Kirkland reflects on the state of the Union
(01/14/13 5:00am)
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VIEWS ON THE NEWS: Strategic Plan
(12/04/12 5:00am)
A study by Northeastern University found that the majority of Americans are simultaneously satisfied with U.S. colleges and deeply concerned about the direction in which they are heading, rooted in rising tuition prices and decreased accessibility. Brandeis is no exception-proud of its accomplishments, while concerned about its future. Brandeis has chosen to steer its future path with a Strategic Plan. What do you think of the administration's strategic planning process so far? What do you hope future stages of the plan will include? Todd Kirkland '13 So far, I think the strategic planning process is going well. The overall trajectory of the plan has been, on par. I think there was a lot of confusion and concern with the initial preliminary plan, primarily driven by the lack of detail. It was great to see the release of the task force reports so members of the community could have a better sense of potential tactical decisions to achieve some of their strategic goals. I hope that as the process winds down that it continues to be an inclusive one. The proposed plan for the rest of the process appears to achieve that goal effectively and I am excited to see the final product. Todd Kirkland '13 is president of the Student Union and is on the Strategic Plan Steering committee. * Prof. Gordon Fellman (SOC) Nationally, students, parents and faculty should demand serious cuts in military spending, higher taxes on the very rich and ending tax loopholes. The vast monies saved should support education and more. Sharp youth will shun schools that ignore climate change. Brandeis should promote it as a core focus of our work. The strategic plan framework say little about the quality of teaching at Brandeis. Liberal arts education is about confronting history and culture, science, social science, humanities, the arts and the other and the self. The University is there to pique curiosity, encourage questioning and growth and hone critical analytic skills, all in relationships of faculty and students. How might we become better at all this? Brandeis students tend often to live with excessive stresses and strains. A proper strategic plan would address mental health of our students in college and beyond. In this vein, more could be done to build community effectively. Brandeis makes much of social justice. If we put our money where our mouth is, we need to examine where and how social justice appears in the curriculum, the mission and the realities of institutional practices and everyday life at Brandeis. Gordon Fellman is a professor of Sociology. Alex Thomson '15 The strategic plan offers a pragmatic way forward for Brandeis. It is imperfect, as any framework would be, but it clearly lays out the priorities for the University's future. I found the administration's outreach to be wide in scope and allowed a very diverse array of opinions to be considered. Going forward, I hope the plan is implemented with the same level of enthusiasm in which it was debated and drafted. I would like to see social justice remain the bedrock of the plan and allow that to be the lens in which the University makes its key decisions. This plan should showcase Brandeis to the greater community in a way that exhibits all of the components that make our University so unique. Alex Thomson '15 is co-president of the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee. Elly Kalfus '13 Having served on the Student Task Force of the Strategic Planning Committee last semester, I was initially encouraged by the University's openness to hearing student input as to the school's trajectory. However, I have not seen much come from this. From the Strategic Planning documents I have read, the plan seems to have been condensed into a list of overarching themes applicable to any university, rather than Brandeis-specific. While students are forming groups of their own volition to address campus issues such as gender-inclusive facilities, divestment from fossil fuels and a lack of transportation, I have not heard about the administration addressing these issues or including them in their longer-term plans for the school's future. Meanwhile, the task force I was a part of was mysteriously put out of commission and the majority of students I talk to do not feel they have a voice in the strategic planning process. Elly Kalfus '13 is a Finance Board representative, member of the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance Steering Committee and a member of the Strategic Planning Student Task Force. *
Kirkland elected Student Union president
(04/24/12 4:00am)
Todd Kirkland '13 emerged as the next Student Union president, with 296 votes after the polls closed at 1 p.m. on Friday. The presidential election had a 32.85 percent voter turnout, the highest of the positions up for election. This figure is down from 44.16 percent last year.
Todd Kirkland wins Union presidency
(04/21/12 4:00am)
The first round of Student Union elections closed at 1 p.m. today, according to an email to the Justice from Student Union President Herbie Rosen '12. The complete results are listed below. President: Todd Kirkland '13 Vice President: Gloria Park '13 Treasurer: David Clements '14 Secretary: Carlton Shakes '14 Representative to the Board of Trustees: Jack "Zev" Hait '14 Representative to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee: Lys Joseph '14 Representative to the Alumni Association: Andre Ve Tran '14 Finance Board Representatives: Elly Kalfus '13 Ajai Scott '15 Paul Lee '13 One seat unfilled Racial Minority Finance Board Representative: Seat unfilled This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Student Union elections to take place on Thursday
(04/18/12 4:00am)
On Thursday, the student body will vote in the first round of Union elections. The open positions are president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, all seats on the Finance Board and representatives to the Board of Trustees, Alumni Association. Senator and Student Judiciary elections will take place in the second round of voting, on Thursday, April 26.
