(10/12/04 4:00am)
The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the Middle East Forum at Brandeis sponsored a discussion with Ahood Al-Fadhal, Iraq's first elected female government official, last Wednesday at the Rose Art Museum. About 80 students and visitors came to hear Al-Fadhal talk about her experiences during and after Saddam Hussein's regime."I tell the Arabs here that we appreciate the freedom," Al-Fadhal said. "We are very thankful and grateful for [the Americans] and we also appreciate the liberation and freedom. I want to say to the mothers and fathers, who lost their sons and daughters, we are very sorry. I am here to say [to] the U.S. army [we are] very thankful [to them] for putting their life on the line for us."This was Al-Fadhal's first visit to the United States. She returned to Basra on Friday, after a month of speaking to students, teachers, the local media, the army and parents of soldiers around the country. Marc Narotsky '06, an organizer of the event and a member of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, explained the purpose of the lecture. "It humanizes the conflict," Narotsky said. "It lets the world know that there are millions of people that are free, thanks to the liberation of Iraq."Al-Fadhal also spoke about the improved situation for women and the biases of the media in America. "What you read in the newspaper is not correct," Al-Fadhal said. Students had mixed responses to her comments."Because of this, I am starting to understand the importance of supporting Iraq at this crucial stage in this historical matter," Jimmy Kamel '07 said. "Lack of support from the neighboring countries is detrimental to the development, especially at a point in its history as crucial as this."Hannah Ramer '08 said she was skeptical about the validity of Al-Fadhal's talk."She gave a one-sided view but she was very positive [and] optimistic," Ramer said. "I was admittedly very surprised by that.""It's really interesting to hear someone's perspective from inside the country as opposed to our media and our presidential candidates talking of it," Lindsey Saunders '07 said.Al-Fadhal said that the American media prefers to print stories about violence. She said when American troops came into Basra-Iraq's third largest city-everybody left their homes to celebrate in the street.Al-Fadhal has a degree in communications from the University of Baghdad. She is a trained journalist, but said she could not work under Hussein's regime because of her status in society. She said that she spent her days at home, worrying if there was enough money to feed her children and if they would be imprisoned. Hussein killed Al-Fadhal's three brothers, and her family has spent time in prison because her husband's mother is Iranian. Al-Fadhal said that Hussein was an uneducated man and that under his rule, Iraq suffered from neglect. She said there were no scholarships, the university had no new books and no connection existed with the outside world.Under Hussein's regime, she said there were only two newspapers in Iraq- one owned by him and the other by his son. But now, she said Iraq has over 200 publications in circulation. Al-Fadhal is currently the editor of the Iraqi Women's Echo. She said that the newsletter reports on the struggles and problems that Iraqi women face.
(10/05/04 4:00am)
Few albums this year have polarized critics and listeners as much as The Fiery Furnaces' Blueberry Boat. Clocking in at just under eighty minutes, the sprawling work has been labeled by many as an "indie rock opera." Marked by an imaginative, child-like narrative and infectiously minimalist keyboard-driven accompaniment, Blueberry Boat secured The Fiery Furnaces a place in music history outside of the recent garage-rock revival where they had haphazardly been lumped after last year's debut album Gallowsbird's Bark-it is hard to deny the ambition of their latest effort. While it defies conventional pop and rock standards regarding song structure, length and narrative style, Blueberry Boat is ultimately a much more traditional album than it is given credit for. The seemingly non-linear sequencing and spontaneous dynamic, tempo and mood-changes of each song mirror the story being told lyrically with astonishing precision. Siblings Matt and Eleanor Friedberger have created a sound that embraces the music of the 60's while ignoring the aesthetic and conventions that typically define it, removing the boundaries so many rock musicians almost unconsciously place on themselves. After getting their foot in the door of the corporate music machine, the Furnaces have shown utter disregard for the expectations externally placed on them, creating an album with no discernable single and no definitive audience. While touring with the likes of Wilco and the Shins may seem glamorous, the future of the band will undoubtedly be an uphill struggle. Before and after their show at Brandeis Saturday night, I was able to sit down with Matt (and later Eleanor) to discuss the band, the music and the industry. justArts: I'm not necessarily going to be asking you questions about the tour, or about the brother/sister dynamic or anything.Matt Friedberger: Oh, that's too bad. JA: I just wanted to actually talk to you about music. You just mentioned these "better bands." What better bands are out there? What music do you like?MF: I like Bob Dylan a lot. I listen to that. And then, I listen to the Rolling Stones a lot. And I listen to Brazilian beat music, this sort of Brazilian rock music. JA: I hear you guys being compared to other bands and it really seems to be more based off an aesthetic than off the way you sound. When I listen to your music I hear traces of The Who, I think Bob Dylan in terms of the narrative structure, some Beatles and Velvet Underground, Rolling Stones. MF: Well, that's because... people are trying to compare you to bands that play now as opposed to what you listen to. Other bands, they listen to the same records- well, I don't know. Maybe they don't. But... they drop some famous names. They say, 'Oh, we try to sound like The Who and the Beatles and the Beach Boys.'JA: Well, obviously, that's somewhat all encompassing.MF: That's true. But also, you can say that because it makes you sound good. But you're probably not as good as The Beatles.JA: Yeah. But, then again, it's not like you sound like the White Stripes.MF: No, we don't go down that road. I don't know what to say. But that's an interesting, that's a good thing. Because they're always cases-it's a genre thing, it's a rock 'n' roll genre thing to take one band and compare them to another band. JA: Do you feel pigeonholed?MF: No, because... we get stored with a lot of different pigeons... So it doesn't really matter. But it's important that people have arbitrary reactions, I guess, because its pop music and you're supposed to take [it] in and then use it however you will. If you write a song that's supposed to sound like the Who and it's about a cell phone salesman in Western Asia, and I have a guy come up to me and say 'Hey, I really like that song,'- I'm talking about [the song] "Straight Street." He said, 'I couldn't walk down Straight Street, help me, because, I came out last year and now I couldn't walk down." And [the song's] not anything about that. But, for him, he used it in that way. I mean, that's