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(09/16/08 4:00am)
One of Brandeis' numerous trademarks is its desire for diversity in our histories, our nationalities and our interests. And the latter shows itself in the great variety of clubs that are available to the student populace. This semester, several students have brought forth a new collection of groups that will unite students from all points on the spectrum and educate us on everything from fashion to Buddhism.The Floor is LavaIf you've read The Blowfish as of late, you may already be familiar with The Floor is Lava on account of their recently published plea in the aforementioned paper for "those boots Link gets when he gets to the fire temple." However, contrary to what name and supposed needs may imply, The Floor is Lava isn't a club dedicated to coalwalking so much as it is Brandeis' newest comedy troupe. The FL first manifested in the minds of founder Matt Hope '09 and his fellow organizers Shaked Hoter '09 and Will Friedman '09 during their sophomore year, but the group has only recently begun putting on shows. This past year, the FL's members kicked off their first season and ever since have enjoyed "bringing many different people together in one space to relax, laugh, and enjoy themselves," Hope wrote in an e-mail.Hope-who has spent considerable time in several of Brandeis' other comedy groups and believes that "being in several comedy groups is not mutually exclusive at all"-had a distinctive sort of humor in mind when he formed the FL."The Floor is Lava is different from other comedy groups on campus for two reasons: We perform a [unique] style of comedy, and our structure is also [atypical]. We do sketch comedy which is different from the many wonderful improvisational groups on campus in that all of our jokes are written down into a script before the show. . We do long-form sketch, which is comedy written as an episode or mini-theater performance with plot to go along with the jokes," Hope said. Other aspects of FL that make the troupe unique are its aversion to the audition process and its inclusion of guest stars in every episode .However, although the FL doesn't conducting tryouts, those of you who would like to be a part of this clan should not be discouraged; the FL does take on new members, just sans the traditional screening process. Fashion Design ClubWhen Aimy Tsao '10 was six years old, her mother showed her how to sew on a button. Ever since, Tsao has been interested in needlework and fashion, collecting Neiman Marcus catalogs and designing her own clothing. And when Tsao met another student who shared her interest in fashion, Maya Siegel '10, she decided it was time to form a club dedicated to clothing design. "I wrote a constitution for a fashion design club over a year ago and didn't do anything with it until I met [Siegel], who wanted to start one too. We just thought that there was enough interest in such a club and there wasn't anything like it at Brandeis yet. . At Brandeis, I [felt] that opportunities for students interested in fashion design [were] limited to costume design for theater productions." However, with the Fashion Design Club, Tsao hopes to provide a haven for those "who share a common interest so that we can learn together and learn from each other. The club will be a resource for anyone who needs access to sewing machines and fashion design textbooks, which aren't easily available on campus." And one need not have previous experience with a needle to stop by one of the meetings; anyone is welcome to stop by. At present, Tsao says, meetings are primarily informal gatherings. "People can just stop by and work on their projects, and we'll probably have Project Runway playing in the background. I think members should feel free to suggest projects, so we'll work on whatever people are interested in. That could be anything from hand-sewing, dyeing, patternmaking, [to] fashion illustration."More elaborate outings are also being planned to supplement the FDC's meetings. For example, Tsao is currently arranging a field trip to the Natick Collection in order to view an exhibit by students from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.In the future, Tsao and Siegel also hope to offer inexpensive tailoring services to students who can't (or won't) darn their own socks, hem their own jeans and the like. On a grander scale, Tsao would like the FDC to work with SEA during its eco-friendly fashion show and for the FDC to host its own fashion show in the spring. Film ClubAlthough there is a club dedicated to the production of movies, prior to the introduction of the Film Club there was no forum in which students could discuss this particular medium on a regular basis.Denisse Dubrovsky '10 has taken it upon herself to fill that void by launching the Film Club, an organization that is dedicated to uniting "film lovers and admirers on campus . [and providing] an excuse to watch films and find people who are similarly interested, discuss movements, theories, ideas, images, possibilities. Interested people should come-interest is the only [criterion]."A lover of the movie medium, Dubrovsky believes that one's interest in film is a clear reflection of one's personality and personal growth."Movies are inseparable from memories of childhood and Disney princesses-there is just one year when we grow up and realize movies are something to talk about, something to get excited about, something that can be intellectual. And then there's that age when your parents actually let you watch the good movies, and you get what the characters are talking about,"?Dubrovsky writes. She likens film to books, in that with both one "can escape into beautiful intricacies of dialogue." Dubrovsky isn't looking to produce her own movies ("I'd rather bide my time and simply enjoy what masters have achieved before me and wax poetic about their efforts"), and thus the purpose of her brainchild pertains more "to [increasing] awareness of theoretical and aesthetic aspects of film." "By exposing students to the world of film through philosophical, psychological and conceptual perspectives, the club hopes to increase awareness of the complexities and histories of the classics."Soka GakkaiThe Brandeis branch of Soka Gakkai International is part of the effort by Kathleen Fischman '10 and Miriam von Guggenberg '10 to bring Nichiren Buddhism to the campus' student body. Nichiren Buddhism, explains Fischman, is named for the 13th-century Buddhist monk Nichiren Daishonin. Daishonin studied the lessons of the Buddha and found that the Lotus Sutra held his essential teachings, as "this sutra declared that all people have the potential to attain enlightenment in this lifetime," Fischman says. "Nichiren established the practice of chanting 'Nam myoho renge kyo,' the title of the Lotus Sutra, in order to raise one's [quality of life] and attain enlightenment." Essentially, Nichiren Buddhists believe that by chanting and studying Buddhism they can cultivate wisdom and compassion, thus realizing their own potential for enlightenment and changing their karma while helping others to become happy.Fischman herself has personally practiced Buddhism for eight years and believes the practice has helped her achieve goals and overcome obstacles in addition to reshaping the way she sees her life and the world. "For example," Fischman says, "the [Buddhist concept] of turning poison into medicine has taught me not to avoid my problems but to challenge them and view them as an opportunity to learn from them and become stronger."With SG, Fischman and von Guggenberg hope to find other students with whom to study Buddhist texts and share daily struggles and victories and explore how they relate to Buddhism. Of course, SG also exists as a means by which to educate other students on the practices and various sects of Buddhism, and Fischman anticipates that film screenings and exhibits meant to expose more of the student body to Buddhism will be forthcoming. Brandeis HumanistsJoyce Wang '10 and Tom Charging Hawk '10 were inspired to start their own secular community after attending the New Humanist Conference at Harvard last year. The event, which was staged to celebrate the 30 years the Humanist Chaplaincy had existed at the university, produced the Brandeis Humanists, an organization dedicated "to offer[ing] an alternative point of view to students, besides that of religious organizations," Wang said. "Brandeis is quite diverse religiously, and we have plenty of organizations devoted to that, but before us, there was no group devoted to a secular way of life," says Wang. "The idea of a secular existence is very powerful to me, because it makes the life I have that much more valuable, knowing it is the only one I have. I think some people have this belief that atheism has to be this negative meaningless thing, and it doesn't. It just means that there's no inherent meaning in life; you have to create it."Wang and Charging Hawk have made great strides in introducing humanism to Brandeis even before bringing the BH to fruition as a resource; last year they brought to campus Greg Epstein, the current humanist chaplain of Harvard, as their first guest speaker. Epstein's lecture was followed by a visit from philosopher/novelist Rebecca Goldstein for the event "Morality Without God." Lori Lipman Brown, the only secular lobbyist for Congress, also came to campus at the behest of Wang and Charging Hawk.The BH hopes to continue the trend this year with more speakers and events, including, Wang hopes, a debate with the Chabad/Christian Fellowship in October.
(09/09/08 4:00am)
In a final effort to tie the score against Clark University last Saturday, forward Ben Premo '09 received a lead pass from one of his midfielders with less than 10 seconds remaining in the game. Yet as time expired and Premo stood just outside the 18-yard box, he was called for a foul, the game's 49th infraction. The undefeated Cougars held on to win 2-1 and hand Brandeis its first loss of the season. The Judges' record fell to 2-1 after recording two consecutive shutouts to open the season, including a win against the Wentworth Institute of Technology last Thursday. Coach Mike Coven knew that Clark would be the team's first true test of the season. "We beat two teams that were athletic and ran well, but they weren't really good soccer teams," Coven said. "[Clark] was a good soccer team, and we couldn't handle it. "They wanted the game more and were passionate, and there was enthusiasm there that we didn't have. It's very, very disappointing." Brandeis started off strong against Clark, scoring just over 14 minutes into the game to take a 1-0 lead. Defender Matt Hohmann '11 led Premo up the middle with a lob pass into the box, but Premo was pulled down from behind, resulting in a penalty kick for the Judges. Forward Patrick Metelus '10 converted the kick for his third goal of the season. Clark cashed in on a penalty kick of its own just six minutes later, when sophomore Baran Doenmez sent the ball towards the bottom right of the net past diving goalkeeper Taylor Bracken '10. In the 72nd minute, the Cougars broke the 1-1 tie when senior forward Jenner Alpern sent a ball behind the Brandeis defense to rookie midfielder Adrian Blackadar, who dribbled in on net and fired a shot past goalkeeper Sean O'Hare '12, who had taken over for Bracken at the start of the second half. "Both our [goalies] played well," Coven said. "On the second goal one of our midfielders got beat, and [Blackadar] got in there and took a good shot. Nobody's going to save that shot; it wasn't the goalkeeper's fault." With just under 10 seconds remaining, Premo committed the Judges' 19th foul of the half in a game that saw 49 total fouls and four yellow cards. The physical play and battles among players made for a busy day for head official Gus St. Silva. "This was as intense as a Division III matchup could be," Silva said. "It's a rivalry game that dates back 30 years. As the temperature of the game goes up, the referee has to step up and caution here and caution there, and in the end we have a good game." Coven did not complain about the officiating but noted that his team did not react well to the calls made on the field. "We didn't show a lot of character today," he said. "Whether the officiating is good or bad, we win or lose with class and dignity, and some of our players didn't do that today." Captain and midfielder Kevin Murphy '09 said Saturday's loss may end up being a blessing in disguise. "This could be the best thing for us," he said. "A loss sometimes puts your head on straight, and this brings us back down to earth after starting 2-0. Hopefully we can climb our way up to being a winning team again and not lose another one." The Judges started out the week with a 2-0 win over Wentworth last Thursday. Metelus and defender Kyle Gross '11 scored just over five minutes apart from each other in the first half to give the Judges a two-goal lead they would never relinquish. O'Hare, who once again split time with Bracken in goal, was forced to make the only save of the game for Brandeis on a shot by sophomore midfielder Austin Ludwig that O'Hare stopped by leaping and diving to his right. "I was a little jealous he made the only save of the game," Bracken said jokingly after the victory. "But I don't mind being bored because that means our team is doing well." The Judges finish off the home stand with two games this week, including one tomorrow against Babson College at 7:30 p.m and another Monday against Colby-Sawyer College at 7 p.m.