Students compete for Union leadership positions
(04/18/12 4:00am)
On Thursday, students will vote in the first round of Union elections. The open positions are president, vice president, treasurer, secretary all seats on the Finance Board and representatives to the Board of Trustees, Alumni Association. Senator and Student Judiciary elections will take place in the second round of voting, on Thursday, April 26.
Performers gather to raise funds for AIDS
(03/20/12 4:00am)
From burlesque cabaret and flashy show tunes to crass comedy and hip-hop dancers, Brandeis Cares encompassed a wide variety of popular Broadway music while engaging the audience on a personal level through the intimate seating arrangement. This gala charity concert, organized by Tympanium Euphorium, was put on to raise money for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, the nation's top industry-based HIV/AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization. The event was co-sponsored by the Brandeis Pluralism Alliance, the Undergraduate Departmental Representative program and the Undergraduate Theater Collective. Director Ellyn Getz '13 said that aside from being an amazing performance with a huge turnout, the event raised about $950 through a raffle, ticket sales and a silent auction. Many professors and students attended, including University President Frederick Lawrence. The emcees of the event were Senior Vice President of Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel and student Deirdre Connelly '13. Getz first performed in the Brandeis Cares show two years ago. Raising money for AIDS research became especially important to her because, her character Mimi, in last year's production of Rent, was HIV-positive. As a method actress, Getz tries to put herself in the situation her character is embodying to really experience and research it. For the role of Mimi, she gave up eating candy for two months to feel, on a smaller scale, the effects of deprivation and withdrawal. She also spoke to many people at Brandeis who have lost loved ones to the disease: "This showed me how [HIV/AIDS] really is such a far reaching illness and how important the cause was." "It was amazing to represent Brandeis in the Broadway world [through this musical and working with Broadway Cares]." One of the bigger numbers in the show was the In the Heights medley directed by Iyvon Edebiri '13. In the Heights depicts three days in the lives of lower-class families living in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. The medley featured the hip-hop dance group Kaos Kids along with other featured dancers. Abby Armstrong '13, who directed the music for the act, said, "It was an incredible experience working with so many different types of people-from those who proudly call themselves 'musical theater people' to those who have never sung in front of a live audience. It was amazing watching the eclectic cast bond over the course of our brief rehearsal process." In the Heights brought amazing energy and had the audience dancing in their seats. In the Heights was choreographed by Stephanie Ramos '14 and David Robles '13, who are members of Kaos Kids. Armstrong, who performed in the number, explains that this performance was different from what is usually done at Brandeis. "In The Heights is the kind of musical most people would say we would never be able to do at Brandeis because they say it is too dance heavy or it is too ethnicity-specific, but as a team, Iyvon, David, Stephanie, the incredibly talented cast and I proved those statements wrong," Armstrong said. They have been asked to perform the In The Heights medley for the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts later this semester. From the heart-warming rendition of "Good Morning, Baltimore" from Hairspray by first-time performer Alison Uliss '12, to an improvised musical by Zane Relethford '13, Elly Kalfus '13 and Caroline Grassi '12, the show really showed the breadth of talent at Brandeis. The improvised musical featured a man who grew up in a cave, and his wife must explain to him how things work in the Western world. The improvised musical was quirky, but catchy, and included several songs. Aside from performance groups, this event also included politically and socially minded clubs. FACE AIDS, a global youth movement allied with Partners in Health that is dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa and promoting global health, sold pins at the event to raise money to build a health center in Rwanda. This is the first year a FACE AIDS chapter has existed at Brandeis. According to Rohan Narayanan '15, who is on the executive board of the chapter, the club has plans to be involved in many more events in the future. "So far, we've sold lots of pins and we're co-planning some great fundraising events in April," Narayanan said. "We've also made partnerships with various clubs and organizations on campus like Triskelion and Colleges Against Cancer and with sorority [Kappa Beta Gamma]." Getz hopes to try to make Brandeis Cares a bigger part of the Brandeis Community and stay involved in future years. She says Brandeis's support for the cause, Broadway Cares, will also continue through other theater events. "I plan to set up a donation table at each of the shows that take place at Brandeis including Fuddy Meers and other performances that the undergrad theater collective are setting up in the next few weeks" Getz said.