an exaggeration. People will think of the lyrics meaning anything they want it to. And they're going to imagine the song sounds like whatever they like or don't like. That's a legitimate part of rock music. It's very arbitrary.JA: I wanna ask you about something you've said, obviously somewhat tongue-in-cheek, about-MF: What, about us being bad?JA: I mean, it's obviously relative. You're opening for Wilco.MF: We had this show that we played in Boston where a band called White Magic opened up for us. And White Magic is a lot better than most rock bands. But we didn't pick them to open up for us, though we made friends with them. They were just put on the tour... But the letters people wrote us and the fan mail and internet forums and blogs, writing about White Magic-they hated them. People who were our fans! But opening bands are there to be disliked. You're supposed to be irritated by them. I remember when I was a kid you thought of opening bands in kind of two ways: If you go to see some dischord band who they bring on tour. You wanted to like them, because they were the band that this band who you admire brought on tour. Then some people thought of opening bands as, 'Fuck you, opening band. Get off the fucking stage...' The band was there for you to hate in order for you to like the other band that much more. And that's why it's interesting to play in the opening spot for such like a big, big band. JA: Or even the trend now of people just not showing up for the opening band.MF: Yeah, you don't show up. But if you do show up, you show up back in the bar or whatever.JA: That's kind of a shame, though, because there are a lot of great opening bands. That's how you get your exposure, that's a necessary part.MF: That's right. And that's how it works for casual fans who go to live shows. They know they're going to put them out there and people are going to remember the name and go 'Oh, I know that band!' They'll remember the name and then six months later, nine months later, when they're told the band is good they go, 'Yeah, I saw that band! I'm gonna go see them again!' But it happens, though. It happens all the time. Even if they're awful, they say 'I saw them, I saw them.'JA: 'Everyone else says they're good, so they must have been good...'MF: But that's fine because there's no standard now, or I don't know if there was before, but people always talk about what they like and what they don't like, and in rock or in pop music... it's a very social phenomenon, for people to like a band. So it has to be considered good before you like it. It's very much a gesture for you to like a band when there're other people who, you think, don't really like it. I mean, to think, my friend doesn't like this band. The girl who I want to be my girlfriend probably doesn't like this band. But I'm gonna like them anyway because of this or that. Or the opposite.JA: Well why are you guys even making music? It isn't like it's easy. Why bother?MF: It's really important... well, there's no rationale... There's really only one good reason to do this and that's because you're compelled by emotion and the material. If you're a painter it's probably because you're fascinated by the disposition of paint on the medium. If you make you make rock music, the only thing that you're fascinated with is rock records. And you want to compose the elements of rock records you like in a different way or in a complimentary way. And that's the only excuse to do it. Or, that's what I think. It's immersion in whatever you think or whatever you envision, or imagine it the particular tradition or whatever it is you're playing, and then regurgitate it in a different way and playing with those traditions. Be respectful, but either developing those traditions or maybe debasing them. I don't mean doing a bad job with the tradition because sometimes it can be a great thing to produce something which reminds yourself and other people how great the model of it was... I think there are a lot of people who think that the mainstream should be rock, and I think that means that accepted rock can be more strange. People take that really seriously. People listen to rock music on, like, classic rock stations and you read-I mean, rock history is already written. JA: So many people want to hold onto this idea that there is a definitive history of "how things happened," and while that is necessary to some degree, it can be very misleading.MF: Exactly. You can go into the library and read it. The history of rock 'n' roll is written, intelligently. So you take standard theory, especially when you're 13 years old, 12 years old at the time. You read about the Sex Pistols playing, written in kind of probably stupid religious tones. JA: You're one of the only bands I've heard recently talking about their songs as stories.And storytelling, especially in the third person, is really absent in a lot of rock music today. It's really refreshing to hear an album that isn't so straightforward, that isn't like a confession, that isn't about 'how I felt that one day.' You're probably channeling those feelings into the music, but in a much more abstract way. But was there something you were going for when writing this record? Was there something you had in mind?MF: Depends on the song. I want to say it's very important, I think that rock music... can compete with movies and with TV as a narrative form. Because there's so much left- and I'm talking about bigger bands... But even popular bands, the amount of money the record industry has to invest in making a record and promoting it and everything is small compared to a movie or a TV show. But rock, it lends itself to telling stories. Rock bands can tell stories, and even popular bands, they're free to be much weirder than people who make films, movies or TV shows. I think it's an important opportunity to take, because people like stories. JA: There seems to be a split between bands being very earnest and sincere, versus becoming more cynical, which is kind of an obvious reaction to what's going on in the world today. You guys seem to be, for lack of a better word, playful... like a band that wants to have fun in a non-gimmicky way. Eleanor Friedberger: [The Flaming Lips] seem like a very playful band, and they have a balance that's kind of similar to ours.JA: I don't hear enough music like that played; people don't really seem to take that approach. They either take themselves too seriously, or they're intentionally not taking themselves too seriously. EF: That's true.F: That's what they like. They either like Ween or they like Morrissey and there's no in between. EF: It's a combination of, y'know, very crazy and like- the thing about Pavement, is like, obviously those guys were old friends... talking about music for a long time before they began writing, with similar tastes and they had a similar sense of humor and stuff, and that's the only things Matt and I have in common. JA: They were a bunch of guys who went to college together, didn't even live in the same part of the country, kept in touch, and made a record and toured every few years. MF: Really, the only reason it was good was because that guy [Steve Malkmus] was a really talented guy. And the only reason we're good is because Eleanor is a really talented girl.EF: Mmhmm! [Eleanor leaves]MF: Oh man, that was a good exit line.