(09/09/08 4:00am)
Brandeis and Waltham community members who attended the first of three farmers markets in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center parking lot last Sunday said they planned to return for the next farmers market but hoped to see a larger selection of fresh produce and other goods.According to Mariah Rich '10, who, along with Nicole Starman '10 and Samantha Lenard '10, is responsible for creating, organizing and coordinating this student-led initiative, "The event was extraordinary. The vendors had an unbelievable turnout and were all satisfied with what happened."Liz Hanson and her mother, regular vendors at the Waltham farmers market, were approached by the coordinators of the Brandeis farmers market and asked if they had any interest in coming to Brandeis. Hanson, whose family owns Hanson Farm in Framingham, Mass., said she wished this farmers market were every week. She also said she thought the coordinators must have done a large amount of advertising because there were many people at the market and she and her brother Matt "didn't bring half as much stuff [to sell] as we should have." Donna Hughes, a Waltham resident and a vendor selling soaps and perfumes from Donna Dee's Designs, said she decided to sell at the Brandeis farmers market because she wanted to "support the school." Hughes, who makes her own soap, began selling it two years ago and now sells it at fairs, farmers markets and craft shows. She also said she plans on returning to the Oct. 5 farmers market.Rich said, "Some students might have been disappointed by the size of the market. It was so hard to even get the vendors we did get to come in the first place. We are going to make it bigger and better next time, though."However, Rich was quite pleased with the turnout and overall success of the market. She said, "So many people came out, and it was so wonderful. A lot of people had a great time. Even though a farm canceled on us at 11:45 a.m. Sunday morning, it went really well, so we'll probably have double the number of vendors next time."Lisa Aremband '11, who found out about the farmers market from seeing the flyers around campus, said that she believes that there is interest for a farmers market at Brandeis and that people appreciate this. She explained that since there is a big movement for organic and local food, as well as for eating healthfully, "this can only help."Rich said, "I heard [from other students] that it was really great that we were bringing it to campus but that it was too small. I just want students to recognize that this was not a University effort; it was the three of us who started this market from scratch. Overall, students had fun, and it was a beautiful day." Anna Levin '06, a current Waltham resident, said she did not buy anything because she felt some of the prices were too high. According to Rich, the prices were based solely on the individual vendors' wishes and had nothing to do with the coordination of the event.Noam Sienna '11 said, "Supporting local agriculture is something that I think is really important for both environmental and economic reasons."Sienna said that the market had potential and was a "good start" but that he would like to see dairy products and eggs sold at the next one, which he plans on attending as well.When asked about the possibility of a dairy stand or an egg stand appearing at the Oct. 5 market, Rich explained, "It's something we want to look into for the next market, but it's tough because of health inspection. It's much harder to get approved as a farmers market if you're selling products that could be affected by the weather." The coordinators would like to conduct more advertising in Waltham before the next Brandeis farmers market so there will be a larger turnout from the Waltham community. Rich said the time and location of the market would not change for the Oct. 5 market because "this seemed like a good time for students and for Waltham residents. The location was perfect because people could see the market from South Street."Rich also said it's possible that there will be a student group performing at the market, "in order to make it more of an event." However, she said she is not sure whether that will actually happen.The three coordinators of the farmers market "really want to thank everyone who came out. It might have seemed small, but it's basically the first step to having a really great market at Brandeis. The vendors were happy, and the students were happy; we've proven to everyone that we can do this and that it can be a success at Brandeis."-Anya Bergman contributed reporting.
(09/02/08 4:00am)
The men's soccer team was able to temporarily quell any lingering doubts about its offensive attack early in its season opener against Endicott College at home last Saturday.Last season, the Judges scored a total of only 26 goals, never topping the three-goal plateau in any individual contest, but they began this season scoring two goals in the first 10 minutes of play en route to a 5-0 shutout of the Gulls. Forward Ben Premo '09 led the way with his fourth career hat trick, notching his 29th, 30th, and 31st career goals along with his 81st career point, making him the eighth-highest scorer in team history. He has already eclipsed his two-goal season total from 2007. Premo's first goal came just 3 minutes, 52 seconds into the match when he received a header from rookie midfielder Luke Teece '12 and shot the ball past Endicott rookie goalie Nicholas Allman into the back left side of the net.Teece recorded his second assist less than five minutes later when he pushed the ball up the right side before feeding midfielder Patrick Metelus '10 with a pass that Metelus placed inside the near post to give the Judges the early two-goal lead."It's good to get off to a solid start and win like that," Teece said. "The first goal I set up was a halfway decent pass that was fortunate enough to get in, and then the second one was just hard work down the line. I just whipped it over and hoped for the best, and [Metelus] was there and he put it in."Premo's re-emergence continued early in the second half. Less than four minutes in, midfielder Corey Bradley '10 centered a ball for Premo off the left side. Premo fired off the crossbar but then headed in his own rebound to put the Judges ahead 3-0.Premo secured the hat trick in the 73rd minute when he got behind the defense and struck the ball into the back of the net. Rookie forward Alex Farr '12 was credited with the Judges' second goal in the 82nd minute."It feels good to start off like this," Premo said. "We're more enthusiastic about the season. Everyone's ready to go, and our energy is real high right now, along with our confidence."Coach Mike Coven spoke highly of Premo and his senior captain's improved supporting cast after the game."When you've got Premo and Teece and Bradley providing him with chances to score, and Metelus behind him, that makes up a solid offensive group," Coven said, "We could've scored three or four more with a little more luck. Their goalie made some good saves."Still, Coven believed the Judges need more work on the defensive end. "We made some mistakes in the back, and I feel a lot of other teams that we play this year would have capitalized on those opportunities," he said. Coming into the season opener, it was unclear who would be the Judges' starting goalkeeper. Brandeis began the game with last year's starter Taylor Bracken '10 in net, but replaced him in the second half with Sean O'Hare '12, despite Bracken's scoreless first half. Bracken and O'Hare each made two saves as Endicott was only able to take seven shots the entire game, compared to Brandeis' 22. Coven said he wants to get both goalkeepers in-game experience and will turn to his coaching staff to make a final decision. He also did not rule out the possibility of Matt Lynch '11 getting more playing time and said he might continue with a goalie rotation."I think they're both neck-and-neck, and Lynch is breathing down both of their necks. I'd prefer not to do this all season, but we'll take it one game at a time and see what happens," he said.While Coven acknowledged that the Judges made their share of miscues, he was satisfied with last Saturday's opener."Even though we played poorly at times and made some mistakes in the back we still shut [Endicott] out," he said. "Our goalies made some good saves, and this whole team should feel good about themselves. We have 18 more to go, but I can sleep easy tonight."The team plays at home against both the Wentworth Institute of Technology Thursday, Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. and Clark University Saturday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m.
(08/26/08 4:00am)
An early start to the preseason and a different approach may be exactly what the men's soccer team needs to get started on the right foot this season as it looks to rebound from last year's disappointing 8-9-3 record. The Judges started training for the 2008 season a full two weeks before their Aug. 30 home opener against Endicott College, giving the team an extra week to prepare for the upcoming season. In years past, the University has only allowed for the team to begin practice around the same time as first-year orientation, but this year granted coach Michael Coven's Judges the opportunity to get on the field earlier. "I think we'll be ahead of the game this year," Coven said. "We'll be better prepared just because we've been together longer. I'm pleased so far. The boys are working hard and are in good shape. There's a tremendous amount of enthusiasm." Heading into last season, the Judges were looking to defend their 2006 Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship, but Brandeis fell to below .500 and went 0-6-1 in the University Athletic Association. Coming off a weaker 2007 season, Coven said the team is motivated to turn things around, led by senior captains Ben Premo '09, Adam Guttman '09 and Kevin Murphy '09. "Our returning players are dedicated to having a wonderful year, and we're very strong in general," Coven said. "They've worked hard all year, and we have great captains and great leaders. I'm enthusiastic and optimistic." A lack of proficiency on offense, particularly from all-UAA forward Ben Premo, contributed to last year's struggles. Premo led the team in scoring during its ECAC Championship run two seasons ago with 16 goals and 42 points but was hindered by an injured ankle and a weaker supporting cast last season, finishing with only two goals and nine total points."Individually I struggled a lot [last season]," Premo said. "The first couple games I wasn't really scoring at all, and it kind of got into my head and led to a rollercoaster of bad games, and I never really put it together."The team as a whole managed only 26 goals in 20 games, an average of just 1.3 per contest.This year, however, Coven expects Premo and the offense to thrive with the help of returning players such as Jamie Batista '10, Alex Ball '09 and Pat Metelus '10, who Coven said has improved greatly after taking off his sophomore season."Last year Premo wasn't surrounded with the great offensive players he was two years ago. This year we have players that can set him up with the right passes and give him opportunities to score," Coven said.The Judges made up for their struggles on offense with a defense that held opponents to only 1.35 goals per game, allowing one goal or fewer in 12 games. However, Brandeis lost all three of its starting defensemen-Brett Fitzgerald '08, Joe Levitan '08 and David Weinstein '08- to graduation, forcing Coven and the Judges to adjust.Without the experience in the backfield, the Judges will start four defensemen instead of three, thus losing a midfielder and potentially weakening the offensive attack. "We had three senior backs, and that was a luxury," Coven said. "We're going to play four backs who don't yet have the experience. If we can get that continuity with three of the four we can play three in the back again, but for now we're doing this. It'll hurt the attack, but this is what we have to do. I'd rather be safe."Though the team is inexperienced, Coven is excited about his rookies and said four or five of them could potentially start. Among them are midfielder Evan Ersing '12 and Luke Teece '12, whose father Mark Teece captained the Judges under Coven in the 1980s.While goaltending was also a strength last season, first-year Sean O'Hare is making a strong push for the stating job over last year's starter Taylor Bracken '10. Matt Lynch '11 is also vying for the position, creating a tough decision for the Brandeis coaching staff."Bracken is being pushed by O'Hare and Lynch, and right now it's a three-man race," Coven said. "I have a week to decide, but it's a great and competitive race, and all three are doing well."Coven hopes the team can succeed knowing expectations within the conference are lower-the team is ranked eighth out of eight teams in the preseason UAA coaches poll-after coming off a losing season in 2007."The UAA is the most competitive conference in the country." Coven said, "We're going in as the underdog, but hopefully we'll surprise some teams.
