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Aging is a topic of growing importance. In current society, ageism is rarely discussed in relation to prejudice. Students to End Alzheimer’s Disease helped to address the lacking presence of this issue in society and provide a better understanding of the stigma regarding aging at their coffeehouse held last Thursday at Cholmondeley’s Coffee House.
Author of “Making Sense: A Guide to Sensory Issues” Rachel Schneider ’05 recalled her first memory on the Brandeis campus with the Justice.
Dan Hirshon ’04 grew up in Wonderland. An entire portion of his childhood home was filled with collectables of all kinds from Lewis Carroll’s classic novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” This very specific decor was the result of his father’s obsession with all things Alice. Though this would seemingly make holiday gifts easy to find, Hirshon explained that at one point in his childhood, he realized he would have to get creative with presents for his father because most “Alice in Wonderland” paraphernalia already existed in his home.
Becky Winkler ’07 did not expect to publish a cookbook when she graduated from Brandeis with a bachelor degree in Psychology and Latin American Studies. While working as a part-time speech therapist, Winkler published her first book, “Paleo Planet,” in 2015.
Graffiti Room
It’s the end of a royal era. At the end of this semester, Usen Castle will officially be closed as a residence hall for undergraduate students. The iconic building has existed as part of Brandeis since the University’s inception. Students, faculty, alumni and Waltham residents alike lamented the news when it was announced in January that parts of the Castle would be demolished to make room for a new dormitory. Though there have been multiple attempts to prevent this change to the Brandeis landscape, the University has announced no changes to its plan regarding the building. There can be no doubt that, for many, the Castle is quintessential to the Brandeis campus, yet the castle was first constructed as part of a different university.
On Sunday night, Nov. 6, Brandeis students gathered to eat delicious comfort food and mingle with old and new friends. The event was advertised as “Black Is Delicious” and was what many consider to be the highlight of “Black Is Week,” a week’s worth of fun and inspired events run by the Brandeis Black Student Organization (BBSO). The annual event consists of “Black Is Power,” a discussion on the role of being Black in America; “Black Ain’t New,” a fun dance party at Chums; “Black Is Delicious,” a communal meal with traditional comfort foods and “Black Is Self-Love,” which is a relaxing study break to hang out with friends. The culmination of these events is “Election Day,” where BBSO invites all students to watch history unfold with the comfort of a nacho bar.
It’s a sight all too common at Brandeis sporting events: empty bleachers on the Brandeis side while the opposing team’s fans are often out in full support. It could be disheartening, but Vince Lauffer ’19 hopes to change that.
Humor and the Holocaust are two things many would never expect to see go hand in hand. The genocide committed by the Nazi regime resulted in the deaths of an estimated 11 million people. To most, this wouldn’t elicit comedy. Last Friday, the lecture “Jewish Humor and the Holocaust” challenged this.
“How the hell did we get here? I’m sure Lenny Bruce would have something to say. The only problem is that if he said it back at the time he was alive, it would have landed him in court or in jail,” Arnie Reisman said after considering the current state of American politics. Reisman spoke at the dinner which concluded day one of “Comedy and the Constitution: the Legacy of Lenny Bruce.” He graduated from Brandeis in 1964 and has worked as a playwright, screenwriter, documentarian and activist. On Thursday night, he introduced Lewis Black (pictured left), renowned comedian, to the crowded Faculty Club.
Under the display labeled “Family” in the Brandeis University Archives, an abundance of black and white family photos gaze up at the viewer. In some of the photos, Kitty Bruce, daughter of Lenny Bruce, is only a toddler. “I am extremely relieved and very proud that the archives have found a home at Brandeis,” Kitty Bruce wrote in an email interview with the Justice. She hopes that scholars, fans, students, lawmakers and educators from all over the world will utilize the archives to learn from the extensive achievements Lenny Bruce accomplished in his lifetime. One of the most important legacies Lenny Bruce leaves behind is, of course, his fight for First Amendment rights.
“I’ve decided that I’m completely corrupt,” reads the start of a letter tucked inside the Farber University Archives. It continues, “My whole set, my economic success, is wholly dependent upon the existence of segregation, violence, crime and other odious counterparts.” The letter, addressed to music critic Ralph Gleason, was written by comedian Lenny Bruce. It identifies an interesting paradox in Bruce’s life, one of many harsh realities that contrasted a life filled with humor.
According to the NASA website, “The universe is a big, big place.” The sun, our nearest star, is 93 million miles away, and the next closest galaxy to the Milky Way is 2.5 million light years away. Yet each week, the Astronomy Club makes the universe seem a whole lot closer.
14 students, four comedians, approximately 70 audience members and a professor walk into a bar. Such was the case Tuesday night in Cholmondeley's Coffee House at 8 p.m. The students of the course Writing for Television were tasked by their professor, Prof. Marc Weinberg (ENG), to write jokes for several local comedians. The jokes were then performed in an hour-long comedy show hosted by Will Smalley, a Boston Comedy Festival Finalist.
When Rosemarie Garland-Thomson ’93 Ph.D. first came to Brandeis, she had a variety of identities. Mother, wife and English teacher were among them. Yet she avoided thinking of herself as disabled, despite being born with a congenital difference. One of Garland-Thomson’s arms is shorter than the other, and she has a total of six fingers.
Alongside her role as a professor at Brandeis for the course Latinos in the United States, Prof. Madeleine Lopez (HIST) also encourages learning about different cultures at the Intercultural Center as its new director. Home to 16 student organizations and the Gender and Sexuality Center, the ICC will celebrate its 25th anniversary this upcoming spring.
In 1966, 30 students attended the first-ever Waltham Group meeting. Little did they know that 50 years later, the Brandeis community service organization would boast hundreds of volunteers who each year dedicate 40,000 hours to community service.
Thinking of Brandeis University, “community engagement” is probably one of the first phrases that comes to mind. You might even say that Brandeis is partially defined by its thriving and diverse community engagement opportunities. This being the case, there are few better representatives of the school than Shana Criscitiello ’18, who is majoring in Health: Science, Society and Policy. Criscitiello is a campus ambassador to Gift of Life, a marrow registry that matches potential bone marrow and stem cell donors to patients suffering from blood cancer.
“I always tell my students to think about the etymology of the word prejudice. Pre - judge. [Essentially this says,] ‘I’ve made up my mind; don’t confuse me with the facts,’” Deborah Lipstadt ’72 Ph.D. ’76 explained to the crowded Wasserman Cinematheque.
“Human beings have dignity; they don’t have a price. That’s why human beings can’t be bought or sold,” said Prof. Berislav Marušić (PHIL) in an interview with the Justice, paraphrasing a conversation he had once had with his son. “What’s dignity?” his son prompted. Marušić replied, “Dignity is the idea that every person gets to make decisions for themselves” — to which his son artfully responded, “Well then, why can’t I watch TV whenever I decide?” And so his young, amusingly ruminative son rendered the 2016 recipient of the American Philosophical Association Sanders Book Prize speechless.