(09/28/04 4:00am)
Looking for a group of intelligent, open-minded people who enjoy discussing and actively supporting conservative politics? Look no further than the Brandeis Republicans, a conservative sanctuary on the Brandeis campus. In weekly meetings, the Republicans provide a stimulating, tolerant and conservative atmosphere open to all Brandeis students, from the first-years to the post doctoral graduate students. It is in this tolerant atmosphere that one may safely proclaim his or her love for George W. Bush and his policies, share and discuss articles and books authored by witty and intelligent conservative pundits such as Ann Coulter and William F. Buckley Jr. or discuss the truth (or lies) behind certain political movies. While in the past membership and meeting attendance has been sub-par, this year has already kicked off to a fantastic start. Every club witnesses the usual high attendance at the first meeting of the year followed by a sharp decline the week after, but thus far, the Republicans have had many more members than they had in previous years. And these members don't just add bulk to the e-mail list rather the number of active members has also appeared to increase from previous years. Many of these new members have expressed their gratitude for the existence of the Republicans, mentioning how glad they are to have a place where they can express their political views and ideologies free from ridicule and intolerance, while at the same time socialize with their fellow Republicans. Besides strong membership, the Republicans are also facilitated by a dedicated, hard-working leadership. With a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, fundraising head and news and information director at the reins, the Republicans are looking forward to a successful, active year. It must be noted, however, that we are an extremely egalitarian club. While many clubs may have an executive board that does the brunt of the work to the extent that it appears the board is the club, the Republicans' leaders are simply there to facilitate and organize. What makes this club so great is that anyone can be as active and contribute as much as she or he is able, regardless of position.Thus far, the Republicans have some exciting, tentative plans for this school year with a two-fold purpose. All of them aim to provide members with the opportunity to socialize with their sometimes hard-to-come-by fellow Brandeis Republicans, while simultaneously educating the wider student body on Republican issues. The closest upcoming event is an outing to watch Celsius 41.11, a film released this month. This movie exposes the lies behind Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 (Interesting fact: Celsius 41.11 is the temperature at which the brain begins to die.) Also, this being an election year, the Republicans are hoping to have a series of debates held around the time of the presidential debates, as well as gatherings to watch the debates with discussions held directly afterwards. These debates and discussions will serve as excellent opportunities for students to learn more about Republicans and their views, as well as to dispel any misinterpretations of them. If things go well in November, the Republicans would like to have a giant victory bash to celebrate the spectacular news. The fun doesn't stop there. We are also planning to attend and sponsor more social events with Republican clubs from other universities and colleges, including Harvard, Boston University, Boston College, Babson, Amherst and Tufts. In this way, the Republican college youth of the Boston area will be better connected to each another. Further, the Republicans are hoping to have more dissemination of Republican articles, books and information to those interested. And of course, the ever-popular, fun-filled Conservative Coming Out week will be held during the spring semester. As a special event, we are currently trying to obtain a popular conservative pundit such as Ann Coulter to speak to the Brandeis Republicans and the entire community during that week. With dedicated, vibrant, and active members, and a promising series of educational and social events, it is clear that the Republicans will play a very active role on the Brandeis campus during this election year. Further, our role in during the academic year will not only be active, and multifaceted. The Republicans will attempt to correct any misinterpretations of conservative views, as well as to actively educate the campus on conservative issues. Perhaps more importantly, as expressed by many in the club, the Republicans not only exist to educate on conservative views, but also exist as a forum and gathering place for its members. Indeed, many members may consider the Republicans an arena where they are able to freely express their conservative views in a tolerant environment with like-minded individuals. The events this year will, thus, not only serve to provide much-needed information students should have in order to make a more balanced assessment of the candidates during the election, but they will also serve to provide an intellectual, open-minded outlet for Brandeis Republicans.
(09/14/04 4:00am)
The Middle East Forum at Brandeis and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies co-sponsored a discussion with Carlo Boccia, the director of homeland security for the City of Boston last Thursday in Usdan. The discussion focused on how the Sept. 11 attacks affected the way in which terrorist threats are dealt with in the Boston region and throughout the world. Boccia said he gathers and studies information provided by citizens to makes it easier for them to report any actions or people that may seem suspicious.Boccia is a distinguished expert in the field of homeland security. He is a graduate of The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and has worked for the federal government for 33 years in a number of capacities. "We are training the public," Boccia said. "They need to know what to remember, and a friendly place to deposit that information. . .we want to convert information into action." Boccia said that everybody conducting business must pay attention to who their customers are and to take note of anything unusual. He said he was happy about the progress being made in Boston toward this front, but he also acknowledged the long battle ahead. "We are pleading with everyone to participate to make this a safer environment," Boccia said, stressing that the fight against terror is an ever-changing work in progress.According to Boccia, after the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans united and produced a robust response. But six months later, he said he heard complaints about long lines at airport terminals due to tightened security measures. He said it is these small inconveniences that make people reluctant to take appropriate measures to prevent terrorist attacks. Boccia said four main areas of security need to be addressed-inter-agency cooperation, specialized equipment, more hands-on training and communication. "The collaborative environment constantly needs reinforcement," said Boccia. In the event of a catastrophic attack like 9/11, communication between the police, hospitals and private organizations needs to be as open as possible."Boccia also addressed the political effects of terror. He said neither United States presidential candidate addresses the appropriate issues regarding terror because they are more concerned with a "quick fix." The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies is a non-partisan think tank dedicated to educating people on the threat of terrorism. Two Brandeis students, Marc Narotsky '06 and Jessica Goldings '06 were undergraduate fellows for the foundation this summer. Goldings is a news editor of the Justice
(09/14/04 4:00am)
Just want to let you know about a forum that occurred in New York City last Sat., Sept. 11th, concerning how 9/11 did not happen as reported in the media, and the massacre was not attributed to Bin Laden.Also, engineers testified as to how the buildings did not collapse, but were, in fact, detonated.Please consult the following websites for more inf:www.911truth.orgwww.septembereleventh.orgwww.cooperativeresearch.orgwww.nesara.us (See Dove Reports)www.infowars.comwww.prisonplanet.tv (articles on 9/11)Thanks,Taylor Jo Sea
(09/07/04 4:00am)
