural issues that come

with the building’s age. The Brandeis Hoot reported that in 2009, portions of the Castle roof collapsed after a rainstorm, damaging the property of Castle residents. The university has delayed many repair projects set to occur in 2008 and cut back on main-tenance due to economic problems, causing the Castle to fall further into disrepair.

Usen Castle has served many dif-ferent purposes over the years. As part of Middlesex College of Medi-

cine and Surgery, it housed lecture halls, administrative offices and labs. For the survey, engineers and other survey team members may have to enter students’ rooms in the Castle. In the event this is necessary, resi-dents or Department of Community living staff members will accompany the survey team members into the students’ rooms.

It remains unclear exactly what types of repair work will be necessary after the survey is completed and how

the remainder of the construction will affect the students living in the Castle. Gray wrote in an email to The Hoot that “we are in the process of study-ing the needs of the whole building. Until we have a complete assessment, it is too soon to discuss the potential next steps.” Students with questions or concerns about the construction and engineering survey have been encouraged to contact Campus Oper-ations for more information.

photo from internet source

By Rachel BossukStaff

Meditation offers healthy outlet for students

In May of 2014, the faculty, stu-dent and staff meditation series be-gan as a routine way for Brandeis students to satisfy their interest in meditation alongside other members of the community. A few staff mem-bers who took an interest in the ac-tivity created the series and thought that others would appreciate the opportunity and would subsequent-ly join. Taking place in the Peace Room in Usdan, this weekly event offers participants a different form of stress-relief.

Meditation is an ancient practice in which an individual trains his or her mind to be persuaded into a deeper mode of consciousness. It has been practiced as part of many dif-ferent religious traditions and also as a form of self-regulation, because it is said to help a person develop com-passion, increase energy and support relaxation. On a smaller scale, many of those who practice meditation do so in order to clear their minds of negative thoughts and their bodies of negative energy. Meditation can be

done in a variety of ways depending on the person’s specific preferences and beliefs.

David Wedaman, director of out-reach at Brandeis and coordinator of the meditation series, said that they have adapted their approach to those attending.

“Most who’ve come so far have had experience meditating, so our current default program is what you might call ‘no-frills,’” he said.

Each session begins at 9:30 a.m. every Tuesday when those in atten-dance arrive, chat and get settled. Af-ter that, they have a 20-minute timed meditation during which no one speaks. At the end of the 20 minutes, some people leave, and those who choose to stay either talk about their experience that day, their meditative practices in general or sometimes ex-tend their meditation for a few min-utes longer. However, if they know they will have new people joining the meeting, they will begin with a short, guided session before the 20-minute sit so that all attendees know what to expect. In addition, according to Wedaman, “When someone express-es an interest in a particular kind of meditation, we try to accommodate

that.” As Wedaman stated, he is not an

expert in the research surrounding mediation. Yet he believes that the practice of reflection during medi-ation has evident positive effects, including lower levels of stress and anxiety.

“Speaking for myself, I think I am more relaxed and contented after I

meditate,” he said. “I think I’m more patient, I feel less rushed, I’m more aware of what is going on around me, I’m more aware of what’s on my own mind, and I’m more open to others.”

Meditation is a relatively common practice among college students, and many schools have guided medita-tion techniques on their websites. Especially right after almost a month

away from school, practicing some form of meditation may help stu-dents re-adjust to a college schedule. In comparison to other relaxing ac-tivities such as yoga, Wedaman says that meditation complements a vari-ety of related activities. He notes that a person interested in several types of practices might try them all out and see which they prefer.

By Emily BelowichEditor

Brandeis departments of Economics and Sociology ranked in the Top 10 majors on College Factual

In December, College Factual an-nounced Brandeis as a top 10 school for students to get degrees in both economics and sociology. The web-site, which uses outcomes-based data to guide prospective students and families through the college process, believes that their rankings are stron-ger because the data is more objec-tive than typical ranking sites. The methodology behind these rankings is based on a number of factors, in-cluding highest paid graduates, most popular programs, best value and most focused.

Economics Department Chair George Hall says that there is an add-ed value of having the combination of a liberal arts education with a re-search university.

“Our students have the opportuni-ty to take classes from a broad range of topics, but they can also partici-pate in research opportunities on the side,” Hall said.

Hall also mentions that the Interna-tional Business School puts students at a significant advantage because of the advanced coursework they can complete at the undergraduate level. He says that by having the graduate school offer advanced courses such as “International Corporate Finance,” it actually strengthens the undergrad-uate department because they can provide course offerings in liberal arts topics such as “The Economics of the Middle East” and “Labor Eco-nomics.”

Students who graduate with an eco-nomics major go on to work at a va-riety of different places, such as small private start-ups, large financial firms and public service organizations, while many continue their education at the graduate level. He emphasizes that it is the strong analytical training and the ability to work with data that are the essential components to each and every economics course.

Hall acknowledges that many of the larger consulting firms do not have on-campus recruiting at

Brandeis because of the size of the school. However, he believes that the student body is at a greater advantage for being a smaller school because of the strong alumni network and con-nections.

“There’s a commitment from the alumni network here that doesn’t exist at other places,” he said. “One of the virtues of being at a place like Brandeis is that our alumni really look out for each other.”

Undergraduate Department Rep-resentative Peter Walton ’15 believes the economics major at Brandeis has been invaluable by providing “ratio-nal thinking models applicable to real-world situations.” He also notes that the skills he has acquired from the major will be particularly useful when searching for jobs after gradu-ation.

“Excel has been the most import-ant skill I have used in my intern-ships,” he said.

“It’s such a deep software package with so many quirks that it can take a lot of time to learn, but it really pays off in the working world when you know it. In my internships, em-ployers have emphasized how neces-sary these skills are, and learning it through applied cases in economics has given me an even greater under-standing of the tool.”

Students and faculty from the so-ciology department also shared their insights on the major being named in the top 10.

Sydney Schweber ’15, a double major in sociology and computer science, believes the sociology ma-jor has helped her think about data analysis in a “less technical way and in a more behavioral way.” She partic-ipated in the JBS summer program, and she is now working on a database research project that incorporates the data she collected from her fieldwork this past summer.

“The JBS program was something that opened my eyes to the different ways data can be used to make an impact on people’s lives, and advance research in various industries,” she said. “We traveled to Jackson, Mis-sissippi and interviewed people who

were active members of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and people who were students during desegregation … I’m trying to find a way to track down people who went to high school in Mississippi during desegregation through Facebook, and compare those profile pictures to the yearbook pictures in order to confirm their identity. Those confir-mations will be how we can contact people now in order to interview them for the ongoing research about the Civil Rights era.”

Sociology Department Chair Da-vid Cunningham mentioned that the department has long benefited from students’ great enthusiasm toward their truly engaging work.

“From collaborative research and field-based internships to on-the-road JBS programs and guided study of topics like empowerment and philanthropy, sociology provides opportunities for students to ensure that their efforts have real-world im-pact,” Cunningham said. “We also have always valued giving students room to innovate and pursue inde-pendent ideas. Looking around our own campus, these may not seem like entirely distinctive features, but they certainly set us apart from many oth-er distinguished sociology depart-ments around the country.”

Similar to the economics major, Cunningham also mentions that so-ciology graduates go on to work in a

wide range of fields.“Our alumni have distinguished

themselves in a huge range of fields—including law, education, public health and non-profit management,” he said.

“While they often benefit directly from experience with observational, interview, historical and statistical re-search techniques, equally important is their ability to apply the broader lenses and frameworks at the core of many of our courses to whatever challenges they face in their later ca-reers.”

The reports were published in USA Today for the economics major on Dec. 5 and the sociology major on Dec. 27.

January 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot NEWS 3

photo from internet source

photo from internet sourcedepartment chairs George Hall on left and David Cunningham on right

Carrying the momentum of the two-game winning streak and a 5-1 record, the women’s basketball team went back into action on Saturday, Dec. 6, dominating against Johnson & Wales University with a 73-56 win. The Judges led the whole game, with 10 of 11 players seeing the court scor-ing points. Their record improved 6-1, their best start since the 2008-09 season, while Johnson & Wales fell to a 3-3 record.

“After advancing to a 6-1 record our team spirit is pretty good,” said Hannah Cain ’16 who scored 13 points and a game-high five steals in the victory. Confidence was flow-ing when the Judges came out with a quick start, a 10-0 run at the begin-ning of the game. The team’s top scor-er Niki Laskaris ’16 was unstoppable with 11 early points in the first half with three of four from downtown. Her high efficiency along with the in-tensity of defense coming from Cain ’16 boosted the team over Johnson & Wales for the first half, leading 34 to 23. Three of Cain’s five steals were achieved during the first 20 minutes. “Defensively we always want to real-ly pressure our opponents and make them uncomfortable. When all five of us are really pressuring the other team, then it forces them to make

SPORTS4 The Brandeis Hoot January 16, 2015

Women’s basketball dominates against Johnson and Wales

By Sarah JoussetEditor

difficult passes,” Cain commented. She also shared some tips about her success in forcing the turnovers. “Our coaches have been emphasizing to play off intuition; they don’t want us second-guessing ourselves. So when I feel like I should jump a passing lane, I jump it.”

However, with the same amount of steals as the opponent, the Judg-es only managed to capitalize with eight points off Johnson & Wales’ turnovers, compared to 17 in the

The Brandeis men’s and women’s fencing teams participated in the Brandeis Invitational on Dec. 7 in Gosman Athletic Center, where the Judges captured five wins in nine matches. Brandeis swept both Yale and Johns Hopkins, with the women beating Yale by a score of 14-13 and Johns Hopkins 19-8, while the men beat Yale 17-10 and Johns Hopkins 15-12. The victory against Yale was the first for the men’s team since 2007. Both teams were swept by St. Johns. However, the women defeated the Air Force Academy, 17-10, but the men lost, 16-11. The women were also de-feated by Cornell, 18-9.