(05/20/08 4:00am)
When Matt Kleiman '10 visited Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in New Orleans on the National College Volunteers trip in March, he was struck by the importance of preserving the city's natural beauty in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "New Orleans is really a beautiful city, and it's just a shame to let it be in shambles," Kleiman said. Kleiman was one of 18 students who participated in the second NCV trip to New Orleans from March 19 to 24. Of the 18 students, eight of them were Brandeis students: Noah Kaplan '08, co-founder of the national organization and Brandeis NCV president, Gaurav Gharti-Chhetri '10, Adam Greenblatt '10, Jaehwan Oh '10, Kleiman, Tia Oliver '10, Maiya Marshall '08 and Nicole Rosenberg '10 represented Brandeis volunteering, along with 10 Tufts University students Inspired by a volunteer trip to New Orleans with the Brandeis and Tufts Hillels last spring, Kaplan and Tufts senior Jonah Peppiatt, decided last summer to create NCV. The group received non-profit status last spring break.Last August, Kaplan, Vareschi, Gharti-Chhetri and six Tufts students went on the first NCV trip."Brandeis has only a couple of organizations . that do community service on a national level," said Kaplan.Kaplan said students were able to go on the August trip for free because of donations from the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, the synagogue Kaplan and Peppiatt attend. Several Tufts organizations, including Tisch College, Hillel and the Institute for Global leadership, also contributed donations.Before the students participated on their second trip in March, the Student Union allotted the organization funds to cover the Brandeis students' flights and other expenses in New Orleans.NCV members stayed at the Wesley Foundation, a Christian organization at Tulane University, and worked with two relief organizations, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and Common Ground. Volunteers cleaned up an arson site and walked dogs at an animal shelter.Kaplan hoped trip participants would gain a full experience of New Orleans, including visiting New Orleans' wetlands and participating in community service activity."We wanted NCV to learn from going down to New Orleans ... do more than community service," Kaplan said. It was important for volunteers to survey the devastation and "learn as much about the crisis post-Katrina as possible," Kaplan said.The group met with important individuals in political, academic and disaster-linked areas, he added in a phone interview.Volunteers also visited Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, which protects the wetlands and other natural resources of the Mississippi River Delta. "The whole group was just basically enchanted by Jean Lafitte National Park," Kaplan said. It's widely acknowledged that the wetlands lessen the force of hurricanes as they hit the New Orleans coast, he added in a phone interview.Kaplan said the visit to the wetlands was a chance for the group to put in perspective how special the wetlands are to New Orleans. "We realized that the effort to protect the wetlands is very important," he explained.Health care in New Orleans was one of the most significant issues trip members discussed.Kaplan said students realized after the trip that the issue of health care remained problematic in New Orleans. NCV members spoke with Professor T.J. Sturnova at Tulane University about the health care crisis in the city. Sturnova recommended that NCV partner with the New Orleans Faith Health Alliance, a health clinic.Another component of the trip was hearing speakers who offered different perspectives about the situation in New Orleans. Many focused on the problems that contributed to the devestating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Sandy Rosenthal, one speaker, founded levees.org, an organization that raises awareness about flood protection and about the role that levees constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers played in Katrina's devastation of New Orleans."[Rosenthal] basically gave us the idea that . New Orleans was . a catastrophe that didn't have to happen," Kaplan said. "She basically blames it all on the failure of the levees and because the corps of engineers did not construct the levees to the highest standards. There was a lack of responsibility to make sure certain areas were protected as much as other areas."Other speakers included Police Captain Brian Weiss, Wes Kungel, regional representative to Senator Mary Landrieu's office, and staff at Tulane.Weiss specifically discussed the role the police force played during Katrina's aftermath. "[Weiss] showed us a lot of bias and viewpoints" in the media and clarified that only six officers did not report for duty after Katrina, a number much smaller than that the media portrayed, Kleiman said. Tulane staff described the delay in response to Hurricane Katrina. Kaplan recalled that the speakers said, "they just weren't ready for this kind of catastrophe, but after the hurricane happened and swept through the city, it took a while for organizations to respond."The group's volunteerism did not end with their return to Brandeis."We were not only going to go down and do community service . but also bring our experience back here and do something positive," Kaplan said. The group has been working from Waltham as a consulting agency for health clinics in New Orleans, such as the New Orleans Faith Health Alliance, Kaplan added in a phone interview."In Waltham ... we could use our resources . and get things done in a health clinic in New Orleans from Brandeis," he added. After meeting with Janet Dileo, one of NOFHA's representatives, NCV decided to publicize the organization by creating Web sites and Facebook groups.Kaplan hopes to broaden NCV to other colleges throughout the country."National Collegiate Volunteers should be an organization that starts from Brandeis and Tufts going on trips together," Kaplan said. Kaplan added in a phone interview that Brandeis and Tufts students co-founded NCV because of their similar roots in active citizenship and the pursuit of social justice."Eventually we want to expand it to other schools," Kaplan said.Over the summer, Kaplan created the National Collegiate Volunteers Web site, www.nationalcollegiatevolunteers.org.NCV plans to go on another volunteer trip to New Orleans, tentatively between August 18 and 24, and is currently seeking applicants for the trip.The organization is dedicated to providing students with free community service trips and is looking for sources of funding for the next trip."We believe that students should be able to go on these trips for free," Kaplan said. "We feel that we should alleviate these . financial barriers to community service trips.
(05/20/08 4:00am)
We would like to pay tribute to the graduating seniors at the Justice. Although no amount of space would really be sufficient to summarize their incredible impact on this paper, we do hope this gives them a morsel of the recognition they deserve.Rachel Marder: A former News editor, editor in chief and senior editor, her strong leadership is visible in every story that runs in this paper. Her vibrant personality was a huge asset, whether it was used for contacting sources, forging key relationships with administrators or sustaining that precious staff morale.Jacob Kamaras: A former Sports editor, editor in chief and senior editor, his insurmountable work ethic provided a model for all of us, for our work on the newspaper and outside of it.Noah Bein: A onetime News editor and associate editor, his sharp news judgment will be sorely missed. Neither the News desk nor the editorials meetings nor the copy table will be the same without him.Ben Terris: A former Features editor and associate editor, his vivid writing transformed the Features section and editorial columns. His nuanced perspective will continue to be on full display as he blogs for the Huffington Post. Claire Moses: Our bygone News editor, her passion and energy pushed our News section to new heights and ensured that our production nights were never dreary. Her ability to develop and maintain sources was incredibly beneficial to our news coverage, both on campus and off. We'd also like to use this space to recognize some of the other newly minted alumni who made an impact on our paper at one point or another. Matt Brown, an erstwhile Forum and deputy editor, used his intellect and sharp wit to become arguably the most visible columnist on campus. Chelsey Berlin, a former layout editor, helped revamp the appearance of our paper. Julie Scherr, a former Sports senior writer, displayed unparalleled enthusiasm for Brandeis athletics while maintaining an objective journalistic perspective. Rachel Pfeffer, a former Features and Arts senior writer, always managed to be colorful and engaging despite the varied subjects of her many articles. Sam Ackerman, a cartoonist, consistently provided comedic relief while conveying poignant messages in his drawings, the latest of which can be seen at the top of this page.We wish each of these graduates the best of luck in all their future endeavors. They will be missed.
