(10/13/09 4:00am)
Brandeis has gotten into the habit of increasing its acceptance rate. According to the April 7, 2009 edition of the Justice, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions accepted 40 percent of undergraduate applicants, the equivalent of an 8-percent increase over the past year. And recently, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Prof. Gregory Freeze (HIST) announced that the class of master's students to matriculate at Brandeis increased by 55 students. Although many have bemoaned the undergraduate increase, the increase of master's students is nothing but a positive change for the entire University. Since Brandeis is facing a significant and sustained projected deficit, the financial aspect of this development is a good place to start. A larger number of master's students increases revenue for Brandeis. Freeze confirmed this in last week's issue of the Justice. According to Freeze, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences budget "went from a deficit of $1.7 million last year to a positive $300,000 this year."Increased acceptance strengthens the degree in two ways. Quantitatively, the average GRE scores improve among applicants to graduate programs. Qualitatively, the Brandeis experience itself is enhanced. More master's students means more participants in seminars, which are much better when there are more voices and perspectives. As a graduate student myself, I can safely say that Brandeis graduate seminars are far from being overcrowded. Increasing the number of seminar participants will not meaningfully decrease the amount of time for which each student has the opportunity to work with his or her professor. More master's students also leads to course innovation. Many students enroll in "reading courses," which are small seminars that focus on discussing the most important and cutting-edge literature in a subfield. Often, only a small number of students enroll in these reading courses. With more students, a readings course could become a full-blown seminar. I saw this in my own scholarly life when I worked with a professor at Boston University. I started with a proposal of a reading course in national security history. Then the professor announced the course at Boston University, and a collection of master's students got involved. My humble reading course turned into a valuable, rigorous and intellectually thrilling seminar in which many students enrolled. More master's students will only serve to reinforce Brandeis' already strong research reputation. Master's students in most liberal arts fields are required to write a thesis, which is a piece of original research in the field in which they study. Because of this requirement, more original research will be conducted at Brandeis by its master's students, and that boosts our overall contributions in the larger academic community. Furthermore, Brandeis master's students may go to other distinguished universities to do research, thereby connecting the Brandeis scholarly community with others like it. Increasing the number of master's students supports an equation by which everyone wins. The University gets extra funding, average GRE scores rise and graduate students have more inquiring minds to collaborate with. Professors benefit from networking opportunities and the exciting challenges of working with a greater number of students on original research. Alumni and those who care about Brandeis see the reputation of the University enhanced. In a rather challenging period for the University, this may be one of the most exciting and important positive developments this semester.
(10/06/09 4:00am)
Men's soccer midfielder Corey Bradley '10 hadn't scored a goal since his sophomore season in 2007 until last Saturday when his goal at Case Western Reserve University made all the difference. Bradley's blast from the edge of the 18-yard box secured a 1-0 victory for the Judges in their first University Athletic Association game of the season. Bradley's goal ended another drought as the team earned its first victory over a UAA opponent since 2006. Coach Mike Coven commended Bradley and his goal. "It was one of the best goals I have [seen] here in a number of years," Coven said. Aside from Bradley's difference-making offensive input last Saturday, Coven also mentioned Bradley's important presence on the defensive side of the ball as the game wound down. "To me, that was almost as important as his offensive play," Coven said. "The way he defended against Case in the closing minutes of the game [was vital]."Bradley, one of the senior members of the team, tries to be a role model for the younger players on the squad. "I'd like to think they look up to me," Bradley said. "I just try to set a good example on the field: Play hard and play smart." Bradley added that he finds is able to "make good decisions on the field" that allow him to be set a good example for his teammates. Bradley's strong play comes largely from his consistency and experience. A four-year starter and all-UAA selection in 2008, Bradley exemplifies the qualities of a good captain and team leader. Coven praised Bradley's "presence of mind" and knowledge of the game. Bradley has four points this season to go along with a team-high 18 shots.
(10/06/09 4:00am)
Instead of looking to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Bryant Park, which was hosted from Sept. 10 to 17 in New York City, or the recent and more local Boston Fashion Week held from Sept. 25 to Oct. 2, all the fashion insight you seek this fall may be right in front of your eyes. Whether it is on your way up the Rabb steps, in the Usdan Student Center for lunch or passing through the Shapiro Campus Center, fashionable students thrive at Brandeis. After purchasing a latte from Einstein Bros. Bagels and taking a seat, I was temporarily distracted from my newspaper by the plethora of vests on campus. Vests are traditionally worn in menswear; the three-piece suit consists of a jacket, vest and trousers. Prof. Tom King (ENG) and Jared Hite '10 embrace the traditional look, while Kanya Marcelin '10 looks chic in a menswear-inspired fashion statement sans jacket, which makes the vest a true statement piece. Jonathan Lopez '11 adds a casual spin on the once-serious attire with Converse sneakers and a cheerful attitude. Kasey Gieschen '10, however, feminizes her look with a denim miniskirt, while Ida Chelengar '12 adds a punk edge to a once conservative look. The sweater vest is exemplified in a bright purple ensemble on Nathan J. Robinson '11, while Ari Salinger '12 proves sweater vests can also look great in a neutral color scheme reminiscent of Meryl Streep's wardrobe collection in the 1985 film Out of Africa. Students and professors on campus are inventing unique ways to dress up and add dimension to their outfits with vests. Next time you go shopping, consider investing in a vest. Fashion is not always about function. Yes, your North Face jacket and sweatpants may be comfortable, but you may get some double takes when you roll up to class in a ballerina skirt, body-hugging long-sleeved shirt and vest. Not only will your confidence soar, but you may not be so inclined to fall asleep in class as when you're wearing those oversized garments you rolled out of bed in.
