The Justice- Aug. 25, 2009

An injunction filed by the estateof Julius Kalman against BrandeisUniversity claiming that theplanned demolition of the Kalmanscience building violated Kalman’swill has been settled, according to adocument filed in the SuffolkProbate Court Aug. 18.

The terms of the settlementrequire the University to name aresearch laboratory in Room 2-15 ofthe new Carl J. Shapiro ScienceCenter the Julius Kalman ResearchLaboratory and to place a tributeplaque within the lobby of theScience Center.

Additionally, the University willalso place a naming plaque, whichshows that a specific room or areahas been named after a particularperson, outside the laboratory. Theplaque will be consistent with thesize and design of other namingplaques around the building.

Sumner Kalman, the great-nephew of Julius Kalman, filed theinjunction against the UniversityMay 7.

The Kalman building is sched-uled to be razed later this year aspart of Phase 1 of the ScienceComplex Renewal Project, accord-ing to the Web site of the Office ofCapital Projects.

According to the terms of the set-tlement, the University mustinstall the tribute plaque on theground-floor lobby of the ScienceCenter within 30 days of the demo-lition of the Kalman science build-ing.

Adjacent to the plaque will be alabel on the wall. The label willread, “From 1957 to 2010 thisplaque was hung within the JuliusKalman Science Center, whichstood adjacent to this building.Two generations of Brandeis scien-tists were trained within its wallsfor the betterment of humankind.The Julius Kalman ResearchLaboratory within this building isnamed to pay tribute to JuliusKalman. Brandeis University isdeeply grateful to Julius Kalmanwho had faith in this university inits earliest years.”

The Supreme Judicial Court ofMassachussetts transferred a law-suit filed by three members of theRose Art Museum Board ofOverseers asking that theUniversity halt the closing of theRose to the Suffolk Probate courtAug. 6, according to EmilyLaGrassa, communications direc-tor for Massachusetts AttorneyGeneral Martha Coakley.

LaGrassa explained in an e-mailto the Justice that the probatecourt is the appropriate venue forthe lawsuit because it is a fact-find-ing court, whereas the SupremeCourt hears appeals after the trialhas already occurred.

LaGrassa also wrote that a casemanagement conference, a discus-sion of internal deadlines perti-nent to the case, has been sched-

uled for Sept. 1. When asked abouta trial date, LaGrassa respondedthat one would not be set for manymonths.

Rose overseers Jonathan Lee,Meryl Rose and Lois Foster filedthe lawsuit July 27 in the SupremeJudicial Court of Massachussetts.The lawsuit states that theUniversity’s decision to close themuseum and sell its paintingswould violate the museum’s ethi-cal codes and Brandeis’ commit-ment to the Rose family to main-tain the museum.

Thomas Reilly, the University’soutside legal counsel on the law-suit, said in an interview with theJustice that the decision to movethe case to the probate courtimplies a lack of urgency in thelawsuit.

“The Rose Art Museum is open.The plaintiffs were claiming thatit’s closed; that’s simply not true.They were claiming that [there]was a sale of paintings that wasimminent; that’s simply not true.So there are serious misrepresen-tations in the complaint, but thebottom line is the Court wouldn’t

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

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Women’s soccer

Waltham, Mass. Volume LXI, Number 1

FORUM Rethinking Brandeis activism 10

SPORTS Volleyball team gains five rookies 16

FEATURES PAGE 7

FRENCH RETIRING

■ The team gears up for the2009 to 2010 season.

■ The author spoke to justArts aheadof his campus appearance.

■ Students can submit proposals for Justice BrandeisSemester programs.

JBS Proposals

SPORTS 12 ARTS 19 NEWS 3

Four key administratorsto leave the University

Four key Brandeis administrators,including Executive Vice Presidentand Chief Operating Officer PeterFrench, will depart this academicyear. Personnel changes have alsotaken place at the Department ofCommunity Living, formerly knownas the Department of Residence Life,over the summer as part of a reorgani-

zation effort intended to make up fordeparted staff members.