(04/15/08 4:00am)
Look, I'm going to try to level with (and maybe flatter) you, beautiful reader. There's a muscle-bound, mean-lookin' deadline standing over my shoulder, so I'm going to have to take the first literary theme that comes to mind and run with it. Since we'll be discussing Boris' Kitchen's semester show, Disorderly Conduct, it looks like cooking references are the only thing on the menu. There. That's one already. Count it. Now, sketch comedy is a difficult dish to serve, second only, perhaps, to the scriptless improvised variety. Even the most meticulously crafted recipe (psst! the script, silly!) can bomb if it's not presented to the patron with confidence and conviction. Fortunately, this was not an issue for the Kitchen, who laid out quite a satisfying spread Saturday night. The patrons comfortably seated in the illustrious Carl J. Shapiro Theater, the Kitchen brought forth a tummy-tickling appetizer in the form of a high-energy cast and crew introduction video detailing their crimes against the school and state. Then, appetites thoroughly whetted, we were hit with a speedy barrage of short sketches. Though some were criminally short, almost glorified one-liners, each received at least a few hearty chuckles from the crowd.Standouts from the first act included sketches "I Like to Eat, Eat, Eat," which starred Brian Melcher '10 as a disgruntled grade-schooler slandering the merits of celery, and "Don't Expect the Pope," featuring an audience Q-and-A with a strangely pale Dalai Lama. The most laughs, however, went to Matt Hope's '09 portrayal of the disturbingly sultry Russian Grandma, endearing the audience with tales of past lovers and the effects of the "death nuzzle." The second course (that's the second act, for those of you who haven't caught on yet) started a little slowly with "The News," but snapped back quickly with the expertly timed "Eat you. Brutus?" Perhaps it's just me, but there's something inherently hilarious about a bunch of men in robes talking about knives and then accidently stabbing their friend (and emperor) to death. Our own University President Reinharz even managed to make an appearance in "Parking Tickets," displaying a shocking and blatant disregard for the tickets that plague so many of our fellow students. The night ended with two very pleasing dishes: "Brain-firmative Action" and the appropriately titled "The Last Sketch." The former, a (hopefully) falsified news report on the matriculation of undead students to the Brandeis campus, featured the members of the Kitchen as zombies participating in everyday school activities from class to sports, constantly intent on obtaining their own favorite dish, brains. Overall, I award Boris' Kitchen five stars for a delectable comedic platter, snappy service and a comfortable chair. A mint or palate cleanser of some kind would have been appreciated, but I'm no stickler. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go home, unbutton the top of my pants, slouch in a chair and let my sated belly protrude to my toes.
(03/04/08 5:00am)
The Brandeis chapter of STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition drew approximately 200 attendees from high schools and colleges across New England as well as New York and New Jersey as a first-time host of STAND's annual Northeast Regional Conference last weekend. The conference is "a way for people to learn in a more in-depth way about the conflict," said Daniel Millenson '09, president of STAND Brandeis and national advocacy director for the Sudan Divestment Taskforce. Saturday's and Sunday's events included speakers, workshops and movies about the Sudanese genocide, and the conflict in Burma, as well as the announcement of the spring 2008 STAND campaign goals by Director of STAND National Scott Warren and STAND Advocacy Coordinator Isaac Rowlett. "The speakers are more educational, and the workshops are more advocacy," said Shulie Eisen '08, one of the event's organizers, adding that "the workshops are kind of training sessions for" lobbying and other ways in which students can best affect what is happening in Darfur.STAND member Matt Rogers '08 said the conference was also a good way to make connections with other members of the organization.The four spring campaign goals for STAND call on President George Bush to stick to his promises, including enforcing UNAMID, a joint African Union and United Nations operation authorized by the U.N. Security Council in July 2007 to take steps to implement the Darfur Peace Agreement, applying an all-Sudan Solution rather than solely focusing on Darfur, and lobbying China to engage with the Sudanese government about the genocide there. "This whole campaign was born out of frustration, of all of us wanting to do more," Warren said. Rowlett said the campaign is also born of "wonderful comments and feedback, . not only from students, but also from experts," which were taken into account when creating the campaign, he said."We can already see that this is starting to gain traction," Warren said, evidencing Resolution 455, currently before the Senate, which calls for full deployment of a hybrid AU/U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur. Speakers included Jens Meierhenrich, assistant professor of government and of social studies at Harvard University, Dr. Ashis Brahma, director of Chadian NGO Africa Vision, who works across the globe, including refugee camps and hospitals in Chad and Sudan, and Gayle Smith, Co-Chair of the Enough Project, which works to end genocide and crimes against humanity. "Through the speakers, I hope that [participants] gained an acute knowledge of what is going on in Sudan," Warren said. "What I talk about is the resilience and the sense of humor and the dignity of the refugees," Brahma said. Brahma, who spoke at the last STAND national conference, said that working with the refugees and those affected by the conflict in the Sudanese region inspired him to travel to the United States and speak to students in order to raise awareness and knowledge about the issue.Brahma said he enjoyed the conference and felt that those leading it were able to articulate their goals for the future well, and influence their peers attending the event. "Leadership comes from the grassroots," Brahma, and "the leadership of the STAND people is exceptional."Eisen, who said she has been involved in STAND for the past four years, said she is very happy with how the conference went. "I think people are really engaged and really interested," she said. Those who attended the event said they were impressed with the conference and learned a lot about how they could take action to speak out against the genocide. Jeff Howell, a teacher at Dennis-Yarmouth High School in Cape Cod who attended the conference with students from his school, said he was extremely impressed with how full-time college students have mobilized to organize such a strong conference. "I can't think of another group that could put 250 people together for a weekend to instruct them on the practices and methods to achieve our goal," said Howell, who is a member of the Massachusetts Coalition, a group that is a part of the Save Darfur organization.Rohini Bhaumik, a junior on the board of the Amnesty International chapter at East Brunswick High School in New Jersey, said she learned ways in which she can improve her chapter from the conference. "They give you the tools to work with," she said, and "they're big goals that I really feel that the community can get to.""It's just nice to know that there are still people who do care," said Jasmine Reid, a junior involved in the Save Darfur Coalition at Milton Academy in Massachusetts. Reid and Bhaumik said they felt the conference was inspiring and reinforced the need to take action. Student leaders at the conference presented "ideas which are formed on a very local level," Bhaumik said. "When push comes to shove, we actually have to do something," Reid said. Editor's note - News Editor Anya Bergman is the treasurer of the Brandeis chapter of STAND.
(03/04/08 5:00am)
With the University Athletic Association championships on the horizon, the men's and women's track teams entered just six runners for last Saturday's Open New England Championships at Boston University, opting to rest some injured players to get them completely ready for next weekend.The runners that did compete, however, had their moments, as four of them posted season-best times in their respective events. Dan Suher '08, Michael Stone '09 and Mekonen Gendebo '11 accomplished that on the men's side, and Beth Pisarik '10 turned the trick for the women's team.Suher and Stone finished right next to each other in the one-mile event, with Suher finishing in 21st place out of 29 runners in four minutes and 17.19 seconds and Stone finishing in 22nd place with a time of 4:17.41."In terms of how I actually ran, I probably could have gotten a little faster than I did, but ... in general I was pretty good," Suher said. "There were some very fast times in my heat, and because of that I kind of fell off the pack a little bit."Stone was more enthusiastic with his finish, which was over 3 1/2 seconds faster than his last race, which occurred at the Valentine Invitational Feb. 9."I think I ran really well," he said. "I was really excited with the result. I think the race itself just set up perfectly for me to run a good time. The pace was pushed from the outset, and it really fit into the race strategy that I had envisioned."One week after finishing second place in the 3,000-meter event at the New England Division III Championships Feb. 23, Paul Norton '11 again led the way in that event, finishing 13th of 28 runners in 8:45.50. Gendebo and Dan Anastos '11 also competed in the 3,000-meter event after missing the Judges' last two meets, and while Gendebo finished 18th place in 8:48.50, Anastos struggled with the layoff and finished last in 9:11.91. Pisarik, the lone runner to compete on the women's side last Saturday, ran a personal-best time of 5:14.09 in the one-mile run to finish 20th out of 27 runners, one week after competing only in the distance medley relay event at the New England Division III Championships Feb. 23. Despite the personal best, Pisarik said she still might have changed her strategy if given the chance."Looking back on it, I think I would have run the race differently, but there's no way you can plan a race going into it because you don't know how it's going to be run by everybody else," she said. "But overall, I was happy with the time."Many of the key runners on both squads remained sidelined, but assistant coach Peter Sampson said he hopes to have many of them back by next weekend. On the women's side, jumper Ali Sax '09 is still recovering after being hit by a car on campus before February break, while classmates Meaghan Casey '09 and Katy Agule '09 are nursing leg and back injuries, respectively. Captain Olivia Alford '08 was also held out of this weekend's race after her performances at the New England Division III Championships Feb. 23, in which she finished third in the 400-meter dash and anchored the 4-by-200-meter relay team to a fourth-place finish.On the men's side, the status of Matt Jennings' 08 for next weekend is in doubt after he suffered a stress fracture in his foot.Despite the injuries, Suher thinks the team will be able to perform well at the UAA Championships."I'm actually really excited [about the UAA Championships]. I think we've had some injuries over the past couple of weeks but everybody who's still out running is running really well," he said. "I don't expect a whole lot team-scoring wise . because it's hard to compete with a teams like [Washington University in St. Louis] that have massive rosters, but I think we should do really well," he added.Stone was a little less optimistic."I think this might be one of the tougher [UAA Championships] coming up for this team, but I think we can definitely finish in the top four, and I think that's kind of a goal right now," he said.The UAA Championships will take place Friday and Saturday at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland at 10 a.m. each day.