Open publication - Free publishing - More fashion
(09/15/09 4:00am)
Correction appendedWhen a friend of Reuben Wechsler '80 and Ellen Levine-Wechsler '80 arranged a meeting on Chapels Field to exchange chemistry notes toward the end of their junior year, the couple did not foresee the imminent rollercoaster ride their relationship would take that would to last for years to come. "I saw a guy walking towards me that day at our proposed meeting time, and I looked into his dreamy brown eyes, introduced myself and asked him about borrowing the notes," Levine-Wechsler said in an e-mail to the Justice. "His entire response to me was, 'If I lend you the notes, you better return them back to me in perfect condition.' ... But, it actually blossomed into a very long, off-and-on-again relationship." In 2001, 21 years after they left Brandeis, Wechsler and Levine-Wechsler got married.According to Assistant Vice President of Alumni and University Relations Karen Engelbourg '79, Brandeis has a record of 2,162 alumni married to alumni. To put that in perspective, that's approximately equal to the entire current sophomore class plus the entire junior class plus one-seventh of the senior class-all married to each other. Wechsler and Levine-Wechsler dated their entire senior year and then broke up during their first year at different graduate schools. Levine-Wechsler didn't hear from Wechsler again until several years after finishing graduate school. He occasionally checked in with her, once actually in person at Levine-Wechsler's parents' home in Fort Lauderdale soon after the birth of her first child. "It was a joyous meeting," said Levine-Wechsler in her e-mail, "but I was already married, and now with a new baby."Years passed before Wechsler called again. But this time, the circumstances were different. "Reuben and I were both separated from our spouses, and we began a friendship all over again. Renewed, but different. I think we both grew into the people we always knew we'd one day become, and treasured this growth. We soon were both divorced, and went to our Brandeis 25th reunion together, now dating again (some of our former classmates thought still!) We explained to everyone that wonderful night . that our relationship [was] renewed, 25 years after we left Brandeis. About a year later, we married. I left Florida with my two children, and moved north to Atlanta to live with Reuben and his two children."Engelbourg, who married alumnus Donald Stewart '76 at the Faculty Club, mentioned several reasons why many alumni choose to tie the knot in the years after graduation. "Being married to a fellow alum, I can certainly understand why so many Brandeis graduates get together," Engelbourg wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "Brandeis is a small, intimate and very unique community. In some ways, it's very much like family. Many of us share common values and interests, and of course, share our university experience. The relationships we form here, whether during our undergraduate days or once we're alumni, are lifelong."Engelbourg and Stewart are hardly alone in their choice to integrate Brandeis into their married lives. Prof. Shula Reinharz (SOC) met her husband, University President Jehuda Reinharz, in high school, and they both earned their doctoral degrees at Brandeis.Shula Reinharz told the story in an e-mail to the Justice of her first encounter with her husband. As high school sweethearts, Shula and Jehuda met at ages 15 and 17, respectively. According to Shula, they met right after Jehuda moved to the United States from Germany. "His parents sent him to live with a relative in my town-River Edge, NJ-until they could find an apartment or house," Prof. Reinharz said. "His arrival in my high school-River Dell Regional-caused quite a stir because there were almost no foreign students attending. I met him the first day he was in the school, in the cafeteria. I walked up to him and said to him in broken Hebrew (he knew no English at all) that I'd be happy to show him around. I knew (and perhaps he did too) that I had just met the person I would marry," Shula Reinharz said.Six years later, President Reinharz and Prof. Reinharz married, moved to Boston, and became a Brandeis alumni couple when they both finished their Ph.D.s-hers in Sociology, his in modern Jewish history-here.Even among the multitude of married alumni who don't hold official University titles, fascinating stories abound. Although Lewis Brooks '80 and Denise Brooks '84 were never actually students at Brandeis at the same time, Denise shared an anecdote about their meeting at Brandeis in an e-mail to the Justice."Lewis was 'famous' for the slideshows he showed before Friday night movies while he was a student," Denise said. "In May of 1983, Lewis came back to campus to show slideshows. At the time, I was the President of ProBo [short for Programming Board, now Student Events], and Lewis came into the office looking for an extension cord. The rest really is history. Lewis proposed to me in February of my senior year. I ran weekly ProBo meetings on Monday nights. Lewis knew that and sent someone in with a message during one of the meetings and asked me to come to the International Lounge at a certain time, and that's where he proposed."Dissatisfied with their New York hometown's choice of wedding venues, the two invited their friends and family back to Brandeis for a "destination wedding." The night before the wedding, they had a barbecue in Massell Quad. The next day, Lewis and Denise were married in the Berlin Chapel, followed by a reception in the Faculty Lounge. As Engelbourg indicated, Brandeis seems conducive to forging special lifelong relationships. Many alumni expressed similar feelings about the love they found while at their alma mater.Lisa Berman Hills '82, married to her fellow Politics major Matthew Hills '81, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice, "The Brandeis undergraduate experience attracts students who are not only committed to academic excellence, but who also share common values and interests. A vibrant and engaged student body enables meaningful relationships to be easily formed."Denise Brooks added, "We have a huge number of friends where the bride and the groom went to Brandeis. It does seem, in talking to friends at work and where we live, that Brandeis' incidence of this kind of thing is high."Levine-Wechsler agreed. "The best part about [my relationship with my husband] is that we both have so many of the same memories about college and friends. I guess you can say that for me, Brandeis was not just a life-turning event, it was a life-long event."CORRECTION: Reuben Wechsler '80 and Ellen Levine-Wechsler '80 were not married in 2006 as the article originally stated. They were married in 2001.
(05/19/09 4:00am)
To find the Parrot Lab, I walk downstairs into the basement of the Foster Biomedical Labs to room 208. I notice the hall smells vaguely like a zoo as I enter the office of Prof. Irene Pepperberg (PSYC). Inside the small room, Pepperberg sits with a student, Stephanie Sapowicz '10, and two African gray parrots, Griffin and Arthur.It is hard to imagine that this room was until very recently home to perhaps the most famous parrot in the world, Alex. Before he died on Sept. 6, 2007, Alex represented a new level of avian intelligence. According to the Alex Foundation Web site, which is dedicated to supporting parrot research, Alex possessed more than 100 vocal labels for different objects, actions, and colors and could identify objects by their material. He could also count object sets containing up to six items and was working on sets of seven and eight. His intelligence was a source of wonder internationally, and he shined the spotlight directly on Pepperberg and her work studying animals' intelligence through their abilities to understand and communicate. His empty cage still sits in the corner of the room. Just because Alex has passed away, however, does not mean activity has ceased in this small room that serves as a place for Pepperberg to house parrots and perform research. As I walk into the room, I see two cages, but their presence seems only perfunctory since both parrots move as freely as they please. Griffin, 14, sits outside his cage on a perch, hardly moving as his eyes either scan the room or threaten to close. Pepperberg says that he has been in a "mood" today, either grumpy or sleepy. The other parrot, Arthur, 10, (a.k.a. Wart, a nickname from the Sword in the Stone), is the picture of lively activity. He alternately swings in and out of his open cage, playing with the toys that hang from the side. When Arthur gets bored, he uses a short, disconcerting call that sounds like the word "spool" to demand his favorite spool toy. Today, Sapowicz joins Pepperberg in the lab. Sapowicz is a Biology major and is on the preveterinary track. She says that she is very interested in animal behavior, so she came to work with these parrots, who represent the forefront of research into animal behavior and intelligence. As both Sapowicz and Pepperberg explain, the role of behavior in the lives of animals and their interactions with veterinarians and other professionals was not thoroughly studied until very recently, and has now become a small specialization within the veterinary field. Still, behavior problems account for a great percentage of the birds who are rejected as pets or sent to shelters. Pepperberg said that it is very important for veterinarians to have a kind of "double-edged" understanding of these birds, both behaviorally and physically.Pepperberg explains that the parrots are very social creatures; in the wild, they would be flock birds, living with up to 100 other animals. When we remove them from that flock, she says, we must provide them with companionship and a sense of family in order to truly nurture them. She says that we cannot keep birds locked in cages for eight hours a day and expect them to thrive; we must give them the freedom to interact and explore. It is clear that there is a hierarchy and a competition for attention between the birds in the lab. Pepperberg explains that unlike Griffin and Arthur, Alex was a single bird for many years and was often treated like a human toddler, which encouraged his development. When Griffin and Arthur came along, however, Alex interrupted the other parrots' learning sessions many times. Because of this, Pepperberg is questioning whether to fill Alex's place with another parrot due to her fears that Griffin and Arthur would inhibit the new bird's development. Most people have seen movies in which a parrot sits on a pirates's shoulder and utters short bursts of language, but the work that Pepperberg is doing in this lab only begins with language. She explains, "Their communicative skills never get much beyond a two-year-[old's], but their intelligence on the tests we've given them, is at a five-year-old's [level]." She says that Griffin, the more advanced of the two birds, is currently being trained to identify colors and shapes and speak not in language or common phrases but in English Speech Sounds, which are the sounds we make when we speak. According to Pepperberg, Griffin also participates in optical illusion studies meant to help researchers understand "how [birds] view the world." Through presenting Griffin with a number of different optical illusions, Pepperberg discovered that he views them in very much the same ways that humans do. She can ascertain this through Griffin's ability to communicate in terms of the shapes and colors that he already knows. When asked what lessons studying these parrots could teach humans, Pepperberg said, "It shows us how another organism processes information. We look at the world in a particular way with our vision, [and] we don't know how other creatures process this information. [Figuring this out] is important in terms of figuring out how our visual system works." These parrots are also used as models for intervention systems that help treat and manage disabilities, says Pepperberg. Some of the training that has been done with these birds has been adapted for children with autism; people are more sympathetic when they see how intelligent and bright these creatures are who may be on the same mental and communicative levels as some people with more extreme autism. As Arthur swung around in his cage and Griffin stood lazily on his perch, at times they seemed more like human children than parrots. When I look at Griffin's eyes slowly scanning the room, it seems as though perhaps, in the minds of the parrots, we are not necessarily the ones in charge. It is a very strange yet thrilling experience to be in such close proximity to an animal that, at least on some level, can think like you and notice the same things as you.