The administration has introduced more diversity-related courses to the curriculum in large response to racial incidents last year, according to Provost Marty Krauss.Krauss said that the Dusty Baker incident and the controversial visit by Daniel Pipes hurt the community and piqued interest in spreading tolerance and acceptance."On the academic side, I wanted to make proactive and constructive activities to bring us to the place we want to be in," Krauss said.The plan-outlined by the administration last January and developed by the Provost's Steering Committee on Campus Diversity Issues-also involves adding more diversity-related materials into existing courses in the future.Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe, who is chair of the curriculum subcommittee under Krauss' initiative, said he could not reveal as of now what existing courses will add new material in the future. But he said this effort is underway.Jaffe said a list of courses dealing more heavily with issues of diversity are posted on the provost and dean's office Web site. He said these courses are organized into three different categories -"Gender and Sexuality," "Religion, Race," and "Culture and Global Perspectives." According to Jaffe, at least nine new courses have never been offered before. He also said many courses offered in years prior would not have been included this year, if not for the provost's committee.A few of the listed courses include "Queer Readings: Before Stonewall," "Asian American literature" and "Introduction to African History."Jaffe said he is working toward creating additional new courses for the spring semester, including something about Latino experiences to be offered in Sociology, Islamic Arts and Race in American Cinema. He also said he wants to include other materials relating to conflict resolution and social justice."The goal is to have a Web site up by the fall and to have some sort of seminar or colloquium to teach people how to use it," Jaffe said. Community members expressed different feelings about the initiative to add more diversity into the curriculum.Shoshana Speiser '06 said she is happy the curriculum is being updated to include more diversity related material. But she said human interaction is the best teacher of diversity."Brandeis is a small school with limited course offerings, " Speiser said. "So any additional options I feel are welcome. However, what is learned in class does not substitute for practical experience and personal interaction."Ruodan Lan '07 agreed, saying that simply being a student at Brandeis-a place with people from numerous backgrounds-makes students more aware of diversity."I think it's necessary to have new courses dealing with diversity because there are so many nations and races in the world," Lan said.But some students felt that the administration plan was not the right way to deal with diversity issues on campus."It's a good idea but the problem is that the people who will take [courses with diversity] will be those who are already concerned with diversity," Yuval Simchi-Levi '05 said. "The University won't necessarily attract students who should learn more about diversity."Ben Wolinsky '06 agreed with Simchi-Levi, adding that it is not the role of the administration to control how the faculty teaches their courses."I have a major issue with the administration interfering with the instruction of professors who are experts in the material being taught," Wolinsky said.Prof. Susan Lanser (ENG), who is on the committee, said Brandeis was founded upon acceptance and that it would be hypocritical to turn away from such values. "We cannot pursue these goals without a broadly inclusive education in and out of the classroom and without a climate that fully supports the intellectual development and the personal well-being of every student," Lanser said.Professor Harry Mairson (COSI) agreed with Lanser, saying that discussing diversity issues is always necessary. But he was skeptical about using the classroom as a forum for this."Studying the big world out there is absolutely a good thing," Mairson wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. "Only, what *isn't* a 'diversity course'---maybe computer science? And is diversity to be studied, or had?"Krauss expressed anticipation for new and and updated courses and said she hopes that this initiative would help foster an exciting academic environment."I'm looking forward to an engaged and exciting academic year and continuing to provide our students with the richest and most challenging curriculum that we can mount," Krauss said.
(08/31/04 4:00am)
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder addressed approximately 800 first-years last night at Spingold Theater Center about his novel, Mountains Beyond Mountains. Orientation leaders, Roosevelt Fellows and Brandeis faculty and staff also attended."I'm sure you've learned by now that there's no free lunch, but there is a free book," said University President Jehuda Reinharz in describing this year's Helen and Philip Brecher New Student Forum novel selection, the committee that funds the event each year.Kidder spent time documenting Paul Farmer's life in Haiti - a doctor, Harvard professor, renowned infectious-disease specialist, anthropologist and recipient of the McArthur grant - who since 1982 has been working in Haiti on a program, Partners for Health, to provide effective treatment of diseases like tuberculosis and AIDS.Kidder said Farmer's achievements and viewpoints made him interested in writing the book.Reinharz added the book was chosen partly because of Farmer's strong will and commitment to social justice."[The novel] talks about the kind of radical change in incidents that seem almost insurmountable," Reinharz said."The story of Farmer's life to me is like an adventure," Kidder said. "He spends more time on planes in coach going to Haiti than in Boston."Kidder described how he would struggle to keep up with Farmer on 11-hour hikes when he was making house calls."If I said that not enough people would follow his example and that there's not enough to make a difference, he'd say he wouldn't care," Kidder said. "He'd say you're saying these lives mean less than others..."When a first-year asked if Farmer's medical expertise could have been better utilized if he had focused less on individual attention to patients than more on saving as many lives as possible, Kidder defended Farmer's attentive approach."I think the whole genius of the thing is to pay attention to that individual," Kidder said. "If you go the other way you run the risk of looking at patients as pins on a needle, and you make errors...by caring for the individual patient you get to do something for the whole world."First-years had the opportunity to stay behind after the speech and get their books signed by Kidder.
(08/31/04 4:00am)
The University completed a feasibility study this summer for building a parking garage to increase available spots and accommodate first-years who wish to have cars on campus, according to Brandeis administrators."If we had a parking garage on campus, then I, nor anyone else, would have an issue with freshmen having cars on campus," said Jean Eddy, the senior vice president for Students and Enrollment.According to Associate Vice President Dan Feldman, the study evaluated X-lot and G-lot as two possible locations for three different garage models. "The goal is creating a much more pedestrian environment in the heart of the Brandeis campus... and getting rid of a lot of the little [parking] lots that are scattered across campus," Feldman said.University President Jehuda Reinharz said that while he is trying to raise money for the garage, he does not know when enough funds will be collected to begin construction.Reinharz restricted parking to first-years in the fall of 2002 in an attempt to keep the campus more open to pedestrians. He said the construction of the Shapiro Campus Center and the Great Lawn also eliminated 150 previous parking spaces."We simply have insufficient space at present to accommodate every car on campus," Reinharz said.According to Eddy, the decision to restrict parking to first-years also originated from a significant parking crunch. But she said the administration does not plan to impose parking restrictions on other classes in the future."We certainly didn't feel that we had any recourse but to restrict some people from parking," Eddy said. "It's not uncommon on many college campuses for freshmen to not be allowed to have cars on campus."Eddy said students favored a more attractive campus over increasing parking spaces when the plan for beautifying the campus was presented a few years ago in an open forum.When asked if she had surveyed students recently whether they would prefer more green space or more parking, Eddy said, "I have not had the forum to ask them directly, but you are going to have a different conversation when you talk about parking versus green space." Eddy said that places like the Great Lawn used to be parking lots, and in the past, "It was pretty clear that students were looking for that [places to hang out], and looking for the campus to be prettier."Eddy said first-years can appeal the parking policy via a special committee composed of herself, Director of Admissions Deena Whitfield and Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan. She said there must be a compelling reason for an appeal to be granted - like a medical disability.Whitfield said about a dozen parking waiver requests were made last year about and half of them were granted. Despite the parking restriction, Eddy admitted that there were still significant problems with parking on campus. "The parking crunch is getting worse," Eddy said. "More students are bringing cars."Both Reinharz and Eddy say that there are no further plans restrict parking on campus. "I've not been part of any more conversation about restricting cars on campus for sophomores," Eddy said. "That has not been under consideration.