(02/12/08 5:00am)
Jessica Ricci has two dreams. Her "realistic dream" is to someday write about music for the Boston Phoenix, and her "unrealistic dream," she says, is to write for Rolling Stone. I gather that Ricci, a 19-year-old employee at the youth-run More Than Words used bookstore on Moody Street, loves music.Her iPod contains an eclectic mix that represents her diverse musical tastes. "Everything from classical to Britney Spears to Metal," she says, grinning. Ricci is one of the 16 employees between the ages of 16 and 21 at More Than Words who comes from the foster care system or are homeless and are referred by the Department of Social Services, probation officers and non-profit agencies to the bookstore. More Than Words is essentially a job-training program for these youth. They run nearly every operation of the non-profit-including managing their own book sections, arranging the displays, running the register and shipping books-- for six to 12 months, before leaving for college or another job. Ricci sits downstairs in the More Than Words basement, a space whose walls are lined with bright blue and yellow posters with aphorisms like "Negotiation is About Compromise" and others dedicated to the "Principles of Selling." Seemingly endless rows of books line the far left side of the basement. I am told that employees are in the process of sorting and organizing these books to display in their sections or ship off to customers. A master schedule with staff shifts and store events hangs directly across from the shelves on the opposite wall. Nearby, Matt Soloman, an 18-year-old associate with blonde-streaked hair, who has worked at the store for about one-and-a-half months, shows several new employees how to enter their work hours into an Excel spreadsheet and calculate the percentages of their attendance and punctuality. When Soloman gets frustrated with the spreadsheet, Jodi Rosenbaum, the store's director, turns to him: "Take a deep breath. We're on the same team, kiddo." She guides him step by step, and when he understands how to perform the function, he turns to the boys around him and explains it to them, epitomizing the wisdom behind experiential learning. "If your percentage drops below 80 percent, you'll get $50 out of your paycheck," Soloman tells the others, quickly explaining how they can earn back this money through continued, diligent work. When I ask Ricci to tell me about herself, she gives me a brief summary. She was born and raised in Waltham, and spent time in a number of hospitals before her counselor from the Department of Social Services referred her to More Than Words, where she's been working for two months. Today she juggles a 20-hour a week work schedule and a busy senior year at Waltham High School. Ricci shifts to talking about her work at the store. A pattern of focusing on the present and the future becomes apparent the more employees I speak with. More Than Words represents a clean slate for these youths. Whatever their background, they begin anew here on equal footing. When they work here, they're not talking about their past experiences or what circumstances brought them to work at the store. Instead, they focus on their day-to-day running of the store, building their professional tool kits and looking to plans for next year. Many of the youths, who come from all around Boston, enter the store not knowing how to turn on a computer, but they leave knowing how to operate a variety of computer programs and a cash register, send professional e-mails, speak before a group of people and other skills."We really look for the youth who have a lot of need and definitely the want of the program," says Carolyn Gordon, the transitions manager, a social worker who plans with each youth their next steps in life.Upstairs, the used bookstore, art gallery and performance space located at 376 Moody St. offers a warm, spacious respite along the downtown Waltham street. I peruse the sections: Psychology, Fiction, Parenting, and a special display on Boston. An artfully decorated front window displays some of the store's highlights: The World of the Dalai Lama, The Pursuit of Happyness and The Village of Waiting. The store's name is painted on a sky blue sign in white bubble letters above the door, greeting shoppers as they approach. The youth have painted encouraging words like "Equality", "Love" and "Knowledge" on the door. A stage area in the back with room for chairs and a plush red sofa serves as a performance space for open mic nights and other events. Although it's nestled between restaurants Tom Can Cook and Jewel of India, it's possible you've never noticed the cozy storefront. Rosenbaum, a veteran of the juvenile justice system with a Masters degree in Education focused on risk and resilience, founded the store as an online bookseller (then called Teen Leep) in 2004 with several teenage boys. When I ask her how she decided to start a job-training program for youth, she explains her frustration with the statistics surrounding young people who get stuck in the system. According to Rosenbaum, 60 percent of youth who leave state custody don't have a high school diploma or job experience. "These are the kids that will fall off," she says with a twinge of sadness. Her tone quickly changes to one of pride when she tells me that alumni of the store have gone on to college, two have entered Brandeis' Transitional Year Program (one is currently in TYP), and another, for instance, got a job at the Boston Science Museum. The store also has partnerships with local businesses, including Mount Auburn Hospital and the Westin, Frank Galligan, DSS' area director in Arlington, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "These businesses will often employ 'graduates' of More Than Words knowing that they have learned considerable skills," he wrote. This model of social enterprise is becoming a framework for job-training around the state, Rosenbaum says. "This is what real job training looks like," she adds knowingly. Several years ago, Galligan wrote some letters of affiliation and support that helped Rosenbaum receive start-up grants for the store, and currently the store is under review to become a DSS Family Networks provider. Today, More Than Words is largely self-supporting. The store is a hybrid social enterprise, meaning it covers around 35 percent of its budget with earned revenue and receives private donations for additional support.Youth empowerment has been the bookstore's theme from day one. Employees named the store, they interview and train applicants, and agree that they feel at home there. "This is their house. This is their store," Rosenbaum says. While an "adult" is always present during the store's hours (either Rosenbaum, Gordon or volunteers), Rosenbaum calls this person "back-up." Employees shelve books in their sections with ease and approach customers to explain items and answer questions with confidence. When I first enter the store, I am greeted proudly by the employee behind the counter, "Hi, Welcome to More Than Words." The youth move up through "pods," or positions at the store, starting out as an associate, moving up to partner, manager and then alumni after they've left the store. As associates, they make $7.50 an hour, $7.75 as partners and $9.25 as managers, gaining new responsibilities as they progress. The store also serves as an art gallery and shop, with tee shirts, bags and other merchandise made by the youth prominently displayed. Paintings by Artists for Humanity--a Boston-based non-profit that gives underserved youth paid employment in the arts--cover the walls. One painting of a blue head with piercing, bloodshot eyes, surrounded by blinking red lights is particularly startling. The piece, by Fredy Gerrero, Raul Fernandez and D. Arguelo, is priced at $300. Inspiring quotes by figures like Muhammad Ali, T.S. Elliot and the youth sprinkle the walls and ceiling. The store's laidback, artsy atmosphere is balanced by the focused, serious nature of the employees' job training and transitions planning. "We help them dream. We help them think through goals too," Rosenbaum says of the balance. Gordon, the lone, full-time transitions manager, who is currently working with around 60 youths, says her goal is for her clients not to wind up at entry-level positions "when they can do more." Her frequent "action meetings" with each employee touch on housing, education prospects, health coverage, skills development, career interests, public speaking and professional e-mailing. Gordon takes the youth on monthly site visits to transition options offered at colleges like Pine Manor in Chestnut Hill, Bentley College and Brandeis. She and Rosenbaum stay in touch with recent graduates, continuing to offer their support and occasionally asking them back for shifts and special store events, like visiting authors and open mic nights. Erika Smith, Brandeis' TYP director, says she's met with More Than Words youth, and will continue recruiting from this pool. "Hopefully it becomes a long relationship," she says.Kristin Carmichael (TYP), an employee at More Than Words for four months, says when she first started, all she knew was she "really into books." She didn't know that she would most enjoy working the register and arranging displays. Initially, Carmichael was pretty shy, but she came out of her shell, gladly accepting feedback from her coworkers and excelling in group leadership, Rosenbaum writes in an e-mail to the Justice. Carmichael grew up in Bellmont and took the commuter rail to the bookstore, pulling 25 hour a week shifts through high school. She describes her high school experience as fairly "isolated," except for her love of reading and work at the bookstore. Today, she continues taking shifts every so often, and plans to study creative writing at Brandeis and pursue writing professionally."It has been amazing to watch her grow and find herself and realize how bright and capable she is," Rosenbaum writes. The store's high standards encourage youth to pursue higher education and/or employment opportunities. The store's challenge is maintaining those high standards of responsibility and accountability for all employees, keeping it empowering and youth driven, yet never lowering the bar. "It's working . That said, there's always a kid [who] falls off," Rosenbaum says.Thomas Pineros Shields, a researcher at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, concurs with Rosenbaum that the model of on-the-job entrepreneurial learning works for some, but not for all. Still, because it's empowering, experiential learning works universally. "I'm a convert," he admits jokingly. The typical strategy among this population has been direct service, but on-the-job training looks at young people as having assets and being capable of contributing to society, Pineros Shields says. "When you provide opportunities for young people to have responsibility and to contribute, they'll rise to that occasion. I've definitely come to the conclusion that young people are more than just a bundle of needs," he says. "It's hard to undo 17 or 18 years of trauma or drama or dysfunction," Rosenbaum says. Still, when she maintains high expectations and the youth set high goals for themselves, "They rise to it every time." Pineros Shields currently works as the project manager for a research team at Heller that's evaluating the curriculum of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, an organization that partners with high schools in low-income communities to teach business skills. In the curriculum, students start their own businesses. Jodi, a trained NFTE teacher, infuses sections of the curriculum into workshops and trainings. "It's not just book learning," he says of NFTE. "It's based on the idea that you learn best by doing. Overall it's an approach of seeing young people not just as problems to be solved, but as contributors to society who are able to.participate as entrepreneurs." While Ricci, like others, has loved working at the store, she's honest about the stress that comes with the responsibility of running a business. Her most recent challenge has been planning author Anita Diamant's visit to the store at the end of last month. As the project manager, Ricci coordinated the event's logistics and communicated with Diamant regarding how everything would run. "I e-mailed back and forth with Anita," she says. I pause and look up at her from my notebook. "Anita?" I ask. Rosenbaum says teasingly, "Oh, e-mailing back and forth with Anita. That's what I'm talking about." "I just try not to think of her as a big, famous writer," Ricci responds. That confident attitude seems a far cry from how she felt when she first arrived. "I was worried that I was going to mess something up and be gone in two weeks," she says. A few days later I'm back in the store for the big event. Ricci, who wears her blonde hair in pigtails and dresses in black pants and a white button-down shirt, appears cool and collected. She greets customers as they peruse the shelves and nibble on refreshments, and she smoothly introduces Diamant, who answers questions about her latest book of essays, Pitching my Tent and her 2005 bestseller The Red Tent.In the intimate, warm space in the back, Diamant sits in a chair next to employees Jazmin Cunha, 18, and Gordon Doristin to answer the questions. They ask her poignant questions about how women today compare to women in the Bible, how religion influences her writing, how she got into writing and the differences between men and women.After the event, Cunha shares with me her relief that it's over. "I don't know if you saw me, but I was shaking," she says, adding, "I just tried to keep my head high." She appeared calm and always kept a steady tone. As I walk around the store, I try to approach as many employees as I can. Banks, a 22-year-old alumnus who left six months ago, tells me about how he stays in touch with the store, welcoming the opportunity to perform his lyrics at open mic nights, helping with training and More Than Words presentations to the public. "I'm a regular favorite," he says. "I'm always here." Instead of emphasizing any troubled past, employees tell me about their duties at the store and their hopes for the future. I move on to Manny Sanchez, 17, who spoke before Diamant about what it means to him to work at More Than Words. As a manager, Sanchez frequently represents the store to the public through presentations and interviews youth who apply for work. I ask him if he was nervous about speaking today before the audience. Without a moment's pause, he answers that he feels comfortable and confident in front of even 500 people. "Mostly what I was nervous about was that Anita Diamant was here. Other than that, this was just another presentation for me." He hopes to attend Bentley College and study business.Cunha, a senior at Newton South High School, has been with More Than Words for four months. A day or two before the event, I interviewed her at the store. She speaks eloquently and appears sophisticated, her short black hair rounding her face. She admits that working at the bookstore has been a life changing experience, but it hasn't always been easy."Truthfully, it's been up and down. I have my lows and I have my highs," she says. The hardest part, she says, has been realizing that she's growing up, but the best part has been picking up the business and social skills she needs for the future.Rosenbaum jumps in with a suggestion of Cunha's assets. "I think you've also uncovered leadership skills," referring specifically to a recent team meeting when Cunha "empowered" everyone during a run through for the event. Team meetings (led by and for the youth) are held every Wednesday evening. Cunha is hoping to attend Pine Manor College next year, an all women's institution. "It's just really nice. It's really relaxing," she says of the campus. Gordon took Cunha and others on a tour of the college recently. Beyond college, Cunha dreams of traveling the world. Some Brandeis students and staff not only shop at the store, but also contribute to it. Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams, who serves on the store's board of directors, taught a six-week creative writing workshop last year. The workshop included discussions on the meaning behind an artist's pen name, different genres of poetry, like haikus, limericks and free style, and time for the youth to produce an anthology of poetry and practice performing their pieces. Adams was most moved by the candor and fearlessness the youth expressed in their "raw" and "unbreakable" poems. "I don't know if they even see their brilliance, so I like that," Adams says. It's unfortunate, however that some may discount their abilities because of the challenges they've faced, he says. He would like to see Brandeis students share their interests with the youth and teach workshops of their own. While Waltham Group led a successful "Dump and Run" last year, which yielded 1,200 books for More Than Words, Rosenbaum said she would love to see greater collaboration with a university. "We would love to get picked up by a university," she says. "That would be my dream." Specifically, she hopes a university will allow More Than Words to place receptacles around a campus for students, staff and faculty to drop off old books for the store. Adams says Brandeis could potentially partner with the store.Other store goals include opening a café in the next few months, hiring another transitions manager, starting up a local slam poetry team and spreading the More Than Words model to other communities. "The hope is that it becomes infectious," Adams says.