In the match against Yale, Yale took saber, while Brandeis won in foil. However, the two teams were tied in epee, 3-3, when Rosa Zhang ’16 and Gwen Mowell ’16 earned wins to se-cure the win over Yale, both going 2-1 in the match. Caroline Mattos ’16, foil, was the only Judge to go 3-0 against Yale, but Emilia Dwyer ’16 and Boots Xue ’16 each went 2-1 in foil. Ashley Jean ’17 clinched two wins in saber. The women swept all three weapons against Johns Hop-kins, with a 7-2 victory in saber and foil and a 5-4 win in epee. Both Jean and Xue went 3-0 in foil for the Judg-es. The women beat the Air Force Academy with a 9-0 sweep, led by the epee squad. Mowell and Liz Feller ’18 each went 3-0 in epee, while Jean and Jaclyn Hammond ’17 went 2-1 in sa-ber to help them win 5-4.

Mattos commented on the success

Fencing faces tough opponents at Brandeis Invitational

By Curtis Zunyu HeStaff

of the women’s team at the Invitation-al, “The team did a decent job at the Invitational. Those teams were tough, but I felt like we held our own for the most part. However, there’s always room for improvement.”

The men’s team dominated against Yale, sweeping them in all three weapons. The Judges secured a 7-2 win in saber, while wins in foil and epee amounted to 5-4. Adam Mandel ’15 and Jess Ochs-Willard ’15 went 3-0 for saber. Noah Berman ’15 and Guillermo Narvaez ’18 each went 2-1 in foil, while a win in his final bout

from Ethan Levy ’15, led the Judges to victory in foil. Brandeis secured the win in epee with 2-1 records from Justin Kwon ’16 and Hunter Stusnick ’18. In the match against Johns Hop-kins, the men won 7-2 in saber and foil, but lost 8-1 in epee. Mandel went 3-0 in saber, while Len Grazian ’17 went 3-0 in foil.

In the men’s loss against the Air Force academy, the final foil score was 5-4. However, Mandel went 3-0 in sa-ber, in a close loss of 5-4. In the match against St. John’s, women’s foil and men’s saber got the closest to a win

opponent’s pocket. “A portion of our turnovers come from the pace of our game because we play a very up-tem-po game … which I think comes down to us making poor decisions with passing” said Cain. “We put an emphasis on taking care of the ball during practice and that translates to games. We really focus on being strong with the ball and making good passes.” Cain’s statements shows the team’s positivity in dealing with this loophole on the offensive end.

More positivity could be seen from the defensive end as the Judges out-re-bounded the overall taller opponent with 42 boards to 35. And although 14 offensive rebounds were collected by Johnson & Wales, only four sec-ond-chance points were snatched by the opponent under the pressure of the defense in the Judges’ paint. “No matter the height of our opponents, we’re expected to do the same thing—when a shot goes up, find a body, box out and drive them back,” said Cain.

Sydney Sodine ’17 was one of the best warriors that fulfilled this mission as she seized a game-high five offensive rebounds which earned more pre-cious offensive chances for the team.

Center Olivia Shaw ’18 contribut-ed 12 points with one three-pointer, showing her versatility. Six players in total were granted the chance to im-prove themselves through the match and hopefully their contribution to the team will add up with their expe-rience in the future.

Hannah Cain stood for the team’s competitive intensity. “None of us ever really get too hung up on our record. Whether we win or lose we play the same way, practice the same way, carry ourselves the same way.” As Cain and the team are looking to continue the winning momentum, she also shared her own expectation for the new season, “In the short term our goal is to get better each day … In the long run, our goal is to win every single game the rest of the season and to make the NCAA tournament.”

The women’s basketball team went 2-3 over the break with wins against Gordon and Endicott. The men’s bas-ketball team went 5-2 over the break, improving their record to 6-6 on the season. The men’s team finished the break with wins over Tufts, Amherst, Roger Williams, Curry and NYU. Both teams are back in action this Friday at Carnegie Mellon, with the women tipping off at 6 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m..

for Brandeis. However, both fell 5-4.Brandeis men’s and women’s fenc-

ing will compete in the Western In-vitational this weekend, Jan. 17 at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Both teams will face the Air Force Academy again, as well as Stanford, Cal Tech, UCSD and Northwestern.

“We’ve been training hard not only with fencing practice but also condi-tioning since the last tournament, so hopefully we’ll have more stamina since we’ll need it due to the increased altitude … We’re all motivated to do well, and hopefully we can use that to

win crucial bouts,” Mattos comment-ed about this weekend’s competition.

For the men’s team, the pressure is on as Brandeis will face Air Force again after losing at home.

Stusnick commented on the com-petition this weekend against the Air Force academy saying, “The men’s team has performed well in the past two meets; however, we are striving to improve on our results, namely against Air Force, who beat us at the Brandeis Invitational. It was a close meet then, and we have been training hard.”

A WIN BEFORE FINALS Heather Cain ‘16 participates in the 73-56 win over Johnson and Wales before the winter break. photo from internet source

tough competition Brandeis men’s and women’s team rally together before December sevenths competition at home. photo from internet source

Brandeis senior cheers as member of Rev GirlsBy Marian Siljeholm

Staff

Like many students at Brandeis, Jennifer Swain’s ’15 precious free time is divided between obli-gations that demand nearly as much commitment and time as academics. Swain spends her time outside of the classroom as a member of the New England Revolution soccer team’s Rev Girls.

Far more than a soccer cheer squad, this all-female promo-tional team makes appearances at charitable venues as well as promotional and business events throughout the greater Boston area and in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Despite being born in Cali-fornia, Swain considers herself a New Englander after spending the majority of her childhood in Massachusetts and attend-ing school in Concord, MA. She joined the Rev Girls after many years playing as a right forward in soccer and visiting Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, throughout her childhood.

The process for becoming a member of this team is compet-itive and based as much, if not more so, on soccer knowledge than on cheering skills and expe-rience. After rounds of resume re-view, candidates must go through formal interview processes at Gil-lette Stadium. Finalists advanced to rounds of Revolution-based questions designed to test candi-

photos courtesy jennifer swain

JENNIFER SWAIN ‘15: Swain shares moment with horse.

dates’ knowledge of the team, in-cluding trivia questions and even facial recognition tests of Revo-lution players, as well as question and answer sections. The girls are also tested in varying social situa-tions, as interaction with fans is a central part of being on the team.

According to the Revolution Club homepage, the Rev Girls provide more than a roster of uni-formed faces.

The website states, “The Rev Girls perform various roles at nonprofit events, including pro-viding assistance with fundraising efforts, added value and presence for promotional events and an outgoing dimension of soccer and sports knowledge.” This, ac-cording to Swain, is the most rewarding part of being on the team. “I love the fans and the feel-ing of being at the games … but the charity events are absolutely amazing,” she said.

Swain came to Brandeis in 2013, after two years at the Uni-versity of Rochester where she was an active member of the cheerleading team. On a whim, the then-junior decided to try out for the Revolution Cheerleading team, given her new proximity to Foxborough. She became an offi-cial member last February.

The team is comprised of 22 women in their 20s, some college students and others college grad-uates, and all united by a love of sports. With so many differing lifestyles and ages present on the team, Swain admits conflicting schedules are often problemat-ic. Still, the Rev Girls manage to

REV GIRLS: Team photo of the New England Rev Girls Cheerleading squad

practice every other week. They also participate in multiple events per month during the season, which runs from March to De-cember, depending on how the soccer team performs in regular season and playoff games.

Swain chose to transfer to Brandeis in order to be closer to home. According to Swain, the smaller classes and proximity to Boston made Brandeis the best choice for this Concord native. Despite what she admits to be marginally sub-par food and lack of availability of campus parking

facilities for commuter students, Swain has never regretted her de-cision. Since arriving almost two years ago, she has thoroughly en-joyed the sense of community that Brandeis’ smaller student body size offers. As Swain put it, “I like going into classes and knowing people and having one-on-one time with professors who seem invested in their students.”

Despite changing schools, Swain’s academic focus has re-mained the same: politics. Fol-lowing her switch to Brandeis, she has since added a history

FEATURES5 The Brandeis Hoot January 16, 2015

minor to her political science major. Outside of academics and cheer, Swain also competes on the Brandeis equestrian team. When not traveling to events as part of the Revolution’s busy seasonal schedule, the senior waitresses at Bertucci’s in Waltham and does promotional work for Miller Light and Bacardi beverage companies.

Looking to the future, Swain hopes to stay at Brandeis to earn her master’s degree in teaching so that she can teach social sciences for middle and high school stu-dents.

DRESSED UP: Photo portrait of Swaim.

TEAMMATES: Swaim poses with her fellow cheerleaders.

By Emma KhanStaff

Brandeis theater kicks off Spring 2015 season

As a new semester begins, the Brandeis community prepares for students of all experience levels and all interests to join in on Brandeis’ creative and eclectic performances. This semester, students can expect a large variety of shows and numerous ways to participate in the Brandeis Theater Company.

On Jan. 30, the semester will kick off with “Two Dance Stories,” a soul-ful dance and movement piece cre-ated by director Susan Dibble and her ensemble. According to the BTC website, “Inspired by the poetry of W.H. Auden, one piece illustrates how people are propelled into movement through the rhythms and sounds of time, and asks what happens when the ticking hands of the clock stop. The other piece revolves around a small shop that hatches a plan to heal people through the ghost costumes it creates.”

Next, the BTC presents “The Way of Water,” a play highlighting the af-termath of the BP Oil Spill in the lives of individuals living in the Gulf of Mexico following the disaster. This piece seeks to highlight the lasting effects of an event whose features in national and international headlines do not measure its severity. This play, directed by OBIE Award-winning playwright Caridad Svich, will run from March 12 to March 15.

On April 21 through April 26, the Senior Festival will showcase the work of select seniors as they prepare for graduation. Each year varies as the students present their own composi-tions, act in a variety of shows and exhibit their many other talents.

Finally, the semester will wrap up with “A Night on the Clowns,” an event filled with music, magic and comedy performed by famous co-medians, magicians and other enter-tainers who have performed in shows worldwide, even having appeared in

the famous Cirque du Soleil. This se-mester’s shows are sure to captivate a wide audience, as each show is entire-ly distinct from the next.