BET begins tradition of 24-hour play festival
(02/13/12 5:00am)
The countdown started at 5 p.m. on Saturday evening. Interested directors, writers and actors met in the Castle Commons with a singular purpose: to write, direct, rehearse and perform a series of short plays in the span of 24 hours. Although more students had expressed interest in participating by signing the sign-up sheets in the Shapiro Campus Center during the week leading to the festival, only seven students attended this initial meeting. In fact, cultivating interest was one of the greatest challenges for coordinators David Benger '14 and Abigail Clarke '12, as most actors in the Brandeis community were already committed to rehearsing for other spring semester productions.
Corrections and Clarifications
(02/01/11 5:00am)
Correction appended
Highlighting 'Indie' student talents
(11/16/10 5:00am)
The second annual student-run film festival Indie Louies, which was held this past weekend by the Brandeis Film Collective, screened numerous independent films and hosted a variety of other activities. The festival celebrated independent films and filmmakers as well as the community of those who simply love film.The festival took place predominantly in Cholmondeley's, save a welcome breakfast in Usdan Café on Saturday morning and the 90-minute filmmaking challenge. Immediately when I walked into Chum's, I noticed a counter covered in potato chips, drinks and the largest assortment of cheeses I have ever seen in one setting, with a group of people snacking and talking. Hence, the atmosphere of the entire festival was laid-back, unassuming and welcoming. The focal point of the festival is to showcase independent filmmakers' works and to bring together filmmakers to "see what they're doing and ... learn from them," Illona Yuhaev '11, a member of both Indie Louies and the Brandeis Film Collective, said in an interview with the Justice. And that's truly what happened. If the director of a film was present, he or she was asked questions and conversed with others who were present about certain techniques or any symbolism that was employed. A few standout films were screened courtesy of Tony Sarandrea, a film student from Temple University in Philadelphia. Surprisingly, there were several other submissions from students at Temple and from others outside Brandeis, including a submission from Utah. Sarandrea's films were under 10 minutes and included very little dialogue; however, each short was beautifully shot and Sarandrea's personal style was very apparent. Each frame was not clean and definite but gritty, adding tension and an old Hollywood feel to each short. Another remarkable film, directed by Hanna Wellish '12, featured a flurry of images on a constant loop throughout the film with audio of a conversation between an elderly woman, her son and another woman playing over it. The elderly woman was Sarah Wellish, Hanna's actual great-grandmother; her son was Wellish's great uncle, who lived with Sarah all of his life, and the other woman is Hannah's mother. The audio, a taping of an actual conversation, showed Hannah's great-grandmother's condition-she could barely remember her wedding and believed that she was a soldier in the army. Something that showcased how easily groups like Indie Louies and the Brandeis Film Collective can provide resources for anyone interested in filmmaking was the 90-minutes filmmaking challenge. Whoever wished to enter the contest had to come up with a premise for a film and then create it, while following rules such as including keys and a character named Dylan Dylan.The first entry was from Max Price '11 and Elly Kalfus '13. The premise of the film was a video game. Price portrayed Dylan Dylan, a video-game character who must save Princess Cleopatra, portrayed by Kalfus, from the walls of the Usen Castle. Each scene jumped right into the next, which contributed to the hilarity of the overt campiness of the video game premise. The second entry was directed by John Wong '12, who told a story of a man who encountered and killed a Chinese communist while randomly splicing in scenes of two girls discussing things like their nails breaking. For this filmmaking challenge, there was a $200 cash prize that was awarded to Price and Kalfus for receiving the most votes out of those present at the screening. Ultimately, this challenge showcased how readily available filmmaking equipment is and how you don't need several years and tons of CGI effects to create a film. That goes for the other films as well; they didn't have the most advanced technology but were still able to create films that were poignant or downright entertaining.Indie Louies was remarkable in that it brought together diverse films, filmmakers and people who appreciate film. Yuhaev explained that "the movie is ... aggressive in the way it captures you, ... the way it pulls you in." That could not be truer of the films screened and of the community of people at the festival discussing the very nature of their own films and what they mean. Editor's note: Elly Kalfus '13 is an Arts writer for the Justice.