(05/21/12 4:00am)
Meditating on her fond memories of the time she spent at the University 25 years ago, Deborah Bial '87, founder of the Posse Foundation, advised members of the Class of 2012 about their capacity to affect social change. The 61st commencement was held this past Sunday, May 20 in the crowded Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. Among the family and friends of the 831 graduates attending the ceremony was the President of Honduras, Porfirio Pepe Lobo.
(05/20/12 4:00am)
Johnny Depp has long fostered the identity of the bizarre outsider. Often, it seems as though he purposefully picks the most caricature-like, cartoonish roles he can find, looking to escape anything with a traditional leading man. Tim Burton tends to be the director providing these unorthodox characters. Dark Shadows is the eighth film Depp and Burton have worked on together. Their first, and best, was 1990's Edward Scissorhands. They also made Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (their worst effort), Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Alice in Wonderland. It's funny: Outside of his films, Depp is considered one of the best-looking men in Hollywood. He's got a rakish, devil-may-care attitude, and he always sports a deep tan, long flowing hair and several tattoos. Tim Burton, on the other hand, looks like he would fit right in with the characters in one of his surreal films. He has dark, wild hair and a pale complexion. Interestingly, in each of Depp and Burton's collaborations, Depp comes to look more and more like Burton himself and less and less like Johnny Depp. In Dark Shadows (based on the 1960s and '70s television show), Depp plays Barnabas Collins, a (pale, dark haired) vampire who was locked in a coffin in the 1760s and is accidentally dug up 200 years later, in 1972. Everything about the swinging '70s, from cars to televisions to women's lib, is new and foreign to him. Much of the film's humor comes from placing Barnabas in situations where a man born two centuries ago would have no idea how to react. Barnabas' backstory is a bit complicated: He comes from a wealthy family who founded the seafaring village of Collinsport, Maine shortly after arriving in the New World from England. He has an affair with one of the family's maids, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) but never loves her. Instead, he becomes engaged to his true love, Josette DuPres (newcomer Bella Heathcote). Unfortunately for them both, Angelique is a witch who hypnotizes Josette to jump to her death. Barnabas witnesses her demise and jumps into the ocean after her, hoping to die as well. Angelique curses him with vampirism, however, so he cannot die. In addition, Angelique sets the town against him and locks him in his coffin, where he is forced to lie in time-out for two centuries. When Barnabas is awakened by a crew of unsuspecting construction workers (whom he promptly devours), he sets off to find what remains of his family and their estate. He discovers that only four members of the Collins family are left and that their fortune has dwindled significantly. Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer, in her second collaboration with Burton) is the family's long-suffering matriarch. Her daughter Carolyn (Chlo? Grace Moretz) is a terribly bored, disaffected teenager. Roger (Johnny Lee Miller), Elizabeth's brother, also resides in the collapsing Collins mansion, along with his young son David (Gulliver McGrath), who tells everyone he meets that he can communicate with the ghost of his dead mother. David's au pair Vicky (also played by Heathcote) joins the family just before Barnabas resurfaces. Like many Depp/Burton collaborations, much of the fun of Dark Shadows is in the visuals. Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Ameli?(c), Across the Universe, A Very Long Engagement) creates beautiful imagery of the stormy Maine countryside, and production designer Rick Heinrichs (Sleepy Hollow, The Big Lebowski) overfills Collinsport with so much awful '70s decor that it appears at times as though the audience is on an acid trip along with one of the film's aging hippie characters. Then there are Depp and Pfeiffer, the latter of whom stole every scene in which she appears. These two have much experience creating eccentric, campy characters who don't as much chew the scenery as they rip it to shreds and come back for seconds. Pfeiffer appears haughtily disdainful (and later, haughtily helpful), preening about the set like a queen forced to bunk with the stable hands. Depp, for his part, can't quite match Pfeiffer's sneering, but his misunderstanding of 20th-century customs (women doctors? what?) is humorous. In Dark Shadows, this overacting is appropriate. The entire production is over the top. This approach works wonderfully for the first 30 minutes of the film. Eventually, though, the movie runs out of steam. There are simply too many characters, too many side plots and too much backstory to fit into 113 minutes. Burton tries to speed things along by including several montages, but they're a cheap substitute for real storytelling. The main plotline, I suppose, concerns Barnabas' rekindled love for Vicky/Josette (the film never explains how Heathcote plays both characters, even though Vicky also interacts with Josette's ghost). Honestly, Depp has little chemistry with either Heathcote or Green (as a witch, Angelique has also been around for 200 years, and she and Barnabas can't seem to keep their hands off each other when they meet again, his undying love for Vicky/Josette aside). To me, Barnabas appears rather nonsexual, though the plot revolves around his crazed love life. If I were writing Dark Shadows-which was actually written by Seth Grahame-Smith, who also wrote the novels and screenplays Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies-I would cut out all the extra junk and just concentrate on Depp, Pfeiffer and Green-another master of antipathy. Few of the other characters are necessary. Just let these three masters of creepy-kooky camp play around. Dark Shadows doesn't need everything else.