However, the BTC invites stu-dents to do more than just watch. Alyssa Avis, management assistant, recommends two entry-level class-es for students interested in taking a theater class, who may not have any theater experience yet. Both THA 21B and THA 177B are entry-level courses that teach the fundamentals of theater, the former being an act-ing-based course and the latter being an introduction to the backstage el-ements of theater production. These courses present the perfect opportu-nity for new or returning students to become involved. Whether students have acted before or not, or are look-ing to help build the magic backstage, a new semester is the perfect time to get started.

For students who have experience in theater or have taken the begin-ning courses, there are also advanced courses being offered. The courses consist of playwriting, lighting design and set design. THA 175A is The Art of Scenography II: Scenic Design and Invention for Performance. In ad-dition, this semester will offer THA 185A, which teaches advanced light-ing design, and THA 185B, which teaches advanced playwriting and dramatic structure. If students are in-terested in getting more information on these courses or are looking to en-roll, they may contact the instructor for permission.

The Brandeis theater program in-volves students not only through their skills on stage or backstage, but also by incorporating other skills, for ex-ample, through dance, scenic design and directing positions. Although the shows have been cast for this upcom-ing semester, Avis recommends stu-dents wishing to be involved this se-mester to enroll in THA 30A, Theater Practicum. “You’ll get the chance to crew a show and experience the prac-tical aspects of theater production,”

she said. To keep informed about auditions, performances, workshops, and other special events, students may follow Brandeis Department of Theater Arts on Facebook, where upcoming season announcements, audition information and updates of theater productions as well as infor-mation about alumni achievements are posted.

Though the BTC alone offers an overwhelming number of ways to participate this semester, there are many other opportunities to be in-volved with performance arts on campus. Students may look to stu-dent-led groups for a capella, sketch comedy and improv comedy perfor-mances, either to participate as audi-ence members or to get up on stage. With such incredible opportunities available this semester, whether it be a sketch comedy show in Chum’s Cof-feehouse or a Brandeis Theater Com-pany production, Brandeis students are invited to participate in a wide variety of performances.

Expiration Date By Linjie Xu

photo from internet sourcehello, spring Brandeis theater will offer exciting new shows for the campus community.

Looking for new classes to add to your schedule? Here are some new classes to sign up for this semester during add/drop period.

PHIL 152A—Doing Right and Thinking Right: Normativity in Ethics and Episte-mologyTaught by visiting professor Jeremy Fantl, this course will involve discuss-ing moral and epistemic relativism, whether we have control over our be-liefs, the possibility of practical reasons for believing, potential ethi-cal constraints on belief and what intellectual rationality amounts to. CLAS 137B—Portraiture in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and RomeIf you are interested in learning about ancient cultures, Jacquelyn William-son will be teaching a course on Egyptian and Mesopotamian portraiture in the context ofportrait traditions of the Greco-Roman world. Students will also ex-plore the impact of Egypt and Mesopotamia on art in Ancient Greece and Rome.

ENG 20A — Bollywood: Popular Film, Genre, and SocietyThis course, taught by Ulka Anjaria, will introduce Bollywood with an exam-ination of some of the most Bollywood films. Spanning from the 1950s until to-day, topics include song and dance, love and sex, stardom, religion and others.

ENG 53B — Poetics of Plague WritingJodie Austin wrote her dissertation on the plague and its impact on early mod-ern literature in England. Poetics of Plague Writing is based upon her own dis-sertation research. “I wanted to teach it in order to expand further upon my research in addition to seeing what students themselves think about the top-ic,” she said. The class will look at the origins of the plague narrative in ear-ly modern literature. Interestingly, students will also look at representations of plague in contemporary literature and popular media, including video games.

New classes to spice up your (academic) life

ARTS, ETC.January 16, 2015 ARTS 6

January 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot ARTS 7

By Lisa PetrieStaff

‘I Wish’ I liked ‘Into the Woods’

Over the break, I went to see a film that had been a point of frus-tration for me since the first trailer was released. As a fan of Sondheim and self-proclaimed musical theater geek, I bristled at the idea of watch-ing a Disney-produced version of one of my favorite anti-Disney musicals, “Into the Woods.” However, I’m also a Disney fan and shamelessly love Anna Kendrick, so I fought back my misgivings and went into the movie theater with dreading hopefulness. To put it simply, I was not at all im-pressed.

I would take my review with a grain of salt, however, as I am a person who enjoys seeing theater for its purpose as a form of social and political com-mentary in addition to its ability to entertain and amuse. If you are a theater person who mainly enjoys the actual theater (i.e. singing and danc-ing) or merely think the trailer was interesting, then you will not be dis-appointed by this movie.

Kendrick and Emily Blunt abso-lutely dazzle in their performances as Cinderella and the baker’s wife, respectively. However, none of the other celebrities really caught my at-tention. Meryl Streep’s portrayal of the witch was unfortunately stripped of all of its emotional power by Dis-ney’s unfortunate cuts, James Corden was endearingly goofy as the baker, but did not leave a lasting impression, and Johnny Depp felt out of place, seemingly stuck in one of Tim Bur-ton’s films.

Another problem I had with the movie was that the actors who played Little Red Riding Hood and Jack from “Jack and the Beanstalk” were too young. A big part of the musical is the sexual exploration of Jack and Red Riding Hood as they approach young adulthood. The two teenag-ers have their first sexual experienc-es, Red with the wolf and Jack with the female giant. Both experiences are bittersweet, because they have learned and grown from them, but they also miss the blissful ignorance of childhood. Casting these two char-acters as young kids that look about 10 or 11 loses that meaning, and the theme of learning “things … that you never knew before” that change your life both for the better, and the worse, gets destroyed in the process.

The lack of the reprise of “Agony” and the death of Rapunzel was also a huge disappointment. “Agony” was performed well by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen as brothers who fight each other for who feels more agony in the face of an unattainable woman. The true power of this song however comes through in its reprise, when the young princes meet again after having married Rapunzel and Cinderella, and admit that they have found new unattainable women to pine for—Snow White and Sleeping

Beauty. This reprise shows the under-lying failure of the “Prince Charm-ing” model of “true love.” These young princes love their princesses because they are out of reach—stuck in eternal sleep, in artificial death, in a tower or always fleeing—not for their actual personalities or intelli-gence. Ultimately, these young men would not be happy with the young women they have “won” because they have been taught to value the chase and not the actual person. In the end, Cinderella’s prince cheats on her with the baker’s wife, which Disney does show in the movie, and Rapunzel’s prince abandons her to die at the hands of the giant.

The death of Rapunzel brings up another important point about the witch. In Sondheim’s version, the witch dwells in a world of gray, not black and white, and her role is not clearly the villain. In Disney’s ver-sion, the witch is vain and hateful and wants to keep her daughter from a man who clearly loves her and wants to protect her. During her final scene, she sings “The Last Midnight” and it sounds like the angry villain blaming the good people for her failure. How-ever, in Sondheim’s version, her last songs “Lament” and “Midnight” are the final musings of a woman deemed evil whose actions are really no worse than the “good” townspeople. Streep would have nailed the original char-acter of the witch, bringing the power and emotion of a character misunder-stood throughout time with her skills. Disney stripped this opportunity from her and she remains a whiny, evil, typical villain who dies like all villains at the end of the movie.

The real tragedy of this movie however, is how it was stripped of its message by Disney’s cuts, which bor-dered on censoring. The basic idea behind “Into the Woods” is that the main characters all wish for better lives, but once they have these so-called “happy endings,” they realize that they still want more. Sondheim achieves this by ending the first act with all of the characters’ happy end-ings. Then, during the first song of the second act the audience learns that the baker and his wife, Cinderella and Jack and his mother have been living their happy endings for a few months. They begin a sort of reprise of the first song, “I Wish,” illuminating that none of the characters are entirely satisfied with their original wishes. Although they have all achieved their “happy ending,” none of them are actually happy. However, none of this occurs in the film version, and the intermis-sion and reprise are skipped, going immediately to the entrance of the angry female giant coming back to avenge the death of her husband. The idea of a happy ending is the lifeblood of Disney, so the fact that this movie coincidentally loses this theme in its cuts is a little suspicious. In the film version, the entrance of the female gi-ant seems to destroy everyone’s happy endings, which in Sondheim’s version never existed, because his characters

were never satisfied with their lives.Another related point that angered

all Sondheim fans is that Disney cut out the role of the baker’s father as the narrator. The narrator provid-ed a lens for the audience to see the musical the way Sondheim intended, and removing this character from the film left the audience stranded. The narrator criticizes the characters and interjects his own opinions toward the end, changing the structure of the fairy tale into a moldable object that can be interpreted and changed by the audience, as Sondheim intend-ed. His song with his son, the baker, is also cut, in which he explains that

the father always has the role of aban-doning his children or dying or mess-ing everything up in a fairy tale, but that the baker doesn’t have to follow that path. This prompts the baker to change the shape of the story, and teaches the audience that we can do the same. Fairy tales and every other type of information or story or film that comes our way does not have to be passively received, it can be chal-lenged and changed and interpreted. That Disney loses this lesson in craft-ing a film version of the musical is a tragedy but not unexpected. As chil-dren, we were fed Disney versions of everything, meant to be taken at face

value and left that way, and it is ironic and sad that Disney was able to turn “Into the Woods” into the same thing that it tries to warn against.

Other problems arise in this film version of Sondheim’s famous musi-cal, but these few are what ultimately destroy the powerful message Sond-heim and Lapine laboriously infused in “Into the Woods.” If you loved the stage version of this play, do not see the film version, you will be disap-pointed. Otherwise, go to enjoy the beautiful score and excellent act-ing abilities of Kendrick in this wa-tered-down, Disney-fied version of a musical classic.

No More Classes By Katherine Selector

problematic adaptation Fans of the original Broadway show wil be greatly disappointed. photo from internet source

January 18, 2013 The Brandeis Hoot ARTS 1

By Sabrina PondStaff

Lucy Kim awarded Boston Artadia Award

Lucy Kim, a faculty member who teaches various fine arts classes at Brandeis, including Introduction to Drawing and Beginning Painting and Printmaking, has recently been award-ed the highly esteemed Boston Artadia Award.