Along with French, other adminis-trators who are leaving include Deanof Admissions Gil Villanueva, SeniorVice President for CommunicationsLorna Miles and Vice President ofFinancial Affairs Maureen Murphy.Activities Advisor in the Departmentof Student Activities Becca Lehrhoffand Operations Specialist in theDepartment of Student ActivitiesMark Metevier left the UniversityMarch 20.

According to Vice President ofStudent Affairs and Dean of StudentLife Rick Sawyer, the DCL’s new nameemphasizes that its directors “will

PITCHING IN

Team effortBrandeis athletes like Morgan Kendrew ’12 lent a handSunday to help orientation leaders, about 30 fewer in num-ber than last year, move in a first-year class of about 825.

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

ADMINISTRATION

■ Executive Vice Presidentand Chief Operating OfficerPeter French is among thedeparting staff members.

By SHANA D. LEBOWITZJUSTICE EDITOR

BUDGET

The University projects a bal-anced budget for fiscal 2010, pri-marily due to $7.4 million in sav-ings from the one-year suspen-sion of retirement contributionsand a better-than-expectedendowment return for fiscal 2009,Executive Vice President andChief Operating Officer PeterFrench wrote in an e-mail to theBrandeis community yesterday.

The University also raised$78.3 million in cash during fiscal2009, according to Senior VicePresident of InstitutionalAdvancement Nancy Winship,despite an economic climate shecharacterized as the worst she

has seen in 15 years. According to Vice President for

Budget and Planning FranDrolette, the University closedthe fiscal 2009 budget gap througha combination of budget reduc-tions, added revenue and use ofunrestricted reserves. The unre-stricted reserves refer to liquidassets—money that is part of theendowment that the Universitycan access. She stated thatBrandeis used less of its reservesthan was previously anticipatedfor fiscal 2009.

Additional budget relief camefrom the $6.3 million that mainlyconsisted of bequests solicitedduring the University’s fundrais-ing effort. According to Winship,the bequests were one-time dona-tions that will not necessarilyrepeat. “You can’t plan a budgetbased on bequests,” she said.

In March, the University pro-jected an $8.9 million operating

■ Savings from retirement benefit suspensions improvedthe financial situation.

By MIRANDA NEUBAUERJUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

See FUNDS, 5 ☛

CONSTRUCTION

Kalmanlawsuitsettled■ The University will name aportion of the new Carl J.Shapiro Science Center afterlate donor Julius Kalman.

By HARRY SHIPPSJUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

See ROSE, 5 ☛

ROSE ART MUSEUM

■ The lawsuit filed bymembers of the RoseBoard of Overseers willmove to a probate court.

By ALANA ABRAMSONJUSTICE STAFF WRITER

See KALMAN, 5 ☛See ADMIN, 5 ☛

Univ projectsFY ’10 balance

Rose lawsuit shiftedto Suffolk court

2 TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2009 ● THE JUSTICE

NEWSPOLICE LOG

Brandeis Energy-Saving Lighting SaleStudents who want to buy energy-saving

lamps, lightbulbs and smart buys can stopby the Lighting Sale. The Lighting Sale isheld in conjunction with the first Move InMarket, which will start at 2 p.m. Wednes-day, Aug. 26 from 12:30 to 5 p.m. in theShapiro Campus Center Atrium. For moreinformation, [email protected].

Move In MarketIncoming first-years and upperclassmen

who are in need of affordable kitchenwareand electronics can attend the Move InMarket. The Move In Market is a resale oflightly used items collected at the end oflast semester. The items are affordable,and each purchase enters the buyer into araffle to win a barely used Apple iHome.All profits will support campus sustain-ability efforts and local nonprofits.Wednes-

day, Aug. 26 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the ShapiroCampus Center Atrium. For more infor-mation, [email protected].

Arts and Activities FairMeet representatives from various Bran-

deis clubs and organizations at the activitiesfair. Students can sign up for club mailinglists and watch University performancegroups showcase their talents at the fair.Such performance groups will be holding au-ditions later in the fall. This event is spon-sored by the Department of StudentActivities. Sunday, Aug. 30 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.on the Great Lawn. The rain location will bein Levin Ballroom.