(05/19/12 4:00am)
Who said soccer couldn't be exciting? One would be wise to give the sport a second look after the action in England on Sunday, May 13. The Premier League final marked one of the biggest days in the history of soccer. Manchester City roared back from a 2-1 deficit against Queens Park Rangers to win 3-2 and deny Manchester United its third title in four years. "I swear you'll never see anything like this ever again," said Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler. "This is the greatest Premier League season ever," said ESPN commentator Ian Darke. Since both teams finished with identical totals of 89 points, this season was significant for a variety of reasons. United started the season in unassailable fashion, winning its first five games with a score of 18-5. City, though, stormed back to take a five-point advantage at the end of November, picking up a 6-1 romp at United's Old Trafford Stadium in the process. Undeterred, United took an eight-point lead with six games to go. United has a history for finishing the season strong, so City had been all but written off. Yet, there were more twists to come. On April 11, United lost 1-0 to Wigan Athletic. After winning 4-0 against Aston Villa, the Red Devils drew against Everton, losing a two-goal advantage with seven minutes left. City, meanwhile, won its games against Norwich and West Bromwich Albion, bringing the difference down to three points. Then, on April 30, City and United played in a rematch. This time, City did not disappoint, winning 1-0. Breaking even in points, City's eight-goal edge put them in prime position. Having won their games against Newcastle United and Swansea City the previous weekend, City and United kicked off home against QPR and at Sunderland, respectively, at 3 G.M.T. last Sunday. With QPR languishing in 17th place and having the worst away record in the Premier League, City - who won 17 out of 18 games at home this season - looked to have an easy task. If United didn't win at Sunderland by nine goals, a City win would seal the title. And when City took the lead through left-back Pablo Zabaleta's goal, it looked as if they had it won. However, QPR equalized with a goal from striker Djibril Cisse, having earlier taken a lead on striker Jamie Mackie's header in the 65th minute. In just under 20 minutes, City had seemingly lost the title. A two-goal comeback looked impossible. Meanwhile, 140 miles away at the Stadium of Light, United fans, whose 1-0 victory against Sunderland had just concluded, were celebrating that City was down 2-1 in stoppage time. They also figured a rally was not in the cards for Man City. They were wrong. City forward Edin Dzeko headed in the equalizer with 91:05 gone in the game. Having run the ball back to the center circle to kick off again, City regained possession and stormed into the penalty area. Sergio Aguero played a clever one-two with Mario Balotelli before smashing a near-post strike past QPR goalkeeper Paddy Kenny. The strike sent the Ethiad Stadium into absolute bedlam. Television cameras broadcasting the game shook. Fans had been sobbing moments before, thinking their team had fallen at the final hurdle. At the final whistle though, they were crying tears of joy. Meanwhile, United fans, who thought they had won the title, endured the opposite fate. Upon hearing the news, the fans - as well as the United camp - went silent, stunned at what happened. A blue moon rose over Manchester on Sunday night. Yet, the Red Devils will seek revenge next season. For now, though, City fans will celebrate. Either way, even a neutral party would argue that this season-and Sunday-were perhaps the most incredible day and year in Premier League history. *
(05/19/12 4:00am)
After a month-long season filled with both success and heartbreak, four teams remained in contention for the Brandeis Intramural Sports Softball Championships. These squads not only fought for bragging rights but also the opportunity to take home the much-coveted Intramural Championship T-shirts. The No. 6 Grout Bullies beat the No. 8 Psychos 19-17 in a 9-inning thriller in a men's tournament that was cluttered with upsets. The Grout Bullies put up five runs in the top of the first inning to jump out to an early lead, highlighted by a home run from Alex Stoyle '14. However, the Psychos battled back, and after five innings, the score was deadlocked at 12-12. The Grout Bullies scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning to pull away and escape with the narrow victory. The game featured spectacular defense behind two of the best control pitchers in the league: the Psychos' Jeff Boucher (GRAD) and the Grout Bullies' Shami Bery '13. Offensively, Derek Retos '14 paced the Grout Bullies by going 5-6 on the day with three extra base hits, four runs scored and two RBIs. Anthony Trapasso '13 also had a big night for the Bullies, going 5-6 with three runs scored and six RBIs, including a big home run in the decisive sixth inning. Jeremy Kronick, a Ph.D. candidate in international economics and finance, led the Psychos by going 5-6 with three runs scored, three RBIs and a solo home run in the first inning. Josh McGrath '12 and Chris Vecsey, a Brandeis staff member, also hit home runs in the loss. The top-seeded Ballah Bustahs and second-seeded BWB squared off for the women's championship earlier in the afternoon. Despite losing two players to injury, BWB lit up the scoreboard early by jumping out to an 11-0 lead after two innings. The Ballah Bustahs defense then tightened up, sending BWB down in each of the next two innings. However, its offense couldn't capitalize, leaving the bases loaded in two different innings. The Ballah Bustahs finally broke through with one run in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth inning, but the early deficit proved to be too much to overcome. BWB tacked on some late insurance runs to win by a final score of 21-5. Hannah Cain '15 and Dominique Chen '15 each reached base six times for BWB. Chen, Nicolina Vitale '14, and Mikaela Garvin '15 scored four runs apiece. Zahava Horowitz '14 and Ariel Barnehama '13 led the offense for Ballah Bustas, both reaching base three times. - Courtesy of IM Sports staff
(05/19/12 4:00am)
She danced her way through her senior year, adding up to six hours of rehearsal a week to her rigorous academic studies. She continued through four years of medical school, finding time in her busy schedule to dance before she found time to sleep. And thirteen years later, now working as a doctor, Lauren Elson '00 still makes time for some tap and hip-hop as part of her continued work for Rainbow Tribe, a group that unites dancers of different abilities. A physician specializing in sports medicine at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and at Spaulding Rehabilitation in Wellesley, Mass., Elson first began dancing for Rainbow Tribe, which works to "bridge cultural differences and foster a universal appreciation of dance in all its forms," according to its mission statement online during her senior year of college. A Boston-based organization, the purpose of Rainbow Tribe is to "bring communities together using dance," Elson said in an interview with the Justice. The group consists of over 20 dancers from unique racial backgrounds with varying levels of dance experience who "serve as good role models for children and young adults interested in pursuing a professional, or even a casual interest in dance," according to its website. The organization aims to positively influence and motivate at-risk, under-served children and adults with different skill levels through its performances, which range from jazz to tap to hip-hop. It was founded in 1992 by Carleton Jones, a dancer who appeared on Broadway in A Chorus Line in addition to his work with Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul. Elson decided to audition for the organization after a trip to West Africa where she had been studying African dance. After spending the summer after her junior year of college in Gambia as part of her Coexistence Fellowship from Brandeis, Elson heard about Rainbow Tribe from another student in her dance class in Boston. She decided to dance for the organization after realizing the similarity of Rainbow Tribe's mission to what she was doing in Gambia: bringing people together with storytelling and communication through dance. As co-president of Adagio, one of the dance groups on campus, the California native already had experience dancing and choreographing when she auditioned for Rainbow Tribe. In addition to starting the Brandeis Dance Ensemble, she also spent time studying dance from an academic angle as a double major in Neuroscience and an Independent Interdisciplinary Major in Dance and Human Movement Studies. "I was looking at motor control and dance so it was a combination of the sciences and dance," she explained. After being accepted to Rainbow Tribe during her senior year, Elson began rehearsing and performing with the group and decided to continue during her time in medical school at Tufts University. "At the time, we were rehearsing a lot more. Back then we were probably doing closer to six hours a week and it was kind of one of those things I had to do to stay sane. So I would have rather danced then sleep," she said of balancing dance with medical school. For Elson, the motivation to dance comes from "the opportunity to perform, the people that you meet [and] the audiences that [the group] reach[es]," she explained. "The biggest compliment that we often get is that we make people want to dance or motivate people to go dance." Rainbow Tribe has performed in order to get participants excited and motivated at events such as the Walk for Hunger. "We'll also get hired by companies to do flash mobs to get people excited, to bring people together," she said. In addition to performing, Rainbow Tribe dancers offer classes all over the Boston area and workshops on topics ranging from Zumba and tap to dance wellness and injury prevention and nutrition. And the amount of dancing experience of Rainbow Tribe's performers varies too, according to Elson, who says the group practices for two hours twice a week together. "All the women have had some training, to various degrees, but some of the women in the group are teachers or professional dancers," Elson said, noting that others have less professional backgrounds. "There are people that are more street dancers or hip-dancers or more ballet. [Rainbow Tribe] basically looks to see what each person can bring. They're looking for high-energy performers," said Elson, whose personal favorite style of dance is tap. Now finished with medical school and working as a physician, Elson still finds time in her busy schedule to dance with the group, thirteen years after first joining Rainbow Tribe. The group recently performed in celebration of its 20th anniversary. "[The group] really is dedicated to providing a motivational presence in Boston," Elson explained of the organization that she says tries to get kids involved in dance with high energy. "[Dance is] something I enjoy doing so much that I want people to enjoy it also."
