(03/11/14 4:00am)
The men's and women's tennis teams knew, upon traveling to Vermont on March 8 and 9 for the Middlebury College Invitational, fierce competition lay ahead. The Middlebury Panthers men's and women's teams-ranked 10th and sixth, respectively-tested the Judges' physical drive and emotional mindset. "The mindset was that we could beat them," said coach Ben Lamanna. "We're not scared of anybody." While both squads failed to garner an overall victory against Middlebury, the men's team managed to leave the weekend with a win. Coming off of three consecutive victories, the men dropped their match 8-1 to Middlebury, while the 24th-ranked had similar struggles against the Panthers, losing 9-0. On the second day of the invitational, though, the men's side regained its momentum, responding with a 6-3 defeat of Colby College. The women's tennis team valiantly competed against Middlebury, but ultimately, their efforts did not produce a win. A glimmer of hope came for the Brandeis side as Carley Cooke '15, at the No. 1 court, challenged Middlebury sophomore Ria Gerger. Cooke, ranked No. 17, showed great promise in the first set by leading 5-2, however, dropped the match in straight sets. The Judges failed to recover from the initial defeat. Ally Bernstein '14, Roberta Bergstein '14 and Simone Vandroff '15 all fell to their Middlebury competitors. In a close match at the No. 5 court, Emily Eska '15 matched her opponent shot for shot in the second set before falling by a 6-4, 7-5 score. Middlebury built on their initial successes with a sweep in doubles competition, where Cooke and Vandroff lost to Middlebury 8-6. The men, meanwhile, saw an opportunity to break through against the Panthers. At No. 1 singles, Michael Arguello '17 lost to senior Alex Johnston, ranked 39th nationally for Middlebury. Although Arguello fell to his opponent, he took Johnston to a tie-breaking round, eventually losing 7-5. "Arguello has improved by leaps and bounds since he arrived in the fall," said Lamanna. "Particularly, his doubles skills have improved. He's a great competitor on the court and he does everything right off the court. When you watch him play, it's like watching a laser show. He crushes the ball." Brian Granoff '17 continued to improve with each passing match. Much like his class and teammate, Granoff could not pull off an overall win against Middlebury senior Brantner Jones, losing 6-4, 7-6 (2) to the 31st nationally ranked player. In the remaining singles positions, the Panthers defeated Ryan Bunis '17, Alec Siegel '15 and Michael Secular '15. Bunis, however, managed to earn three points in his loss. "Arguello, Granoff [and] Bunis are all talented players who continue to impress with their hunger and fire for improvement," said Lamanna. "We've got a great thing going right because the sky is the limit with this group. It's all about continual improvement and staying hungry." The team responded with a win over Colby on Sunday, following a 6-3 victory from Siegel at the No. 5 position. The Judges went 2-1 in doubles and 4-2 in singles play. The women's squad will welcome No. 30 Wellesley College on Friday before joining the men in New York to square off against New York University on Saturday.
(03/11/14 4:00am)
The men's and women's tennis teams knew, upon traveling to Vermont on March 8 and 9 for the Middlebury College Invitational, fierce competition lay ahead. The Middlebury Panthers men's and women's teams-ranked 10th and sixth, respectively-tested the Judges' physical drive and emotional mindset. "The mindset was that we could beat them," said coach Ben Lamanna. "We're not scared of anybody." While both squads failed to garner an overall victory against Middlebury, the men's team managed to leave the weekend with a win. Coming off of three consecutive victories, the men dropped their match 8-1 to Middlebury, while the 24th-ranked had similar struggles against the Panthers, losing 9-0. On the second day of the invitational, though, the men's side regained its momentum, responding with a 6-3 defeat of Colby College. The women's tennis team valiantly competed against Middlebury, but ultimately, their efforts did not produce a win. A glimmer of hope came for the Brandeis side as Carley Cooke '15, at the No. 1 court, challenged Middlebury sophomore Ria Gerger. Cooke, ranked No. 17, showed great promise in the first set by leading 5-2, however, dropped the match in straight sets. The Judges failed to recover from the initial defeat. Ally Bernstein '14, Roberta Bergstein '14 and Simone Vandroff '15 all fell to their Middlebury competitors. In a close match at the No. 5 court, Emily Eska '15 matched her opponent shot for shot in the second set before falling by a 6-4, 7-5 score. Middlebury built on their initial successes with a sweep in doubles competition, where Cooke and Vandroff lost to Middlebury 8-6. The men, meanwhile, saw an opportunity to break through against the Panthers. At No. 1 singles, Michael Arguello '17 lost to senior Alex Johnston, ranked 39th nationally for Middlebury. Although Arguello fell to his opponent, he took Johnston to a tie-breaking round, eventually losing 7-5. "Arguello has improved by leaps and bounds since he arrived in the fall," said Lamanna. "Particularly, his doubles skills have improved. He's a great competitor on the court and he does everything right off the court. When you watch him play, it's like watching a laser show. He crushes the ball." Brian Granoff '17 continued to improve with each passing match. Much like his class and teammate, Granoff could not pull off an overall win against Middlebury senior Brantner Jones, losing 6-4, 7-6 (2) to the 31st nationally ranked player. In the remaining singles positions, the Panthers defeated Ryan Bunis '17, Alec Siegel '15 and Michael Secular '15. Bunis, however, managed to earn three points in his loss. "Arguello, Granoff [and] Bunis are all talented players who continue to impress with their hunger and fire for improvement," said Lamanna. "We've got a great thing going right because the sky is the limit with this group. It's all about continual improvement and staying hungry." The team responded with a win over Colby on Sunday, following a 6-3 victory from Siegel at the No. 5 position. The Judges went 2-1 in doubles and 4-2 in singles play. The women's squad will welcome No. 30 Wellesley College on Friday before joining the men in New York to square off against New York University on Saturday.
(03/11/14 4:00am)
Dean of Students Jamele Adams announced in an email to the Department of Student Life that Director of Student Activities Stephanie Grimes and Director of the Intercultural Center Monique Pillow-Gnanaratnam will be promoted to the positions of assistant deans. According to Adams in the email, two assistant deans have become "part of our design in the Office of the Dean of Students." "These positions are part of a reorganizing of departments to best serve our students and meet goals of the strategic plan," explained Adams in an email to the Justice. According to Adams, Grimes and Pillow-Gnanaratnam will continue to fulfill all their duties as directors while assuming new responsibilities in their roles as assistant deans. In an email to the Justice, Grimes wrote that she will now oversee New Student Orientation and "join the Dean's Office team in assisting with the daily management of issues that challenge our student body as well as assisting in crisis situations. "Students should also see increased collaboration between Student Activities and Admissions which creates the opportunity to create synergy between our recruitment and retention efforts," she wrote. Pillow-Gnanaratnam was not able to respond to the Justice by press time. According to Adams' email to the Office of Student Life, Grimes has worked at Brandeis for 16 years, and was previously in Community Living as a quad director before working in Student Activities. Before directing the ICC, Pillow-Gnanaratnam worked at Northeastern University as its director for off-campus student services and later as assistant director for orientation. Grimes said she has already begun assuming her new responsibilities and is being "integrated into the Dean's Office." Grimes wrote that she is "very excited" about her new role. "It will expand my knowledge base on campus," she wrote. "Hopefully I can make a larger impact on student life at Brandeis, and I can use the my 16 years of experience at Brandeis to learn from the past to create a [sic.]impact in the future," Grimes continued. "[T]hese promotions are exciting for our students and community," wrote Adams in his email to the Justice. "Brandeis will continue to appreciate the experience, wisdom, energy and love Stephanie and Monique have for our students, student development and student success." This change to the Office of Student Life follows changes to its leadership within the past year. Adams was appointed as Dean of Students over the summer, after University President Frederick Lawrence announced that Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer would be leaving Brandeis after 32 years.