Brandeis Farmers MarketSupport local produce by stopping by the

Farmers Market, which will sell local pro-

duce including jams, jellies, organic juices,baked goods, used books and homemadesoaps and lotions. This event is sponsoredby the Natural Living Club. Sunday, Aug.30 from noon to 3 p.m. in Athletics Lot.

Study Abroad Info SessionAttend this information session to get an

overview of the off-campus study processat Brandeis. Tips for researching programsand destinations as well as information re-garding the application process and finan-cial aid will be discussed at the session.Attending a general information session ismandatory for students wishing to studyoff-campus for the semester or academicyear abroad. Monday, Aug. 31 from noon to1 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge, Usdan StudentCenter.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Justice is the independent student newspaper ofBrandeis University. The Justice is published everyTuesday of the academic year with the exception ofexamination and vacation periods. Editor in chief of-fice hours are held every Wednesday from 3:30 to 4:30p.m. in the Justice office.

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BRIEF

AP BRIEF

EDGARTOWN, Mass.—A weakeningHurricane Bill spun northward Satur-day, churning up rough seas, creatingdangerous rip tides and closing beachesto swimmers up and down the easternseaboard, including President BarackObama’s planned vacation spot,Martha’s Vineyard.

The Category 1 hurricane was ex-pected to pass the mainland well off NewEngland but was still packing highwinds and waves that had safety offi-cials urging extreme caution.

At Robert Moses State Park in NewYork, the beach was shut down as thehigh tide submerged the sand, thoughthe beach opened later Saturday for sun-bathing. Along some beaches inDelaware and New Jersey, no swimmingwas allowed.

“It’s just too dangerous right now,”Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Kent Buck-son said.

On Saturday evening, Bill had maxi-mum sustained winds near 85 mph andwas about 250 miles south-southeast ofNantucket and about 550 miles south-southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, ac-cording to the U.S. National HurricaneCenter in Miami.

A tropical storm warning remained ineffect Saturday night for Massachusetts,including the islands of Nantucket andMartha’s Vineyard, meaning tropicalstorm-force winds of 40 mph or morecould hit the coastline in the next 24hours.

The worst of Bill was expected to passabout 150 to 200 miles east of Martha’sVineyard before Obama’s arrival onSunday.

On Saturday, nearly all south-facingbeaches on the island were closed toswimmers and large signs blocked road-ways to shorefronts.

Meanwhile, lifeguards used cautiontape to rope off access points, and policepatrolled the beach to enforce the clos-ings.

“The concern we have now is that theriptides are very strong,” said lifeguardJames Costantini. “There’s a verystrong undertow.”

First year dance offThe incoming first-years were welcomed with a Great Lawnbarbeque, ice cream social and dancing orientation leaders at ahula-themed dance that brought island flavor to Levin Ballroom.


New Louis D. Brandeis stamp tobe dedicated Sept 24

Hurricane Bill’s windsweaken as it nears US

A commemorative stamp with the image of JusticeLouis D. Brandeis will be released as part of theUnited States Postal Service’s 2009 commemorativestamp program at a dedication ceremony that willtake place at Brandeis University Sep. 24.

The 2009 Commemorative Stamp Program is recog-nising the achievements of four prominent UnitedStates Supreme Court Justices. The other Justiceswhose images will appear on the commemorativestamps are Joseph Story, Felix Frankfurter andWilliam J. Brennan, Jr. The Citizens Stamp AdvisoryCommittee in Arlington, Virginia oversaw the selec-tion process for the justices. The stamps will go on saleSept. 22.

University President Jehuda Reinharz and JamesHolland, the postmaster general of Boston, will dedi-cate the new Louis Brandeis stamp at the base of thestatue of Justice Brandeis located on campus. JusticeBrandeis’ grandson Frank Gilbert will speak at theceremony, and William Bowen, the University’s“singing postman,” will perform at the event.