(05/19/09 4:00am)
Mozart's Don Giovanni is one of the oldest of operatic warhorses for good reason: There are few operas that combine such graceful music with a protagonist as compelling as this lascivious libertine with a heart not of gold but "of stone, or none at all," to quote the character himself. As a result, every performance needs something unique to make it more memorable than the last. The Boston Lyric Opera's recent production of Don Giovanni found it in both an intriguing set and a highly talented cast whose members were all well-suited to their roles.Don Giovanni, which was well-received at its premiere by an enthusiastic Prague public, opens not with love but with murder: Donna Anna runs out of her home screaming after the titular pleasure-obsessed Don sneaks into her bedroom to seduce her. He stabs her father the Commendatore in the ensuing tussle, and Donna Anna and her soon-to-be husband Don Ottavio swear vengeance. Between staving off the enraged blows of his equally vengeful ex-lover Donna Elvira and trying to spirit the commoner Zerlina away from her fiancé Masetto, Don Giovanni and his sidekick Leporello keep themselves busy with seductive hijinks. But the Don meets his match in the Commendatore's possessed statue, which he saucily invites to a dinner party at his home despite Leporello's misgivings. After Don Giovanni refuses the Commendatore's order to mend his wicked ways, the statue drags him to hell.It's unsurprising to learn that Christopher Schaldenbrand has had ample experience singing the role of Don Giovanni. He philandered his way across the stage with outstretched arms and an insouciant cant to his hips, bringing an extra dimension to his impressive voice. But as thrilling as Schaldenbrand's rendition of the "Champagne Aria" was, it was Matthew Burns as Leporello who shone with the "Catalogue Aria." His voice was precise and agile as he sang the Don's list of lovers to a spurned Elvira, and his body language edged on the opera buffa-a comic, almost slapstick style of opera-as he tossed little black, red, green and blue books from his pockets. Burns kept the audience chuckling and sometimes laughing outright throughout most of his time on stage, but no more so than during that aria.Susanna Phillips was touching and sensitive in her role as the emotionally distraught Donna Anna, particularly when singing Non mi dir to her lovelorn fiancé Don Ottavio, adeptly sung by the promising young Matthew Plenk. Kimwana Doner was excellent as Donna Elvira, and Heather Johnson was likewise entertaining playing an earthy, knowing Zerlina to Joseph Valon's indignant Masetto. Ulysses Thomas cut an intimidating figure as the Commendatore. The orchestra under the baton of Anthony Barrese was precise and nuanced, the overture a pleasure to hear.While the staging at the end of the opera was forced-bringing up the house lights as the cast sings Questo ae il fin was a little overdone, as was the ungainly portrayal of Don Giovanni's demise-the set and costuming were excellent overall. The bleak grey stage was seedy and grim, which belied the opera's comedic element and in some ways foreshadowed the untimely death of the doomed libertine, and gasps could be heard throughout the hall as the curtain rose and revealed a storm of glittering "raindrops." As often as opera fans experience Don Giovanni, the across-the-board quality of this production make it a memorable one.
(04/28/09 4:00am)
Art of epic proportions is happening. How else can one describe the enormity of a full orchestra, a 100-plus person choral ensemble and two pianos reliving what The New York Times calls "one of music's most resilient creatures?" The Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra, in collaboration with the Brandeis University Chorus, the Wellesley College Chorus and guest children's chorus Youth Pro Musica, filled the Levin Ballroom with Carl Orff's Carmina Burana Saturday, April 25. The concert was a part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts and featured soloists Andrea Matthews, soprano, Mark Kagan (MUS), tenor, and David Ripley, bass-baritone. Carmina Burana was written by German composer Carl Orff, who based the cantata's lyrics on a collection of 13th-century Bavarian poems of the same name. Although originally regarded as degenerate by the Nazi Party, the piece was eventually embraced in Germany and proceeded to gain worldwide fame after World War II. Now, "O Fortuna," which begins and ends the piece, is ubiquitous in everyday life. The chilling hymn is the theme for Old Spice and Gatorade commercials, countless movie trailers and New England Patriots games. "It was an honor being a part of one of the most recognizable pieces in music," noted Josh Goldman '11, a percussionist in the orchestra. In between "O Fortuna" are three movements depicting dancing, drinking and sex. Many of its lyrics are quite lurid, such as the line "Come, come, my beloved/ I am awaiting you with desire." It's surprising that medieval monks wrote this and not college students. Throngs of listeners came to hear Orff's masterpiece brought to life last Saturday, completely filling up Levin Ballroom 15 minutes before the performance.Before the concert, esteemed composer and professor Marty Boykan (MUS) was presented with the Distinguished Arts Faculty Award. Boykan, who has taught at Brandeis since 1957, was awarded for his work in the Ph.D. program for music composition and his overall contribution to Brandeis. The concert quickly followed, and from the first majestic chord of "O Fortuna," I knew this was the most impressive musical performance at Brandeis this year. "What's wonderful is that you get a certain energy with college students you don't see in professionals," commented Kagan, who had performed Carmina Burana multiple times before with groups such as the Boston Ballet. "This is a tremendously difficult piece. Orff puts every voice at their edge, but the students really wanted to do it. Even faced with funding problems since last spring when we first began planning, everyone still pulled together." Despite recent budget cuts, Carmina Burana's production continued with the help of Music Dept. Concert Coordinator Shawna Kelley and Office of the Arts' Director Scott Edmiston and Program Administrator Ingrid Schorr. "Organizing everything took a lot of collaboration with the two choral directors: Lisa Graham at Wellesley and our own Sarah Mead (MUS)," said Neal Hampton (MUS), conductor of the Brandeis-Wellesley Orchestra. "Since the choruses rehearsed separately, we had to agree in advance on musical issues such as tempo and what kind of Latin-German or Italianate-we were going to use."That's why Carmina Burana was such an impressive project. The ensembles consisted of nearly 200 members in total, bringing together musicians of diverse background and age.For example, the solo bassoonist was Isabelle Plaster, who had just retired two years ago from teaching at Wellesley College and now enjoys playing with some of her former students. "I'm amazed it all came together in such a short time, and I love keeping in touch with my students," she said.Youth Pro Musica, a children's choir directed by Peter Krasinski, brought singers as young as eight years old to perform with the college groups. "I think it's great for kids to be a part of this big, beautiful machine," said Krasinski, who got in touch with Neal Hampton through a mutual conductor friend. "And I loved seeing so many people get together for one purpose," he said, praising the ensemble's diversity.There was even collaboration between the Music and Classical Studies departments, as noted by chair Prof. Ann O. Koloski-Ostrow (CLAS). As an assignment in Latin 125, students translated many of the Latin poems of Carmina Burana. Classical Studies UDR Lee Marmor '10, whose translations appear in the program, was excited to attend the concert. The performance of Carmina Burana was not only an astounding musical endeavor but one that showcased an immense amount of teamwork. At the end of the piece, the performers were treated to cheers and an extended standing ovation by the audience.It was definitely one of the finest elements of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. "The chorus, orchestra and soloists all sound great," said Hampton. "It's been an honor to lead them.