(03/11/14 4:00am)
Last Tuesday, the Department of Community Service sponsored a discussion about scenarios in volunteer work titled "Sexism in Service." The event was led by Lindsey Miller from AmeriCorps VISTA, member of an AmeriCorps program aimed at fighting poverty, working with the Department of Community Service and its higher education intern Jack Korpob. A diverse group of students and staff, including Associate Director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life Marci McPhee and Director of the Department of Community Service Lucas Malo, attended the event. Opening the discussion, Kateri Spear '15 shared an experience from her recent work with Habitat for Humanity over February break, during which she and other Brandeis students went to Pennsylvania to build a home. On the last day of the trip, Spear said the overheard an older volunteer make "demeaning comments about one of our female-bodied volunteers" due to the assumption that she could not perform the manual labor of constructing a house as effectively as he could. The experience was "very uncomfortable" for the volunteer, according to Spear. Miller noted that there are "always external factors involved" with working on a service project, and acknowledged that volunteers face the dilemma of how to address these sorts of situations in a respectful manner. Korpob also shared a similar story from his undergraduate study at the University of California, San Diego about a service trip to Belize that he helped lead. Once his group arrived, he noticed that the local workers and liaisons would only speak to him. At first, he said that he did not think much of it, but it soon became apparent that the local members of the organization would not interact with his co-leaders because they were female. "I told [a liaison] that service was the reason that we were there," said Korpob, adding that "telling someone they can't do the same service because they are female simply wasn't going to happen." While Korpob admitted this situation made the trip awkward, he said that his team "fought back" against this discrimination. "Sometimes, you have to be the person to say [something] is wrong." Korpob added that volunteers working in another culture could encounter cultural norms that make it difficult to stand up for their beliefs. While he "saw it to be appropriate" in this instance, he acknowledged that often it is "very difficult" for volunteers to feel empowered in foreign environments. McPhee also added that Sorenson Fellows-students who are given a financial stipend by the Sorenson Fellowship so they may serve abroad with an organization of their choice during a summer-often "feel like they sold out their beliefs" if they choose to accept the gender norms of a different country. The latter half of the discussion was dominated by a recent advertising campaign of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Boston, a service organization that pairs children with older role models. The advertising campaign, called "Chicks Dig Bigs," is an effort to address the chronic shortage of male volunteers for the organization. In a video put out by the campaign, a female narrator claims "93 percent of women are more likely to admire a guy who volunteers with kids." The campaign's web page calls on women to "ask that special guy in her life ... and urge him to help make a difference in a child's life." When the discussion turned toward the reasoning behind the campaign, McPhee acknowledged that a shortage of male volunteers has been an issue for BBBSB, but added that she didn't know "what [she] would do to solve this problem, but [she was] not sure this was it." Spear also called into question the reasons a person volunteers to serve, and remained unconvinced that an individual who joined after seeing this campaign would be "the best person to commit to mentor a child," as opposed to an individual who opted to serve in order to create a meaningful relationship with a child. Sharon Passov '15, a coordinator for Language and Cultural Enrichment, a branch of the Waltham Group that pairs Brandeis students with English language learners from the Kennedy Middle School in Waltham, stated that she found the campaign "silly" and that it played on cultural norms, but did acknowledge that it showed the "desperation that the [organization] faces" with regard to male volunteers. Passov added that male volunteers at Brandeis typically ask to be paired with male children, and desire to spend time in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center "instead of [doing] arts and crafts or other activities." Sophie Brickman '16, a coordinator for Brandeis Big Siblings said that Brandeis Big Siblings' lack of male volunteers could be addressed in more productive ways, such as having "male volunteers speak to other males" to show them that "it is cool to serve." She also said that Brandeis Big Siblings has started working with the Athletics department, and that having a male athlete attest to his experiences with the organization have been successful. This event was the last in a series of discussions put on by the Department of Community Service in an effort to promote dialogue about service.
(03/10/14 4:00am)
Last summer, a few weeks before I first came to Brandeis, a bunch of my high school friends and I were sitting around in a basement thinking about what we wanted to do in college. There were the usual suggestions-party, sleep, wake up and party some more-until one girl chimed in. "I want to be part of a protest," she said. Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement. An image of myself standing outside a government building, shaking a picket sign and chanting in unison with a massive crowd floated through my brain. It was a common enough daydream, one that I'd had before and which I share with many of my friends, regardless of whether they've ever been part of a real protest. A lot of it stems, I think, from the common idolization of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the great historical heroes of the modern age. He stood up against the most powerful and ingrained evils in his society, and was able to open the world's eyes to them through nonviolent protest. King is an inspirational figure to many, and though he is certainly not the only cause, he is part of the reason why protest is so romanticized in our society nowadays. We want to be angry at something, to vocally express our most deeply held beliefs and shout in the face of authority, "We will not be silenced!" For some, what the protest is actually about doesn't matter as much as the fact that it is happening, and that they can become a part of it. On Feb. 13, a group of students assembled outside the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center to protest the University's executive payment practices. This was a protest I could get behind: It was time for the students to show their anger at President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz's salary. We need to hold the Board of Trustees accountable for putting the ludicrous amount of money we pay toward making the rich richer. When I went to see the protest however, I was more than a little disappointed. The group of students stood huddled in a circle outlined by orange cones, the area specifically given by the University for the protest after the students submitted a formal request. They chanted slogans like "Fair Pay Today" and "Cut Jehuda's Salary," but also "F*ck the bookstore prices" and "Free tuition." As heavy snow began to fall, fewer and fewer students passed by the protest or gave it any attention, and soon, some of the angry chanters began to pack up and head home. The event's Facebook page even stated the incorrect amount of money being paid to Reinharz. If anything, the Feb. 13 protest made the University look better for allowing student discourse on campus. The protest was sectioned off in a little bubble of safety, where administrators could look down from their offices and admire the cute gang of angry children. Advocating executive pay changes is a goal that's both admirable and achievable, but free tuition? Something that absurd devalues the whole protest, and delegitimizes the very real concerns that students have. Likewise, getting mad over something as petty as inflated bookstore prices is an exercise in futility. Brandeis is a university that has sanctified the phrase "social justice," yet it has executive practices that create a class divide. That's a very real ethical concern, but if the student body is only worried about having to pay a few extra bucks for their textbooks, who is going to listen? This is the critical difference between the romantic image of King-esque protest, and the reality of what King did. King was strategic. He waved signs and sang songs, but he did so in ways that would specifically damage the institutions he was trying to change. The Montgomery Bus Boycotts weren't successful because people said they were angry; they were successful because the public transit system was losing money. The protesters made it clear that Montgomery buses wouldn't turn a profit until they changed their racist practices, and eventually the laws of economics prevailed. King didn't start his civil rights work by running for president. He started by supporting one woman who refused give up one seat on one bus. He built his way up to big targets, earning a name for himself in the media and showing persistence in the face of challenges. But he didn't just march in circles and hurl slogans in the air. All of the most effective protests of the Civil Rights Movement were deeply symbolic, and specified to the targeted goal of each specific protest. It was the way King was able to paint his opposition as so clearly in the wrong that he was able to earn followers and succeed in his goals. Who wouldn't let a tired woman sit on a bus after a long day? Who wouldn't serve a kid who had sat in a restaurant for hours on end? Who would dare to blast pressurized water at a group of peaceful men and women walking down the street and singing about freedom? The Brandeis student protest lacked any of the strategy, symbolism and realistic aims that lead to successful protests, and which were at the heart of King's victories. One has to start with demanding change on one specific issue and work up to sweeping reforms. Most of all, what the Brandeis protest movement needs is organization and clearly stated goals. Ten different people shouting 10 different slogans won't earn anyone's attention. Ten different people shouting one simple slogan ("Fair pay to janitors! Fair pay to janitors!") for hours upon hours will turn a few heads. Then if 10 more people join in the next day, and 10 more the day after that, people will start to pay attention. Then when all 30 protesters refuse to spend at the bookstore, dining halls and other retail locations until their demands are met, and more and more students join in, who's to say what could happen. Am I advocating anything as dangerous as the Birmingham Ala. boycotts? No, that would be inappropriate for the subject of concern. But if the student body wants to actually change Brandeis' executive practices through peaceful protest, we need to be willing to be unsavory. An effective protest cannot be something that one walks away from at night and ticks off as just another event in a busy day. It cannot be something that you do for the thrill, only because it's something people do in college. An effective protest is done to create change, even if it comes at a cost. *
(03/10/14 4:00am)