(05/01/12 4:00am)
As far as mobs go, this one was pretty sweet. Whether it was the collective swaying of a united college campus or the soothing smells of the seven-sometimes nine-leaf clover, SpringFest 2012 was a prime example of a mob done right. The crowd starts chanting, you chant too. Childish Gambino conducts the chorus of Adele's hit song and you join in. When everybody rushes to the front of the stage, you push and shove your way through too. With so little instruction, this mass of people had started to move, talk and breathe in unison. While SpringFest embodied this feeling of togetherness-a student body in sync-cynically, I could only think of how easily this way of thinking could be corrupted and how mob mentality has no place at a college campus. Mob mentality is the behavioral pattern that emerges as individuals start to react as a collective group, rather than on their own. Riots, demonstrations and even concert audiences all have the potential to demonstrate the characteristics of mob mentality, even when they don't turn violent. When individuals react differently in a crowd than they would have if they were on their own, they are also buying into this mentality. Although many people innately react differently when they are in a crowd of people with similar thoughts, beliefs or emotional states, this mentality is inherently at odds with the function and purpose of college. College is one of the very few places where you're constantly encouraged to redefine yourself and steer away from the crowd. The reason we need to be encouraged and given the go-ahead to be different is because it's so incredibly difficult. It's easier to follow along than it is to pave your own path. It's more convenient to let someone else think for you than to have the courage to be different. It's even more challenging to reevaluate your thinking in a crowd when you can't discern that anything's wrong. That's what Professor Daniel R. Kittle of Wartburg College investigated when he discreetly experimented with mob mentality in his "Leadership and Cultural Competencies" class and recorded his findings for the Chronicle of Higher Education. Dr. Kittle hired an actor to impersonate an expert on leadership. After the actor earned the students' respect and established his credibility as an "expert," he then subtly started weaving bigoted remarks into his lecture. While a few students exchanged glances and others mechanically took down notes, no one challenged the lecturer. The class didn't realize something was wrong until the actor had to excuse himself because he couldn't keep up the ruse. Students believed that the actor was a legitimate expert and therefore they were less likely to question what he was saying. The speaker was able to manipulate the students because some weren't actively thinking and others felt that they couldn't challenge the professor who brought in this speaker. In the end, the exercise was meant to teach students how to handle discrimination in the real world. Do you go along with the crowd or do you stand up for what we're all morally responsible for? Mobs present a situation where people value solidarity and consensus over reason and logic. But at Brandeis, where professors teach you to think critically and constantly ask questions, mob mentality thematically clashes with our education and learning. There's nothing wrong with enjoying yourself while you're at a concert or a sports game. Sure, you probably wouldn't chant cheers if you were by yourself, but it's harmless, right? Singing along to fun. and participating together as a community demonstrates the positive effects of engaging in mob mentality. Barring any violence, there is no significant downside to following the lead of the crowd if it makes the experience more poignant and enjoyable. However, be aware that your mindset and your behavior instinctively changes when you interact with a group of people. There's a fine line between being an individual in an audience and subtly altering your thoughts and feelings to align with those around you. If you're jumping on the bandwagon, make sure it's for something you really believe in. When you start to change your beliefs to coincide with the crowd, you may feel like you've blended in, but ultimately you're doing a disservice to yourself. Without critically evaluating our surroundings and thinking before going along with the crowd, we essentially dispense with the value professors try to instill in their students-individuality.
(05/01/12 4:00am)
Medical Emergency April 24-University Police received a call that a female party had passed out in the Hassenfeld Conference Center; BEMCo treated her on the scene with a signed refusal for further care. April 28-University Police received a call from the Waltham Police Department regarding a 21-year-old female party intoxicated and semi-conscious. The Waltham Fire Department and an ambulance were already on the way to her location, and University Police officers were sent to the area. The party was transported to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further care. April 28-A custodian reported a man sitting in one of the vestibules of the Usdan Student Center. BEMCo and University Police were sent to check on the man who was treated on-scene by BEMCo with a signed refusal for further care. April 29-A party in the Foster Mods reported an intoxicated 20-year-old male. University Police and BEMCo were dispatched; the police requested an ambulance. The ambulance transported the intoxicated party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital while University Police dispersed the party. April 29-University Police received a report of a 21-year-old intoxicated male in Rosenthal South with a possible chipped tooth. BEMCo responded and requested an ambulance to transport the party to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Larceny April 24-There was a report of property stolen from the men's locker room in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The incident occurred the night of April 23. University Police compiled a report. April 25-University Police received a report of a past larceny of animals from the Foster Biomedical Labs. A report was compiled on the theft. April 27-A laptop and wallet were stolen from an unlocked room in East Quad. University Police compiled a report on the theft. April 28-A party in the Shapiro Campus Center reported that items were stolen from an unattended coat while attending an event. University Police compiled a report on the theft. Harassment April 28-University Police compiled a report on an email sent to the staff of the Rosbash lab. The sender of the email was unknown. Disturbance April 26-University Police received several calls regarding parties in Massell Quad screaming threats and obscenities outside. The area was checked, and nothing was found. April 29-A party in the Charles River Apartments reported that someone banged on his or her window and was talking loudly outside. The caller did not wish to speak to the police but asked University Police to check the area. There was no one in the area upon the police's arrival. Miscellaneous April 23-A party in the Lown Center for Judaic Studies reported smelling smoke. University Police officers were sent to check the area. They reported seeing no smoke, but facilities was advised to check the area for a possible problem with a light. April 28-BEMCo reported that a male party was sleeping in a running vehicle in Hassenfeld Lot. Upon University Police's arrival at the scene, the party would not open the window or door. The party finally responded and was placed in protective custody for alcohol intoxication and transported to the Waltham Police Department. -Compiled by Marielle Temkin
(04/30/12 4:00am)
Despite its magical nature, members of the Brandeis Quidditch team do not simply wave their wands to conjure up success.