Kim was named one of 10 finalists a while back, a feat in and of itself, only later to be selected as one of three win-ners. The award guarantees a $12,000 unrestricted grant that she can use for all of her artistic endeavors. As one of the 10 finalists, Kim discovered an-other perk: she got a studio visit with Christopher Bedford (director of the Rose Art Museum), Bartholomew Ryan (assistant curator of the Walk-er Art Center) and Gretchen Wagner (artistic director and chief curator of the Oklahoma Contemporary), three renowned curators.

Having previously experimented with all different forms of art as an undergraduate at the Rhode Island School of Design and graduate student for Yale University, Kim consequently has developed her skills to masterfully paint, draw, sculpt and make prints. She has had the chance to express her-self through many different media and explained, “Though I work primarily in painting and sculpture, I’ve also worked with photography, installa-tion, printmaking and video.” Her vo-racious interest in all things art related make her a force to be reckoned with,

for there seems to be no limit to her talent.

Kim submitted a portfolio for the Artadia award with some of her more recent work, which she de-scribed as “paintings [that] combine

mold-making and casting with oil painting.” The resulting work is the outcome of “several years of materi-al and conceptual experimentation.” Her skills are admirable in that she is comfortable testing her boundaries

and going to great lengths to improve her work. Usually drawing her inspi-ration from her life experiences, “It is a way to engage my own subjectivity and also to keep things relevant and specific,” Kim said. Sculpting as an art

form requires the direct manipulation of objects that inadvertently binds the artist with the clay but also fosters a connection artist’s surroundings. She incorporates “the world of imagery that is meant to elicit desire, mostly from advertising.”

As far as the grant goes, Kim in-tends to use the award to pay for her studio rent and materials she requires for her first solo show in New York City. Considering the great cost of her art materials, the artist mentioned that “the timing couldn’t have been better” for her show at Lisa Cooley Gallery. For some it appears that there truly is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—and Kim just happened to stumble upon it in all her artistic trav-els, a paintbrush in hand and paint on the tip of her nose.

When asked about the progression of her artwork through her extensive career, she mentioned it was hard to tell where the art was headed for ear-ly in its conception. At the time she didn’t think of her artwork in terms of progression while working on each piece: “It was all problem solving in the moment, and making a new deci-sion based on the previous one.” Kim found herself focusing on the minute to make each piece unique, memora-ble and a firm representation of her-self. Given her years of experience in the field, she admits that she creates art differently now than when she was first studying it: “Over the years, I have learned to prioritize and edit. It still starts out messy. The messy part is critical.”

‘Selma’: a must-see film of great importanceBy Jess Linde

Editor

Full, immediate disclosure: I cannot promise that this review will be ut-terly free of any white cisgender male privilege that I carry around with me because of my race and gender identi-ty. As anyone will tell you, there is no way to completely leave these behind without ending in a position where I’d simply be pretending that such things did not exist. What I can promise is a trying lack of whitesplaining “Selma,” a film about a story that a lot of white people these days like to use as an ex-cuse to ignore issues like systematic racism. “Selma” is about the people who accomplished amazing things in the chronicled events, and who they accomplished them for. And it is in-credibly successful in doing so.

The film is, of course, about Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s organizing of massive demonstrations for African-Ameri-can voting rights in Alabama in 1965. King’s request for federal intervention in Alabama had just been rebuked by Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson), so he and his closest allies go to the deep South in order to fight the racist policies of Alabama’s then-governor George Wallace (Tim Roth). At the same time, King must deal with mar-ital strife between him and Coretta Scott King (Carmen Ejogo), pressure from LBJ to be more diplomatic and racist violence against him and his supporters. This leads to the planning and execution of the Selma marches, destined to become one of the de-fining moments of the Civil Rights Movement.

One thing that I will not say about “Selma” is that it is a “great Ameri-can movie.” Doing so only continues the tradition of appropriating Afri-can-American pain and erasing relat-ed self-determinate action very com-mon in American culture. That said, “Selma” is still a great and important film, one that educates and honors the emotional and human cost of King’s

work (another side note: I am not attempting to gain liberal brownie points. If I didn’t like this film I would say so). There are multiple scenes of King simply sitting in front of a television, alone, watching marchers be assaulted by Alabama police, and knowing that his choices are partly to blame for the blood being spilled. In one of the film’s most haunting scenes, King consoles the grandfather of a slain activist while promising vic-tory in their cause. King understands that he cannot fully atone for the death, especially when he will soon

court media attention for the move-ment.

Nearly every moment of “Selma” is laden with heavy emotion, stress and fear, yet it is not a melancholy movie. It is a serious one about serious things, but newcomer Ava DuVernay’s accom-plished, subtle direction balances this with moments of humor and sweet-ness to lighten the mood when neces-sary. The film is also supported by an amazing cast, including an Oscar-wor-thy performance from Oyelowo as King, which is an interpretation rather than an imitation. Ejogo is also amaz-

ing as the supportive but concerned Coretta Scott King. Great supporting parts from Wendell Pierce, Lorraine Toussaint and Wilkinson round out the film with their performances.

Once again, I find myself without much else to say. “Selma” is dramatic, impeccably acted, very well directed, beautiful looking and as heartbreak-ing as it is inspiring. If nothing else, it is a harsh reminder to people who for-get the weight of Civil Rights activists’ experiences simply because it took place so long ago. In a world where people are increasingly connected yet

often choose to forget the complexi-ties of the past, “Selma” is a movie that should be seen. It makes devils out of some but refuses any pedestals or shallow adulation of history. Rather, it tells an incredible story in an in-credibly powerful way, and presents the ugliness of American history as it was and is. Before his tragic death, Roger Ebert often championed films like “Selma” as necessary stories that deserved to be seen. I cannot speak for the dead, but I would say Ebert would do the same for “Selma,” and rightly so. It’s a great movie, so go see it.

photo from internet sourcearcadia award Lucy Kim was awarded one of the most highly regarded Bostonian arts awards

photo from internet sourcecompelling and dynamic The film has been critically praised since its release.

By Hannah StewartStaff

Resignation of Student Union Vice President

On Jan. 11, the entire Brandeis student body received an email from Sofía Mühlmann ’16, stating that she was resigning from her post as the Student Union Vice President. Mühl-mann began her journey at Brandeis as a first year and earned the title of “Mayor of Sherman” within her first week. Mühlmann is known for being charismatic, and she possesses the highly coveted ability to remember everyone that she meets as more than just a name and a face.

In the fall of her sophomore year, three students approached Mühl-mann and asked her to run for the position of president of the Student Union.

Initially planning on running for senator for her class, two weeks be-fore the election, she was approached once more and asked to run for “something more.”As Mühlmann ex-

plains, “One of my friends sat down with me and we decided that running for vice president would make the most sense because … I’m very good at mediating, very good at facilitating and very aware of my environment.”

Even after declaring her intention to run, she never once asked any stu-dent to vote for her, yet people still came up to her, informing Mühl-mann that they were going to vote for her.

While not having any experience with the Student Union, Mühlmann had experience advocating for stu-dents and dealing with administra-tors through her work as a commu-nity advisor.

“Student Union is supposed to be this forum for students to run like a government and represent their fellow students,” according to Mühl-mann.

“Every meeting I would always bring back the point that we are here to represent our peers, and we are here to be a voice for our peers, and

photo from internet source

I would always remind them of the purpose of why we would meet. Be-cause I think if we lose sight of that purpose, then we’re not helping our-selves and we’re not helping others … So, that’s part of my job, to run these meetings and to kind of empower the people around me.”

This empowerment-of-others mindset is an integral part of Mühl-mann’s everyday personality, so she was appalled when she sat in on a Senate meeting the semester before her campaign.

She refused to tolerate the hostility, yelling and disrespect in the room, and made it her personal mission to create a new environment for these meetings.

“I thought, how deeply terrible is this, that people who we pick to represent us are coming and having these meetings and there’s so much disrespect going on.”

“That was horrible for me to see because I don’t think that that’s a con-ducive way to act at all … This is a place where we would need to be re-spectful of each other’s opinions and every single person has the right to say what they want to say but please do so in a way that’s respectful.”

Mühlmann strove to change the dynamic of these meetings.

One senator even commented that they now felt safe to express their own views, and enjoyed coming to meetings. However, after a semester, something changed.

As Mühlmann describes it, “There came a point in time … something was like, ‘Sofía, Sofía, hello?’… and the little voice said, ‘I think it time’s for you to resign.’”

Her decision to resign had nothing to do with her ability to perform her duties.

It was more of a matter of it no longer having the same meaning or purpose to her anymore.

“In this world, regardless of any rules that are written or unwritten, it is our job to be aware of what it is that we want and need in our own lives, but also to be aware that people are here to help other people.”

“Running these Senate meetings, going to E-Board meetings was no longer conducive for me. It no longer served a purpose in my life … saying no to this position has allowed me to see my community in a way … that is so much brighter … and it feels great,” she said.

The choosing of the new vice pres-ident of the Student Union will be held during the upcoming mid-year elections.

Advertisement:

NEWSJanuary 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot 9

ADVERTISE

Advertising in The Brandeis Hoot helps spread your message to our readers across the Brandeis campus, in the Waltham community and beyond through our website.

All campus organizations receive a 25 percent discount off our regular prices. We also design basic ads for campus organizations free of charge.

To reserve your space in the paper, contact us by phone at (781) 330-0051 or by e-mail at ads@thebrandeishoot.com.