(04/28/09 4:00am)
Profs. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS), James Haber (BIOL) and Gish Jen (ENG) were among those named in an April 20 announcement of this years list of figures to be inducted into the Academy of Arts and Sciences.The professors share this year's list with such names as author Thomas Pynchon, actors Dustin Hoffman and James Earl Jones and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. The professors will be inducted along with the other honorees at a ceremony Oct. 10 at the Academy of Arts and Sciences headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. Founded by James Bowdoin, John Adams and John Hancock during the American Revolution, the Academy of Arts and Sciences annually names honorees in the realms of academic disciplines, the arts, business and public affairs. Based in Cambridge, Mass., the Academy functions as a hub for cutting-edge research, organizing conferences and funding collaborative study projects among its members. In addition to her role as a visiting professor of creative writing at Brandeis, Jen was also published in Best American Short Stories of the Century. Jen could not be reached for comment by press time.Jen was quoted in a Brandeis NOW press release saying, "I am thrilled and honored-and I am hoping, too, that I will be able to make a contribution to their many important and timely projects."Sarna is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis. Haber is head of the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center. Both Sarna and Haber, despite their initiate status, expressed eagerness to participate in the Academy's conference and research activities. Sarna sees the Academy's selections as a big victory for Brandeis. "It's remarkable that a small university like Brandeis can bring in a single year three members to the Academy," he told the Justice. Sarna also sees his own selection as a triumph for his field. "There are a very small number of Judaic scholars in the American Academy. My hope is that this is a signal to include others in the work of the Academy." These three are not the first Brandeis professors to achieve such recognition. Nineteen others, including University President Jehuda Reinharz, Irene Pepperberg (PSYC), famed for her work with Alex the parrot, and Profs. Greg Petsko (CHEM) and David Hackett Fischer (HIST), have been elected to the Academy in the course of Brandeis' 61-year history.
(04/28/09 4:00am)
As the women's tennis team prepared for its fifth-place match at last weekend's University Athletic Association Championships at home, it faced a New York University squad that it had defeated 7-2 on a neutral court March 14 at Middlebury College. The Violets were able to exact revenge this time, however, defeating the Judges 5-3 to secure fifth place in the UAA tournament. The loss dropped the Judges, ranked fifth out of eight squads coming into the Championships, to sixth place in the tournament. They were 1-2 overall on the weekend, losing to fourth-seeded No. 14 Washington University in St. Louis last Friday in the first round and sweeping eighth-seeded Case Western Reserve University 9-0 in a consolation match last Saturday. The women's team finishes the season with an 11-9 mark.The men's squad's match against Bryant University last Wednesday was rained out and will not be made up. The team finishes the season with a 7-13 record.Emory University won its 22nd consecutive UAA Championships by defeating Carnegie Mellon University in the finals.Though Brandeis finished worse in the tournament than it was seeded, coach Ben Lamanna said he has no regrets with how the team played."I'm real proud of the girls; they fought real hard. They did everything that I ever asked them to do. To come up short like that kind of leaves a bitter taste, but not in the way I feel about them," he said.The Judges won the first doubles match against NYU but lost the final two to fall into an early 2-1 hole. No. 1 doubles partners Rachel Rosman '11 and Mackenzie Gallegos '11 defeated rookie Elizabeth Stachtiaris and senior captain Stephanie Tu for the second time this year, winning 8-5. But NYU's No. 2 duo of senior Amanda Freedman and sophomore Lisa Mijovic knocked off the Judges' pairing of Gabrielle Helfgott '09 and Nina Levine '12 8-4, and the No. 3 pairing of Ariana Sanai '10 and Emily Weisberger '10 fell to sophomores Elizabeth Feldman and Lena-Sophie Krups 8-5."If we're up 2-1 [in doubles] it changes the match," Lamanna said. "It comes down to executing our big points in doubles."However, the Judges battled back. After No. 6 Levine fell to Krups 6-2, 6-1, Brandeis won the next two singles matches to even the score at 3-3, as No. 1 Rosman beat Stachtiaris 6-1, 6-1 and Gallegos edged Freedman 6-3, 6-4.NYU took a 4-3 lead when Weisberger dropped her match at No. 5 singles to Mijovic 6-2, 6-4, so Brandeis needed to win the last two singles matches in order to avoid the upset. In her last collegiate match, Helfgott, playing at No. 2 singles, won the first set against Tu 6-4, but Tu bounced right back in the second set with a 6-4 victory of her own and raced to a 5-2 lead in the third set. The next game went into deuce, but eventually Tu emerged victorious 6-2, clinching the match for NYU with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory."It kind of breaks my heart to have a kid that works so hard and cares so [much] not win her last match," Lamanna said.Helfgott expressed some disappointment in losing her final collegiate match, but said she preferred to focus on her whole Brandeis career rather than just her last match."I'm not going to lie, I obviously am a little bit disappointed with how it turned out," she said. "But one thing that I take away and take pride in as a player is that I don't reflect on this being the last match. I sort of look at it [like] I've had a great run here for four years, and sometimes you're going to win and sometimes you're going to lose." In the consolation semifinals last Saturday, eighth-seeded Case Western proved to be no competition for the Judges. In doubles, the No. 1 pairing of Rosman and Gallegos beat sophomore Cheyenne Chambers and senior Marta Worwag 8-4, the No. 2 pair of Helfgott and Levine handled junior Jennifer Clever and sophomore Emily Hoffman 8-1 and the No. 3 duo of Sanai and Weisberger swept sophomore Carrie Reese and rookie Svetlana Villano, 8-0. In singles, no Brandeis player lost more than three games in a set. Against WashU last Friday, Rosman accounted for both Brandeis points in the 7-2 loss. Rosman teamed up with Gallegos at No. 1 doubles for an 8-6 win and then knocked off sophomore Karina Kocemba at No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-4. For the weekend, Rosman went 6-0 in her matches, while Gallegos finished 5-1 in hers.The Judges will lose only Helfgott next year to graduation, and Rosman, Gallegos, Levine, Sanai and Weisberger will all return to the Judges' starting lineup. Lamanna praised Helfgott's contributions both on and off the court. "She's an unbelievable kid, one of the nicest kids in the world," Lamanna said. "She's been a great captain [and an] unbelievably hard worker. [She is the] prototypical student athlete: academics first, tennis second, social life third.