(04/24/12 4:00am)
Rachel Klein '12 was inspired by feminist artist Kiki Smith's "Lucy's Daughters," to create an interactive dance piece for the upcoming Festival of the Arts. "Lucy's Daughters" mimics the standard design for a family tree, but replaces names with small, faceless figures in varying shades of gray and black. Klein and her dancers will debut their piece, titled "Rivers are Lost in the Sea" on Friday at 4 p.m. outside the Foster Wing of the Rose Art Museum. "Lucy's Daughters" is on display in the Lois Foster Gallery of the Rose in the Collecting Stories exhibit. JustArts: What inspired you to create this kind of dance work? Rachel Klein: I saw that the Office of the Arts was accepting applications for the Festival, and I really wanted to do something because I've loved being a part of all the stuff at Festival of the Arts, just being a participant, but I never had my own project. I can't do anything in the visual arts, nothing like that. So I thought that I would do a dance. And they wanted it to connect to the Rose in some way, and I work at the Rose. This [Kiki Smith] work was one piece that I had looked at a lot. I thought it was really interesting and that I could take a lot out of it. JA: When did you begin working on the piece? RK: The application process took place last semester, in the fall, so that's when I began. JA: How did you go about creating the dance? Did you first cast the performers or first create the choreography? RK: Well, there are two other dancers and me in the piece. I started with the cast and then from there I worked on choreographing and incorporating all the different ideas I had to tie it back into the artwork. JA: Have you choreographed before, or was this a new experience for you? RK: I went to a high school for performing arts, and I was in the dance department, so I've been choreographing my own stuff since ninth grade. But this is probably going to be my last time. I'm really grateful that I had one last opportunity to do some choreography. JA: Have you been involved in other dance pieces at Brandeis? RK: Yeah, I was part of Adagio for a bit, and I've also done Liquid Latex. JA: Can you describe what kind of dance your piece is? RK: It's modern dance, so there's nothing very technical. It probably wouldn't be the same experience as going to see a ballet or a jazz performance; there're no real moves that you can name. Instead, there's a lot of movement and working with the different props we're going to have. It's more about emotions and being aware of your body. JA: What kind of props are you going to be using? RK: It's a surprise. JA: Where does the piece's title come from and how does it relate to the dance itself? RK: It's a quote I find by Theodore Roosevelt. I was looking for quotes about water, but this quote specifically spoke to me because the Kiki Smith work, the way I interpret it, is about a family tree, and the way that individuals tie in together to make a larger group like a family, including our ancestors and the way we're all connected. And this quote, "Rivers running into the sea": It's all about how smaller bodies of water trickle down into larger bodies of water. JA: When people come to see this work what do you expect them to take away from it? RK: I hope that they enjoy it. I hope that they feel inspired and hopefully moved a little bit. Not just to enjoy watching other people, but to feel that they too can dance and be a part of the art. I don't want it to be something where it's just the dancers and the audience, but something that incorporates everybody. And I think that's what the Festival of the Arts is really about, engaging the whole community. A lot of times dance can be turned into more of a sport or a competition, and I hope that this piece is a chance to show people that dance really is an art and it's a way of expressing emotion. Hopefully that comes across. JA: Have you related at all to the Art Activates theme? Have you seen your own work relating to that on a larger level? RK: Definitely. We're a dance piece inspired by a work of art at the Rose. The idea for the piece is to take something that's a physical object and make it into movement. So it's like we're activating the artwork.
(04/24/12 4:00am)
A caption in sports incorrectly identified a player on the softball team. The player shown is third baseman Mimi Theodore '12, not utility infielder Leah McWilliams '12. (April 3, p. 16) An article in arts incorrectly identified the director, producer, and stage manager of the play Hedda Gabler. The play was directed by Christopher Knight '14, produced by Jesse Field '13 and stage managed by Grace Fosler '14. The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@thejustice.org.
(04/23/12 4:00am)
Brandeis fencers served some justice at the Olympic Games qualifying trials in Virginia City, Va. on April 13 and 14. After two consecutive trips to the Games, sabreist Tim Morehouse '00 cruised to a second-place finish to secure a trip to the London Olympics this summer. He finished only behind national teammate James Williams. Foilist Julian Cardillo '14, however, made quite the statement, falling just short of packing his bags for the United Kingdom at 19 years old. After stringing together five straight wins in the first and second rounds of the match, Cardillo fell in a 15-7 loss to foilist Gerek Meinhardt. However, he can take pride in the fact that he is now the 11th-ranked fencer in the United States and will represent America at the World Cup in Havana this June. Cardillo faced a reality check in the beginning stages of the trials, losing two out of his first three matches. He was defeated in consecutive 5-1 losses by Miles Chamley-Watson, who qualified for the Olympics, and Robert Nunziato, who also qualified and finished third in the tournament. Cardillo, however, said that he quickly found his comfort zone after approaching the matches from a different perspective. "I started fencing not my best, but I started to get comfortable and I started playing my game," he said. "I was ranked 13th after the first round, and I just came out with a different mindset in the second round." His match with Robbie Moore, a top fencer from Ohio State University, proved to be the turning point. Cardillo immediately faced a 6-1 hole but then clawed back to force a tie. However, the parity would not last for long. He once again was down by 12-8, but this time, Cardillo was able to pull through with a 15-13 victory. "It was kind of an elusive match in the sense that I was always down," he said. "But me (sic) and my coach worked on a strategy to settle down and find a tactic that worked." From there, it was smooth sailing. Cardillo earned a hard-fought 15-9 win, his first, against Michael El-Saleh from Pennsylvania State University. While he fell short in a 15-7 loss to Meinhardt, Cardillo was impressed with his effort over the day. "I ended up losing to Gerek 15-7, which is pretty respectable," he said. "I was very happy with how I fenced him, in addition to how I fenced the entire day. This was my best result ever, and there I was, standing on the podium with seven other fantastic fencers." After placing in 8th at the championships, Cardillo reveled in his accomplishment. "I feel that I had gotten to the next level and that there was nowhere to go but up," he said. It was business as usual for Morehouse, though. After finishing 22nd in individual competition in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he is ready to repeat the effort in London. Morehouse was also prepared to defend his title at the national championships, winning in both 2010 and 2011. Although he performed especially well against many Olympians, he lost to Williams in a hard-fought match in the final round, earning a silver medal in the tournament. "I was hoping for my third title in a row, but it was still an incredibly strong effort, and it definitely helped me in preparing for this summer," he said. Now that Morehouse has been formally announced as a member of the 2012 Olympic team, he faces an extensive training regimen before traveling to London this June. However, he knows it is all for that elusive gold medal - one the United States has failed to earn. "I've been competing for a while in preparing for London," he said. "The training is similar - we know the feel and now we can start to prepare for facing the top fencers in the world." Before the Olympics, Morehouse will host the Fencing Masters Tournament in New York on June 26. He also has just released his memoir, American Fencer: Modern Lessons from an Ancient Sport, detailing his experiences in fencing both at Brandeis and on the national level. *
(04/23/12 4:00am)
Brandeis. Founded in 2000, the club team competes in a Division IV league called the New England Rugby Football Union, participating in tournaments such as the Beast of the East and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Prom Dress.