SUBMISSION POLICIES

The Brandeis Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the community. Preference is given to current or former community members and The Hoot reserves the right to edit or reject submissions. The deadline for submitting letters is Wednesday at noon. Please submit letters to letters@thebrandeishoot.com along with your contact information. Letters should not exceed 500 words. The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

“To acquire wisdom, one must observe.”Editor-in-ChiefDana Trismen

Andrew Elmers

Senior Managing EditorVictoria Aronson

Managing EditorTheresa Gaffney

News EditorsEmily Belowich

Jess Linde

Arts EditorMichelle Kim

Sports EditorSarah Jousset

Senior Copy EditorsMia Edelstein

Julie Landy

Copy EditorAllison Plotnik

Senior Layout EditorSasha Ruiz

Graphics EditorLinjie Xu

Website EditorsZak Kolar

Andrew ParksZach Phil Schwartz

Volume 12 • Issue 1the brandeis hoot • brandeis university

415 south street • waltham, maFounded By Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

CONNECTphone • (781) 330-0051

e-mail • editor@thebrandeishoot.comonline • thebrandeishoot.com

twitter • twitter.com/thebrandeishootfacebook • facebook.com/thebrandeishoot

MISSIONAs the weekly community student newspaper of Brandeis

University, The Brandeis Hoot aims to provide our readers with a reliable, accurate and unbiased source of news and information. Produced entirely by students, The Hoot serves a readership of 6,000 with in-depth news, relevant commentary, sports and coverage of cultural events. Recognizing that better journalism leads to better policy, The Brandeis Hoot is dedicated to the principles of investigative reporting and news analysis. Our mission is to give every community member a voice.

GIVE A HOOT,JOIN THE HOOT!

Writers, editors, photographers and graphic artists wanted to join The Brandeis Hoot, your weekly community newspaper.

To learn more, send us an e-mail at join@thebrandeishoot.com, or visit our website http://thebrandeishoot.com/join.

This week’s edition of The Brandeis Hoot features two news articles about two dif-ferent trusted campus allies, one leaving

his duties on campus and the other returning. As most of the Brandeis community knows by now, Father Walter Cuenin will no longer serve as Brandeis’ Catholic chaplain due to health reasons, and Sheila McMahon will be resuming her duties as a sexual assault specialist following her absence last semester. This editorial board laments the loss of Father Cuenin, who was in-strumental in establishing the current chaplain-cy system on campus, as well as a long-beloved counselor and ally for LGBT students. From his eccentric socks to his serving as a judge in the Brandeis drag show, Cuenin’s dedication to the Brandeis community will not be forgotten, and this board wishes him good health in the future.

This board also happily welcomes McMa-hon back to Brandeis, as her work in reform-ing Brandeis’ responses to sexual violence on campus has been a key part of the university’s achievements in this area over the past year. As we have argued many times, sexual assault must

be combated in order to truly uphold Brandeis’ values and its community, and student activists must be supported. McMahon is an essential part of this battle, and an ally to activists and survivors. Looking toward the future, this board believes that Brandeis should continue to invest in students through on-campus allies. The incoming rape crisis center for example, must be staffed by professionals as well as student volunteers.

Having individuals on campus whom students can trust and speak to confidentially can be essential for people who need someone to talk to but do not necessarily have access to professional counseling or something similar. Both Cuenin and McMahon have helped hun-dreds of students (especially since McMahon will hopefully be at Brandeis for years to come), and now that Cuenin is leaving campus, we must not forget what made him so beloved. The university should promote such figures as on-campus resources for students who need someone to speak with, even if they just need someone who will listen to their problems.

This is particularly urgent in light of student criticisms, including ones published by The Hoot, of Brandeis’ system of mental health ser-vices. This board recognizes that progress takes time but also believes that easily accessible individuals have and will continue to help. The Hoot board hopes that Brandeis will not forget the services of Father Cuenin in the future, and continue to provide students access to similar people.

If Brandeis truly seeks to nurture its stu-dents and make them feel safe, these profes-sionals must be found on campus and must be promoted to students by the administration. Brandeis students are autonomous individ-uals, but in the frenzy of homework, classes and social problems, some people may feel overwhelmed.

Knowing that there is someone whose door is always open and is always willing to talk could be the difference that transforms someone’s experience at Brandeis from negative to positive, something all members of the com-munity deserve.

Allies enhance Brandeis experienceEDITORIALS10 The Brandeis Hoot January 16, 2015

STAFFCharlotte Aaron, Clayre Benzadon, Ethan Ber-

celi, Rachel Bossuk, Robin Briendel, Sharon Cai, Karen Caldwell, Shikha Chandarana, Curtis

Zunyu He, Kevin Healey, Emma Kahn, Shayna Korol, Joe Lanoie, Nabi Menai, Monique J Menez-

es, Joon Park, Lisa Petrie, Sabrina Pond, Emily Scharf, Hannah Schuster, Marian Siljeholm,

Eliana Sinoff, Emily Smith, Hannah Stewart, Joe Vigil, Michael Wang, Sophia Warren, Ludi Yang

UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS

We welcome unsolicited submissions from members of the community sent by e-mail to eic@thebrandeishoot.com. Please limit submissions to 800 words. All submissions are subject to editing.

Students clash over tweets

stemming from external parties, as particularly evidenced on the public Facebook page, a mul-titude of Brandeis students expressed their sol-idarity with Lynch. Using the hashtag #IStand-WithKhadijah, students affirmed their support of Lynch and her right to free speech, while encouraging the protection of the student body from non-affiliated parties. A similar hashtag, #IStandWithMael, was created in response to similar threats made toward him, both violent and threats perceived to be repressing Mael’s free speech.

As reported in a statement released by Chad Williams, chair of the African and Afro-Ameri-can Studies Department, Lynch willingly offered her resignation from the position of undergrad-uate departmental representative.

“The comments of Ms. Lynch, made through her own personal Twitter account, do not reflect the views of AAAS as a department,” wrote Williams.

Williams’ letter also addressed the threats made to Lynch’s physical safety. “The comments expressed by Ms. Lynch in no way excuse those made in response to her tweets, many of which

have been horrifically racist, sexist, Islamopho-bic and threatening physical violence,” Williams said. “These appalling comments should be re-soundingly condemned with even greater pas-sion.”

In an email sent to the Brandeis communi-ty on Dec. 22, signed by President of the Stu-dent Union Sneha Walia ’15, Chief of Staff Flora Wang ’15, Senior Representative to the Board of Trustees Mohamed Sidique ’15 and Junior Rep-resentative to the Board of Trustees Grady Ward ’16, the need to uphold the safety of the student body and the right to free speech were affirmed to be of utmost priority.

“Whether we agree or disagree with the opinions recently voiced by our peer, we will fight to the end of our days here to protect her right to say them without being threatened physically or harassed by calls for her expul-sion,” an official statement from the Student Union wrote.

On Dec. 29, President Frederick M. Law-rence iterated a similar need to ensure student safety in an email addressed to the Brandeis Community. “We will defend the free expres-sion rights of all students in this debate,” Law-rence wrote. “I [also] join those who have con-

demned any lack of sympathy with these officers and with those who mourn their murder.”

Lawrence further announced his support of student efforts to transition the heated conver-sation away from social media and toward re-spectful, face-to-face dialogue.

In an interview with The Brandeis Hoot, Walia revealed, “The Facebook page was hor-rifying,” but elaborated on a positive note by stating, “I think this campus was really good at rallying around the idea that students shouldn’t be attacked by external forces.”

Addressing the potential implications of us-ing social media, she stated, “Everyone has a re-sponsibility to exercise their personal judgment on social media. It is not my job or anyone else’s to censor it.”

Walia also stressed her hope that in the fu-ture, students will be more inclined toward re-spectful debate and dialogue.

“I hope our community feels pervasive enough that people feel comfortable having those conversations with peers,” Walia said. “I appreciate that our campus community will hopefully empower students to address one an-other personally and respectfully when an issue arises.”

TWEETS, from page 1

See OUR HOUSE, from page 1

NEWSJanuary 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot 11

Online campaign engages both students and admin. members

to students about Brandeis be-ing “our house.”

Brandeis Is Our House was met with much support from the Brandeis administration, accord-ing to Sagaloff. The event itself was shared by faculty members including Andrew Flagel, Direc-tor of Academic Integrity Eri-ka Lamarre and Associate Dean Stephanie Grimes. This was en-

“I think the students who have been hired are a huge part of feeling like the Rape Crisis Cen-ter is going to flourish,” said Mc-Mahon of their efforts.

McMahon remained involved in campus activity while on leave, primarily through phone conversations.

She kept in close contact with Weintraub, ensuring he had the help and resources necessary to build the bystander training pro-gram.

McMahon also kept tabs on the development of the university’s new Rape Crisis Center. Glad she can now communicate and work with colleagues and students in person, McMahon said, “It’s helpful to be able to be back on campus and both be able to help facilitate things moving along and support the work that’s al-ready being done.”

McMahon explained that though she enjoyed the process of her finishing her dissertation, she is very excited to have re-turned to Brandeis and enthusi-astic about possibilities for this semester.

“I really enjoy working with students. I really miss being able to have the benefit of that in-teraction,” said McMahon, who feels she learns much from the students she works with and en-joys “being able to support stu-dents and seeing how they devel-op and grow and change.”

McMahon has many projects planned for the upcoming se-mester, including an open house event in February, which will be an opportunity to highlight both the Office of Prevention Services and the Rape Crisis Center.

She will also be involved in the process of hiring and train-ing student advocates to staff the Rape Crisis Center.

“We’re looking forward to hav-ing this open house, particular-ly for students on campus to be able to check out the Rape Cri-sis Center and meet the students who are on the staff there and kind of get a sense of the place,” said McMahon noting she hopes the event will introduce students to the service as well as allow her and her colleagues to acquire feedback concerning student needs in terms of the center.

Along with students and oth-er staff members, McMahon will continue efforts to discern the best structure for the RCC.

She notes she does not wish to duplicate services already in place, such as 6-Talk, and values coordination and communication between sexual services on cam-

couraging, as it promoted the event inside the boundaries of Brandeis’ campus. This was of particular meaning to Sagaloff, who has been a community ad-visor for three years. “I want to emphasize that Brandeis is a family,” Sagaloff said. “To see outside people talking about my family in a way that was so in-sulting was really emotionally harmful to myself as well as oth-ers.” Making the title of the event a hashtag made it easier to track

posts. Response to the campaign was

overwhelmingly positive, with hundreds of posts detailing pos-itive experiences that students credited to their attendance at Brandeis. “I was reading them with tears in my eyes,” Saga-loff said. “I was beyond hon-ored by reading people’s’ stories, what they overcame and how the Brandeis community helped them. It was beautiful.”