(05/25/04 4:00am)
To the Editor:Investigations like "Some CAs turn a blind eye to violators" in the April 27 issue should be saved for forums where a reader expects a slanted view, not held up for everyone who expects to see actual news. Furthermore, this article has no news qualities for two reasons. First, it is not news that students who attend your university and happen to become CAs break rules. They are college students like everyone else at Brandeis, and along with underage drinking, smoking and partying comes a certain disdain for the rules. Second, the article does not convey all sides of the issue. The writers should have provided us with the information that no CA was willing to speak on the record.The article has holes and weaknesses that should have been detected during the editorial process. I find it hard to believe that at a major university's newspaper there are no editors who would be looking for all of these things from an article. I must commend the writers of this article for their investigation job, but I must reiterate that their job went unfinished. By printing this unfinished article you have provided your audience with inadequate information, forcing them to lean toward one view. In doing this you have also failed as proper journalists. In closing, I suggest that you strongly consider the many messages that you send by providing one-sided articles in the form of news.-Aviron ShemtovSharon, Mass.
(04/27/04 4:00am)
Leonard Bernstein founded the Festival of the Arts as a forum to debut his new piece of music. Now, 52 years after the original founding, Kristen Sergeant (GRAD), accompanied by Jennifer Honen (GRAD), paid tribute to him in a small and intimate recital last Friday.Sergeant opened her performance with I Hate Music, a song cycle about a child's desire to sing and not worry about all of that music stuff. Sergeant eloquently sang of the little girl's desire to stop practicing and her body language and crisp delivery had the audience laughing in all of the right spots. She followed with "Take Care of This House" from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a show Bernstein wrote in 1972 with Alan Jay Lerner in an attempt to criticize the Nixon administration. The song itself is about the sacred ground that is the White House, but as Sergeant described, "it can really be applied to any place that has a lot of meaning to someone." Sergeant gave an excellent performance of the piece. Quite often very high treble sopranos can come off sounding breathy and light, but Sergeant gave a full, supported performance that created a strong sound. For her third piece, Sergeant performed two love songs: "Extinguish My Eyes" and "When My Soul Touches Yours," both of which are poems by Rainer Maria Rilke. Sergeant's flowing legato performance enhanced the messages of love delivered by the poems. Furthermore, her smooth phrasing allowed the audience to understand each word that she was saying, adding to the mood Rilke meant to create in her writing. "La Bonne Cuisine" is a series of French recipes from Emily Dumont's La Bonne Cuisine set to music. Sergeant's performance of the series was fast, fun and staccato, a very big style shift from the previous piece. While some of the humor of singing recipes was lost in the French, it was still very entertaining to listen to. Next, Sergeant performed selections from Mass by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin) and Bernstein. Schwartz's influence was very prevalent in the second selection "I Go On," where the accompaniment bore a distinct resemblance to "Corner of the Sky" from Pippin. Both pieces added to Sergeant's already excellent performance. Sergeant closed with "Piccolo Serenata," another legato piece she performed beautifully with her powerful soprano voice. Overall, the recital was an excellent display of the wide varieties of music that Bernstein wrote in his life and each was performed incredibly well with meticulous attention paid to each song and performance. Although it might have been one of the smallest audiences, it was one of the best performances of the Festival.
(04/27/04 4:00am)
The Justice Editorial Board would like to say goodbye to our four graduating seniors. We wish congratulations to them and thank them for their time on the board during their Brandeis careers. They will each be deeply missed.Jeremy Hamburgh has been on board over two and a half years following a lengthy term as an assistant in the sports section. He served as sports editor and as associate editor during his time, and has truly been a center of gravity for this board. A voice from editorial boards of the past, Jeremy never loses sight of tradition nor vision for the future. He is a trusted and admired individual. Jeremy's gift for articulation as a writer and speaker is remarkable and will be missed in our pages and in our meetings. We have no doubt that he will flourish next year at Brooklyn School of Law and in the future. When it comes to the Justice, Jeremy always wants to be on top and never fails to rise to the occasion. Evan Lerner has spent the shortest time on our board, but has certainly made his mark. As a columnist, his words challenged us and made us examine how we view our school and ourselves. Evan came to our board as forum editor during a time of crisis and has been a stabilizing force for our paper ever since. He is a gifted writer and innovative thinker who is not afraid to offer controversial opinions, but is also is equally accepting of the opinions of others. His eagerness to step up in whatever capacity he can whenever he is needed has made a lasting impression. GeneWatch Magazine is lucky to have his talents as their editor next year. Live long and prosper, Evan.Andrew Meyerson has served as photo editor for over a year, and has been a major contributor in making the Justice a finer product for the Brandeis community during his time as editor and in the entirety of his four years as a photographer. Andrew has consistently gone above and beyond his duties, and he is always willing to be a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to lean on. His enthusiasm, creativity, sense of humor and resolution has made him an irreplaceable asset to this board. With an almost dizzying style, Andrew's work has become a trademark. He is a pillar of strength to this board and to his community, as his abilities as a communicator and mediator are exemplary. As a fifth year graduate student he won't be rid of us just yet, and we are thrilled to get one more year of his time, his energy and his low-carb convictions. Elana Margulies has served on the editorial board for a whopping three-and-a-half years as features editor and then as associate editor. Elana made great strides in continuing to strength The Justice Alumni Association over the past year as well as to offer guidance and insight to the board as the "grandmother" figure. After spending the second semester of her junior year in Madrid, Elana returned to the board with worldly insights and continued dedication. We marvel at her responsible attitude towards the Justice and at the diligence she shows in all aspects of her life. Elana seems pensive at times and consistently keeps an even and open mind, though we're sure that deep down there's a devil waiting to break out. We wish her the best of luck in pursuing a successful career in journalism, though we're sure she won't need it. We also would like to offer our congratulations to past senior editors Jackie Hendries, Devorah Klein, Shaw Lupton and Rob Siegel. Best of luck to them and to the entire Class of 2004.