Like many others at this University, I took a gap year between my high school graduation in June 2010 and my first year of Brandeis in September 2011. I spent the year in Mevaseret, the first suburb outside of Jerusalem along Route one, the highway that connects the Israeli capital of Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. I remember the day, March 23, quite vividly. A few friends and I had joined a gym, called "Jump," located in Binyanei Hauma, an office complex in downtown Jerusalem a few months prior-we were going through our inevitable workout phase all teenagers seem to experience. As we were leaving the gym that day, we heard a large bang. A pillar of smoke erupted just across the street and mass chaos ensued. We were far enough away to not be engulfed in the hysteria that immediately occurred, but close enough to know what had happened. A bus had just exploded. The number 74 bus that runs from Talpiot to Har Nof had been bombed. Just a few moments later, the sirens began. In the days after, the numbers were finalized: one person was killed, 59-year-old Mary Jean Gardner, a Scottish Bible translator who was studying Hebrew at Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Rothberg International School. At least 24 others were injured, including four Americans. In September 2011, as I was starting my college career here in Waltham, four Hamas militants were finally arrested for the bombing, one of whom is a permanent resident of Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority joined the U.S. and the U.K. in denouncing the attack. Hamas praised it. Bus bombings, air strikes, rocket attacks, suicide bombers, counter-operations-these are the violent acts that characterize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All those in the region want this violence to be stopped with a permanent peace deal. The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University estimates that 63 percent of Israelis support the two-state solution, and the Arab World for Research and Development estimates 54 percent support from Palestinians. Peace is the goal. This past week Students for Justice in Palestine hosted a series of events as part of the international movement labeled as Israel Apartheid Week. Although the Facebook event page's description has changed many times-most notably it originally listed a falsely credited quote to Nelson Mandela-it now reads, "We wish to devote this International Apartheid Week to deconstructing this powerful word and the narratives that comprise it." The week was about discussion, they say, constructive dialogue, social justice and most notably, ending the conflict and human rights violations, once and for all. Yet, it became clear that the week had nothing to do with dialogue. The sentence before the one quoted above in the Facebook event description currently reads, "Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine invites you to join them in wrestling with the reality of apartheid." Let's deconstruct these two sentences. First, all who attend Israel Apartheid Week events must wrestle with the reality of an apartheid Israel-as an objective fact. Only after accepting this matter-of-fact statement can we then proceed with the "deconstructing of this powerful word and the narratives that comprise it." The mere labeling of Israel as an apartheid state is deemed a narrative, yet is only secondary to it being a matter of fact. The name of the week itself exudes the same sentiment: the week is not labeled in an inquisitory fashion such as "Is Israel an apartheid state?" Rather, the week is labeled again as a matter of fact: "Israel Apartheid Week." The title forces an opinion regardless of the subsequent discussion. Compounding the implicit lack of productive discussion within the weeklong event was the highlight last Monday-the keynote speech of renowned author and journalist Max Blumenthal. Blumenthal spent the first half hour of his speech vilifying the "right-wing zionists" who had attacked him previously-including two Brandeis students specifically. His speech virtually echoed the highlights of his book Goliath: Life and Loating in Greater Israel. It is a highly disputed book that, for example, compares Israel to Nazi Germany-a claim Blumenthal did not dispute when asked. To add to the suppressive nature of the speech, Blumenthal inculcated seemingly endless ad hominem attacks on any person who has ever voiced dissent from his personal views, including but not limited to: President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, University President Frederick Lawrence, Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz and Brandeis student Joshua Nass '14. Even extreme left-wing Jewish Daily Forward writer J.J. Goldberg has labeled the Blumenthal book as the "I Hate Israel Handbook." The intent of the speech had absolutely nothing to do with a productive conversation; the intent was to push a highly controversial and accusatory platform of anti-Zionism. An opinion Blumenthal is entitled to nonetheless-but to pretend the speech was promoting discussion is laughable. But say these problems are nitpicky. I'd rather not assume the worst of my fellow Brandeis students; rather let's assume the sentence configuration was a mere oversight in a Facebook description, the lackluster name was simply following the title of the national movement, and the content of Blumenthal's speech could not be controlled. Let's assume the intent of the week on our campus was in fact about discussion. Does the call for productive dialogue justify Israel Apartheid Week? Is the greater Israel Apartheid Week even associated with productive discussion? But we must first define why we place such an emphasis on discussion in general. Why do we constantly strive for civil discussion? Discussion breeds understanding of opposing views. Discussion fosters common ground on which opposition can disagree. Discussion helps us find a mutual ground on which we can agree; a ground on which we can move forward in productive fashion to resolve conflict. Brandeis Israel Apartheid Week is part of the international Israel Apartheid Week movement. A quick tour of IAW's website-and by extension the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that Israel Apartheid Week lists as one of its two main goals-is not about reaching a fair solution that is beneficial for both sides of the conflict. As one of the founders of the BDS movement-and current Tel Aviv University student in Israel-Omar Barghouti stated in one interview, "'If the occupation ends, would that end your call for BDS?' No, it wouldn't." Israel Apartheid week is about ending the Zionist state of Israel, not reaching a mutually beneficial end to the conflict. Those with this end-of-Zionist-Israel mentality are certainly entitled to their opinion and to express themselves accordingly. However we at Brandeis must realize the flaws in the IAW movement. Curbing the violence I witnessed firsthand must be the focus of our dialogue on this complex issue. The goal of any discussion should be to end the fighting and death; not end the players involved. We must strive toward the solution that ends the conflict and violence, and fosters equality for all, not the solution that ends Israel. I invite those supporters of Israel Apartheid Week to discuss their concerns, and how to rectify those concerns, at any point-but Israel Apartheid week was simply not that discussion. Let's call this spade, a spade-not a peace-yearning heart.
(03/04/14 5:00am)
The women's basketball team dropped a tough loss on Sunday to New York University 68-50 at the Red Auerbach Arena on Senior Day in the final game of the regular season. The loss came following a ceremony that honored the team's five seniors for their services to the team. At the pregame ceremony, each of the honorees' highlights of their time on the team were read out to the Senior Day crowd. Nicolina Vitale '14, Kasey Dean '14, Julia Scanlon '14, Janelle Rodriguez '14 and Angela Miller '14 all accepted their honors and proceeded to have strong games for the Judges. Unfortunately, the hosts ended up falling to their University Athletic Association rivals to cap their winning season off with a fourth-place finish in the division and an overall record of 13-12 and a UAA record of 7-7. To begin the game, NYU went on an early 11-2 run, and after a brief timeout, the Judges responded with a 7-2 run of their own to cut the deficit down to 13-9. However, this was the closest the Judges would get. For the rest of the game the Violets maintained their lead with timely offensive runs. NYU eventually took a 31-17 halftime lead behind an impressive 11-point performance from NYU freshman guard Kaitlyn Read. NYU was impressive from behind the arc, shooting 10-for-27 and outscoring the Judges from three-point range by 27 points. Brandeis had very little opportunity to close that gap, attempting only seven three-pointers of their own during the half. Niki Laskaris '16 and Scanlon contributed eight straight points with under 10 minutes left in the second half to cut the lead down to 38-27. However, the Violets maintained their grip on the game, never allowing the Judges to pull within nine points over the remainder of the contest. Laskaris and Paris Hodges '17 shared the team lead with 10 points, but it was not enough to keep the Judges in the game. Another key difference besides the advantage in three-pointers was NYU's edge in free throw shooting. The Violets went 12-for-14 from the line while the Judges could only muster up 11 free throws on 22 chances from the line. Brandeis finished its regular season in a stretch of difficult games against UAA opponents, playing to mixed luck on a road trip in late February. Brandeis dropped the opener of the trip 74-51 to the University of Rochester on Feb. 21, but responded two days later with a win over Emory by a 75-72 final. At Rochester, not one member of the Judges could record double-digit point totals. However, Hodges finished with a team-high nine points and added a pair of steals in 20 minutes. Miller added an effective 17 minutes off the bench, recording five rebounds, an assist and six points to pace the way for the Judges. While Rochester cruised to victory, the Judges survived a nail biter in their win over Emory on Feb. 23. Although the team entered the half down 48-30, Brandeis dominated the second half. The Judges outscored the host Eagles 37-32 in the second half to secure the 75-72 win, clinching the team's winning record on the season. The Judges put three players in double figures. Forward Maria Jackson '17 led the charge, collecting 15 points and seven rebounds to go along with a steal and an assist. Vitale, who contributed 14 points and eight rebounds and guard Samantha Mancinelli '16, who gathered 13 points and five rebounds, joined her in the double-digit scoring column. While Sunday's loss to NYU put a damper on the overall mood of the day, the seniors still performed admirably in what was potentially their last career home game. Vitale put up eight points and nine rebounds to the scoring for the seniors. Scanlon and Miller contributed seven and six points respectively while Dean and Rodriguez had good games on both sides of the ball, balancing their points, rebounds and assists. Rodriguez ended up leading the team with three assists. The women next travel to Emmanuel College tomorrow night for a first round matchup of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament as the eighth seed. The team could not be reached for comment at press time.
(03/04/14 5:00am)
Women's cross-country and track and field standout Victoria Sanford '14 once enjoyed spending her time on a soccer pitch. "I actually started running track in high school just as a way to stay in shape during the [soccer] off-season," she said at the start of her running career. "I had no idea when I started running that I would eventually make it my main sport." After discovering her talent on the track, though, she ditched her cleats and shin guards for spikes and shoes. "For a while I tried to balance both running and soccer, but eventually realized that I needed to pick one [of the two]," she explained. "I picked running." The decision has paid off immensely. Sanford, an All-University Athletic Association honoree in cross-country, has impressed in both cross-country and track, recording personal bests of 22 minutes, 11 seconds for six kilometers in cross-country and 5:03.41 for the one-mile run in track. As a native of Lagrangeville, New York, Sanford was drawn to Brandeis because her soccer coaches attended the school. "They loved it," she said of her coaches' time at Brandeis. "They got me interested and then after visiting the campus and meeting [former head coach] John [Evans], I knew this was where I wanted to be." Sanford, who attributes her development as a runner to an ability to increase mileage, acknowledges that she most particularly enjoys the simple nature of the sport. "I love how very straightforward running is," she said. "The more effort and training you put in, the more results you get out of it. The results are tangible and there's no feeling quite like the one after running a [personal record]." During this indoor track season, Sanford has parlayed that increase in mileage to the most formidable distance event of all: the mile. In fact, she has focused largely on this event throughout her winter season, competing in the mile four times. That effort and persistence resulted in her aforementioned personal best at the Tufts University Stampede on Feb. 1. Sanford also has illustrated her diverse skill set this year, competing in both the 800-meter run and the 3000-meter run. Yet, while she has shone in all three seasons, Sanford's biggest achievement to date arguably came this past fall during the cross-country season. After earning All-UAA honors, Sanford helped guide Brandeis to its first NCAA Division III Championship appearance since 2001, where the Judges-one of five UAA teams to qualify-finished 22nd in the national meet. Sanford spoke fondly of achieving a goal that had been a long-term target for the team since she and fellow standout Amelia Lundkvist '14 joined in fall 2010. "Going to Nationals meant so much to us," she said. "We had it as [as a priority] since our freshman year, so it was amazing to finally achieve that goal. We all worked so hard over the summer and throughout the season and it was so satisfying to see our hard work pay off." With the rest of the indoor season and a full outdoor season still to come, Sanford looks to continue to shine in her senior year.