Now that spring semester has

started, Sagaloff is planning on continuing the event on campus. “It’s time to get away from the slacktivism and into campus!” she said. This Thursday, Sagaloff posted in the #BrandeisIsOur-House Facebook event that the SCC will soon be home to print-outs of stories from the online event, as well as an opportunity for students to write new ones and have them posted on cam-pus. A specific date has not yet been announced.

jamele adams Adam’s previous speech inspired the name behind the campaign.

photo from internet source

McMahon returns from academic leave

See OUR HOUSE, from page 1

pus.This semester, McMahon will

begin to work with the new Ti-tle IX officer the university is hiring. She will also focus on the continuing bystander training program.

Evelyn Milford ’16 will be working with her office in order to advance the program.

Additionally this semester, Mc-Mahon has high hopes for ad-vancing the campus climate sur-vey.

She has participated in the process of drafting the survey. “I think [the survey] is a really important opportunity for us to get feedback in a very sort of sys-tematic way from students about their experiences on campus,” she said.

Students are excited by McMa-hon’s return.

In an email to The Hoot, Jo-nas wrote, “Sheila’s return to Brandeis means only great things for the Office of Prevention Ser-vices and the development of the Rape Crisis Center. We’re lucky to be establishing the Center with the help and guidance of many dedicated professionals, and Sheila is one of them.

Daniels is likewise thrilled and said “Since [McMahon] started at Brandeis, she’s formed relation-ships with survivors and activists alike.”

“She’s perceived as trustworthy and a true advocate, which makes her instrumental in the success of the RCC … Because Sheila’s a familiar face involved, I think people will feel more com-fortable about the Rape Crisis Center.”

sheila mcmahon McMahon returns to campus ready to tackle new challenges.

photo from internet source

’DEIS Impact to educate on true meaning of social justice

By Charlotte AaronStaff

Friday, Jan. 30 marks the start of Brandeis’ annual ’DEIS Im-pact, a week-long festival cele-brating social justice. Brandeis students, faculty, administrators and members of the Waltham community will frequent free discussions, presentations, exhib-its and performances throughout the week. Brandeis, a universi-ty that prides itself on its social justice ideals, hopes to inspire students to not only learn about social justice within the Brandeis community, but around the world.

Founded four years ago on the basis of truly understanding “social justice,” ’DEIS Impact has grown immensely from the initial five Core Committee stu-dents (or rather, ’DEIS Impac-ters) and four members of the Steering Committee. This year, over 27 students and 32 faculty members have been involved in organizing the festival.

’DEIS Impact is hosted by the Student Union, the Inter-national Center for Ethics and the Brandeis community, with help from the Louis D. Brandeis Legacy Fund for Social Justice. As Sneha Walia ’15, president of Student Union and mem-ber of the Steering Committee, explains, “It’s a really amaz-ing way for all parts of campus to get involved in one another, but also involved in social jus-tice, because it’s almost entire-ly Brandeis community mem-ber-run events.”

Starting in September, ’DEIS Impacters connected with club leaders, academic departments and religious groups about hold-ing ’DEIS Impact events. They encouraged groups to propose as many events as possible and assisted in their coordination. “They’re the power behind ’DEIS Impact,” said Marci McPhee,

associate director of the Inter-national Center for Ethics, Jus-tice and Public Life at Brandeis University, as well as a member of the Steering Committee, ex-plained. “It’s been thrilling to see the hardworking undergraduate ’DEIS Impacters reaching out into the community.”

McPhee has been a leader in ’DEIS Impact since its founding in 2011. As associate director of the Ethics Center, she helps bring the keynote speaker to campus, as well as coordinate, package and publicize other events that are being held.

This year, Alan Khazei, co-founder of City Year and found-er of Be The Change Inc., is the keynote speaker. He is also the author of “Big Citizenship: How Pragmatic Idealism Can Bring Out the Best in America.” In re-gards to Khazei, Walia said, “The intersection between service and social justice is really interesting and compelling … and I think he [Khazei] can drive home and reinforce a lot of values of, ‘OK, you learn all these things, now go enact them. Give up your-self in service.’” Walia also not-ed that, “because Khazei is so closely affiliated with the Siegel Fellowship, a robust program at Brandeis, it’s another compelling reason to have him.” The speech

will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Levin Ball-room, Usdan Student Center.

In addition to the keynote speaker, Walia is especially look-ing forward to Brandeis Unites in Service, a three-day series of service projects put on by the Student Union. “This year we are spending three days at the Pros-pect Hill Center, before Pros-pect Hill was supposed to open!” Over the course of the three days, volunteers will work with the children at Prospect Hill to create crafts, read and partake in other fun activities.

While all events have been scheduled, ’DEIS Impacters are still busy distributing flyers, posters and booklets. Through-out the festival, ’DEIS Impac-ters will wear their ’DEIS Im-pact sweatshirts, guide people to events and assure all event orga-nizers have the things they need.

The schedule for all festival events can be found in booklets around campus in addition to the ’DEIS Impact online site. As McPhee said, “We’re thrilled that clubs, individual students and departments all come together during this week to think about what social justice means from the point of view of their disci-pline, their passion, their inter-est.”

‘deis impact Above, President Fred Lawrence speaks at a previous ‘DEIS Impact event, below, a promotional sign showcases Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis.

photos from internet source

OPINIONSJanuary 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot 12

Univ. needs to provide more time to reacclimate to student lifeBy Eliana Sinoff

Staff

Dear Eliana,When I got back to my room after the break,

I discovered an unsettling smell. Imagine the corresponding smell to an absolutely terrible audition, and that’s what I have to try to sleep in. I figured I left some food somewhere that had gone bad, but after looking everywhere in my room, I couldn’t find anything responsible for the odor. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve doused my room in Febreze and cleaned every-thing, but the room just unbearably stinks. I’m sure I’ll eventually get used to it, but there has to be a reason behind the smell that should be fixed, but I’m a little embarrassed about talking to my CA. Should I ignore the smell or tell the whole world about my odor problem?

-StinkyDear Stinky, First, let me say that I am sorry to hear about

your odor issue. There could be multiple reasons for the smell: Maybe someone next door to you is the source, or your room has always smelled, and you got used to it, until you went away for break. At this point, if you can’t find some-thing in your room that’s causing the smell, you should just talk your CA about it. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It could be something wrong with the building or pipes, so you could be doing everyone a favor. In the meantime I suppose you should keep up with your Febreze routine.

-ElianaDear Eliana,I’m shopping a lot of classes right now—like

10—since it is the shopping period. I don’t have any actual requirements left to fill, so I just sort of want to take stuff that’s interesting to me. But my issue is that with all these classes to shop, I’ve found myself running all over campus to try to get to every class like it’s Disney World. And what winds up happening is that I get lost trying to find the classroom or am just so tired from the trek that I can’t pay attention in the class. Now I know when I make my final decisions on what classes to take, it’ll be a lot easier to get be-tween classes. But I’m not able to learn anything about these classes since I’m so out-of-breath (and out-of-shape) when in the classroom, so I don’t know if they’re actually good or not. Is there anyway I can get the basics of a class with-out having to get to the classroom? Or do I just have to continue running around in circles?

-RunningDear Running, The shopping period can be a stressful time.

All the classes sound so interesting and you have to eventually limit yourself four or five. If you’re having trouble getting from class to class, there are some other options. You could try just go-ing to a couple of classes a day and try different ones each day. If you have friends in any of the classes you could also ask them about the class-es. However, if neither of those options sounds appealing, you might have to start weeding out classes now based on other factors. Also, if you can hold out a little longer, it will probably get easier over the next few days as you learn where

Give student vacationers a much-needed break

By Joe LanoieStaff

Vacation. A rarity for college students, the vacation lasts for three or so weeks be-tween fall and spring semesters and three months over the summer. After college, the prolonged vacation becomes even rar-er than a $3 bill or even finding Santa on Christmas Eve. It is supposed to be a time to recharge, relax and binge watch shows one would never usually watch due to sheer boredom. Unless you are a senior working on a college thesis, in which case I send my sincere condolences, students do not need to do academic work on the break.

Shortly after the new year, I received an email from a professor. It was not my advi-sor, so I wondered why this person wanted to talk to me. It was a professor for a class taught this semester, assigning work to be done for the first day of class.

Although I fortunately had the ability to immediately unenroll from the class—a benefit of being a second-semester senior done with his majors and minors—this email led to a puzzling thought: Why do professors do this? Why do they treat the vacation for students as two extra weeks of class time? What are the effects of doing this at a school where shopping periods last longer than a zombie killing spree on “The Walking Dead”?

The benefit is that most of the soliciting emails for classwork happen after Christ-mas; vacation is seen as Christmas and class prep time. Despite the fact that Christmas lasts until Epiphany on Jan. 5, society sees the stretch after the holiday as Valentine’s Day prep time. Assuming our professors don’t care about our love lives, this can’t be the case. So why do professors assign homework over vacation like we are in high school? The shopping period is why.

Shopping periods, or that glorious sys-tem to bail out of that boring stats class See VACATION, page 14

By Andrew ElmersEditor

Help with odors

As the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, and the calendar moved from December into January, I realized that I had to be back at college in less than two weeks. Feeling like I only got home a week prior, I was certainly not looking forward to having to head back to school so soon. Feelings of regret sprung up as I realized that I shouldn’t have slept in as much instead of doing something produc-tive, or maybe I should have slept as much as I could have in preparation of not being able to during school.

Yet it wasn’t the fact that the win-ter break was a measly three weeks that dawned on me as I was heading back to campus on Sunday night. Instead, I felt overwhelmed by the prospect of moving back into my room and then having class 12 hours later. I didn’t feel all that prepared for it and would have liked some time to settle myself back into campus. I had to get used to waking up at 7 a.m. again and not having a fridge stocked with food I didn’t pay for. The time between when residence halls open and classes begin is simply not enough to get back into the swing of things on campus.