A commemorative program including a special can-cellation for the Brandeis stamp will also be distrib-uted during the event. Customer RelationsCoordinator for the Boston District Barbara Dunphy-Lundrigan explained that the Brandeis stamp can becanceled with the date of the dedication ceremony.The cancellation will also feature the University seal,Dunphy Lundrigan added.

The stamp dedication is a part of the University’s“Brandeis Celebrates Brandeis” salute occurring inSeptember. Brandeis Celebrates Brandeis will haveanother event Sept. 29, a Meet the Author programwith Justice Brandeis biographer Melvin Urofsky re-garding the publication of a new biography about Jus-tice Brandeis.

“I’m grateful for the significant recognition fromthe government that Grandfather serviced,” saidGilbert in an interview with the Justice.

In an e-mail to the Justice, Reinharz wrote, “Thestatue of Justice Brandeis is the most prominent phys-ical representation of Louis Brandeis on campus. Itwas at the suggestion of the Boston Postmaster, JamesHolland that the University was selected as the site forthe unveiling.”

Gilbert briefly discussed with the Justice what hewill address in his speech at the stamp dedication cer-emony. “I would say the University would bring hap-piness to Grandfather. [He] considered himself aneducator. He would be pleased by the scholarship ofmembers of the faculty and want to read their books.He would be pleased about the growth and potential ofthe students,” Gilbert said.

In an e-mail to the Justice, Reinharz stated that theLouis Brandeis stamp “is a reminder for the membersof the Brandeis community of the values espoused byJustice Brandeis, which are reflected in the Univer-sity’s core mission of academic excellence, social jus-tice, non-sectarianism and support for the Jewishcommunity.”

Bowen, who has worked at Brandeis since March1979, said, “I think it’s a wonderful honor for JusticeBrandeis. It’s really a monument to what he accom-plished in his day and what we’re still trying to instillin the students that come through the school.”

—Reina Guerrero

Medical EmergencyJul. 8—University Police re-

sponded to a 911 call from theHeller School for Social Policyand Management constructionsite for a possible heart attack.The party was treated on-sceneand transported by ambulanceto the Newton-WellesleyHospital.

Jul. 21—University Police re-ceived a call from East Quadstating that a staff worker hadfallen and injured his face. Theparty was treated on-scene andtransported by ambulance tothe Newton-Wellesley Hospitalfor further care.

DisturbanceJun. 6—A caller reported

that there was a loud group ofpeople in the middle of the Fos-ter Mods. The parties agreed tomove indoors and lower theirvoices.

Jul. 4—University Policewere notified of a person bang-

ing on the door of the reportingparty’s apartment. The partywas intoxicated and thoughtthe apartment was a friend’s.He was transported back to hisresidence by University Police.

Jul. 25—University Policedrove by the lower Foster Modsand dispersed a party of ap-proximately 100 to 150 people.University judicial chargeswere sought against the sum-mer residents responsible.

LarcenyAug. 3—A fake check was

sent to a staff member fromBrandeis University. Police fol-lowed up with the Treasury Of-fice and compiled a report; aninvestigation will follow.

Aug. 6—A caller reportedthat a computer, scanner andsmall bookshelf were stolenfrom Friedland 10. A statementwill be issued at a later date.

HarassmentJun. 17—Staff of the Alumni

Relations department reportedreceiving a “strange” e-mail onJune 15. The investigations of-fice followed up on the matter.

MiscelleneousJun. 25—University Police

found a vehicle with a strongodor of drugs in Charles RiverLot. The owners of the vehiclewere given a verbal warningand sent off campus by officers.

Jun. 29—A University officerreported that two suspiciousparties were engaged in inti-mate activity in Foster Resi-dence Lot. The female partywas identified as a Brandeisstudent. Both parties were senton their way.

Jun. 29—University Policereceived a report of syringes atthe gym. Police photographedthe syringes and compiled a re-port. A safety officer disposedof the syringes properly.

Jul. 14—University Policewere notified by a student of awhite male hiding in thebushes by the Epstein building.University Police checked thearea but found nothing.