(04/19/12 4:00am)
This year's Student Union elections have arrived, and six students are contending for the Union presidency. Although several of these candidates demonstrate qualities and goals that the leader of next year's student government should possess, one in particular stands out. This board endorses Joshua Hoffman-Senn '13 for Union president because of his tangible goals and unique approach to improving student life here. Mr. Hoffman-Senn is impressive because of his specific solutions to problems that many students on this campus note on a regular basis: a lack of dining options and difficulties with club management and funding. His plans to bring food trucks to campus and encourage outside sponsorships of clubs to increase their budgets are novel concepts that mark a departure from typical solutions that students have posed in the past. However, we believe Mr. Hoffman-Senn should also consider that clubs may be reluctant to allow outside sources to potentially influence their activities and interests. Mr. Hoffman-Senn must include club leaders in the discussion to ensure productive relations with private sponsors. Even if his specific initiatives turn out to be unattainable, we hope that, if elected, Mr. Hoffman-Senn will continue to take a creative approach to solving pervasive on-campus issues. Mr. Hoffman-Senn's experiences-both within the Student Union as an assistant treasurer and as a club leader through the Economics Society and Business Club-indicate that he will be able to handle the responsibilities as the next Union president. Moreover, his platform and goals demonstrate that he possesses a mindset that can make the Union more effective moving forward. By approaching club chartering and funding pragmatically and forming visible, tangible solutions to student concerns, Mr. Hoffman-Senn will be able to improve the functionality and efficiency of the Union. In that vein, this board would also like to commend candidates David Fisch '13 and Dillon Harvey '14 for their desires to unite the student body through various public relations campaigns and Union-sponsored events. It would behoove the winning candidate to combine Mr. Fisch's and Mr. Harvey's commitment to fostering sense of community and good will between the Union and its constituents. As these candidates have proposed, we hope that the next president recognizes the importance of remaining connected to the student body through social functions that promote school unity, such as the party earlier this semester commemorating the opening of the pool at the Joseph M. Linsey Sports Center. While each candidate has ambitious ideas and plans to transform the University, we hope the next president will realistically approach these issues and remain open to student input. While this year saw some impressive candidates, this board endorses Mr. Hoffman-Senn for Union president because he has identified problems that affect all students on a regular basis and has proposed ways to address those issues that go beyond traditional approaches.
(04/19/12 4:00am)
The six Student Union presidential candidates and two vice presidential candidates participated in a debate cosponsored by the Justice, the Hoot, the Student Union and the Brandeis Academic Debate and Speech Society last night in Olin-Sang..
(04/18/12 4:00am)
On Thursday, the student body will vote in the first round of Union elections. The open positions are president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, all seats on the Finance Board and representatives to the Board of Trustees, Alumni Association. Senator and Student Judiciary elections will take place in the second round of voting, on Thursday, April 26.
(04/18/12 4:00am)
On Thursday, students will vote in the first round of Union elections. The open positions are president, vice president, treasurer, secretary all seats on the Finance Board and representatives to the Board of Trustees, Alumni Association. Senator and Student Judiciary elections will take place in the second round of voting, on Thursday, April 26.
(04/03/12 4:00am)
JustNews: What are your overall thoughts or reflections on your first year in office? President Lawrence: I think it was a very successful, energizing year. A lot of the year was spent building relationships with faculty, with students, staff, friends of the University, alumni. A lot of that time was spent on campus building those relationships, and a lot of that time was spent traveling all over the country and, indeed, around the world. So I figure that I met literally thousands of alumni in my first year, at events all over. Something like 20 cities in the United States and several cities abroad where we did alumni events. Met long-time friends of the University, from all over. But a lot of time spent on campus, and a lot of that was being able to begin to launch a lot of initiatives here. So, when I think back over the year, I think, structurally, of getting the administration redesigned. Even before I started, we formed the Administrative Structured Advisory Committee, ASAC, and based on that committee's recommendations, we redesigned the provost's position, and then over the course of my first year hired Steve Goldstein ['78] to become our new provost. We redesigned the students and enrollment senior vice presidency, and hired Andrew Flagel for that position. Spent a lot of time with students, at student events, student activities, meetings with students, trying to get a sense of what this 'Brandeisian' thing is and become part of the community. In many ways, that's been the most rewarding thing of all. The opportunity to feel like I've been part of this place. And of course, that includes the opportunity to teach a course last semester. So I've been able to be a new president, but also be a new faculty member. A number of the particular projects that I thought needed attention that I was glad we were able to bring to closure. One was the solution of the Rose Art matter, and to get the museum reopened and reenergized and to be launching forward, and we are well along now in the search for a new director, and I hope that we will have that concluded relatively soon. Another was to reopen the [Joseph M. Linsey] Pool, and to be able to get the Linsey Pool and all of that structure renovated, so we could have that great opening of the pool, the January pool party on the first Saturday night you guys came back. And finally, I would say it was a year to begin to work on some thoughts about the global footprint of Brandeis. To travel to Israel, travel to India, and in both places see connections that Brandeis can make and collaboration opportunities for our scholars and our students. Actually, one other thing was launching the strategic planning process, which will help provide the blueprint for much of what we're going to try to accomplish over the coming years. I've been very excited about the level of engagement that that has received around the community. And again, from all sides of the community. From students, from faculty, from alumni, from friends, from staff. From all of us engaged in thinking about where are we and where do we want to go. So it's been a busy first year. It's sort of fun putting it all together in one place as we talk and hearing this whole list. It has been a very busy year, but a very good one. What has the transition been like for the University as a whole? I think there's a lot of excitement and energy, I think there's a lot of anticipation. I think we also need to be careful and manage our expectations, because there are a lot of challenges that we face, there are a lot of challenges that American higher education faces. And financial issues coming out of the financial crash of 2008 aren't going to be resolved overnight, they didn't happen overnight. But I think having said that, and still dealing with some of the short term implications of that, I think there is a great deal of excitement about what we can accomplish long term. Could you elaborate a little more about the trips you made to Israel and India? One of the things that the strategic planning process is working on, with my strong encouragement, is giving some focus and shape to our global programs. Let's take a step back. Brandeis has an enormous global reach. We have students from well over 100 countries on campus, 116 countries I think are represented on campus. 