(03/04/14 5:00am)
On Feb. 8, Card Gym at Duke University in Durham, N.C. transformed into a maze of mats that featured several of the top NCAA Division I fencing squads, including the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Johns Hopkins University and the United States Air Force Academy. Five Brandeis University men's foilists-captain Julian Cardillo '14, Ethan Levy '15, Noah Berman '15, Toby Gray '16 and Len Grazian '17-entered the maze on a mission. "The goal since the start of the season had been to go toe-to-toe with some of the best Division I squads in the country: Sacred Heart University, Yale University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina," said Cardillo. Card Gym presented an opportunity to achieve that goal, and on that February day, the foilists-along with the rest of the Brandeis fencing squads-seized it. Cardillo, Berman and Levy went a combined 8-1, and for the first time since 2006, the Judges left Durham with a 15-12 win against the host Blue Devils and a 17-10 victory against the UNC Tar Heels. "Everyone clicked together at Duke ... you don't have to rely on just one squad, but you can trust everyone-the epeeists and saberists included-to excel," Levy said. "At the end of the day, the five of us are hard-nosed competitors who don't like to lose." Since an initial 32-8 showing from the foilists at the New England Fall Collegiate Championships on Nov. 2, that has proven to be the case. It was at Duke, though, where something happened-where Cardillo's vision became a reality. "It blew me away" he said. "We took it to a whole new level at Duke and it is my belief that this is the best team since I've been here." Three years earlier, as Cardillo strode onto the fencing mats at Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, he joined a team comprised largely of upperclassmen. He then witnessed a transformation that began in fall 2011 with two new foil recruits. Berman, a former soccer player-turned-fencer, arrived from the local clubs at Stanford University and Levy, after turning to the sport in ninth grade, entered Brandeis with just four years of fencing experience. There were two spots to fill, though, in creating this ideal squad. Enter Gray, a walk-on to the team in 2012 who, as Levy said, "has grown so much and emerged as a real threat in meets." And enter Grazian, the promising rookie out of the Chicago fencing clubs who won his first seven collegiate matches and took down Michele Caporizzi, the Italian national world champion, in December. Berman noted that the foil squad represents an ideal mix of "elder statesmen" and rising stars. "This team is really young and that is good for prosperity," he explained. "But having elder statesmen is helpful," he continued, "especially to pass down knowledge of the sport, a critical mental edge and what to expect from each tournament." Also, for the first time in three years, depth no longer proved to be an issue. Grazian and Gray now had the ability to step in and secure major victories along with-and sometimes in place of-the three starters. By Jan. 25, at the second Northeast Conference Meet, the five foilists-along with the rest of the Brandeis fencers-were ready to hit the ground running against top foes. That they did. The squad compiled a 33-9 record at that meet and the foundation had been set: not only for wins over Duke and UNC, but also, a second consecutive first-place finish at the New England Collegiate Championships and a bronze medal at the United States Collegiate Squad Championships. "This all comes down to the fact that we have really good depth," added Cardillo. "We have the experience to know what it takes to compete at that level." Their success also comes down to coach Bill Shipman's 30-plus years of experience at the helm of the Brandeis fencing squads. "He is so knowledgeable about the sport which is helpful for the younger fencers," Gray added. "Most importantly, he knows when and when not to step in." The foil squad now approaches the NCAA Regional Championships at Wellesley College on Sunday in a landmark position. Even in a division that, in featuring half of the U.S. National Team, is reputed to be the toughest in the tournament, Cardillo and Berman are both well-positioned to secure bids to the National Tournament later this month. Levy, Gray and Grazian, with their recent successes, are also prepared to use that momentum to make a statement. However, there is a caveat ahead. For Cardillo, this is the end of the maze of collegiate fencing. Even as he prepares to graduate and the Judges lose their senior captain, the foilists are ready to build on the transformation that he started. "Everyone on foil has improved year after year," said Grazian. "As long as we continue to push each other, [Cardillo's] legacy will be intact and we can keep this trend going." Consider this the foil squad's next mission to accomplish. *
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The women's basketball team dropped a tough loss on Sunday to New York University 68-50 at the Red Auerbach Arena on Senior Day in the final game of the regular season. The loss came following a ceremony that honored the team's five seniors for their services to the team. At the pregame ceremony, each of the honorees' highlights of their time on the team were read out to the Senior Day crowd. Nicolina Vitale '14, Kasey Dean '14, Julia Scanlon '14, Janelle Rodriguez '14 and Angela Miller '14 all accepted their honors and proceeded to have strong games for the Judges. Unfortunately, the hosts ended up falling to their University Athletic Association rivals to cap their winning season off with a fourth-place finish in the division and an overall record of 13-12 and a UAA record of 7-7. To begin the game, NYU went on an early 11-2 run, and after a brief timeout, the Judges responded with a 7-2 run of their own to cut the deficit down to 13-9. However, this was the closest the Judges would get. For the rest of the game the Violets maintained their lead with timely offensive runs. NYU eventually took a 31-17 halftime lead behind an impressive 11-point performance from NYU freshman guard Kaitlyn Read. NYU was impressive from behind the arc, shooting 10-for-27 and outscoring the Judges from three-point range by 27 points. Brandeis had very little opportunity to close that gap, attempting only seven three-pointers of their own during the half. Niki Laskaris '16 and Scanlon contributed eight straight points with under 10 minutes left in the second half to cut the lead down to 38-27. However, the Violets maintained their grip on the game, never allowing the Judges to pull within nine points over the remainder of the contest. Laskaris and Paris Hodges '17 shared the team lead with 10 points, but it was not enough to keep the Judges in the game. Another key difference besides the advantage in three-pointers was NYU's edge in free throw shooting. The Violets went 12-for-14 from the line while the Judges could only muster up 11 free throws on 22 chances from the line. Brandeis finished its regular season in a stretch of difficult games against UAA opponents, playing to mixed luck on a road trip in late February. Brandeis dropped the opener of the trip 74-51 to the University of Rochester on Feb. 21, but responded two days later with a win over Emory by a 75-72 final. At Rochester, not one member of the Judges could record double-digit point totals. However, Hodges finished with a team-high nine points and added a pair of steals in 20 minutes. Miller added an effective 17 minutes off the bench, recording five rebounds, an assist and six points to pace the way for the Judges. While Rochester cruised to victory, the Judges survived a nail biter in their win over Emory on Feb. 23. Although the team entered the half down 48-30, Brandeis dominated the second half. The Judges outscored the host Eagles 37-32 in the second half to secure the 75-72 win, clinching the team's winning record on the season. The Judges put three players in double figures. Forward Maria Jackson '17 led the charge, collecting 15 points and seven rebounds to go along with a steal and an assist. Vitale, who contributed 14 points and eight rebounds and guard Samantha Mancinelli '16, who gathered 13 points and five rebounds, joined her in the double-digit scoring column. While Sunday's loss to NYU put a damper on the overall mood of the day, the seniors still performed admirably in what was potentially their last career home game. Vitale put up eight points and nine rebounds to the scoring for the seniors. Scanlon and Miller contributed seven and six points respectively while Dean and Rodriguez had good games on both sides of the ball, balancing their points, rebounds and assists. Rodriguez ended up leading the team with three assists. The women next travel to Emmanuel College tomorrow night for a first round matchup of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament as the eighth seed. The team could not be reached for comment at press time. *
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Correction appended. The University community has moved swiftly to assist Mangok Bol MS '13, an academic administrator at the University who arrived in the U.S. in 2001 as one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, as he travels to South Sudan to search for his nieces and nephew who were abducted amid ethnic violence. Bol recently learned that his brother and sister-in-law were among those murdered in their village of Kolnyang as a result of the ethnic violence in South Sudan, and that their children-three daughters and a son-were abducted. University faculty and staff have reached out to governmental and media contacts and collectively raised almost $30,000 to fund his search and to support his nieces and nephew. Bol's background Bol arrived in Boston as a refugee of a civil war in Sudan that left thousands of children displaced or orphaned. Prof. Ellen Schattschneider (ANTH), explained in an interview with the Justice that the University first hired Bol to administer the graduate programs in Cultural Production and Global Studies. Today, Bol administers the Mandel Center for the Humanities and the International and Global Studies program. He also received his Master's degree in finance from the International Business School in 2013, according to a July 9, 2013 BrandeisNOW article. David Chanoff Ph.D. '74, a board member of South Sudanese Enrichment for Families who has known Bol since 2001, explained in an interview with the Justice that the murders that took place in Bol's village of Kolmyang stem from long-standing violence between the Dinka and the Nuer ethnic groups, who have raided each other's cattle for hundreds of years. He explained that the third ethnic group that lives in the area, the Murle, have been known to abduct children. "The Murle live a little bit farther away and they also have engaged in cattle raiding, but one of their trademarks has been abduction of women and children, ... So every time there are child abductions, it seems that that is perpetrated by young men from Murle, and that has been going on for a long time," Chanoff said. Bol is a member of the Dinka ethnic group. Chanoff explained in an interview with the Justice that many of the Lost Boys, who were resettled in the U.S. from Sudan as displaced or orphaned refugees in 2000 and 2001, had returned to Sudan to visit