(04/27/04 4:00am)
To the Editor:I would like to highlight a significant inaccuracy in Stephen Heyman's April 20 column "Horowitz' ad reject solely on policy issue" concerning the Editorial Board's refusal to print David Horowitz's advertisement. In the column, Heyman claims that in its decision not to print the ad, the Justice was wrongly accused of "harboring a liberal bias" and that the Editorial Board "would have rejected an ad from an opposing viewpoint with the same justification." So then, Mr. Heyman, why did your paper print an ad paid for by Jewish Voices Against the Occupation on page 16 of the Oct. 1, 2002 issue entitled "Jewish Voices Against Israel's Occupation of Palestinian Territories"?When I read the ad, I was thoroughly disgusted at both the content and the fact that the Justice Editorial Board would print such an opinionated, slanderous piece against Israel and Israelis. When I questioned some Justice staff, they responded that it was their Editorial Board's decision as to which politically motivated ads are fit to print. As the editor, would you have printed this ad considering its content? Again, this was not published as an op-ed piece or within a column, but instead was an advertisement. Besides the fact that I can contest every point in it, the ad is political in nature and sponsored by a liberal organization, thereby disproving your contention that accusations of the pro-Horowitz ad students were "baseless."And you may ask, "how do you know about this ad?" In response, I actually saved a copy of the ad and have used it before in several presentations on college campus media bias, along with several other Letters to the Editor that I have written in response to what I deem as anti-Israel articles in the Justice over the years. Therefore, I urge the editors of the Justice to remember the actions of their predecessors and to be truthful to their readers. Please continue to do your best to include both sides in the news and forum sections, but ban political advertisements entirely. Unfortunately, despite your assurances, you were one-sided this time.-Jonathan Waldstreicher '04former vice president, ZaHaV
(04/27/04 4:00am)
The Asian journal, Monsoon, hosted a forum entitled "Globalization and its costs in Asia" in conjunction with the International and Global Studies Program (IGS), The Consilience Program and the Schiff Fellowship Group of Professors N. Menon and B. Ngan on Wednesday.The event featured a panel of five professors, including Gary Jefferson (ECON), Serkan Bahceci (ECON), Seyom Brown (POL), Sarah Lamb (ANTH) and Richard Lyman (East Asian studies). Each speaker was given 15 minutes to present the issue of globalization in Asia according to his or her specialization, after which each addressed questions from the audience. According to Editor in Chief of Monsoon and coordinator for the event Benjamin Ngan '05, the goal of the event was to spread awareness to not only students, but to all members of the Brandeis community about globalization, because many do not know about how it has affected those abroad."The goal of our event is to gather members of the Brandeis community," Ngan said. "We also wanted a diversity of speakers, so that is why we had five professors from different departments."Elliot Veloso '04, Monsoon's senior editor of Global Issues and the moderator of the event, agreed with Ngan, adding that he was particularly surprised by the scope of opinions on the issue."We wanted to promote a forum where professors and students can discuss the various cultural, economic and social issues involved in this subject," Veloso said. "What struck me was how divergent the opinions were regarding the issue of globalization. Many people either supported or opposed it, and these views promoted spirited discussion especially during the question and answer period."According to Veloso, the diversity in faculty represented a wide range of perspectives on the issue.The talk began with Prof. Jefferson, who stressed that inequality, both in terms of costs and benefits and labor standards, is one feature of globalization in which people must focus upon when discussing the issue."Some issues that regard costs for China may constitute benefits for other countries," Jefferson said. "Something that is a cost for Japan is something else for another country. In addition to this inequality, there is also the challenge China faces in relation to U.S. supremacy."Bahceci agreed with Jefferson that things that people in Asia may see as negative may, in fact, be positive for the global economy.Taking a somewhat opposing approach was Lamb, who raised the issue of families in India who suffer directly because of the effects of globalization.More specifically, according to Lamb, the concept of a nursing home is unnatural to Asian families, who are used to living very intimately. According to her, children would live with their parents and grandparents until their deaths, but with the infiltration of globalization, children run off to work and school, and grandparents are sent away.Lamb also spoke of Western children as compared to Asian children in their contrasting upbringings. In the West, Asian parents and grandparents are disconcerted by the unavailability and independence of the youth. In the East, however, children would always be around their families.According to Ngan, the event was successful because of the dialogue it sparked, and because of the good advertising they did for Monsoon."I think I am satisfied with how the event went in terms of fulfilling our expected goals," Ngan said. "The audience was surrounding our speakers and engaging them into positive and provocative dialogue. I also know that quite a number of our audience have not heard of Monsoon prior to the event, but they do now."Veloso agreed with Ngan, adding that not only was the general response positive, but the very diverse dialogue was indicative of success."The hope was that students and faculty could promote spirited discussion regarding globalization, and I feel that it was successful," Veloso said. "The general response from the participants has been positive.
(04/27/04 4:00am)
Nearly 1,200 accepted students visited Brandeis last week for the annual open house, according to Director of Enrollment Deena Whitfield. This event coincided with Bronstein week and The Festival of the Arts.Both days began with breakfast and a speech by University President Jehuda Reinharz, who invited visitors to attend classes and tour the campus. There were many other activities and events during the open house on Wednesday and Thursday."The party on the lawn and the inflatables on Wednesday were planned by the Student Union," Whitfield said. "Admissions collaborates with student groups, clubs and organizations, but we plan everything else."Question-and-answer sessions were held, as were specific sessions about pre-health studies, mid-years, multi-cultural issues, theater, campus architecture and financing a Brandeis education.Devra Barter, a prospective student from Denver, thought Brandeis did an excellent job in coordinating activities, especially in comparison to other colleges."The sessions were really good-it was good that they had faculty and students," Barter said. "I went to Emory last weekend and it was not as well-structured."Robert Marx '06, a community adviser in Massell Quad, found the programs to be exciting, except for a few which seemed less well organized."The coffeehouse and Lizzy's were really cool because they gave a glimpse into the aspects of other life on campus," Marx said.One qualm many hosts had was paying for their pre-froshs' meals. While pre-frosh were instructed to bring money, some students felt it was rude that to ask them to do so."It is kind of inconsiderate for the hosts," said Rebecca Reiman '07, who hosted a pre-frosh. "But at the same time, hosts do not have to provide the meals; the pre-frosh were told to bring money."Amy Fischer of Nashville, Tenn. was accepted early decision to Brandeis and agreed with Barter that the University had planned ahead for the event."Everybody that I met has been so nice and friendly," Fischer said. "I think Brandeis did a really good job. Everything is easy to find and everyone has been eager to talk [to me]. I do feel more prepared for next year. I talked to a lot of people about classes, which is more useful than hearing people talk in a forum."Fischer said she visited Brandeis before, mostly in conjunction with visiting her sister, Elizabeth '05. But this time her hostess was Robyn Goldstein '07. Both Elizabeth and Goldstein are on the swim team, which Fischer said she plans to join. She said she met other accepted students at a swim team party and exchanged e-mails with some to keep in touch over the summer. She said she thought staying with a student was better than just visiting with parents, whom she feels would hinder the experience."When you are by yourself and stay with a student, you see more," Fischer said. "If you're parents are paying for college, then they have a right to come [with you] though."Daniel Wolfe, also from Denver, agreed with Fischer's sentiments."[My parents would] probably ask more questions, but it's good to be on my own,"Wolfe said, "I think events were pretty good and well-planned, especially the student panel Thursday. I really enjoyed everything. I had a great time this weekend and I am coming here next year."Wolfe was not hosted by a first-year or sophomore. Instead, he stayed with a senior in Ziv Quad, something he attributes to the fact that he decided to attend the open house too late. Many current students regarded the accepted students' open house as the "clincher" for their decision to attend Brandeis."When I came to the accepted students weekend last year, it made me really sure I wanted to go to Brandeis," Josh Rosenthal '07 said.There were other reasons why accepted students said they were considering Brandeis. Fischer wanted to attend a smaller school in New England."I'm coming [to Brandeis] to break away from the bubble in Nashville," Fischer said. "Most everyone has not heard of Brandeis because if you cross the Mason-Dixon Line, you're a weirdo."Barter, who was accepted into the mid-year class, was attracted by a community she believes will tailor well to her religion."I really like the Jewish community here," Barter said. "I like the size, and I like how the people are friendly-that's definitely a plus."Marx said he hosted potential first-years out of his admiration for the University. "I hosted because it's a really good way [for the person] to see what student life is like," Marx said.