12 percent of our undergraduates are international students. A large number of students spend at least a semester abroad at some point in their four years. And if you add to that the students who have spent a summer abroad, or the summer before coming to Brandeis abroad, it's got to be the vast majority. So that's great. And I think that's important and that makes us who we are. I think we need to focus our efforts beyond that on a number of countries where we can have deep and sustained engagements. Israel and India strike me as two very strong candidates for that. There will be others. I think the strategic planning process can talk about that. So my hope is to see that kind of sustained engagement on multiple levels. How would you describe your relationship with the student body? You're my kids. One of the things I love about being here is the opportunity to be as much part of student life as I can. You guys understand that there are a lot of demands on my time and a lot of times that I can't be here. But you also know this is where my heart is. And so the goal has been to try to be involved in as wide a range of activities as possible. So over the course of the year, I try to be at least one match or meet of each of our sports teams, sometimes more, sometimes some of the away games. Certainly as many of the home games as I can. We had a great time with the men's soccer championship in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Plays, concerts, other kinds of cultural events on campus, religious events. I think everyone knows that when I'm in town on Friday night I go to one of the student-led Shabbat services, I rotate around among the services, go to the Catholic mass at least once a semester. Just different ways of being able to connect with students where students live. Nothing wrong with what you and I are doing right now, but I don't want to just talk to students in my office. That's not where students live. Students live in campus, students live in the activities they do, students live in the classroom, which is why I wanted to teach. So it's important for me to be involved in all those levels. What about your relationships with the faculty? First and foremost, the president of a university is the member of the faculty. I always call them my faculty colleagues. The first thing I said when I addressed the faculty, I think I hadn't even become president yet, I think I was president-elect, that among the best piece of advice I ever got was that you should never become dean or provost or president in any place where you are not first and foremost proud to be a member of the faculty, because you are. So I have very much enjoyed my time with my faculty colleagues, on faculty committees, in a range of faculty interactions coming out of the strategic planning process, and in the formal interactions like the faculty meetings, but also the informal interactions socially. It's an extraordinarily gifted faculty in terms of a twin commitment, both to teaching and to scholarship. At the same time, you ask most Brandeis faculty what they like best about being here, and pretty quickly in conversation they talk about the students. And I get it, from having had the chance to teach and to be with Brandeis students in the classroom, I get it. I'd add to that, that these are committed teachers, these are dedicated scholars, productive scholars, but these are also overwhelmingly people who are really involved in helping to run this place. As one of the most prominent representatives of the University, what qualities of the school do you try to reflect to the public? Commitment to excellence in our teaching and excellence in our scholarship. A devotion to social justice, which means giving back. Taking our work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. And a sense of great optimism about what we can accomplish together in the future. This is going to send terribly corny, but I do ask myself on a regular basis, "what would Louis Brandeis say." I told you it was going to sound corny. But it's true. Because Brandeis was somebody who understood that theory and practice went together, he was a brilliant scholar, a brilliant Supreme Court justice, but also an extremely effective tactical lawyer. And Brandeis was someone who understood social justice, his nickname was "The People's Lawyer," and that social justice is not spent sitting around talking about it, it's spend out there doing it. He got that. And Brandeis was somebody of moral courage. He stood up for what he believed, even if it put him at personal risk. When he became head of the American Zionist Movement in 1915, it was not an easy thing to do. So I'd like to think this is a school of which he'd be proud, and I'd like to think that he's still giving me advice, it's just that I have to listen pretty hard to hear it. *
(04/03/12 4:00am)
JustNews: What are your overall thoughts or reflections on your first year in office? President Lawrence: I think it was a very successful, energizing year. A lot of the year was spent building relationships with faculty, with students, staff, friends of the University, alumni. A lot of that time was spent on campus building those relationships, and a lot of that time was spent traveling all over the country and, indeed, around the world. So I figure that I met literally thousands of alumni in my first year, at events all over. Something like 20 cities in the United States and several cities abroad where we did alumni events. Met long-time friends of the University, from all over. But a lot of time spent on campus, and a lot of that was being able to begin to launch a lot of initiatives here. So, when I think back over the year, I think, structurally, of getting the administration redesigned. Even before I started, we formed the Administrative Structured Advisory Committee, ASAC, and based on that committee's recommendations, we redesigned the provost's position, and then over the course of my first year hired Steve Goldstein ['78] to become our new provost. We redesigned the students and enrollment senior vice presidency, and hired Andrew Flagel for that position. Spent a lot of time with students, at student events, student activities, meetings with students, trying to get a sense of what this 'Brandeisian' thing is and become part of the community. In many ways, that's been the most rewarding thing of all. The opportunity to feel like I've been part of this place. And of course, that includes the opportunity to teach a course last semester. So I've been able to be a new president, but also be a new faculty member. A number of the particular projects that I thought needed attention that I was glad we were able to bring to closure. One was the solution of the Rose Art matter, and to get the museum reopened and reenergized and to be launching forward, and we are well along now in the search for a new director, and I hope that we will have that concluded relatively soon. Another was to reopen the [Joseph M. Linsey] Pool, and to be able to get the Linsey Pool and all of that structure renovated, so we could have that great opening of the pool, the January pool party on the first Saturday night you guys came back. And finally, I would say it was a year to begin to work on some thoughts about the global footprint of Brandeis. To travel to Israel, travel to India, and in both places see connections that Brandeis can make and collaboration opportunities for our scholars and our students. Actually, one other thing was launching the strategic planning process, which will help provide the blueprint for much of what we're going to try to accomplish over the coming years. I've been very excited about the level of engagement that that has received around the community. And again, from all sides of the community. From students, from faculty, from alumni, from friends, from staff. From all of us engaged in thinking about where are we and where do we want to go. So it's been a busy first year. It's sort of fun putting it all together in one place as we talk and hearing this whole list. It has been a very busy year, but a very good one. What has the transition been like for the University as a whole? I think there's a lot of excitement and energy, I think there's a lot of anticipation. I think we also need to be careful and manage our expectations, because there are a lot of challenges that we face, there are a lot of challenges that American higher education faces. And financial issues coming out of the financial crash of 2008 aren't going to be resolved overnight, they didn't happen overnight. But I think having said that, and still dealing with some of the short term implications of that, I think there is a great deal of excitement about what we can accomplish long term. Could you elaborate a little more about the trips you made to Israel and India? One of the things that the strategic planning process is working on, with my strong encouragement, is giving some focus and shape to our global programs. Let's take a step back. Brandeis has an enormous global reach. We have students from well over 100 countries on campus, 116 countries I think are represented on campus. 