(04/21/09 4:00am)
After opening the outdoor track and field season against top Division I, II and III competition in their first two meets, the Judges took advantage of lesser opponents at last Saturday's meet at Fitchburg State College. The women's team finished second out of 14 teams with 121 points while the men's team finished seventh out of 14 teams with 33 points. Worcester Polytechninc Institute won the women's meet with 124 points and the men's meet with 201.5 points.Normally overshadowed by the duo of Ali Sax '09 and Anat Ben-Nun '09, Lucia Capano '11 took advantage of the two getting a weekend of rest. Capano won both the triple and long jumps with leaps of 11.09 in the triple jump and 5.25 in the long jump, both of which were personal bests.I'm really proud of [Capano]," coach Mark Reytblat said. "She's become so consistent now, so I look forward to every single event that she competes."Suzanne Bernier '10 opened her outdoor season much like she did at the University Athletic Association Indoor Championships March 7, winning the high jump at 1.60 meters. Teammate Lily Parenteau '12 finished second behind Bernier with a jump of 1.50 meters."I could have done better. I was a little laggy and wasn't springy enough," Bernier said. "[But] a win is a win."The Judges showed their depth in the long-distance events, particularly in the 1,500-meter run. The Judges finished first through seventh in the race, all within 14 seconds of each other. Marie Lemay '11 finished first for the Judges with a time of 4 minutes, 47.81 seconds."It was extremely impressive. I was excited because it shows the depth of our team," Lemay said. "It was very helpful that we kind of worked together and we [had] a lot of camaraderie together."In the 800-meter run, Beth Pisarik '10 and Emily Owen '11 lapped the field, finishing first and second and distancing themselves from third-place sophomore Lindsay Kennedy of Bentley College by 7 seconds.Michelle Gellman '11 edged out first-year Nicole Lemelin of Salem State College in the 200-meter sprint by a mere 0.16 seconds, finishing in 27.41 seconds. Katy Agule '09 was the final women's event winner in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, an event in which competitors run through a course that consists of five wooden barriers, each 30-inches high, and one water pit. Agule took the event in 11:26.14. The men's team continued to compete without any field athletes, relying upon their distance squad to finish seventh out of 14 teams. The men's team also displayed its depth in the 1,500-meter run. Captains Matt Jennings '09 and Mike Stone '09 finished third and fourth with times of 3:57.21 and 3:58.06, followed closely by teammate Chris Brown '12 in fifth at 4:01.34. Marc Boutin '12, Sam Donovan '11 and Alex Hulse '12 rounded out the finishes for the Judges, finishing seventh, 11th and 12th, respectively.In the 800-meter run, the Judges got a pair of finishes. Aaron Udel '10 finished fourth with a time of 1:59.69, and Ben Bray '11 ran in 2:06.31, finishing ninth.The men's and women's track and field teams will compete at next weekend's UAA Championships at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Penn.
(04/07/09 4:00am)
Traditionally, Student Events has brought one major musical artist to Brandeis per semester, with a smattering of smaller names reserved for Springfest at the end of the year. However, this semester, Student Events has opted to reformat its concert agenda to better incorporate students' musical tastes and, more importantly, save them a substantial amount of money, demonstrating that it is still possible to put on great events in these turbulent times. There were a few problems with the previous approach that left some people unsatisfied and some coffers unfilled. For one, spending so much on one artist left little money for other, smaller acts throughout the semester.In addition, big-name artists like Nas, who performed last semester, are a double-edged sword. It's true that well-known artists will immediately garner more enthusiasm and perhaps put our University's name on the radar as a possible venue for other artists, but such an event runs the risk of alienating students who feel like their tastes aren't being respected or satisfied. In the past, we've felt the approach was simply a contest to get the biggest name available rather than finding an artist students would actually enjoy. Student Events' approach to Springfest this semester shows a sound handling of both these issues. For starters, instead of having a separate spring concert, Student Events condensed all funds and efforts into Springfest, a financially efficient solution. This approach also allowed for a more diverse selection of artists, ranging from indie rock (the Decembrists) to modern hip hop (Asher Roth).These artists were also the result of a vote organized by Student Events, allowing for the greatest number of happy customers. These measures show a sound appreciation not only for the tastes of the student body but for the need to remain fiscally wise. In a time when everyone is cutting costs, we applaud Student Events for taking the initiative, as one of the leading student organizations, to reduce their spending while still serving the community.
(03/24/09 4:00am)
It is not often that the end of a movie, especially one about spies, cannot be easily predicted. James Bond always sleeps with the wrong girl, then the right girl, then saves the day. Jason Bourne always gets away. However, Duplicity, a new movie directed and written by Tony Gilroy, remains surprisingly sly until the very end. The movie, which was released last Friday, tells a tale of espionage, love, greed and corporate America. Claire Stenwick (played by the beautiful Julia Roberts) and Ray Koval (the dashing Clive Owen) are retired spies from the CIA and MI-6, respectively, who become entrenched in counterespionage for two warring multinational corporations. On top of all that, they must decide if they truly love each other or if they are simply playing one another to get ahead. To describe any more of the plot would be to give something away, and in a movie where each twist and turn is surprising and exciting, that would be a shame. Never before has espionage looked so sexy while remaining so fully clothed. Roberts and Owen-who could not comprehend the meaning of "chemistry" in their previous film, Closer-more than make up for their previous foibles in this film. And if the viewer ever needs a break from the starring couple, Duplicity provides an entertaining cast of equally important supporting actors. Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson expertly play the CEOs of rival companies that constantly try to outperform each other, and Carrie Preston almost steals the show in a minor role as an extremely gullible travel agent working for one of the competing companies. To praise the rest of the talented actors and actresses who make up Duplicity's cast would take up the entire page, so you will just have to trust me when I say that the actors are a skilled bunch. The movie is not only a modern romance but also a tale of two spies; it is also a satire of American corporate culture. At a time when Americans are beyond fed up with the corporations that give their higher-ranking employees enormous bonuses while the economy is slowing dying, Duplicity couldn't have picked a better time to open. The two CEOs portrayed in this film will do anything to stay on top, even if it means conducting counter intelligence operations and hiring secret units of spies. Clandestine meetings are held to discuss the future of shampoo and frozen pizza, and there is a great deal of importance placed on the difference between creams and lotions. Alas, if only all corporate Americans looked as good in a grey suit as Clive Owen.Duplicity is not a film for those who do not like to think during movies. If you are looking for a tale with fast cars, girls in extremely tiny bikinis, large explosions and cool gadgets, perhaps you should rewatch a James Bond movie. However, if you want a movie with witty banter and several plot twists that keep you wondering (and sometimes a little confused) and on the edge of your seat, then Duplicity is the movie for you.
(03/24/09 4:00am)
Starting at age five, Kevin Olson '09 would make it an after-school ritual to take the short trip across the street from his Rockport, Mass. home to the high school to watch the Rockport boys' basketball team practice. His father, Rick, coached there, and growing up, Olson served as the team's water boy or ball boy before donning a Rockport uniform as a member of the team in high school."[The Rockport players] were my idols when I was growing up," Olson said. It was during these days that Olson developed his lights-out shooting stroke, his signature at Brandeis. While he was too young and too short to shoot with the high school players at first, by the time he was "10 or 12," Olson was participating in shooting drills with the players-and beating them."[The players] wouldn't be happy if I would win," Olson joked. Olson's shooting was on full display during the final season of his college career. He led all NCAA divisions in three-point percentage this season, hitting 58.9 percent including 65 percent in 14 University Athletic Association games. The 58.9 percent is the sixth-best mark in Division III history. Brandeis coach Brian Meehan describes Olson's shooting technique as "perfect.""His elbow is high, his hands are high, the rotation of the ball is the same every single time," Meehan said. "It's a perfect shot to watch. You watch all the great shooters and a lot of them look just like [Olson]." Olson's youth basketball instruction came mostly from his father. Rick Olson coached the Rockport High School team for 27 years, teaching Olson's older brother, Jason, and Kevin along the way."He's always been tough on me," Olson said about his father. "But, I couldn't ask for anyone else. He was great."Rick Olson retired after Kevin's senior year, but in a way he remained one of his son's coaches, even at the collegiate level."He always [talked] to me after games; he always [would] call me the next day. He's so into it," Olson said of his father. "The coach in him never died, for sure. He talked to me all the time about things I've done and what I can do better and what I see out there [on the court]." Kevin Olson believes his basketball pedigree gave him an edge while playing at Brandeis."I think it definitely helped me over the years," he said. "I can see things and pick up things in a different light than a lot of players, I think."In high school, Olson, despite drawing "double or triple teams" from opposing defenses, was named his athletic conference's player of the year in 2005, his senior season. Meehan did not view Rockport as one of the premier high school basketball programs in Massachusetts, but that did not stop him from recruiting Olson. Meehan immediately recognized that he had found someone special-a player that was "mature" and "levelheaded," who "handle[d] adversity really well.""Kevin was one of those guys who right when I saw him play-and who he was playing with-to see him stay positive and still play well and not let it affect him, that was a kid we knew we really wanted," Meehan said. Olson shot a respectable 39 percent from three-point range in his first three years before upping that percentage to 58.9 percent this season. Olson's historic three-point performance came after the NCAA moved the three-point line back from 19 feet 6 inches to 20 feet 6 inches prior to the start of the season. Olson said moving the three-point line back a foot helped to "spread the court out." However, Meehan believes Olson's performance from three-point range this season was the result of improved shot selection."I think the game slowed down a little bit for him, so it just seemed like he had a little more time," Meehan said. "He knew he had to step up [this season] and be the guy who was a main player for us, and I think he really embraced that."Olson's triumphs came at a price. After dealing with knee pain throughout his first three years at Brandeis, he had off-season knee surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon last May. "It just didn't respond as well as I hoped, so it was just as painful all this year," Olson said.His off-season was limited to rehabilitating his knee. He also had to sit out the occasional practice throughout the season and suffered from "sharp pains" when he made sudden, quick movements on the court. But none of that kept Olson off the court: Despite the pain, he led the team in minutes per game with 33.6, starting all 27 games this season."It was almost a necessity this year; I needed to play a lot of minutes and I wasn't going to say 'no', that's for sure," Olson said. "I'm very, very competitive, so if I'm out there, I wanted to play, and I wanted to win. The trainers haven't liked that at times."Olson helped lead the Judges to their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the team fell to Franklin and Marshall College 65-63 in the second round. Olson's 12.6 points were second on the team this season, and his 86 three-pointers were the second-highest single-season total in the program's history. He will graduate with the highest career three-point percentage and free-throw percentage in Brandeis history. His 187 three-pointers are third all-time."I think his leadership ability stood out this year more than ever," Meehan said. "Late this season, when it appeared to a lot of people that maybe our NCAA Tournament hopes were done, Kevin was the guy saying 'We're not out of this.'""I give him a lot of credit for keeping the guys believing that they were still playing for a bid," Meehan continued. "And as it turned out, he was right."--Ian Cutler contributed reporting.