(04/27/04 4:00am)
To whom this may concern- As a visitor at your University, I happened upon a copy of your campus newspaper, "The Justice". I understand that the name is a play on the whole Brandeis theme, but nevertheless, I must admit I was turned off by it. Newspapers are, by their very definition, meant to be impartial means of relaying news, leaving room for opinions within forums and editorials. Not only did I find that your newspaper had numerous articles with slanted views, but I feel that the title would lead an impressionable, possably uneducated, youth to lean in the direction of the editor or opinion writer's views. Investigation's like the one highlighted by its first page position (Some CAs turn..) should be saved for forums, where a reader expects a slanted view, not held up for everyone who expects actual news to see. Furthermore, this article has no news qualities for two reasons. First, it is not news that students who attend your University and happen to become CAs break rules. They are college students like everyone else at Brandeis, and along with underage drinking, smoking and partying comes a certain disconcern for the rules. Second, the article does not convey all sides of the issue. The writers, who admitted to their literary inadiquacies with quotes like "all the damn time" (p.5), should have atleast provided us with the information that no CA was willing to speak on record, if in fact they attempted to speak with one. This article gave the points of views of a small number of students, whose reliablity must come into question in the same way an employee's complaints of a boss would be, and Resident Directors, who the article shows have failed in their job, although it never comes out and says as much. Obviously the article has holes and weaknesses that should have been detected during the editorial process. I find it hard to believe that at a major University's newspaper there are no editor's who would be looking for all of these things from an article. I must commend the writers of this article for their investigation job, but I must reiderate also that their job went unfinished. By printing this unfinished article you have provided your audience with inadaquate information, forcing them to lean towards one view. In doing this you have also failed as proper journalists. In closing, I suggest that you strongly consider the message that you send with your name, as well as the many messages that you send by providing one-sided articles in the form of news. I appreciate your time, thank you and good luck in your quest for a truthful and prosperous school paper. Aviron Shemtov
(04/20/04 4:00am)
On Sunday night Brandeis students were granted a rare delight when Hollywood writer and producer Marshall Herskovitz answered students' questions after a free screening of his latest film, The Last Samurai. This question and answer forum was fascinating for all those with any interest in film, and it is always beneficial to listen to people who have made a name for themselves in a difficult industry. Herskovitz, who has produced hugely successful movies and shows, such as Legends of the Fall, the multi-Academy award winning Traffic, and television's Emmy award winning My So-Called Life, was affable and forthcoming. He talked about the process of filmmaking, that it remains the same whether "you have four dollars or 100 million." The process "is very humbling," Herskovitz confessed, and it involves many people blundering along. It is those collaborated blunders that ultimately create the movie.Herskovitz has been in the movie business long enough to know what makes the audience tick. When the first draft of The Last Samurai hit his desk, he knew that the movie was too aloof for American people to become personally invested in the storyline. A Civil War veteran in Japan struggling with his destiny is not too gripping to the average American movie-goer, so Herskovitz changed the script to where the audience could get involved with the on-screen relationships. Love and death should never just be taking place on screen, Herskovitz claimed, but in every audience member as well, because if you do not feel the loss, the movie will not be a moving experience. Herskovitz touched on the magic of movie making, painting it as an ever-changing and nearly improvisational art. Throughout the drafting and filming of The Last Samurai, there was debate about a kiss between Tom Cruise and the female protagonist. On the fateful day, the directors and producers were still not sure whether the kiss would remain part of the movie, but told the two actors to try it anyway. When they saw it from behind the camera, the entire production crew was taken aback with the passion of the moment, and decided to leave it in. It was a moment, Herskovitz recalled, where everyone just said "wow," and that part of the movie virtually edited itself into the final product.Despite the international success of the movie, Herskovitz was extremely forthcoming in regard to the main criticisms of the movie. Some of it can be attributed to being misperceived by American audiences, he claimed, although he acknowledged that perhaps they could have done more to explain the climactic unfolding of the movie. What many people viewed as an implausible ending could have been explained with the lengthening of one scene, but that posed other issues involved with that scene. The scene could be thought of as an illustration of the myriad of problems facing movie-makers with each and every scene.As a successful producer of both television and film, Herskovitz was an excellent resource to hear about the work behind both mediums. As a producer on television, one is given the title executive producer, and consequently become the king of the project. Often, the executive producer writes the pilot for the show, directs it and is in charge of virtually every aspect of production. When working on movies, a producer becomes subject to the creative whims of the director, and is there primarily to help the director's vision become a reality. Furthermore, there is a vast difference in the allocation of both time and money for the two forms of entertainment. With television, everything is done "bam-bam-bam," and crews are often under-funded. Conversely, studio movies offer nearly infinite resources, huge budgets and virtually as much time as is needed. As a result, movie-making "moves at a glacial pace," subject to the whims of many different people, be it stars wanting to take a vacation or directors wanting to re-shoot a scene 30 times. To hear someone who has entrenched himself as a successful Hollywood producer, in an industry that is so difficult to succeed in, was a true delight. Herskowitz was a very honest and gracious speaker, and hearing about his trials and tribulations was truly a privilege.