It’s not that I didn’t get enough time at home; after a few days I had already grown tired of my family. But having to get back to school, unpack and then prepare for classes the next day is just stressful, and

mail is the same, but the mail distribution is unequal to what it should be. Shopping periods are hard on professors, because it is morally disheartening to professors when class lists go from 50, to 45, to 40, to 30, to 20 and finally to 10. When people ex

you realized you didn’t need to take, are in-sanely hard on professors. For us students, it’s brilliant. For professors, less so. Imag-ine you are a mailman for an apartment building and you have 30 mailslots to stuff mail in. Now, imagine three or four tenants left and the landlord is being lazy. So you also assume laziness and stuff the extra mail into the next few slots. The amount of

See ADVICE, page 14

photo from internet source

photo from internet source

See SCHEDULE, page 15 photo by katherine selector/the hoot

Eliana’s Advice

January 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot OPINIONS 13

Freedom of speech should be protectedBy Zachary Schwartz

Editor

We live in a troubled time, there’s no doubt about that. We find ourselves the targets of ter-ror, a terror the United States and other nations have been facing for a few decades now. The most recent attacks on French satirical newspa-per Charlie Hebdo and the ensuing terror spree that followed, along with the recent cyberattacks on Sony all have one thing in common: These vicious strikes are aimed at our civil liberties.

For the North Korean government to be so afraid of the movie “The Interview” as to direct cyberattacks against the film’s studio means the regime feels threatened by a raunchy-at-best Seth Rogen comedy. Don’t get me wrong, the movie was surprisingly good for what it was, but it wasn’t worth the North Korean response. The cyberattacks that the FBI says were orchestrat-ed by the regime were not just aimed at Sony; rather they were aimed at our rights to freedom of expression. The attacks were initially success-ful, too, as they crippled Sony and forced the company to pull the movie—thereby forcing an American movie not to be shown. From across the world, freedom of speech was silenced.

In the United States, we are allowed under our guaranteed liberties the rights to satirize, which gives us all access to The Onion, “The Daily Show,” “South Park” and “Family Guy” that we want without all the frivolous lawsuits involved. We’re allowed to say things and do things as a freedom of expression if it falls under satire without the threat of retaliation. In France, as in much of the developed world, the citizens tend to reserve the same rights.

Charlie Hebdo was targeted in the recent rash of terror plaguing France. The attacks were based in retaliation for satirical depictions of

By Kevin HealeyStaff

See SPEECH, page 15

Dress to succeed

Work to do on midyear integrationAs we stream back to Brandeis this win-

ter, happy with memories of home, life is breathed back into our lovely campus. For almost a month now, Brandeis students have been enjoying family meals, fun va-cations or simply the relaxation of having nothing to prepare for or worry about. Well, most of us. The beginning of sec-ond semester brings with it not just a new set of classes but fresh faces as well, as the midyear class of 2018 settles into their new rooms, new friendships and new life as college students. The shock of any radical lifestyle change, from marriage to divorce to death, can often be stressful, and the be-ginning of college is no exception. For too many midyears, however, it seems the tran-sition can be unusually challenging.

Students beginning college face many anxieties and fears, from succeeding in classes to paying back their student loans. These fears are universal and not easi-ly remedied by the university. The main source of anxiety for most students, howev-er, is social. High school isn’t exactly known for properly preparing students for new so-cial situations. Especially in the transition to college, when most students say good-bye to most of their longtime friends and find themselves alone, social anxiety can be overwhelming. Not every student enjoyed Orientation as much as I did, but the main reason for placing students into days of social activities is to force the building of friend groups and social relationships be-tween new students. Its hectic schedule and endless activities prevent students from sitting in their rooms alone and lets them meet new people who are just as uncom-fortable as they are.

Midyear Orientation helps students adapt to college life as well, but it’s far less effec-tive than fall Orientation. For one thing, there are far fewer midyears than first-year

students admitted for the fall, which lim-its midyears’ to make acquaintances. The majority of their class has already had one semester of college, and for a new student unsure of whether or not they fit in and anxious about college life, knowing that you’re behind only heightens those fears. Most of your peers already have, friends, groups and connections but you are just starting out.

By doing nothing to bridge this divide and make midyears feel more connected to our community, we do them a massive disservice. College becomes much more difficult without a solid support system, and being cut off socially from the majori-ty of your class makes building that system harder.

This isn’t to say that midyears can’t or don’t befriend other students, just that the deck is stacked against them. We should be providing the support every Brandeis student needs to thrive, not just those who happened to start in the fall.

So what do we do? Beyond simply advis-ing our other first-year students to appreci-ate midyears and beyond the unfortunately

few events we currently sponsor to help our midyears make connections, there is so much more we can do to help our students succeed. One of the largest fears faced by midyears is going into strange residence halls to spend time with new friends—when everyone in the hall has been there for months, it’s pretty easy to feel intim-idated. If we were to hold events in the first-year residence halls, ranging from barbeques to parties to game nights, stu-dents would be much more likely to want to participate. In addition, holding these events in either Massell or North will make more first-years attend and allow midyears to truly feel welcome.

There is nothing harder than feeling left out, even if that feeling is solely in our heads and not in reality. Here at Brandeis, I’ve been lucky enough to find a community that is truly welcoming and accepting of all people. But when that community fails to make every effort to include all of its mem-bers, we need to take notice. It wouldn’t be hard to include midyear students more in our events and celebrations, but it’s a step we all need to take.

Imagine yourself in a professional outfit: collared shirt, slacks and blazer. Now imag-ine you’re at a room full of other college students dressed like that, say at a career and internship fair. Employers stand be-hind a table, and they know exactly why all these young adults are dressed so well. They know what they have come for, a job or an internship. On the other side, young hopefuls, like you or me, intend to walk up to these people, make a good impression and then proceed to hand them a resume. Ideally, for these efforts, we are offered a position.

However, it is a little difficult to make a friendly connection or impress these po-tential employers because they know ex-actly what we’re doing. Not to mention that everyone else in the room is trying to do the same exact thing. It’s intimidating. Ev-eryone is dressed so nicely and, of course, they act so confident. Truthfully, most of them are just as nervous as the next per-son. The world of job hunting is competi-tive enough without us obsessing over the others’ qualifications. The key is to put our best foot forward, and act like we’re the right person for the job.

The job fair is only one source of anxiety for people this age, however. Walking into the fair itself, we are suddenly immersed in a room of the professionally dressed. But for many, this environment will become a norm once we are employed. The days of wearing jeans will be behind us as more suits take up room in our closets. Every morning, we will put on a collared shirt, slacks or a blazer. It won’t be an outfit we wear to make a good impression, but what we wear because it’s the dress code at work.

That single concept of going to work ev-ery day is one that frightens more than a fair share of college students. Up to this point in life, all we have known is school. School is all that we have ever known for the 20-odd years we have existed. A career, what hopefully comes after college, is a scary thing because it is an unknown thing.

Nevertheless, the majority of our lives will be spent in the workforce. We go to school for all these years so that we have found something that will keep us content for the next 40 years. Hopefully. A number of people know exactly what they want to do and they have since a young age, but a much larger number of people struggle to find themselves, hoping their four years at institutions like Brandeis will help them figure it out.

College is a place and time in an individ-ual’s life where they transition from teen into an adult. That’s what society expects, at least. Even so, college does give us an op-portunity to explore our interests. We take classes in a variety of fields and get exposed to new ideas. Life plans aren’t spoon-fed, but a place like Brandeis gives us the expe-riences we need to figure it out or at least start to figure it out.

Career fairs may awaken usually latent fears of what will we do after college. How-ever, these thoughts of “what will I be when I grow up” have always been there. The gen-uinely scary part is that now, we are reach-ing a point in our lives where it is all real and not a possibility in the distant future. The most we can hope for is that the suits we may eventually wear are comfortable and the ties around our necks don’t start to feel like nooses, and that we find some-thing that not only provides a paycheck but makes us happy. Career and internship fairs are great opportunities for anyone. They are venues where any individual can possibly make contact with a potential em-ployer. So yes, it may be nerve-wracking, out of the way and, for all we know, a cata-strophic experience. But we should always try. We don’t know what can happen from attending a career or internship fair.

By Monique J MenezesStaff

photo by linjie xu/the hoot

photo from internet source

14 OPINIONS The Brandeis Hoot January 16, 2015

Dear Eliana offers advice on student issuesand get into a routine. You might

just have to get creative.-ElianaDear Eliana,I met this girl on Tinder when I

was home over break, but we went our separate ways when I had to head back to school. Now I’m worried that she’s just going to swipe right for some other guy and completely for-get about me. I have her phone num-ber, so maybe I could try to strike up a conversation over text, but I don’t want to bother her, especially if I don’t really know what she’s been up to. Should I just take a chance and see if she responds? I’d really like to get to know her, but I don’t want to scare her away, though.

-TinderinoDear Tinderino, It’s sweet that you’re giving this girl

her space, but that doesn’t mean you have to ignore her. If things were go-ing well, she’ll be happy to hear from you. She’s probably going through the same dilemma, and it could be help-ful for you to make the first move. You don’t have to text her constantly, but remind her that you’re out there and say hi. She is more likely to find another guy if you don’t contact her at all. Definitely text her, but keep it light until you have a better feel about her feelings toward you.

-ElianaDear Readers, If you can’t already tell, this is an

advice column, and I’m here to help you with any questions that you might have. If you want more exciting questions, send them in, and I will do my best to answer them. Whether it’s relationships, social problems or just life in general—send them here. I can’t wait to start hearing about ev-eryone’s problems. Send questions to dlianasadvice@gmail.com. Thanks!

-Eliana

Professors need to respect student vacationsVACATION, from page 12

perience rejection on this scale, they either harden their hearts or take it personally. Older profes-sors harden their ears against it; younger professors don’t. Because

of the emotional toll and the ex-tensive coursework needed to be covered, professors need to treat shopping period as the two weeks of class it actually is. So while the students benefit, it is dead time to professors.