(03/24/09 4:00am)
The women's tennis team entered its annual match against New England No. 14 Bates College, coach Ben Lamanna's alma mater, ranked one seed behind them at No. 15 in New England. The final tally was much more lopsided than the team's rankings indicated.In a matchup between two of the top- ranked teams in the region, the Judges knocked off Bates by an 8-1 count last Saturday and improved the team's record to 8-3. The men's team also hosted Bates last Saturday but lost 8-0. They followed that up with another defeat at Tufts University last Sunday, falling 8-1 to drop to 5-7 on the season.On the women's side, the Judges jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after an 8-5 victory by No. 1 doubles pair Rachel Rosman '11 and Mackenzie Gallegos '11 and an 8-1 win by No. 3 doubles pair Ariana Sanai '10 and Emily Weisberger '10. However, the tone of the match was set at No. 2 doubles, where captain Gabrielle Helfgott '09 and Nina Levine '12 were in a tight match against rookies Erika Blauth and Brooke Morse-Karzen.With every member of both teams watching, the No. 2 doubles match went into a second set tiebreaker after the two sides split the first 16 games."We were really pumped because a lot of people were watching, so we just tried to be really aggressive at the net and in a lot of the points, and we didn't really have anything to lose," Levine said. "And knowing that the other doubles teams won really helped us. We played like there was nothing to lose."With a 4-3 lead in the first-to-seven third-set supertiebreaker, Helfgott came up with two consecutive service winners to put the Judges up 6-3. The first one forced a return by Bates that hit straight back into the net, and the second one was an ace. In the match point when the Judges' pair led 6-4, Levine hit a winner at the net that went straight up the middle to give the lefty partners the victory and put the Judges up 3-0 in the overall competition."They played well in the big points, which is how you win tennis matches," Lamanna said.Levine, a rookie, said being able to win a close match at a high level of competition helped her confidence. "I had a lot of trouble in the beginning of the year confidence-wise because it's just different from playing in high school," she said. "Playing with [Helfgott], she's a really confident player, so it made me feel a lot more confident knowing that she had confidence in winning the match." "[Levine] did a good job rising to the occasion and realizing that we just have to focus on each point, and she stayed positive," Helfgott added.The Judges continued their strong singles play this season, winning five of their six matches. No. 1 Rosman, whom one spectator referred to as "Ross the Boss" during her match, took complete control over senior Caryn Benisch, winning 6-1, 6-1. No. 3 Sanai defeated rookie Meg Anderson 6-2, 6-1; No. 4 Gallegos beat Morse-Karzen 6-2, 6-4; No. 5 Weisberger edged Blauth 6-3, 6-4 and No. 6 Levine knocked off fellow rookie Elizabeth Stege 6-3, 6-3.The men's squad's struggles continued with the two losses at Tufts last Sunday and at home against Bates last Saturday. The team has now lost its last five matches.Against Tufts, the Judges were swept in doubles for the fifth consecutive match. The men's team has not won a doubles match since Feb. 23, the last game of its Florida trip. The Judges' lone point against Tufts came courtesy of captain Scott Schulman '09, who defeated sophomore Jake Fountain 7-6 (5), 6-2 at No. 2 singles."The guys [have to] toughen up and realize that we're not a team that needs to lose this many matches," Lamanna said. "The schedule is there for a reason; I thought we could have a good season with this schedule, so the guys just [have to] believe it and trust themselves more. That's the bottom line."The Judges were without No. 1 singles player Steven Nieman '11, who was sick with the flu in both matches.In last Saturday's match against Bates, with the match outcome already determined and Brandeis trailing 8-0, the No. 6 singles match was canceled Craig Elman '12 was supposed to take on junior Zach Fenno.Both the men's and women's squads will next compete Sunday at Trinity College. The women's team will play at 10 a.m., followed by the men at 2 p.m.