their families. Bol, however, had not attempted to do so until this past Christmas vacation. However, Bol could travel no farther than Nairobi, Kenya, as the ethnic violence intensified near the time of his flight and precluded his arrival in South Sudan. Bol's current trip to Sudan is, therefore, his first time returning to Sudan since he arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 2001, according to Chanoff. Prof. Chandler Rosenberger (IGS) estimated that Bol would be absent from the University for three weeks in total. Bol's time in South Sudan While he has been in South Sudan, contact has been sporadic, according to Schattschneider. She mentioned the difficulty in hearing regularly from Bol, although added that he has not yet located his nieces and nephews. "[I]t's very hard to stay in regular contact because cell phone coverage is very bad. Email is nonexistent. He has been able to call David Chanoff of SSEF I believe now twice and give him brief updates. And so far, no breakthroughs," said Schattschneider in an interview with the Justice. Chanoff said that Bol is heavily involved in the SSEF, an organization dedicated to supporting the South Sudanese community in Massachusetts, as a co-chair and treasurer of the board and is a "leader" of the local South Sudanese community. Chanoff estimated that there are about 300 Sudanese in the Boston area, largely in the cities of Malden and Everett, comprising the original Lost Boys, their spouses and children. All of these residents have been impacted by the violence in South Sudan, according to Chanoff. "[A]lmost everybody here has suffered losses, and sometimes very dramatic losses," he said. Response from the community University administrators, faculty, staff and students have all mobilized to provide assistance to Bol during his travels. Senior Vice President for Communication Ellen de Graffenreid wrote in an email to the Justice that the University contacted Kevin Cullen at the Boston Globe "to write the story about Mangok's family's tragedy." De Graffenreid wrote that the University also provided "official letters of affiliation" signed by University President Frederick Lawrence for Bol to use for travel. "[T]hese can be important for gaining assistance in Africa. In addition, President Lawrence's office funded Mangok's travel expenses, as this is indeed an extraordinary situation," wrote de Graffenreid. De Graffenreid wrote in her email that she has also been in contact with the staff of Reps. Katherine Clark, D-MA, and Mike Capuano, D-MA, the latter being the representative for Bol's home district. "The staffs in these offices reached out to the U.S. State Department officials both in Washington, D.C. and in Africa (South Sudan has been evacuated but there are still U.S. diplomats in adjoining nations), to non-governmental organizations on the ground in South Sudan, and to diplomatic contacts," she wrote. De Graffenreid also wrote that the office of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power reached out to Bol and have "been assisting him in making contacts who may be able to assist in locating the abducted children." Faculty have also been able to leverage connections to support Bol. Rosenberger said in an interview with the Justice that he reached out to the Reuters correspondent at the United Nations about Bol's story. "[I] asked him to publicize it at the UN and to share the story among people at the UN, and as far as I know, he did," said Rosenberger. Rosenberger also mentioned that Prof. Harleen Singh (GRALL) was able to reach out to contacts at the United Nations on Bol's behalf. Singh declined to comment for this article. De Graffenreid wrote that Prof. Ramie Targoff (ENG), the Jehuda Reinharz director of the Mandel Center for the Humanities, has also been highly supportive of Bol in his journey. Targoff was unable to comment on her involvement by press time. An online fundraiser to support Bol has raised $29,389 from 455 faculty, staff, students and friends as of press time. Donations on the site ranged from five dollars to an anonymous $1,500 gift over 17 days of fundraising. The fundraiser's organizer, Hannah Kahl of Oakland, Calif., wrote in an email to the Justice that she met Bol at the University of New Hampshire, where they were both students, and that he approached her to set up the fundraiser. "He knew he would be very busy and away from [I]nternet while traveling," she wrote. Sudan teach-in Schattschneider organized and moderated a teach-in on Monday evening in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium to explore the origins and future of the current conflict in South Sudan. The teach-in featured a panel of both Sudanese individuals and University scholars. Dawn Schrepel, a political adviser at the United States Mission to the United Nations, joined the teach-in via live video. De Graffenreid spoke briefly on behalf of Lawrence, who is currently traveling, saying that this event helps "show Mangok Bol that he is not alone." Schattschneider also arranged for Bol to call in to the teach-in, where he received applause from the gathered attendees and thanked the Brandeis community for their support. Chanoff, one of the panelists, emphasized to the audience the importance of community, saying "the Brandeis community has been a leader in the country in welcoming and integrating the South Sudanese Lost Boy refugees. ... It is our business to support the Sudanese who are here and so that they can help support the Sudanese that are there [in South Sudan]. We are connected with them." At this time, Bol is in South Sudan and is following leads to search for his abducted nieces and nephews. Editor's Note: The online version of this article has been updated with the correct name of organization with which David Chanoff and Mangok Bol are affiliated. It is South Sudanese Enrichment for Families, not Sudanese Education Enrichment for Families.
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When Bob Tenczar '87 learns of the suffering of a fellow human being, his first response is to search for any way possible that he can help. He proved this by a sacrifice he made for a friend he hadn't seen for 15 years. This past year, Tenczar donated one of his kidneys to his former friend and teammate Bob Boutin '87 in an act that he viewed not as a personal sacrifice, but as an opportunity to put his faith and values to the test. The surgery took place on Nov. 26, 2013 at Massechusetts General Hospital in Boston. Tenczar and Boutin were both members of the Brandeis baseball team, Boutin as a recruit and Tenczar as a walk-on. As first-year students, they lived together in East Quad on the same floor and then again in Rosenthal Quad, which used to be primarily housing for juniors with a small group of soccer and baseball players. Tenczar recalls Boutin's incredible skill as a player and a captain of two years, leading Brandeis' baseball team during the late 80s, some of the most competitive years Brandeis baseball has had. During his time at Brandeis, Boutin was a two-time Academic All-American and was eventually inducted into the Joseph M. Linsey Brandeis Athletics Hall of Fame. Boutin recalls Tenczar's intelligence and spirit of generosity. A gifted student, Tenczar was a willing tutor for his fellow teammates and classmates. "He had a great personality, and was generous to a fault, and great to be around. There wasn't a single person who didn't like Bob Tenczar," Boutin said. The two shared similar familial backgrounds. Tenczar's mother is from the same place that Boutin grew up-Salt River, Mass. In addition, they both were raised in Christian households and attended the local Waltham church together during their time at Brandeis. Tenczar and Boutin agree that the friendships they formed during their time as college students are unique in strength and endurance. "It's your first time away from home, it presents a real time to mature and to go through all that with other people creates incredibly strong bonds," Tenczar said. Those bonds were strengthened by a crisis Tenczar faced during his junior year of college. The sudden aneurysm of his mother, and her miraculous survival, had a lasting effect on Tenczar. "It was at that time that I was shocked into the role of God in my life, and the role of prayer. In that situation, I was completely helpless. There was nothing I could do. She survived, and it was a blessing and a miracle," Tenczar said. This experience not only brought Tenczar closer to his friends at Brandeis who supported him but also changed the way he would live the rest of his life. "Over time, the influence of religion has encouraged me to be culturally active, and encouraged me in doing things for other people. I'm involved in a non-profit, and the administration of our church. It does drive me in any given situation to consider what my values are, and consider what the right thing to do is," Tenczar said. After graduating, Tenczar joined the military, which took him to the West Coast and eventually led him to settle down near Seattle, where he currently resides. This created distance between Tenczar and many of his former teammates, and they fell out of touch as many of them got married, started families and became consumed with their careers. "I have the kind of personality where I get really focused on what I'm doing, and due to that we unfortunately fell out of touch," Tenczar said. Then, two years ago, the Bobs reconnected through LinkedIn and began exchanging emails. Tenczar learned of Boutin's illness not through Boutin, however, but through mutual friend and former teammate Peter Kaslauskas '87. Kaslauskas is the fundraiser organizer for the annual golf tournament held by alumni to raise money for the baseball program. Before Tenczar realized that he could become an organ donor for Boutin, he used prayer as a way to support his friend, including Boutin in his family's nightly prayers as well as his church's prayers. "When I first learned of [Boutin's] illness, I was shocked and immediately felt compassion toward him and his family and what they must be going through," Tenczar said. Once Tenczar realized Boutin could accept a kidney donation, he immediately began researching the topic to find any way he could help. "I realized at some point there was a potential I could be a donor. I thought about it, prayed on it and asked my wife, who had sensed that I was already thinking about this. A large part of this was I had to do what I thought was the right thing to do, and that was certainly guided by my religious views," Tenczar said. For an old friend, Tenczar did not see the operation as a sacrifice. "I viewed it as an opportunity to do something really meaningful that doesn't come around very often-the ability to really help somebody. I wanted to help him as much as he could. That was certainly motivation and helped me to assess the risk-benefit equation," said Tenczar. The surgery not only changed the long-term health trajectory of Boutin but the life and perspective of Tenczar. "I really feel like I've been blessed by this experience. I've talked to other organ donors, and they all feel a similar way. "It was an amazing opportunity for me to put my faith and values to the test. I feel so good now, so it doesn't feel like a sacrifice. My attitude toward life has changed, I reminded myself of my priorities and what's important," Tenczar said.