12 percent of our undergraduates are international students. A large number of students spend at least a semester abroad at some point in their four years. And if you add to that the students who have spent a summer abroad, or the summer before coming to Brandeis abroad, it's got to be the vast majority. So that's great. And I think that's important and that makes us who we are. I think we need to focus our efforts beyond that on a number of countries where we can have deep and sustained engagements. Israel and India strike me as two very strong candidates for that. There will be others. I think the strategic planning process can talk about that. So my hope is to see that kind of sustained engagement on multiple levels. How would you describe your relationship with the student body? You're my kids. One of the things I love about being here is the opportunity to be as much part of student life as I can. You guys understand that there are a lot of demands on my time and a lot of times that I can't be here. But you also know this is where my heart is. And so the goal has been to try to be involved in as wide a range of activities as possible. So over the course of the year, I try to be at least one match or meet of each of our sports teams, sometimes more, sometimes some of the away games. Certainly as many of the home games as I can. We had a great time with the men's soccer championship in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Plays, concerts, other kinds of cultural events on campus, religious events. I think everyone knows that when I'm in town on Friday night I go to one of the student-led Shabbat services, I rotate around among the services, go to the Catholic mass at least once a semester. Just different ways of being able to connect with students where students live. Nothing wrong with what you and I are doing right now, but I don't want to just talk to students in my office. That's not where students live. Students live in campus, students live in the activities they do, students live in the classroom, which is why I wanted to teach. So it's important for me to be involved in all those levels. What about your relationships with the faculty? First and foremost, the president of a university is the member of the faculty. I always call them my faculty colleagues. The first thing I said when I addressed the faculty, I think I hadn't even become president yet, I think I was president-elect, that among the best piece of advice I ever got was that you should never become dean or provost or president in any place where you are not first and foremost proud to be a member of the faculty, because you are. So I have very much enjoyed my time with my faculty colleagues, on faculty committees, in a range of faculty interactions coming out of the strategic planning process, and in the formal interactions like the faculty meetings, but also the informal interactions socially. It's an extraordinarily gifted faculty in terms of a twin commitment, both to teaching and to scholarship. At the same time, you ask most Brandeis faculty what they like best about being here, and pretty quickly in conversation they talk about the students. And I get it, from having had the chance to teach and to be with Brandeis students in the classroom, I get it. I'd add to that, that these are committed teachers, these are dedicated scholars, productive scholars, but these are also overwhelmingly people who are really involved in helping to run this place. As one of the most prominent representatives of the University, what qualities of the school do you try to reflect to the public? Commitment to excellence in our teaching and excellence in our scholarship. A devotion to social justice, which means giving back. Taking our work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. And a sense of great optimism about what we can accomplish together in the future. This is going to send terribly corny, but I do ask myself on a regular basis, "what would Louis Brandeis say." I told you it was going to sound corny. But it's true. Because Brandeis was somebody who understood that theory and practice went together, he was a brilliant scholar, a brilliant Supreme Court justice, but also an extremely effective tactical lawyer. And Brandeis was someone who understood social justice, his nickname was "The People's Lawyer," and that social justice is not spent sitting around talking about it, it's spend out there doing it. He got that. And Brandeis was somebody of moral courage. He stood up for what he believed, even if it put him at personal risk. When he became head of the American Zionist Movement in 1915, it was not an easy thing to do. So I'd like to think this is a school of which he'd be proud, and I'd like to think that he's still giving me advice, it's just that I have to listen pretty hard to hear it. *
(04/03/12 4:00am)
JustNews: What are your overall thoughts or reflections on your first year in office? President Lawrence: I think it was a very successful, energizing year. A lot of the year was spent building relationships with faculty, with students, staff, friends of the University, alumni. A lot of that time was spent on campus building those relationships, and a lot of that time was spent traveling all over the country and, indeed, around the world. So I figure that I met literally thousands of alumni in my first year, at events all over. Something like 20 cities in the United States and several cities abroad where we did alumni events. Met long-time friends of the University, from all over. But a lot of time spent on campus, and a lot of that was being able to begin to launch a lot of initiatives here. So, when I think back over the year, I think, structurally, of getting the administration redesigned. Even before I started, we formed the Administrative Structured Advisory Committee, ASAC, and based on that committee's recommendations, we redesigned the provost's position, and then over the course of my first year hired Steve Goldstein ['78] to become our new provost. We redesigned the students and enrollment senior vice presidency, and hired Andrew Flagel for that position. Spent a lot of time with students, at student events, student activities, meetings with students, trying to get a sense of what this 'Brandeisian' thing is and become part of the community. In many ways, that's been the most rewarding thing of all. The opportunity to feel like I've been part of this place. And of course, that includes the opportunity to teach a course last semester. So I've been able to be a new president, but also be a new faculty member. A number of the particular projects that I thought needed attention that I was glad we were able to bring to closure. One was the solution of the Rose Art matter, and to get the museum reopened and reenergized and to be launching forward, and we are well along now in the search for a new director, and I hope that we will have that concluded relatively soon. Another was to reopen the [Joseph M. Linsey] Pool, and to be able to get the Linsey Pool and all of that structure renovated, so we could have that great opening of the pool, the January pool party on the first Saturday night you guys came back. And finally, I would say it was a year to begin to work on some thoughts about the global footprint of Brandeis. To travel to Israel, travel to India, and in both places see connections that Brandeis can make and collaboration opportunities for our scholars and our students. Actually, one other thing was launching the strategic planning process, which will help provide the blueprint for much of what we're going to try to accomplish over the coming years. I've been very excited about the level of engagement that that has received around the community. And again, from all sides of the community. From students, from faculty, from alumni, from friends, from staff. From all of us engaged in thinking about where are we and where do we want to go. So it's been a busy first year. It's sort of fun putting it all together in one place as we talk and hearing this whole list. It has been a very busy year, but a very good one. What has the transition been like for the University as a whole? I think there's a lot of excitement and energy, I think there's a lot of anticipation. I think we also need to be careful and manage our expectations, because there are a lot of challenges that we face, there are a lot of challenges that American higher education faces. And financial issues coming out of the financial crash of 2008 aren't going to be resolved overnight, they didn't happen overnight. But I think having said that, and still dealing with some of the short term implications of that, I think there is a great deal of excitement about what we can accomplish long term. Could you elaborate a little more about the trips you made to Israel and India? One of the things that the strategic planning process is working on, with my strong encouragement, is giving some focus and shape to our global programs. Let's take a step back. Brandeis has an enormous global reach. We have students from well over 100 countries on campus, 116 countries I think are represented on campus. 