(01/15/08 5:00am)
After a month-long layoff, the men's and women's indoor track teams were just hoping to use last Saturday's Bowdoin College Invitational to gear up for future matches.The Judges achieved that goal, but it did not result in a win for either team. The women's team finished in second place out of three teams with 129 points, just four points shy of first-place Bowdoin, while the men's team finished third out of four teams with 66 points. "The key is always to come back from break and just have a solid performance to kick off the second semester," Dan Suher '08 said. "In terms of that goal, we met [it] far and wide." This result came despite the absence of distance runners Hannah Lindholm '10, Beth Pisarik '10 and Meaghan Casey '09. Lindholm and Pisarik were two of the top runners during last fall's cross country season, while Casey provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships during last year's outdoor track season."We could have scored much higher if we would have had everyone, but everybody did compete well," coach Mark Reytblat said.The women's team had nine first-place finishes, three of which involved Ali Sax '09. Sax won the long jump and the triple jump with leaps of 4.74 and 10.41 meters, respectively, and was also a member of the Judges' 4-by-200 relay team that took first place with a time of 1 minute, 51.33 seconds. "I did a lot of events, so I was a bit tired throughout the whole [meet]," Sax said. "I had three events going at once, so it was hectic in that sense."The Judges also took the top two slots in four different events. In the one-mile run, rookie Grayce Selig '11 won her first-ever collegiate race, as her time of 5:26:48 was .47 seconds better than teammate Katy Agule '09. Emily Owen '11 also won her first-ever collegiate event, taking the 600-meter run in 1:45:73, while fellow rookie Marie Lemay '11 won the 800-meter event and was part of the winning 4-by-400-meter relay team.Other wins came from Olivia Alford '08 in the 400-meter dash and Suzanne Bernier '10 in the high jump. With the absence of Lindholm, Pisarik and Casey, several players had to compete in new events. Bessie Bianco '08 competed in the triple jump for the first time in her career, and while she finished fourth out of four competitors, she contributed three points to the team's overall score simply by participating. Adie Sprague '08, usually a hurdler and sprinter, competed in the 600-meter event, finishing third out of eight players."Everyone did all their events. No one backed out of any of them," Alford said. "We had people doing events they hadn't done before, and we're just trying to expand [which] people do what events so we can get more points for the future." While the men's team did not fare quite as well, it also put up some solid performances despite missing several key runners. Rookie Sam Donovan '11 won the 1000-meter event with a time of 2:40:13, just ahead of second-place finisher Jeremy Goldenberg '11. The Judges also took the top two spots in the 800-meter event, as Dan Suher '08 took first with a time of 2:01:25 and Ben Bray '11 was second with a time of 2:02:74. Captain Patrick Gregoire '08 took second in the 55-meter sprint, finishing only behind USM's Derek Murchie, but was not happy with his performance."I just tried focusing a little harder [between the preliminaries and the finals], and I'm a little disappointed in myself that I wasn't keeping up," he said. "I just need to get back on the wheel and do a little bit more actual racing training." In the jumping events, Frank Longo '08 competed in four events due to the absence of Matt Hohmann '11 and Shyam Vimal '09. His best result was a third-place finish in the high jump.The track teams next compete at home in the Reggie Poyau Memorial Jan. 19 at noon.
(11/20/07 5:00am)
The Senate unanimously passed a resolution calling on the administration to deny a request from Student Events to receive money directly from the Student Activities Fee. The Senate confirmed Matt Rogers '08 and Fanny Familia '09 as the student representatives to the Firearms Advisory Committee established by University President Jehuda Reinharz. The Senate confirmed the change of the Outdoors and Mountaineering Club's name to Brandeis Mountain Club to reflect the club's commitment to organizing a variety of activities.The senate recognized the Gen Ed Now Club, which aims to emulate a speaker series program organized for seniors at Brandeis during the 1950s and 1960s. The club hopes to organize thematic speaker series open to the whole campus speaking on topics such as climate change or political satire.The Senate recognized the Brandeis IT Entrepreneurship club, which has the goal of providing a forum and networking opportunity for students interested in business opportunities related to information technology. The Senate recognized the ONE Brandeis chapter. ONE is a national campaign lobbying elected officials to allocate more foreign aid toward alleviating poverty and fighting diseases such as AIDS and malaria. The senate did not recognize the Choon Woo Ha: Get a Girlfriend club, presented by Yuki Hasegawa '09, senator for the Class of 2009. The Senate tabled a bylaw amendment that would confirm renaming the Student Union Office for Judicial and Academic Advocacy to Student Union Office for Student Conduct Advisors.?The amendment didn't pass.The Senate tabled a bylaw amendment to change the name of the Project Brandeis University Spirit Committee to the University Spirit Committee. It shifts focus to encouraging University Spirit in general. Director of Academic Affairs Kimberlee Bachmann '08 reported the take-your-professor-to-lunch initiative would take place again next semester after a number of successful years.Senators Tamar Ariel '10 for East Quad, Jenna Brofsky for the Class of 2010 and Rebecca Wilkof '10 for the Castle reported that big-screen plasma TVs would be set up in the Castle Commons, the East Airplane Lounge and the Shapiro Lounge. Director of Union Affairs Jason Gray '10 said there were processes by which Finance Board funds could be reallocated. Student Union Treasurer Choon Woo Ha '08 said that in discussions with Student Events Director Lauren Adler, the F-Board had established that it could provide Student Events with some discretionary funds. -Miranda Neubauer
(11/20/07 5:00am)
The Union Senate confirmed two students who will serve as representatives on the new Firearms Advisory Committee last Sunday.Student Union President Shreeya Sinha '09 chose Matt Rogers '08 and Fanny Familia '09 to join her. Professors Robert Moody (THA) and Paul Jankowski (HIST), Chief Operating Officer Peter French and Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan will also serve on the committee. French will chair the committee. University President Jehuda Reinharz formed the committee at the end of last month to advise the University as it implements its policy of arming officers, a decision he reached in September after the recommendations of a committee of students, faculty and staff that convened over the summer. Reinharz originally ordered that the new committee be comprised of two faculty members, two graduate students, two undergraduate students and two staff members. Sinha e-mailed an application for the committee to the entire student body Nov. 5. The committee will convene after Thanksgiving, she said, adding that the student representatives' goal will be to gather student opinions on the issue through forums and visits to club meetings. Sinha said Reinharz charged her with organizing the selection of the students. Together with three senators and Vice President Alex Braver '09, she selected the students from a group of 25 applicants, she said. Senator for Ziv Quad Justin Sulsky '09, who helped Sinha with her decisions, said the additional panel members each viewed some of the applications before they came together to interview five finalists. Rogers said he wanted to be on the committee "to ensure that all students' interests, regardless of what those interests are, were represented." He added that he didn't think the fact "that there's just three of us means that other student input will be ignored."Rogers said he was still undecided about his opinion on the decision to arm. "I feel like there were issues with the process itself but that the decision .was made by people who have the best interests of the university in mind, and therefore I would tend to say that I don't have a particular problem with the decision."In an e-mail to the Justice, Familia wrote that she saw two sides to the arming issue. "One is that it is a bad decision to arm Brandeis officers because these students already feel unsafe and intimidated by the officers," she wrote. "On the other hand, with recent tragedies in colleges and Universities, . arming Brandeis officers will delay response time and can be the difference in the outcome if such an event were to occur on our campus." At last Sunday's senate meeting, Familia said she aimed to "be a messenger of student's concerns." She added that "Shreeya, Matt and I . all recognize that our role in the committee is to convey the information we gather from students." Some members of Students Opposed to the Decision to Arm, a campus club formed by Ben Serby '10, also applied to serve on the committee. "I'm disappointed that nobody who's actively been working on the issue in any way is going to be participating on the committee," SODA member Phil Lacombe '10, one of the five finalists for the committe, said.He added that he thought SODA members could also be open-minded about arming. "Someone from our group should have been selected specifically because it's very important.that you have someone who can take a critical look at whatever anyone suggests," he said. Lacombe said at least one other student from the group had applied. Braver said the Union's selection panel "didn't immediately rule out anybody from SODA," and looked for students who could advocate for their peers as well as work with administrators. However, Class of 2008 Senator Darren Gallant, another member of the panel, said "It's hard to choose someone whose organization is against [the] decision." Rogers and Familia, Gallant explained, "were very focused on the implementation, not the [past decision]."Braver, one of the student representatives on the committee that reached the decision to arm over the summer, said he "found it difficult to communicate with my constituents over the summer because they weren't all here." He said he hoped for better communication this time around. Sinha said the panel unanimously agreed on the final selection. "They both came from different communities that had issues with the arming of campus police," she said, noting that Familia is involved with the Intercultural Center and Rogers was a member of the Activist Resource Center. "[Familia] is a student who keeps in mind that many of her peers do not have a one hundred percent positive view of the police," Sulsky said. "We feel it was very, very important to have that type of view on the committee.