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For the past several months, student leaders Brittany Lerman '14 and Jaclyn Kellner '16 from the American Sign Language Club have been spearheading an initiative to integrate ASL courses into the University's curriculum. As would be seen in the implementation of any initiative, the students have been running into issues of funding and staffing that would be necessary to get the program off the ground. We encourage the University and the students to continue working together to institute an ASL program given the academic benefits and opportunities that would be made available to the student body. According to the latest survey by the Modern Language Association from 2009, ASL is among the most popular language classes offered at universities, ranking fourth just behind Spanish, French and German, respectively. Brandeis University could join other schools that have already invested in an ASL program, including Boston University, Brown University and Northeastern University. These universities have already recognized the potential benefits of ASL classes, including the cognitive benefits of learning a language visually, according to Dr. Evie Malaia, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. Aside from becoming fluent in both a spoken and sign language, ASL courses also create new career paths for students. After students were able to successfully obtain a grant last year, Korean language classes were made available for this academic year. The push for the initiative was the largely due to the substantial interest students expressed for the courses. The ASL club already helps around 20 students take ASL classes at Harvard University every Sunday, paying for the class partly by themselves with help from the Student Union. Moreover, according to an ongoing survey conducted by the ASL club, 87 out of 122 students also said they would be interested in enrolling in the classes if they counted toward the foreign language requirement. As the interest level appears substantial enough to have a class, we urge the University to do what it can to to help students secure the funding for the courses. While the student leaders can fundraise themselves given the encouragement they have been receiving from the community, the University should be able to afford the $6,000 salary of one adjunct professor that would be needed. Moreover, we are proud to see that the Language and Linguistics department has agreed to sponsor the ASL classes, if the funding can successfully be secured. Including the program in another department will reduce the amount of funds and administrative clout necessary to instate the courses. Successfully establishing ASL courses within the next few years will need substantial coordination from both the community and the administration. We commend the students for their proactivity, and hope the administration fully cooperates to ensure the classes are available in the future.
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Last December, I read an article about Harvard University's grade inflation in their school newspaper, the Harvard Crimson. According to the article, Harvard University Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay M. Harris released the median grade as an A- and the most received grade as an A. I laughed. How silly was it that such a prestigious institution could have such low standards? Last week, I picked up a copy of the Justice and saw an article titled, "Median fall grades released to the public." I grew excited at the chance to shove Brandeis' higher academic standards in Harvard's face. According to the article, however, Brandeis students received a median grade of an A- and maintain an average grade point average of a 3.4. I was ashamed and humiliated. All of my pride about working hard in classes to achieve high grades began to dissipate; what did this mean for me as a student? Did this mean that I was taking easy classes and that my grades simply reflected that? Brandeis Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid defended Brandeis' grade inflation by stating, "The averages and the distributions have been remarkably stable over time, which would not indicate a pattern of grade inflation." Are we supposed to feel better that grades have always been inflated and that this isn't simply a recent trend? To make matters worse, she later added, "The averages at Brandeis are consistent with those at other elite colleges and universities." Adapting the old "If you can't beat them join them" ideology is not permissible. Rather than conform to the norm, we should be setting new trends and maintaining non-inflated grades. Some might offer that everyone receiving high grades simply means that everyone is just doing really well in their classes. But this is incorrect. A high median grade simply indicates that grades have lost value as an intellectual currency. Best put by Syndrome, the evil villain of Disney's The Incredibles, "When everyone's super, no one will be." There are valid arguments as to why grades shouldn't exist in the first place: they cause competition in an area where some believe competition isn't necessary, they don't always accurately represent what people actually know and they often yield bias to those who test well, among other reasons. But those arguments are irrelevant because, whether we agree with them or not, grades are currently the main metric by which students are evaluated. Grades are weighed heavily on applications for internships, graduate schools and even jobs. It is concerning to think that we would be disadvantaging our students by issuing comparatively lower grades than other universities. However, if we come out publicly in strong opposition to grade inflation, and call out other elite institutions on their grade inflation, the issue will become more well-known among employers and recruiters, and the issue as a whole can begin to be solved. It's the other schools, not us, who will be disadvantaged.Additionally, Brandeis could even distribute "adjusted for inflation" grades which compare current Brandeis grades against the school's past inflated standards, or against a national average. This would map the C a student might receive against the A- they might have received before Brandeis became conscious of the issue. Rather than passively accepting the standard around grades as a necessary evil, we need to correct it through leading by example. Grade inflation also provides a ceiling for learning-a point at which one becomes complacent with his or her current progress. This is ironic since one of the original purposes of academic assessments was to provide a floor for the basis of knowledge that someone should possess. For example, when lifting weights, you don't set a finite goal of 100 pounds, then reach it and stay there. You constantly increment the weight once your current weight becomes too easy. The process never ends; it's simply revised at each iteration. If an A- or A is easy to reach, students are able to stop working once they've reached it. And why should this ever be a lesson educators encourage? Learning has no definite starts or stops. But providing an easy-to-reach maximum grade perpetuates the falsehood that it does. As educators, as students, as lovers of learning, we need to hold ourselves to higher grading standards.
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With a history that extends back to one of its first mentions in Geoffrey Chaucer's Parlement of Foules, written in 1382, Valentine's Day holds a sentimental place in our hearts every year on Feb. 14. This week, JustArts previews four events that are perfect for a Valentine's Day excursion for you and your sweetheart. With events and activities at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Brandeis's own Rose Art Museum and the Boston Public Library, there is no limit to arts events to attend on this special day and the weekend following. * Museum of Fine Arts: 'Boston Loves Impressionism' On Valentine's Day, Boston Loves Impressionism opens at the Torf Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The exhibit is composed of 30 impressionist works chosen by people who voted online for their favorite pieces. In the spirit of Valentine's Day surprises, the exhibit will not be unveiling the top pieces until Feb. 14. As part of the opening weekend festivities, the exhibit will hold three gallery talks on the 14th. At 1 p.m., curator of the exhibit Emily Beeny will give a talk entitled "Impressionism Comes to Boston." Henry Augustine Tate, a professor of art history at the Berklee College of Music, will speak on works that focus on the themes of love and romance in poetry and painting in his talk "Love and Lovers at the MFA" from 6 to 7 p.m. Finally, from 7 to 8 p.m. Christopher Gilbert will hold a talk called "Broken Hearts" that will discuss broken-hearted themes in works from Greek coins to medieval panels to Cubist masterpieces. Valentine's Day events will continue for three days at the museum and the exhibit Boston Loves Impressionism will be open through May 26. General admission to the museum is $25 and for seniors and for students it is $23. University students will get in free with a Brandeis ID. All events taking place for the opening weekend are free with admission. Handel and Haydn Society On Feb. 15, join the Handel and Haydn Society for a romantic night of classical music at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Their website notes that although Vivaldi's violin concerti are very wellknown in the music community, his cello concertos are a little more obscure. The website states that "[t]he [cello] was just on the cusp of gaining recognition as a worthy solo vehicle when Vivaldi pushed the limits of cellists' technique with some of his 27 cello concerti." The performance will feature four works by Vivaldi as well as works by Purcell and Durante for strings, lute and harpsichord. Cellist Concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky and keyboardist Ian Watson will lead Guy Fishman and the principal players from the Handel and Haydn Society in concert. The concert will take place in Remis Auditorium, from 2 to 3 p.m. Admission is $16 for members of the museum, students and seniors, and $20 for general admission. * Rose Art Museum's spring opening On the eve of Valentine's Day, stop by the Rose Art Museum between 5 and 8 p.m. for a special reception for the museum's spring opening. In addition to the opportunity to view select pieces from the museum's permanent collection, visitors will be able to see five new exhibitions for the first time, presenting a range of mediums and created by artists from all over the world. These new exhibitions include Chris Burden's The Master Builder, Mika Rottenberg's Bowls Balls Souls Holes, Collection in Focus: The Threshold of Recognition and Rose Projects 01A, Wols and Charline von Heyl's The Matter that Surrounds Us, as well as the second installment of the Rose Video projects, Rose Video 02: Mark Boulos and Josephine Meckseper. Some of the themes explored in these new collections of works include bodies and viscerality, architecture and structure, as well as visual and conceptual design. The museum's spring opening will certainly make for the perfect outing for those who enjoy intellectual and emotional engagement with art. * Annual Storytelling Festival at the Boston Public Library For those who prefer the emotionally and culturally interactive format of storytelling, the Third Annual Boston Storytelling Festival is the perfect event to kick off Valentine's Day weekend. At the Rabb Lecture Hall at the central branch of the Boston Public Library, the festival will offer programming from morning until late afternoon on Saturday, Feb. 15-and all with free admission. In the morning, until lunchtime, there will be a lineup of traditional storytellers performing, followed by personal storytellers for the 21st century in the afternoon, and the day will finish off with storytelling workshops. The workshops offered include "From Page to Stage" and "Personal Narrative." In addition to the workshops, there will also be folk and fairy tale-telling during the day, and a themed poetry slam. The day will be sponsored by the Boston Public Library and massmouth, Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote the art of storytelling. On a holiday that celebrates love stories, this festival is an ideal excursion for those who wish to commemorate their own personal stories. *