(03/30/04 5:00am)
To the Editor:As a senior about to graduate from Brandeis, an institution that has always prided itself on being both politically active and open-minded, I am outraged by the lack of respect that has been shown for the Brandeis Republicans' "Conservative Coming Out Week." To make things clear, I personally choose not to affiliate myself with either the Democratic or the Republican parties, and thus my bias lies with neither side. However, as we near the end of a difficult year in which our community has been confronted with controversial issues dealing with race and religion on our campus, I am appalled to see that we have yet to learn our lesson. Regardless of the defining characteristic (be it race, religion, or political party), minorities on the Brandeis campus should not feel threatened as an individual or as a group. Offensive remarks have been written on the "Conservative Coming Out Week" posters, club leaders have been harassed at their table in Usdan and I have heard snide comments passed between students while walking on campus. While the Brandeis Republicans do not expect everyone in the community to agree with their views, the least they deserve is the community's respect-a respect that all other student clubs demand. I laud the Brandeis Republicans for their effort to make their presence known on campus, and I urge my peers, professors, administrators and University staff members to give them the respect they deserve, and the freedom to speak in an open forum without risk of reproach or reprisal.-Michelle Battat '04
(03/30/04 5:00am)
After much debate, the sex magazine H-Bomb, the brainchild of two Harvard undergraduates, was awarded a $2,000 grant on March 21 to fund start-up costs for its first issue, which will likely feature photos of nude Harvard students, according to The Crimson. According to Matthew Mahan, president of Harvard's undergraduate council, the $2,000 grant was based on the estimate that 4,000 of Harvard's 6,600 students will read the magazine's first issue.In addition to nude photographs, the magazine creators hope to have essays, artwork, fiction and poetry in their magazine. At the meeting on March 16, sophomore Christina Adams proposed an amendment to eliminate funding for H-Bomb. "I don't think it is right for us to fund a magazine that has rape fantasies," junior Aaron Byrd , who co-sponsored the amendment, said. Byrd referred to the proposed table of contents presented at a March 16 meeting between faculty adviser Marc Hauser and the Committee on College Life (CCL). The contents included "a controversial fictional piece about female rape fantasies."The amendment failed six to 28, with four abstentions."It's hardly our role to decide if we like the content of this, but not that," junior Josh Barro told The Crimson. Barro and others were concerned about any form of censorship.The proposed contents of the magazine include an "expos on the demented sex life of the Harvard band," a photo essay of art and porn, and an article promoting abstinence. The two student creators of the magazine, junior Camilla A. Hrdy and sophomore Katharina C. Baldegg, were not in attendance at the meeting. Some CCL members preferred to set guidelines that H-Bomb would have to break in order to lose its Harvard stamp of approval. Others were concerned that Harvard's free speech policies were inconsistent, as sexual artwork has been allowed to be displayed in Harvard-sponsored art exhibitions. Associate Dean Judith H. Kidd told The Crimson she received "thousands of calls" about H-Bomb. She said she worries that posing in the magazine could give students "exposure that in 20 years they'd wish they hadn't gotten."But Hauser claimed that H-Bomb is a literary effort, responding to "pressing issues dealing with sexuality that needed a forum for discussion." He told The Crimson that the magazine has been misrepresented by the media. - Compiled by Jonathan Krisch
(03/23/04 5:00am)
The Senate granted $699 of the originally requested $999 to the MARK Auto Show, an event that will feature cars of any Brandeis students and staff that choose to enter. A money request from the Brandeis Reform Chavurah, to cover the costs of clay, food and drink, and serving utensils for the Empty Bowl Project was tabled a week as were requests from Students for Environmental Action (SEA) and a Multicultural Seder by the Religious Pluralistic Society. Up to $200 was granted to PBUS for their Pep Rally. The Religious Pluralism and Spirituality group requests $350 to repay a loan to a dean for the multi-cultural seder. After several hours of debate and numerous attempts to make the request an emergency, the senate tabled the SMR until next week. After abruptly getting up and denouncing the Senate over the length of their proceedings for the seder request, Greer Hauptman, Senator for Charles River Quad, got into an argument with Senator for the Class of 2007 Jenny Feinberg. After Greer left, several senators attempted to impeach her. Seeing that there was not enough support to go into executive session to discuss impeachment, the motion made in order to impeach was objected to, and after much debate, withdrawn. A motion to censure Hauptman failed, but a point of information by Feinberg hinted that Hauptman was going to resign. A motion to censure Senator for Off Campus Residents Bryan Lober for leaving during the middle of a vote and other actions did not pass. Senator for Class of '04 Teddy Tarallo made colorful remarks about the housing process towards the end of the meeting in open forum.- Compiled by Andrew Katz
(03/23/04 5:00am)
After meeting and reviewing the candidates, this board endorses Joshua Brandfon '05 in this week's election for president of the Student Union. We can say with confidence that students will benefit from his leadership in a second term.Brandfon has exuded professionalism and responsibility in a trying year for this university. His accomplishments while president and as treasurer are vast and admirable. Since taking office, Brandfon has led the fight in protecting student anonymity in pass/fail classes, made capital improvements like the Usdan game room and Club Resource Center and overhauled Student Union finances. His track record, as well as the relationships he has fostered with the Administration, club leaders and students, attest to his deft leadership and motivation in taking the Student Union forward. The board arrived at its endorsement after inviting all four candidates in this race to its weekly editorial meeting. Only one, Deniz Cordell '07, did not accept this invitation. The candidates that met the board answered a similar series of questions; a conclusion was reached after analyzing their comparative responses and their track records in the elected positions they currently hold.We felt compelled to endorse a candidate after the presidential debate in the Shapiro Atrium last Thursday. While an important forum, the sparse attendance-many in the audience of less than forty were either Union officials or staff of this newspaper-illustrated a severe level of student apathy toward campus issues.This apathy, which Brandfon plans to address in his second term, limits awareness of Student Union affairs, new academic policies and other campus issues that would benefit from greater student input. With the initiatives Brandfon prescribes, the student body will be more astute in facing the challenges that await.Brandfon, in his own words, "sweats the small stuff." It is this dedication to producing concrete results that improves the experiences of Brandeis students and makes Brandfon deserving of another year as president of the Student Union.