(11/13/07 5:00am)
Although none of the Judges' cross country runners qualified for the NCAA championships, many can say they ended the year running faster than at any other point in the season.Brandeis got personal-best performances from several runners at the New England Division III championships last Saturday. The men's team finished in ninth place out of 47 teams, while the women's team finished 18th out of 47 squads."The finish was a bit disappointing, but I think it was a pretty good day," Tim Condon '08 said. "A lot of our guys [set personal records], so it was a nice way to finish off the season."Amherst College won the meet, edging Williams College by a single point.Despite the strong performances, no Brandeis runner qualified for the NCAA championships. Mekonen Gendebo '11, fresh off clinching the University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year award Oct. 27, came closest, but a 21st-place time of 25 minutes, 20 seconds missed the mark by a mere seven seconds. "[Gendebo] ran awesome," coach John Evans said. "Being the second freshman to finish is a great achievement."Though he failed to qualify for Nationals, Gendebo still put forth his best effort of the season. His time was 22 seconds faster than it was at the UAA Championships, and it marked the third straight time that Gendebo ran faster than he did in the previous meet. For his efforts, Gendebo was named an all-New England performer. Condon, in his final college race, finished second on the team and 44th overall with a time of 25:45. It was easily Condon's fastest time of the season, but the second team all-UAA performer last year never got into a rhythm this season after a knee injury kept him out for the entire offseason and the first half of the year."[Condon] didn't start training until August, so you're talking about nine months where he wasn't running," Evans said. "Missing nine months is a long time, and if you miss that much time, you aren't going to be at the level that you want to be."Matt Jennings '09 finished third on the team and 50th overall with a time of 25:49, while Mike Stone '09 and Paul Norton '11 rounded out the Judges' scoring with 64th- and 81st-place overall finishes, respectively.On the women's side, Ally Connolly '09 had a strong end to the season, finishing with a personal-best time of 23:37. Connolly said she didn't think she did anything too differently in this race, but admitted she had to push herself toward the end of the race."I felt like I had earned the right to run well because I had trained so hard over the summer and done a lot of workouts this year," she said. "I was thinking a lot about that during the race, especially when I was getting tired."Marie Lemay '11 and Hannah Lindholm '11 closed their rookie campaigns with 105th- and 117th-place overall finishes, respectfully, while captain Katy Agule '09 and Emily Terrin '08 finished in 126th and 136th place, respectively.Young players fueled the efforts of both teams throughout the season. The men's squad had high hopes, but injuries to Condon and John Guilinger '08, as well as the preseason transfer of Brian McDonald '10 robbed the team of three of its most experienced runners. Still, the emergence of Gendebo provided a silver lining to the season, while Jennings, Stone, Norton and a host of other rookies are all set to return."We just relied on too many freshmen this year," Evans said. "It's hard to say whether it was a good season or a bad season; it was just a strange season."The women's team relied on several young players all season, and they developed throughout the year, finishing with strong times towards the end. Terrin is the only key runner set to graduate this spring, as Connolly, Lemay, Lindholm and Agule will all return a year more experienced."For us, being a really young team, we ended on a positive note with many of us having personal records," Agule said. "Next year, we're going to improve drastically, especially with our freshmen being done with their first college season."Evans said that while this fall was not one of the team's most successful ones, the rookie runners, particularly Gendebo, Norton, Lindholm and Lemay, provide the program with a lot of promise for the future."All the freshmen have shown they are going to be really good in the next few years," Evans said. "The program is on the upswing.
(10/30/07 4:00am)
When Mekonen Gendebo '11 finished his race at the University Athletic Association championships Saturday, he was initially overjoyed because his ninth-place finish out of 78 runners ensured that he would earn the UAA Rookie of the Year award. But once he heard where the team finished, Gendebo's mood changed immediately."I was telling all my teammates [about my finish], and I was really, really, happy, but once I found out where we finished, that was all gone," he said. Despite Gendebo's heroics, the men's cross country team finished in fifth place out of eight teams in Boston this weekend with 124 points, and the Judges were just three points shy of third-place Case Western Reserve University. It was a significant step down from last year's second-place finish at this event. The women's team finished in sixth place with 144 points, one spot below last season's fifth-place finish.Gendebo has emerged as the team's top runner this year, and he put a stamp on his season with his performance Saturday. His time of 25 minutes, 47 seconds was his fastest of the season and marked the third consecutive meet in which his time improved. He said he was thinking about winning the UAA Rookie of the Year while he raced, explaining that it spurred him to run his fastest instead of causing him to tighten up. "Usually, when I'm running, I'm thinking about how tired I am, but this time, I was thinking, 'I'm doing great, I'm going to be Rookie of the Year,' and that definitely helped me a lot," he said.Gendebo set a blistering pace early, emerging as the race's leader for the first 800 meters. But he struggled to keep that up and eventually was passed by over 20 runners. With his Rookie of the Year hopes fading fast, Gendebo rebounded, passing several runners late in the race to break back into the top 10."[The key] was my mental preparation," Gendebo said. "For the past few weeks, [this meet] was all I was thinking about."Matt Jennings '09 and Mike Stone '09 were the Judges' next two finishers, placing 21st and 26th, respectively, while rookies Paul Norton '11 and Dan Anastos '11 came in 31st and 38th to round out the Judges' scoring. The squad didn't get much help from its senior members. John Guilinger '08 attempted to return from a heel injury he suffered Sept. 22, but the pain was too much, and he ended up withdrawing. Tim Condon '08, a second-team all-UAA performer last season, raced but struggled mightily, finishing seventh on the team and 53rd overall with a time of 26:52, 1:04 slower than his time at last year's event."I just don't think I'm in as good a shape as I had been in the past few years," Condon said. The women's team, however, was slightly more upbeat about its sixth-place finish, considering last season's senior-laden squad, led by Megan Bisceglia '07, Sarah Romain '07 and Camille Stevens-Rumann '07, only finished one spot higher."For our age, I think we did well," captain Katy Agule '09 said.For the third consecutive week, Marie Lemay '11 was the team's top finisher, this time placing 24th with a time of 24:14. "It was kind of hard for me to know how to pace myself, but I felt like I did the best I could and I'm happy in the end," Lemay said.Agule, who finished in 27th place with a time of 24:19, also paced herself more slowly at the beginning, but used a fast kick in the final 400 meters to pass several runners. Hannah Lindholm '11, Beth Pisarik '11 and Ally Connolly '09 rounded out the Judges scoring with 33rd-, 36th- and 38th-place finishes, respectively.Both teams now hope to rebound at the New England Division III Championships Nov. 10, and while players were disappointed with Saturday's finish, they're relieved to have another chance to perform strongly."UAAs are a big meet, of course, because it's our conference meet, but we never really see [UAA teams] much," Agule said. "If you place well, it helps you, but if you really wanted to continue your season, it's [the next meet] that counts, so I'm just looking forward to [that].