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Did you know that tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and death in the United States? The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that tobacco use causes over 440,000 deaths in the United States each year; that's more deaths than those from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries and firearm-related injuries combined. Did you also know that secondhand smoke is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Class A Carcinogen, just like asbestos? Or that, according to the CDC, it causes thousands of deaths each year, in healthy non-smokers, from lung cancer and heart disease? The CDC also says that there is no risk-free exposure to secondhand smoke; even a brief exposure can be harmful to health, and nonsmokers who breathe secondhand smoke are breathing in the same carcinogens that smokers are. At least 250 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to be toxic or carcinogenic. Those are some pretty significant statistics, and I think it is critical that Brandeis respond with a change in its current policy regarding smoking on campus. After reading about e-cigarettes in the Justice Forum on Jan. 14, "To Combat New E-Cigarettes, Inform Public About Smoking Facts," I thought it was important for the Brandeis student body to know what Colleges Against Cancer is working on. Some of you may have heard about our Smoke(less) Initiative. CAC is pushing forward a policy change that would create designated smoking areas on the Brandeis campus, in place of the current rule allowing smoking anywhere 30 feet from a building. Last spring, CAC sent out a survey on the current smoking policy, and suggested making a change; 1,006 undergraduates responded, and 73 percent said that they supported prohibiting smoking on campus, with the exception of designated smoking areas. The specifics of these designated smoking areas, including location and structure, will ultimately be up to the administration and feedback from students. CAC hopes that over time, given the data from organizations such as the CDC, Brandeis will transition to a completely smoke-free campus. This is the only way to truly eliminate secondhand smoke. The 30-feet policy is simply ineffective. It was brought into being by the hard work of a since-graduated CAC member, and while it was definitely a step forward for the campus, we realize now that it needs to be updated. The rule fails to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke; for example, even if a smoker is standing 30 feet from a doorway, someone who wishes to enter the building often has to pass through a cloud of smoke to do so. One can imagine other problematic situations as well, such a walking behind a smoker on a path to class. In each situation, the concern stems from the fact the secondhand smoke is a public health hazard; we wish to eliminate this harmful exposure. CAC, as an American Cancer Society organization, strongly supports quitting smoking. There are multiple resources on campus to help and we encourage smokers to take advantage of them. The Golding Health Center already has programs in place through Lauren Grover, the alcohol and other drug counselor, and as the Smoke(less) Initiative moves forward, CAC is planning on working closer to help develop even more resources. For the past two years at the Great American Smoke Out, we worked in conjunction with Diana Denning, nurse practitioner at the Health Center, to provide information and resources for smokers interested in quitting. Again, we encourage smokers to use these resources, and if this new policy is enacted, CAC will work closely with the Health Center to develop even more programs. There are currently 1,182 colleges in the United States that are completely smoke-free. We have researched some of the local colleges, like Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Cape Cod Community College, Westfield State University and Bridgewater State University; all seem to rely on community enforcement of their policy. Essentially, this means that students are encouraged to enforce the policy themselves, either through words or through reporting offenders via an established email system. The same holds for faculty and staff. These colleges also have specific committees that oversee compliance and discipline for repeated offenders. Many of them have just enacted their new smoke-free policies, and as such, CAC will be contacting them to monitor their successes and hopefully gain some valuable feedback, insights that will make for a smoother Brandeis transition to a smoke-free campus. This isn't just a trend in the United States, either; it is becoming an international one. With smoking and secondhand smoke clearly linked to disease and poor health, even nations with a large smoking culture, such as China, are seeing this connection and banning smoking indoors. Many countries, including Australia, Canada, Singapore and Thailand, now also have smoke-free outdoor areas. Brandeis has always prided itself in being on the forefront of new ideas; it is time to join this global campaign. I believe that, given the clear health concerns demonstrated by secondhand smoke (noted by the CCD, American Cancer Society and other organizations), the overall goal for Brandeis should be to become a completely smoke-free campus: CAC is proposing that we take a step towards this goal by transitioning into designated smoking areas, as the undergraduate population seems to support. It's time for us to move forward and create a healthier campus environment, one that reduces (and eventually eliminates) secondhand smoke. CAC has approached the Brandeis Student Union about this issue, but they have failed to vote on it. Please contact your senators and other campus representatives and tell them how you feel about this new smoke-free trend both in the United States and worldwide, especially how it should apply to Brandeis. -Editor's Note: Elizabeth Allen '14 is the president of Brandeis University's chapter of Colleges Against Cancer.
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This past Sunday, a small group of about five students who also helped to organize the event came together to discuss how social justice and Judaism are linked at an event called "Do Justice and Love Kindness: Models of Charity and Social Action in Judaism." The event was hosted by the Now Project as part of 'Deis Impact. In an interview with the Justice, Associate Chair of the Executive Committee of the Now Project Sara Fried '15 said that the goal of the event was to get people talking to and learning from one another. She said she hoped the event would spark questions relating to how social justice is a part of Judaism and how it can span across denominations that might never have been asked otherwise. The event commenced with a walk to Moody Street in downtown Waltham to a bookstore and at-risk youth group called More Than Words. On the walk there, participants were prompted to share their own experiences with social justice and discuss how it connected to their faith. Once at the bookstore, participants were given a tour by two youths in More Than Words. More Than Words empowers youths ages 16 to 21 by giving them up to a year of employment and training, as well as helping them to "craft concrete action plans to move forward with their lives after MTW" according to their brochure. After the tour, participants sat down to discuss Judaism and its relationship to social justice. They did an exercise in which several quotations about why people might feel compelled to participate in social justice activities due to their faith were posted around the room, and each participant picked one and spoke about his or her views on social justice. Some answers were deeply spiritual, while others were based in history and current events, and then led to a discussion of the connections between Judaism and social justice. "I think one of my religious beliefs is that free will is a gift from God that is meant to do good in the world, and that God purposely created human beings' free will so that we can kind of piece the world back together to its perfect state," said Jessica Goldberg '13, cofounder of the Now Project and organizer of this event, during the discussion. While all branches of Judaism were not represented in the small group that was present, there was discussion of how this profound sense of the necessity of social justice is held in almost every branch and how it is a common factor throughout Judaism. "I'm hoping that people will be able to articulate why justice fits into their personal Jewish narrative and then the group that is here today can create a larger narrative about why justice is Jewish," said Goldberg of her hopes for what people gained from the program in an interview with the Justice. The Now Project began last year in Goldberg's Ziv Quad suite while discussing Jewish pluralism on campus with cofounder Anna Bessendorf '15, and they soon recruited Fried to join the executive committee as well, according to Fried. "The mission of the Now Project is to open up dialogue and action around the issue of Jewish pluralism at Brandeis, and also because we have such great resources in the Jewish community here, to be able to bring that beyond the Brandeis community," Fried told the Justice. They hosted a conference this past November to address their mission, and hope to continue to expand their efforts.
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Students elected five new representatives to the Student Union during its winter elections on Jan. 29, leaving two positions unfilled due to the number of abstentions. While the positions of Rosenthal Quad senator, off-campus senator, Village senator, midyear senator and Class of 2017 senator were filled, abstain won in the elections for Finance Board member and associate justice. There will be a special election next Wednesday, Feb. 12 to fill the vacant positions, Student Union Secretary Sneha Walia '15 wrote in an email to the Justice. Due to an error, Brandon Odze '16 was not included on the ballot for Rosenthal Quad senator. According to Walia, the ballots were fixed and sent again when this was discovered at 9:30 a.m. after elections opened at midnight on Jan. 29. All votes prior to this were invalidated and students were emailed new ballots, according to Walia. Jesse Ruth '16 won Rosenthal Quad senator with 63 percent of the vote, or 19 of 30 votes. In an email to the Justice, Ruth wrote that he has several plans he hopes to begin soon, both for his quad and then the larger Brandeis community. "I plan on coordinating with facilities and [Mac-Gray] to address the recurring issues we've been experiencing in the laundry facilities and working to secure funding for new exercise equipment in the cardio room," he wrote. Michael Kosowsky '14 won the election for off-campus senator with 59 percent of the vote, or 36 of the 61 votes. Kosowsky wrote in an email to the Justice that he has already begun asking off-campus students to submit any ideas they have to him. In particular, he wrote he wishes to join the Senate Dining Committee to help "design new meal plans for off-campus students, so that we have more flexibility for on-campus eating without having to buy a very comprehensive plan." Jeff Tan '17 was elected Village senator with 56 percent of the vote, or 58 of the 104 votes. In an email to the Justice, Tan wrote that his first goal is to improve the laundry facilities in the Village. Additionally, he wrote he hopes to arrange for compost bins to be placed on each floor of the Village. Mitchell Beers '17 won midyear senator with 60 percent of the vote, or 48 of the 80 votes. He expressed his gratitude at being elected in an email to the Justice, writing that his first goal is to work to improve the pre-arrival and integration processes for midyears. "I look forward to providing the viewpoint of my fellow midyears and also representing and upholding the values of the entire student body," Beers wrote. Ben Margolin '17 was elected Class of 2017 senator with 37 percent of the vote, or 111 of the 301 votes. In an email to the Justice, he wrote about his excitement in being elected. Margolin wrote that the first thing he hopes to implement is change to the BranVan service. He wrote he "would like to see an expansion of the routes covered by the BranVan, such that it will include the shops/restaurants surrounding Bentley University," and to see that [it] will be "more reliable when it comes to return service." Abstain won Finance Board member by 28 percent, or 196 of the 710 votes. Judy Nam '16, meanwhile, came in second with 172 votes, or 24 percent. For associate justice, abstain won with 37 percent of the vote, or 258 of the 697 votes. Jacob Aronson '15 and Linda Phiri '16 then came in second, each receiving 22 percent of the vote, or 151 and 150 votes, respectively.