(03/17/09 4:00am)
CORRECTION APPENDED SEE BOTTOMThe playwright and actor Eric Bogosian once said, "I write my plays to create an excuse for full-tilt acting and performing." If ever a performance fulfilled the intents and objectives of the work's author, it was Zach Handler's '09 senior thesis, Freakshow. Freakshow features a compilation of monologues from several of Bogosian's solo shows, including "Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead," "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee," "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll," "Men Inside," "Funhouse" and "Drinking In America." Handler's magnum opus was born of a long-term relationship, one that formed from the moment an adolescent Handler first read Bogosian's "Pounding Nails in the Floor with My Forehead." Through his characters, Bogosian haunts, demands, screams and preaches on a multitude of topics from bigotry to masturbation. Although still in middle school, Handler determined then and there that he would someday perform Bogosian's opulently dark work. After years of interest, a semester of writing and three months in rehearsal with director Mike Martin '09, Freakshow may embody the words of Eric Bogosian, but the talent and drive that is apparent to the audience is that of the performer, Handler. As per Bogosian's stage directions, a desk, a chair and a podium were the only set pieces, elongating the stage in Spingold's Merrick Theater. Four props-a telephone, a magazine (one of questionable or 'Bogosian' content), a box and a microphone alternately provided context and comic relief.Handler's arrangement provided a range of characters and subject matter as well as an "excuse for full-tilt acting and performing." Freakshow explores a multitude of levels, from the physical-standing on a box shouting to sitting calmly at the edge of the stage-to the intangible-characters range from a manipulative insurance salesman to a street-corner hustler. Although each monologue was distinct, it took Handler mere seconds to transform into a new character, adopting different voices, mannerisms, movements and relations with the audience. Staying true to his inspiration, Handler provided a variety of material from the hysterical to the disturbing. In a program note to spectators, Handler mentions that his favorite aspect of Bogosian's work is its visceral quality. In no portion of Freakshow is Bogosian's visceral effect as evident as in "Fantasy." The monologue "Fantasy" featured a character standing behind a desk and pleasuring himself while talking graphically to a dirty magazine. This segment-besides justifying the program's disclaimer, "For Mature Audiences Only"-had the audience laughing, gasping and feeling torn between shock and amusement. Although difficult to watch, Handler's delivery of "Fantasy" clearly achieves Bogosian's goal of "full-tilt acting."As Fred Stanley from "Mutual Insurance," Handler's one-sided telephone conversation evoked raucous laughter from the spectators. This particular monologue featured schemes familiar to anyone who's interacted with a telemarketer-only, in true Bogosian manner, taken one step further. Upon finding out that the wife of his prospective client is employed, Handler's calculating character proceeds to set up gruesome hypothetical situations: "You get mugged, a gun goes off, you get a bullet in the brain, you're in a coma for months and months and months." Continuing to spin vivid scenarios in which the client's family is left injured, unable to work and financially ruined, Handler's character connives and charms until he achieves his goal. Despite the fact that the individual monologues come from another's work, the triumph of Freakshow lies in Zach Handler's creative abilities. His senior thesis amused, bewildered, enlightened and shocked, following its original creator's intent. Handler's characters are opinionated, loud, persuasive, preachy, angry and shamelessly penitent. Few audience members will forget the character from "Confession," kneeling beneath a single light in center stage. Although begging forgiveness for a multitude of sins, Handler exuded ironic indifference, sending the audience into fits and shouts of laughter. "Sexy, strange and superprovocative. I loved it," proclaimed Ell Cohen '09. There doesn't seem to be any dispute among the spectators-Freakshow was an absolute success.Correction: The article incorrectly spelled the name of a student. The student's name is Ell Cohen '09, not Eli Cohen '09.
(03/10/09 4:00am)
The Atlanta-bred Black Lips are the sort of rag-tag Southern punks who like offending Northern sensibilities by voicing their support for global warming. Their lowbrow redneck personas and colossal booze intake lends a free-for-all sloppiness to their live shows, and with the utter drunkenness of the crowd at the Middle East on Saturday, club security was just a little on edge. Though The Black Lips have found a new home on the front page of Pitchfork, they remain punks at heart. The sold-out show drew from a wide array of scenes, with the Cambridge hipsters perhaps a little underprepared for the onslaughts of volatile punk kids. While none of these participants were quite as drunk as the band themselves, the divide between the subdued observers and the mass of die-hards at the front of the club was clear. But for all the drunken revelry, The Black Lips pulled off a rollicking good set of scuzzy, hick-fused garage rock. Between breaks of incoherent mumbling, the four members of the band wailed and cannonballed through an hour of danceable ditties, bringing together an entire club's worth of disparate fans. The band's ability to pummel through their fuzzy tunes even in the face of such daunting drunkenness is a testament to their tightness. The four members alternate vocals and often join together in a tribal group-sing. They holler their catchy refrains for all they're worth, and they always land exactly on point.The rolling rhythms of bassist Jared Swilley and drummer Joe Bradley pound beneath the high-pitch twangs of the guitars and give the band their definitive rock groove. Swilley seems to fill the role of "the cute one," singing many of the lead parts and employing an appropriately McCartneyesque violin bass. Bradley, beyond his driving rhythms, sings supporting parts on almost every song and even as a drummer guides many of the music's melodies. The two guitarists, Ian Saint Pé and Cole Alexander, play slightly out of tune, which gives their music a spooky Cramps vibe. Saint Pé's twangy tones add a rockabilly touch, and his grill of glistening golden teeth adds some credibility to the redneck image.Alexander, wearing a poncho and pilgrim hat, seems to be the musical center of the band, acting slightly less silly than the other members and singing lead on the most memorable songs. His anthemic "Buried Alive" builds like a cross between The Monks and the theme from the Munsters with a chorus that's as catchy as it is fuzzy. In almost every other song, a similar method is followed, allowing conventionally catchy tunes to guide the lo-fi skuzz and out-of-tune twang. The Black Lips' newest album, 200 Million Thousand, follows their trend of unique recording styles that tries to enhance their raw live appeal. The album is good, but for a band that rocks out as simply and effectively as The Black Lips, there is very little substitute for the live experience. This is perhaps why their best recording to date is actually a live album from one debauched evening on the streets of Tijuana, complete with a competing mariachi band. Most recently, the band claims to have been run out of India; given the spectacle in Cambridge on Saturday, this claim suddenly seems more believable.
(03/10/09 4:00am)
MADE OF METAL
Welcome back! Feast your eyes on Made of Metal's new Hidden Gems edition. Under this banner, I shall bring to your attention anything my attention thinks your attention should be paying attention to. Be it band, book or movie, I shall do my best to persuade you. Boogie down.Are you fan of speed? I'm a fan of speed. Speed is in this year, and no one has more speed than Hayaino Daisuki. The super-metal trio's debut EP, Headbanger's Karaoke Club Dangerous Fire, straight up crackles in your hands, unfolding its fire-hot metal chicks laden multi-puzzly-sleevebox thing. We're not talking about Origin/Braindrill/Marduk-style speed here, the kind that sounds like rocks in a blender set to "puree." We're talking about speed with purpose; three grindthrashingblackpunk metalheads, Jon Chang (Discordance Axis, Gridlink), Matsubara (Mortalized) and Eric Schnee (dude, get a band), playing with enough urgent lunacy to outblast the world's most metal drum machine, whether they're actually kicking out 500 beats per minute or not.The formula is fairly textbook: Chang screeches, Schnee hammersand Matsubara shreds. Lots of bands use this formula, but lots of bands don't have Matsubara. It's a shame, because this dude is really awesome at guitar. He brings thrash, black metal and, dare I say it, pop into the mix to come up with some of the catchiest, uplifting, neck-wrecking riffs in the land. This pulp-anime hybrid is a metal scene-ster's dream; it's catchy to the point of being infectious but so vehemently anti-mainstream there's no risk of losing your sacred new discovery to the clutches of mass adoration and commercialization. Chang's vocals are an acquired taste (one of my favorites), remaining consistent in his high, high register shriek; extra points to Schnee though, for doing a lot with a little. His kit sounds as basic as they come (snare, two toms, two crash cymbals) but damn if he doesn't squeeze everything he can out if it. Check out the opening strains of "Horobi Monogataro" or "Haiiro Ikotsu Gakidou" to see what I'm talking about. Also, in a refreshing turn of production, his kit sounds alive and breathing. (BEGONE YOU TRIGGERED, CLICKY, COMPRESSED AND SOULESS DRUMS!) In fact, the whole thing sounds like it was just taped live off the rehearsal room floor, raw like dead carcass. Sure, they teeter on the edge sometimes; the drums lose the beat for a moment or Matsubara misses one of the two million notes, but it all sounds so juicy. Juicy like dead carcass. I don't know why I love these guys so much. Maybe it's because there's so much love to go around with so little material. At 14 minutes long, HbKCDF ends just in time to deny the listener satisfaction, but maybe that's what keeps me coming back for more. The pacing is expert. The EP rips forth with a shriek and the fist-pumping bass-drum thump "Into the Throat of Berserk" and closes with the epic soloing and intense Japanese spoken word of "Aka." It's the best short story you've heard this year. Not much else needs to be said. Except, an apology to anyone who thought this was going to be an undercover report on Japan's military resurgence. The truth is that the band is only half Japanese; the other half lives in Hoboken, N. J. Did you know their name translates to "I love speed?" How awesome is that?