12 percent of our undergraduates are international students. A large number of students spend at least a semester abroad at some point in their four years. And if you add to that the students who have spent a summer abroad, or the summer before coming to Brandeis abroad, it's got to be the vast majority. So that's great. And I think that's important and that makes us who we are. I think we need to focus our efforts beyond that on a number of countries where we can have deep and sustained engagements. Israel and India strike me as two very strong candidates for that. There will be others. I think the strategic planning process can talk about that. So my hope is to see that kind of sustained engagement on multiple levels. How would you describe your relationship with the student body? You're my kids. One of the things I love about being here is the opportunity to be as much part of student life as I can. You guys understand that there are a lot of demands on my time and a lot of times that I can't be here. But you also know this is where my heart is. And so the goal has been to try to be involved in as wide a range of activities as possible. So over the course of the year, I try to be at least one match or meet of each of our sports teams, sometimes more, sometimes some of the away games. Certainly as many of the home games as I can. We had a great time with the men's soccer championship in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Plays, concerts, other kinds of cultural events on campus, religious events. I think everyone knows that when I'm in town on Friday night I go to one of the student-led Shabbat services, I rotate around among the services, go to the Catholic mass at least once a semester. Just different ways of being able to connect with students where students live. Nothing wrong with what you and I are doing right now, but I don't want to just talk to students in my office. That's not where students live. Students live in campus, students live in the activities they do, students live in the classroom, which is why I wanted to teach. So it's important for me to be involved in all those levels. What about your relationships with the faculty? First and foremost, the president of a university is the member of the faculty. I always call them my faculty colleagues. The first thing I said when I addressed the faculty, I think I hadn't even become president yet, I think I was president-elect, that among the best piece of advice I ever got was that you should never become dean or provost or president in any place where you are not first and foremost proud to be a member of the faculty, because you are. So I have very much enjoyed my time with my faculty colleagues, on faculty committees, in a range of faculty interactions coming out of the strategic planning process, and in the formal interactions like the faculty meetings, but also the informal interactions socially. It's an extraordinarily gifted faculty in terms of a twin commitment, both to teaching and to scholarship. At the same time, you ask most Brandeis faculty what they like best about being here, and pretty quickly in conversation they talk about the students. And I get it, from having had the chance to teach and to be with Brandeis students in the classroom, I get it. I'd add to that, that these are committed teachers, these are dedicated scholars, productive scholars, but these are also overwhelmingly people who are really involved in helping to run this place. As one of the most prominent representatives of the University, what qualities of the school do you try to reflect to the public? Commitment to excellence in our teaching and excellence in our scholarship. A devotion to social justice, which means giving back. Taking our work seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. And a sense of great optimism about what we can accomplish together in the future. This is going to send terribly corny, but I do ask myself on a regular basis, "what would Louis Brandeis say." I told you it was going to sound corny. But it's true. Because Brandeis was somebody who understood that theory and practice went together, he was a brilliant scholar, a brilliant Supreme Court justice, but also an extremely effective tactical lawyer. And Brandeis was someone who understood social justice, his nickname was "The People's Lawyer," and that social justice is not spent sitting around talking about it, it's spend out there doing it. He got that. And Brandeis was somebody of moral courage. He stood up for what he believed, even if it put him at personal risk. When he became head of the American Zionist Movement in 1915, it was not an easy thing to do. So I'd like to think this is a school of which he'd be proud, and I'd like to think that he's still giving me advice, it's just that I have to listen pretty hard to hear it. *
(04/02/12 4:00am)
While Brandeis athletics give the University much reason to be excited about the present, the Hall of Fame induction last Saturday night allowed for some reflection on past accomplishments. Held at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center, the 2012 induction to Brandeis' Sports Hall of Fame featured the initiation of six individuals. Ruth Porter Bernstein '57, the late Harold Warren Zinn '61, Robert Nayer '70, William Carpenter '81, Geoff Getz '99, and Maya Marx '04 were all recognized for their contributions in front of a crowd of 100 alumni, friends and athletics staff. Speaking at the beginning of the ceremony, Senior Vice President of Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel explained that athletics exemplify the many positive qualities of the University. "Athletics in so many ways represents the heart of this institution," said Flagel. "Leadership. Commitment. A common thread in our society is excellence in athletics. Camaraderie. Leadership. Putting others above yourself." Porter Bernstein, a Winthrop, Mass. native, was inducted under the contributor category for her service on the board-and as president-of Friends of Brandeis Athletics (FOBA). Bernstein, who was also a member of the first undefeated women's basketball team that went 13-0 in 1956, mentioned that she was glad to have her young grandchildren in the crowd. She expressed her hope that they would understand how she earned her induction. "I want my grandchildren to know that finding something you love and giving your best to it will bring untold reward," she said. "Thank you so much for this wonderful honor." Zinn, honored posthumously, was one of the founding members of the Brandeis golf team. Though he passed away in 1991, his legacy endures as one of the finest golfers in not only school history, but in the New England region. Nayer, who ranks 18th in points and second in rebounds on the men's basketball team's all-time list, said that he was honored to be inducted into such a prestigious group of individuals. "I was very thrilled," said Nayer, who works as the director of operating and capital budgets at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore. "Honored. Humbled. Really appreciative, very proud," he said. "It means so much to me." Carpenter, the Greater Boston League MVP his senior year, had a two-year stint in the minor leagues. After a memorable season in which he batted .458 in his senior year, Carpenter remembered the good times he had on the diamond, mentioning how excited he was to come back to campus. "I got just as excited driving down South Street towards the school today as I did 35 years ago," said Carpenter, who currently coaches American Legion baseball in Connecticut. A three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in the 800-meter run, Getz still manages to run competitively at 35 years old. He is currently employed as an IT consultant for Z-TECH Associates, a company he began working for while a sophomore at Brandeis. Though Getz is not as quick as when he ran a scorching time of 1:50 for the 800-meter, Getz, who lives in nearby Wayland, still reflects on his days as a Judge with great pride. "We had some really talented middle-distance runners under [coach] Bruce Bickford [who was at one point ranked first in the world at 10,000 meters]," he said. "I think we got fourth at [NCAA Division III] cross-country nationals one year." Amid his extensive accomplishments, Getz said that he was humbled to be honored. "I was surprised," he added. "I'm flattered, of course. There are a lot of other good athletes here. I don't know what the selection criteria [are], but I'm very honored." Marx, a three-time qualifier for the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships and three-time All-American in the breaststroke, cited her then-coach [and current Assistant Director of Athletics] Jim Zotz as her mentor. During her induction speech, Marx announced something personal-she and husband, former Judges swimmer Nick Dufresne '04, are expecting their first child this fall. "We hope they'll swim, but we won't pressure them," Marx joked. Though the next induction has already been planned for Oct. 12, 2013, there will be plenty of time for the Brandeis community to commemorate the accomplishments of these individuals. With current success on the fields, courts, trails and track, the task for those selecting future nominees will only be more challenging. *