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The women's basketball squad went on the road this past weekend, looking to continue a recent winning streak against Midwest opponents. The Judges did so, winning both of their games this past weekend against University Athletic Association opponents, defeating Carnegie Mellon University 58-55 on Sunday and Case Western Reserve University 63-58 on Friday. With the victories, the Judges improve to 10-8 overall and 4-3 in UAA play, climbing into a tie for fourth-place in the conference. The Judges extended their win streak on Sunday to four victories in a row, cobbling together their longest streak since the 2009 to 2010 season and matching their win total from last year. The game featured 20 lead changes and, additionally, the largest lead by either team was seven points. Brandeis went into halftime down 30-27, and at the outset of the second half, Carnegie Mellon increased their lead to six points following a traditional three-point play made by Carnegie Mellon sophomore forward Liza Otto. The Judges responded on a six-point scoring run to tie the game with 16 minutes, 44 seconds remaining. After swapping leads with Carnegie Mellon for about 10 minutes, the Judges found themselves trailing 49-44 with 6:15 left. Brandeis then went on another scoring run, scoring 10 of the next 12 points. While trailing 51-49, center Nicolina Vitale '14 scored on a one-and-one play, proceeding to make one of her two ensuing free throws to give the Judges the lead for good. Forward Maria Jackson '17 then blocked a shot and collected the rebound on CMU's next possession, leading to a jump shot from guard Janelle Rodriguez '14. After two Tartans free throws made it a one-point game, Vitale responded with a jumper on the next Brandeis possession to increase the lead back to three points. Carnegie Mellon didn't let up, though, scoring on their next possession to get back to within one at 56-55 with 1:51 remaining. Yet the Judges came away with two big defensive stops and hit their free throws to end the game. Jackson finished the game with a double-double, tallying a team-high 16 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Vitale added 11 points while Rodriguez finished with five points and four steals. On Friday, the Judges again narrowly escaped with another close road victory. Case came out firing, scoring nine of the first 11 points. Brandeis responded, however, with a 9-0 run highlighted by six points from guard Kasey Dean '14. The Spartans still managed to go into halftime with a 24-21 lead despite shooting just four-for-23 from the field in the first half. The Judges found themselves trailing 51-50 with 3:42 remaining in the second half, but executed consecutive defensive stops to hold Case scoreless for the next 2:59. Guard Paris Hodges '17 scored three of her career-high 14 points during the run and collected two of her nine rebounds as well. Hodges gave her teammates credit for helping her perform late in the second half, especially after struggling in the first half. "I couldn't have done it without my teammates," she said. "After missing my shots in the first half I continued to shoot. I didn't let it get to me. Staying aggressive was key and fortunately we won." With 58 seconds remaining against the Spartans, guard Samantha Mancinelli '16 hit a layup to put the Judges up 59-51. Brandeis withstood a late run by Case, hitting free-throws to ice the game. Hodges said the team's success in the final minutes of the second half came from its defensive intensity throughout the game. "We continued to do what we do best," Hodges said. "We kept our defensive intensity up and our offense came to us. We executed our game plan." Brandeis featured three players with double-digit scoring marks. Dean tallied 13 points to join Hodges and guard Niki Laskaris '16 who had 15 points. Dean also collected nine rebounds and two assists while Brandeis out-rebounded Case 51-32, including 19 offensive rebounds pulled down by the Judges. The Judges will look to continue their winning streak in a rematch at home against Case this Friday night at 6 p.m.
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The presence of technology is becoming increasingly prominent in our daily lives. With the growth of the Internet and other technological advances, it may be of interest to those aspiring to any number of professions to learn about computer science. DEIS.kernel, an academic club founded this past November 2013, aspires "to educate members on topics in computer science and to provide a format for members to present on an area of computer-scientific expertise," according to its website. The club aims to provide an environment for members to share their individual areas of computer science expertise to the rest of the club body in the form of presentations, discussions and lectures. The club was created and is led by five coordinators: Kenneth Foner '15, David Giliotti '16, Daniel Kats '16, Andrew Kouides '16 and Eden Zik '16. DEIS.kernel, as it stands, has a minimalist approach to its functions; the student-directed club activities rely primarily on allocating the time and location to discuss a topic of interest. Then, Foner said, "the members decide what interests them and what they [wish to] bring to the undergraduate body interested in computer science." This framework inspired the analogy which became the club's name, "DEIS.kernel." The kernel of the computer is the component which allocates memory and tasks to programs, much like the coordinators who "allocate" time and space to its members. A few of DEIS.kernel's current and upcoming projects for the semester are Project Euler where they intend to solve computational puzzles in a group and a typography lesson about fonts; user interface and design and one, in particular, is the series of talks about Bitcoins. DEIS.kernel held the first Bitcoin talk on Jan. 30 in the Benjamin and Mae Volen National Center for Complex Systems. For this event, Sam Ronkin '15, president of the Brandeis Technical Trader's Society, a chartered club that educates members on technical analysis and trading, helped facilitate the "What is Bitcoin?" presentation and discussion. "This Bitcoin series is a collaboration," Foner said. DEIS.kernel teamed up with BTTS to "run a joint three part series on the what, why, and how of Bitcoins, the crypto-currency that's taking the world by storm," according to the club flier. Bitcoin is the "first decentralized digital currency," according to the informational video available on weusecoins.com, a website dedicated to increasing accessibility of Bitcoins to beginners. The video was shown during Ronkin's presentation. According to the video, Bitcoins are sent directly from one individual to another, eliminating the transactional fees one could incur. They are generated by anybody with access to a free application called a Bitcoin miner. For each "block" of coins, worth a certain amount of computational work, one must "mine," ergo extract, Bitcoins. After the mining process, the Bitcoins are stored in the user's digital wallet, which is similar to the format of online banking accounts. When a person transfers Bitcoins, an electronic signature is added to the transaction, which is verified by a miner and permanently stored in the network within the span of a few minutes. One benefit of Bitcoin that was cited in the talk is that it is secure. Bitcoin "verifies transactions with the same ... encryption that is used in military and government applications," Ronkins said. The drawbacks of the currency were also addressed. According to Ronkin, many criminals take advantage of Bitcoins as payment. The price of Bitcoin-how many dollars per Bitcoin-is volatile, and moreover, it is seen as a threat to governments and as a speculators' market to some economists. It also poses ethical and regulatory issues. "In December, the People's Bank of China decreed that merchants may not accept Bitcoin and forbade banks and payment processors from converting Bitcoin into yuan," Ronkins said. The second and third Bitcoin talks will follow up with the hardware aspect of mining Bitcoin and the Bitcoin algorithm, which deals with the actual process of mining. Naman Patel '15, a member of BTTS, said "the event was excellent because in addition to the people presenting, there was a lot of discussion being done among the peers, [including] people who already have knowledge and a lot of people who are actually involved. ... There was a lot of engagement. So that was nice." Attendees ranged from the self-proclaimed tech-illiterates to those with a more advanced knowledge base. Although the nature of each event will vary, DEIS.kernel encourages all students to join and participate in the club events. "We all have different experiences, even within the club, but that's kind of the beauty of it," Kouides said. "[The beauty is] that we're able to come together to teach what we know, starting at the ground floor ... making it accessible for people of all levels." One attendee had a very positive reaction to the event. "I was kind of curious about how [Bitcoin is] stored on different computers, et cetera. I definitely learned a lot about that," Elena Stoeri-D'Arrigo '16 said. "If I come to the next [talk], I think that will help me better understand [Bitcoin's] hardware aspect of it. That was really great." "Anyone, really, needs to understand how this world is changing and in what ways," Zik explained. "We want to communicate this to everyone on this campus, regardless of their interests or majors."