(03/03/09 5:00am)
In an episode of the television comedy Everybody Hates Chris, the titular awkward Brooklyn teenager blows an aptitude exam and is sent to the guidance office. The guidance counselor tells Chris that if he is going to go college he should have a purpose. Otherwise, why bother? As a demonstration, the guidance counselor takes Chris on the bus and asks how many people wished they had the money they spent on college to spend on bills. All raise their hands.Although college is a place to explore and grow in ways that extend beyond pursuing a career, ignoring the future entirely is foolhardy. The perfect situation is to form a sort of bridge between studying for learning's sake and studying for a career's sake. Thus, students should pursue a liberal arts education while also coming out of college with marketable skills. The proposed new Business major allows for that. There are three specific aspects of the new proposal that are great assets to those who take on the Business major.To start, the University has designed the Business major with the intention of offering students accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. This accreditation, along with Brandeis's reputation for rigorous study, will give students an advantage when they search for that first job that will give them the experience for better-paying future jobs. More often than not, students with Bachelor of Arts degrees face difficult job markets. The Business major will give students the ability to edge out the competition. Although a Bachelor's may enrich the soul, it doesn't pay the bills on its own. Second, the Brandeis Business major aims to produce businesswomen and men of a special caliber. Thanks to exciting thematic electives, including classes on international political economy, economics of the developing world and sustainability and health care policy, students pursuing this major will come out with an innovative view on social problems and their solutions. This critical element of the Business program, along with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, distinguishes Brandeis' outlook on the components of a good businessperson by allowing students to focus not only on the nature of the business profession but also on the ways business interacts with greater society.The final valuable aspect of the program is its emphasis on case study. Students will learn to analyze cases and how to assign variables and measure and then come up with actionable solutions to problems. The program will emphasize taking on leadership roles and engaging in teamwork. All of this surely provides students with marketable skills when they go for those first interviews after college. Who says you can't love literature and learn the ways of business at the same time? The proposal for a new Business major provides literature lovers with an opportunity to get a job that pays better than that service job he or she got over the summer ever did. The Brandeis community should embrace this proposal for reasons beyond increasing the admissions pool.
(02/24/09 5:00am)
Researchers and equipment will be transported into the Carl J. Shapiro Science Center beginning this week, according to Vice President of Capital Projects Dan Feldman; however, science classes will not be moved into the science center until fall semester 2009.However, Feldman wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that "Phase two of the [Science Complex Renewal Project] has been indefinitely postponed."Feldman wrote that Phase one is "nearly complete. "Phase one of the master plan for the Science Center includes a major new building with teaching labs on the first two levels, three levels of research space, an atrium and a café," according to the Capital Projects Web site. "The Phase 2A building, which was schematically designed together with Phase one to ensure complete coordination, is expected to include teaching labs, a large lecture hall and three levels of additional research laboratories," according to the Web site. The downturn in the economy and donations to the school has slowed the University's plan to make up the projected $74 million in gifts for the Science Center, as the school has received less than it predicted in fundraising and grants due to the troubled economy, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Peter French said at a Feb. 5 press conference for campus media.According to the Capital Projects Web site, two floors of the new center will be devoted to biology and chemistry teaching labs and classrooms; the other three floors will contain new research facilities. The center will be connected to the existing Rosenstiel and Edison-Lecks science buildings and will replace the two oldest science buildings, Friedland and Kalman, which are slated to be razed this summer, according to the Web site."The new Carl J. Shapiro Science Center is the largest and most technically complex single project we have completed in the current 'building boom' that has been underway at Brandeis since the late 1990s," Feldman wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "The Shapiro Science Center is a great step forward for science facilities at Brandeis-truly a 21st century building," he wrote."I think the construction of the Shapiro Science Center is a landmark event in the history of Brandeis," Prof. Greg Petsko (CHEM) wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "It exemplifies the long-term commitment of the University to the sciences." Melissa Kosinski-Collins, an assistant professor of biology, echoed Petsko's view. "We now have cutting-edge, state-of-the-art laboratory classrooms for both the Chemistry and Biology departments, which will foster more laboratories integrally tied to computational strategies and will encourage collaboration and scientific success for our students," she wrote in an e-mail to the Justice "These laboratories will provide our undergraduate students with the tools and skills they will need to be successful for the future graduate studies, medical pursuits, and/or careers in the biomedical research field," Kosinski-Collins wrote.When asked in what specific ways the Shapiro Science Center is an improvement over current science facilities at Brandeis, Prof. Suzanne Paradis (BIOL) wrote in an e-mail to the Justice, "I know that a very powerful magnet used for [Nuclear Magnetic Resonance] will be housed in the new building for teaching and research purposes. "This is the type of state-of-the-art equipment that simply could not be housed in the current science facilities," she added Feldman wrote, "The Carl J. Shapiro Science Center was designed to meet a [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-silver] equivalent, and we believe that it is actually within a couple of points of meeting a LEED-gold equivalent standard." LEED is an independent organization that sets nationally acknowledged standards for the construction of green buildings.According to Feldman, some of the notable elements of the science center that play a role in sustainability include natural ventilation of nonlab spaces with operational windows, the use of recycled and recyclable materials, low-flush urinals and dual-flush toilets in the bathrooms, and electronic sensors on bathroom faucets.
(02/24/09 5:00am)
I was satisfied-maybe even impressed-by two major recent examples of administrative backpedaling. The first was University President Jehuda Reinharz's apology for mishandling the process and announcement of the decision to sell the Rose Art Museum collection, and the second was the revocation of the proposal to withhold the merit scholarship money previously promised to students who chose to study abroad.But considering these incidents within the context of the student body's impressive vocal dissent and the school's potentially dire financial situation, however, the flip-flopping has made me a little nervous. In these two particular cases, retraction and amelioration were the only real options. But in the larger scope of things, the administration must be wary of creating a habitual situation in which it is influenced by public discontent to refrain from the bold action needed to ensure Brandeis' future as a premier research university and an overall respectable institution. Passionate Brandeis students have proven that they are adept at effectively mobilizing to voice their concerns as a group when they find flaws in administrative decisions. Protests, sit-ins, letters, mock funeral processions and so on have captured the attention of the administration and often the media. Take a look at last week's failure of a chaotic protest by students at New York University in order to fully appreciate the rare eloquence of Brandeis students' collective voice and the even rarer responsiveness of the administration here.On the surface, recent reactive statements and actions by administrative bodies may seem like student victories. The feeling of emerging triumphant and seeing the effects of "sticking it to The Man" is unmatched. It is important that public expressions of disapproval aren't executed solely in order to have this feeling. Students need to recognize the power of their collective voice and take the dire financial situation facing Brandeis into account before deciding that they are ardently opposed to changes taking place within the school.That said, it is the (lately unfulfilled) obligation of the administration to perfect the language of and properly anticipate the effects of their decisions. Most universities across the country have been hit hard by the financial crisis. Even Harvard, the world's wealthiest university, has been forced to face tough decisions. The school is now slowing and reassessing the construction of its highly anticipated science building in Allston. The Boston Globe quoted a letter written by Harvard president Drew Faust to the school's community: "Such a significant decrease [in endowment] presents us with difficult tradeoffs. . Tinkering around the edges will not be enough. . What is more, our conscious avoidance of 'one size fits all' solutions means that not everyone is going to be happy with every outcome." These words speak greatly to Brandeis' predicament. There is no question that Brandeis' survival through this economic crisis depends on immediate, drastic action. Such radical change will inevitably leave a large portion of people who have a stake in the school unhappy. The administration must be prepared for that and have the courage to not only make tough-albeit thoroughly thought-out and researched- decisions, but it must also have the goal to uphold them.