(10/30/07 4:00am)
After a humbling 4-0 loss at No. 12 Emory University Friday night, coach Mike Coven, in an attempt to create more offense, shuffled the men's soccer team's starting lineup prior to Sunday's contest at Carnegie Mellon University. The new lineup still didn't score a goal, though it did help snap the team's University Athletic Association losing streak. The Judges' 0-0 tie against Carnegie Mellon salvaged a potentially devastating weekend and was the first game Brandeis didn't lose in UAA play this season. With one game left in the season, the Judges are 8-8-3 overall and 0-5-1 in conference play following Tuesday's 1-0 victory at Lasell College, which gave Coven his 400th career victory (see story, left).Despite the tie, Coven wasn't pleased that the Judges once again failed to score against a UAA team. Brandeis extended its scoring drought against conference opponents to 526 minutes, or roughly 5 1/2 games. "It was a very disappointing weekend," Coven said. "We had two full games of soccer with two overtime [periods], and we didn't score a goal." A lack of offensive production has plagued the Judges all season, as the team has scored more than two goals in a game just four times this season. After the loss to Emory, Coven shook up the starting backline, moving Brett Fitzgerald '08 to the center midfield position. David Weinstein '08, usually the right back, moved to Fitzgerald's sweeper position while rookie Matt Hohmann '11 made his first start of the season in Weinstein's regular spot. Only left back Joe Levitan '08 remained in the same position. The switch didn't result in any goals, but the offense was able to attempt 11 shots Sunday after only attempting four against Emory Friday. The switch also didn't hurt the team defensively, as the Judges stopped every Carnegie scoring opportunity.Goalie Taylor Bracken '10 had four saves, including two as regulation was winding down in the 88th and 89th minutes, respectively, en route to recording his fifth shutout of the season. "It was a hard-fought game," midfielder Evan Duval '08 said. "We're happy with the result, but we should have won. We had the opportunity to win, but couldn't put it away."Fitzgerald was impressed with the Judges' resiliency, as they played without injured starters Ben Premo '09 and Alex Ball '08. In their places, rookies Mark Minevich '11, Kyle Gross '11 and Stephen Kostel '11 all saw their roles increase. "We have a lot of injuries, so it's big that [the rookies] stepped up and performed at a high level," Fitzgerald said. While the Judges stayed competitive throughout Sunday's game, they never found their rhythm in Friday night's loss to Emory. The Eagles dominated from the start, scoring two quick goals in the 17th and 19th minutes, respectively, before adding two goals late in the second half to hand Brandeis a 4-0 defeat. "We were outplayed for 90 minutes," Coven said. "For the first 15 minutes of the game the ball went back and forth, and we were psychologically in it. [But] we gave up a horrendously cheap goal and became deflated." The Judges defeated Lasell College 1-0 last Tuesday at home, giving coach Coven his 400th career victory. Midfielder Alex Mithoefer '09 scored the lone goal in the 66th minute to secure the historic win for Brandeis. As the final seconds ticked away, Levitan and Kevin Murphy '09 doused Coven's head in Gatordade, as is the custom when a coach reaches a milestone. Coven became only the 10th coach in Division III history to win 400 career games. Though the team's hopes of defending last season's Eastern College Athletic Conference crown are slim, Duval said he thinks Sunday's tie can provide the Judges with positive momentum heading into the last game of the season. "It'll be a little more positive on the plane ride home," he said. "Practice all week will be a little more positive."The Judges play their final game of the season, a UAA home contest against New York University Saturday at 11 a.m.
(09/25/07 4:00am)
The Senate went into executive session to discuss the possible impeachment or censure of Secretary Michael Goldman '08 for revealing vote tallies to candidates before the conclusion of an election. A resolution was developed, censuring Goldman by removing his access to election software (see article, p. 3).Newly elected quad senators and senators for the Class of 2011, Assistant Treasurer Max Wallach '09 and Senior Representative to the Alumni Association Matt Brown '08 were sworn in.Union Advocate Brian Paternostro '07 announced his appointment of Laura Cohen '09 as an Office of Judicial and Academic Advocacy counsel member, and Cohen was sworn in.Assistant treasurers presented their budget to the Senate. After a 20-minute recess, this budget was approved. The Martin Luther King & Friends club, which hopes to provide further community service opportunities to Brandeis and support MLK Scholars during their time at Brandeis, requested and received recognition.Sridatta Mukherjee '09 announced that the Village late-night eatery will be managed by Aramark, but will search for student input. Students will be able to pay with WhoCash and points.A group promoting vegan lifestyle, Compassion to Realize Alternative Living Today: Eat received a charter. Some senators wanted to see the group have more contact with the campus nutritionist and other food-related clubs on campus.The Brandeis Humanists requested and received recognition.The Scuba Club and the Brandeis University Students for Sensible Drug Policy requested and received a charter.Paternostro announced that the Liquid Latex-sponsored "Anything But Clothes" dance is rescheduled for a weekend in the beginning of November, depending on when Triskelion schedules its fall dance. -Michelle Minkoff
(05/01/07 4:00am)
What's funnier than bondage, mustaches and bacon fights? How about Boris' Kitchen's spring show, "Allergic Reactions," which ran Saturday and Friday and combined prerecorded and live sketches? Within the first five minutes of the show, the audience was already itching with laughter from the very clever "Who's who" video, and the "Quick fix" sketch that introduced the theme. Who else could have though of a heroine epi-pen other than the talented comics of Boris' Kitchen? Nothing could compare to the laughter that echoed through the Shapiro Theater during the "All Tied Up" video. It featured Mike Martin '09 dressed in an expensive bondage suit, and Brian Melcher '10 as his master. Melcher led Martin on a leash through the C-Store during extremely busy lunchtime hours, as Martin carried and paid for his master's groceries. He received a "Have a nice day, Sweetie," from the cashier, and some say they saw a tour going by in the background. For future warning, one must know that there is a 99 percent chance that Martin will be partially nude during every Boris' show.But even a nude Boris' boy couldn't bring the audience into anaphylactic shock as much as the "Mustache Sketch" video did-this was, simply put, the highlight of the show. Here, David Klasko '07, Joshua Louis Simon '07, and Efrem Kleinman '07 brought the audience into tears of laughter with their silent film. Special guest Beck Holden '08 sported a curled mustache, so of course it was Boris' job to do something with this funny facial hair. The film was outlandishly hilarious, the performance by the three senior Boris boys witty and hysterical.After introductions, the show began on a very serious note with the "Playground Wars," and more importantly, the coming Playground Captain Elections. Of course, Ron Kendler '09 stupefied the audience with his 2nd-grader impressions, and was rightly cast for this political parody. Robin Farber '09 led a compelling debate on the War on Homework, and attacked Simon, calling him a "poo-face." Later in the show, Matt Hope '09 and Sarah Jacobs '09 performed a cute but creepy rendition of "The Care Bears." Everything was sunshine and rainbows until Rasta-bear and the drunken bear (played by Amy Hoffmann '10 and Kleinman) came along. The sketch was funny and well-executed with special costumes for the bears, which only added to the hilarity. Boris' Kitchen never fails to bring its audience the most important news of today during their "The News" sketch. Simon and Rachel Hillman '07 were the Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey of Brandeis, and had some funny things to say Alec Baldwin and castle dwellers, but the sketch itself dragged on too long and could have been more economical. Klasko's war-correspondent interlude again reminded Boris' viewers that no shirt and pants are necessary, but please wear a tie. Another great performance belonged to Sam Roos '09 in "Eatin Out," a unique rap video in which he confused many but had us all laughing by the end. But a true crowd favorite was the guest appearance of Prof. Harry Michael Coiner (ECON) in the "Cheeseburgers and Soy Milk" sketch. Here, he taught a young class of Boris' a very complicated version of Home Economics. Other great performances included Simon and Klasko as the paper clip and Microsoft Word wizard helping with a suicide note. Overall, the Boris' Kitchen spring show was a success and an awesome evening of entertainment. There were a few short sketches in which punch lines were missed, but still Boris went beyond any adrenaline shot.
(04/17/07 4:00am)
It sometimes feels that, from an institutional standpoint, alcohol is anathema to the Office of Student Life. Bound by state and local laws-and the fiscal consequences if the University's liquor license is revoked-the department is perceived by students to be, for lack of a better term, a "hard-ass," at least when it comes to drinking. There's obeying the law and there's not coming within 10 feet of the law to avoid any possible violation-and Brandeis rarely passes up on the latter.So administrators find themselves in this unfortunate position between not being fined and helping students-we are, after all, the reason why they work in that field (or so it is to be hoped). But by poor luck, or whatever you'd call it, Brandeis is located in a state with lingering strains of Puritanism-can you imagine any other city with so many "young" people shutting down so early? So there's an exaggerated aura of distrust and harshness that's framing this entire give-and-take.But it is somewhat comforting to know that all this alcohol stuff isn't just an issue at Brandeis, or (charitably) Massachusetts. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the president emeritus of Middlebury College has started a campaign for a federal law to allow states to lower the legal drinking age to 18. (The current law is that any state whose drinking age is under 21 loses 10 percent of its highway funding.)There is, however, a catch, one that is actually at least somewhat reasonable: 18-to-20-year-olds would need a separate "drinking license," much like the provisional drivers' licenses issued to young drivers in many states. If they break drinking laws-by drunk driving, public drunkenness and such-they would forfeit the license and have to wait.But because of the fervent opposition of such groups as Mothers Against Drunk Driving-whose CEO, interestingly enough, is a man-this movement seems to have only a slightly better chance of success than the one to legalize marijuana use. But the fact remains: It doesn't make sense that an 18-year-old can be conscripted and vote, but not order a glass of wine with dinner.Back at Brandeis, this seemingly odd duality between personal opinions and professional outlook also exists. A few staffers-I'll leave them nameless out of respect-have, on multiple occasions, joked to me about the topic (mostly on my discomfort over their openly talking about it, but that's another issue entirely). Rick Sawyer, the head of the office, has often said, never this succinctly ("bluntly" would also be appropriate), that his job would be easier if the legal age were 18, as it was when he first came to Brandeis in the early '80s; there were not "unusual problems" then.Drinking was done primarily "in the open," so the results weren't as messy as they are today, so to speak. As the Justice has harped on in our editorials a few times this year, no one wins in those situations. While fewer 18-year-olds are involved in drunk-driving accidents, I would guess that more are treated for alcohol poisoning than in the past.Here, at least, the combination of younger students having the opportunity to drink almost whenever and the fear of repercussions results in an unduly unsafe environment.It's nearly universally acknowledged that college students who want to drink will do so. When they do it unsafely because they are afraid of the very people who are supposed to be their resource-Student Life administrators and staffers-those intended resources have failed. That's why I'm relieved to see that Student Life has been persuaded to test a less cumbersome alcohol policy at SpringFest next weekend: no beer garden, but wristbands and big X's. Hopefully this will go over well, and students and administrators alike can spend their time worrying about more important matters.