To gain and make the time valu-able for class work, professors push back into vacation time by assigning work. This does three things. First, it weeds out those se-riously considering the class from those who are not. By assigning

the work, it makes students think: “I’m being graded on this. I should do it.” Those who do will lead into the second reason: Classes are held to their full potential from the beginning. Professors don’t treat classes in the first two weeks

as advertising; they assume all are there for them … I mean, the at-tractive academic material, rang-ing from Disney films to trash to social justice saccharine hippie feed. The third reason it is done is to keep their classes going. Classes that have fewer than four students cannot function by the Registrar’s standards, due to lack of funding at a school where tuition that pays for classrooms is the highest in Massachusetts.

In assigning work before the se-mester, professors get the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed students excited and get disenchanted kids who actually wanted to go to class before making a choice.

In all seriousness, even with the shopping period, classes need to realize vacation time is vacation time. We need to relax and say stupid things to our family mem-bers. The shopping period needs to be shortened so that professors do not have to push work into va-cation to ensure high class stan-dards.

As students, we do not under-stand how rare these vacations are and how soon we will lose them. Do not do academic work during winter vacation. The only work you should be doing during break is choosing classes for the next se-mester. After you’ve ordered the books or got your schedule up-dated in SAGE, go enjoy yourself. After this, it’s work for 40 years. Enjoy it while you can.

ADVICE, from page 12

photo from internet source

photo from internet source

January 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot OPINIONS15

the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsu-la has claimed responsibility for the vicious attacks, which clearly were meant to silence Charlie Hebdo. These attacks are attempting to suppress our universal right to the freedom of ex-pression, similar to the aims of “The Interview” cyberattack. These are un-acceptable strikes on our liberties and we cannot afford to let ourselves be silenced by them.

To let an external, foreign force tell us what we can and cannot say in our own nation is beyond intolerable. It is in essence telling the aggressors that they are able to interfere in our domestic affairs successfully. It is to give in without a fight. I refer to this fight not as a physical one, but as one of defiance. Initially, Sony pulled the film from theaters out of fear of at-tacks on civilians, which were proba-bly baseless (especially given that the supposed North Korean affiliated ag-gressors were very far away).

This development essentially told the cyberattackers that they could si-lence us from saying things they didn’t agree with. No matter how stupid and offensive the movie might’ve been, it is still an example of free speech: the exercising of our (more specifically Seth Rogen’s) freedom of expression.

In the end, Sony did end up re-leasing the film as an act of defiance against its attackers, telling them that they cannot compromise American rights simply because they didn’t agree with the content.

The same situation exists with the Charlie Hebdo attacks. Terrorists bent on retaliation stormed into the office and massacred 12 people, all because they were so upset over what was put into a newspaper—a satirical one no less. This is not a proportion-ate response, and the newspaper’s

Extra time to settle back in good for students

response—that is, the continuation of the paper and thereby the writers’ rights to free speech—is the righteous thing to do.

Free expression should be univer-sally guaranteed to everybody, wheth-er it is raunchy movie producers or satirical newspaper editors. Everyone has a right to have and express their own opinions, whether they upset

somebody else or not. Violence and threats of violence are not justifiable responses to disagreeable expressions of free speech. People should be free to express themselves free of any looming threat of retaliation.

There are, of course, limitations. To threaten and to harm the lives of oth-ers is not an example of exercising free expression. Expressing one’s beliefs

peacefully and doing so violently is not the same thing, and the difference must be noted. Peaceful expression should be encouraged. Charlie Hebdo should be allowed to keep satirizing, and the movie industry should be allowed to continue to release stupid comedies.

To threaten or hurt others in re-sponse to others’ peaceful opinions

is fundamentally wrong. When we put controversial opinions out in the open, we should always expect dis-agreement, but we shouldn’t have to fear for our lives when we do so to a point in which we must decide wheth-er it is even worth it to speak our minds. If we get to that point, we will have truly been robbed of our basic liberties.

this process doesn’t have to be this stressful. Walking to class this past Monday felt odd. I had just gotten back to school, yet I had to get right back to class. It is pet-ty, I admit, but I would have liked more time to get more in sync with Brandeis and get refocused on academics.

It isn’t like there is simply no time in the calendar to give stu-dents a day or two to get reac-quainted with the campus. The simplest solution would be to open dorms on the Saturday be-fore the semester begins instead of Sunday. Students would then have time to readjust and to make preparations, such as purchasing supplies and books and finding out where their classes are held.

Affording students some sort of resting period during which they can transition from living at home to living at school would make the start of the semester go a lot smoother for everyone involved. Students would feel more relaxed in terms of heading to class and professors wouldn’t have to wor-ry about students overstressing about the start of classes. Students could have a better idea of what they need for a class so that they don’t show up unprepared, or just be more calm after getting a day

off, giving a dedicated resting pe-riod just makes too much sense not to do it.

I visited a friend from back home at his school over the break, and his school constructs their schedule a little bit differently. First of all, they hold final ex-ams for the fall semester after the winter break, which seems like a terrible idea for the sake of being able to pass, and something I do not endorse. After moving back to school a few days after New Year’s, students are given a full reading week to study for their

Violence should not limit speechSPEECH, from page 13

finals. What follows is the actual two-week final exam period, and then a few days off before the start of spring semester classes. With every student back on cam-pus a week before anything is ac-tually due, it allows everyone to get back into the mindset needed to wake up on time and head to class instead of thinking it’s all right to keep hitting snooze. Even without the time used for studying and final exams, this other school still allows students a few days to settle in before classes begin. And numerous other schools give

this period to students before the spring semester starts, usually uti-lizing the three-day weekend as the break before classes start.

For the fall semester, return-ing students are allowed to move back onto campus two days be-fore the start of classes, so why isn’t the same schedule used for the spring? Of course, students have to be given time to move into their dorms, but there are students moving on and off campus all the time. Students coming back from studying abroad in the fall have to still move all of their stuff back

into their room, so it isn’t expect-ed that every single student gets back to school with just a suitcase. Besides, with the large amount of international students, Brandeis should offer more time for people to get back in the area, instead of just opening residence halls fewer than 24 hours before classes start. We don’t need a longer winter break, just a chance to dust off the cobwebs and remind ourselves that we are college students and not simply a giant pair of sweat-pants sitting on the couch.

SCHEDULE, from page 12

photo from internet source

photo from internet source

ARTS, ETC.January 16, 2015 The Brandeis Hoot 16

Senior Midyear Exhibition stars talented senior artists

By Clayre BenzadonStaff

From Dec. 10 until Jan. 12, Brandeis hosted the Senior Midyear Exhibition in the Dreitzer Gallery, which includ-ed a wide variety of pieces created by many talented senior artists.

Rachel Weissman worked with many toys and commercialized ob-jects in her works, creating very unique, overwhelming and playful pieces. One of her works involved a Monopoly board covered in beads and wooden blocks. Below the board is a compartment attached, with beads and random items clumped to-gether inside each block, almost like a composition set up in “I Spy.”

Another one of her pieces involved a lot of popular brands and items. For instance, a huge “Razzles” pillow was placed over the very left lower corner of the canvas. In the center and toward the right hand side of the piece were two Crayola crayons, one yellow and the other blue. In between the crayons was an infant’s toy, with Mickey Mouse characters designed inside each differently shaped button. Finally hidden under all the pink toys (which are reminiscent of Barbie ac-cessories) is a subliminal message: a McDonald’s logo recognizable even through all the tumult.

Even though Weissman’s compo-sitions seems very disorganized and sprawled out, they all had the same scattered toys and board games un-derneath: paper planes, a racquet, a toy horse, a mouse, chess pieces, a mini basketball net and many oth-

er items that had been shrunk from their original sizes. Question marks are traced with marbles around an air hockey board (also smaller than its usual size), asking us to find the connection between the billiards game, the bowling pins and other small signs, smiley face stickers and a figurine of Woody from “Toy Story.” Therefore, the works as a whole seem to be challenging the viewer to try to figure out what is actually going on in every single detail and toy and game that makes our heads go dizzy with curiosity.

Linjie Xu’s (Graphics Editor for The Brandeis Hoot) work also focused on commercialization, but more clearly criticized the technological revolution

that plagues society. The inclusion of a knight in modern society is an anachronism that is quite hilarious, as the painting demonstrates how ill equipped the men are in their armor as they struggle to use a computer or phone. The titles are also ironic, with names such as “Apothecary,” “Should’ve taken Public Transport” and “Victory.”

This wasn’t the only theme that was exhibited in the gallery however. There was a lot more diversity, ranging from very picturesque Rococo-style pieces, as with the depictions of young wom-en portrayed walking together in pas-tel-colored dresses and club outfits, to more abstract Pollockesque and Keith Haring-like compositions.

Yifan He created a metaphoric representation of “Broken Hands.” A beautifully saddening depiction of palms practically surrendering as blood poured out from them, an im-age that can be interpreted in many different ways. Yifan wasn’t limited to painting only abstract pieces though. She also drew brightly colored realis-tic portraits and landscapes.

Another terrifyingly haunting piece was Laura Weil’s tribute to Donald Maiden Jr., a black eight-year-old who was shot in the mouth by 46-year-old white man Brian Cloninger. Den-iz Dincer’s penny-covered bust also seemed to honor African heritage and culture.

Less serious, but similarly scary

is another piece called “SpringFest.” Depicting three people in banana suits, with mischief and evil in their eyes, the festivalgoers look like they are going to raid the place and cause trouble throughout the festival. The dark blue-grayish shadows covering the whole scene is what really make the painting so dreary and forebod-ing. The item in one of the guy’s hands looks as though he is carrying a weap-on, ready to fire, but a closer glance reveals something as harmless as a pom-pom.

Hopefully everyone got a chance to see at least some of the pieces before the gallery closed because the unique works really have become a source of inspiration for many.

photo by marian siljeholm /the hoot

contrasting colors The exhibition featured Brandeis seniors.