TrespassingJul. 31—University Police

found six people on the roof ofTower B of Usen Castle, includ-ing one Brandeis student. Thesuspects were arrested for tres-passing and for being minors inpossession of alcohol. Univer-sity Police compiled a report.

VandalismAug. 4—A caller reported

vandalism “of a strange na-ture” on a desk in the SacharInternational Center. Univer-sity Police compiled a report onthe incident.

—compiled by HannahKirsch

The Justice is nowon Facebook! Become a fan of our page athttp://www.facebook.com/thejusticeonline to see breaking newsposts and information about Justiceevents!

A Justice Brandeis Semester com-mittee will be formed to solicit pro-posals from students and faculty forup to 12 pilot programs that will beginin the summer of 2010 and continuethrough the academic year.

An additional JBS committee con-sisting of faculty members and ad-ministrators will be formed to beginreviewing proposals on a rolling basisSept. 8. The Undergraduate Curricu-lum Committee must next approve ofeach individual JBS program. Thefinal approval for the JBS programwill come from Associate Dean of Artsand Sciences Elaine Wong.

Justice Brandeis Semesters willform an experimental, immersion-based instruction program taught byBrandeis faculty that allows studentsin small groups of eight to 15 to earn12 to 20 credits over eight- or 10-weeksummer programs or over regular se-mesters.

The JBS program was approvedFeb. 26 by the UCC. The programt wasthen passed at the March 4 facultymeeting.

Many debates occurred at town hallmeetings held by the Student Unionand administration on several occa-sions last spring. Debates concernedhow tuition would be covered by thestudents attending a JBS program,whether it would be run by the sum-mer school and how faculty teachingthese programs would be compen-sated for their time.

In a recent interview with the Jus-tice, Student Union President AndyHogan ’11 voiced his concerns aboutpersonal finance issues studentswould face due to a summer JBS pro-gram, such as housing costs.

“There are still a lot of things thatneed to be worked out, such as per-sonal student expenses and financialaid. I hope that throughout the yearthese things are examined,” he said.

Justice Brandeis Semester propos-als will be reviewed for approvalbased on the following criteria: aca-demic coherence, excellence and fea-sibility, expected appeal toundergraduates and financial viabil-ity, according to the JBS Web site.Proposals are due no later than Oct. 1for summer programs and Dec. 1 for

those meant for fall and spring se-mesters.

Each JBS program must meet for 39instructional hours both in and out ofthe typical classroom setting and willhave a $20,000 maximum budget. Ad-ditional proposal format and submis-sion information can be found on theJBS Web site.

In an interview with the Justice,Wong explained what types of experi-ences will be included in the JBS pro-gram: “The Justice BrandeisSemester will be offering a range ofprograms from all four schools of theUniversity (Creative Arts, Humani-ties, Social Sciences and Sciences),with a wide range of experientiallearning opportunities from conduct-ing ethnographic fieldwork to provid-ing services to a greater Bostoncommunity to completing an intern-ship or scientific research, to writingand performing a one-act play.”

Nelson, chair of the faculty JBScommittee, said that in order for astudent to craft a proposal, he or shemust cooperate with a faculty mem-ber. “The best way for students to getinvolved is via faculty they know orvia [an Undergraduate DepartmentRepresentative]. The process for stu-dents helping to develop a JBS pro-posal would be very much like

students arranging an independentstudy or internship; they would needto get a faculty member to agree towork on it with them.”

Regarding the student proposalprocess, Wong advised, “They shouldstart by discussing ideas with a fac-ulty member and offering to collabo-rate. Some faculty and students willwant to work together, and others willprobably not.”

Although Hogan stated that he willnot base a Union project on encourag-ing students to submit proposals, hesaid that he wants students to take theinitiative on their own accounts. Headded that he hopes Union senatorswill support and publicize any impor-tant JBS-related news to their con-stituents.

Taking inspiration from his sum-mer experience at a legal aid clinic,Hogan told the Justice that he plans totake advantage of the JBS programand propose the creation of a similarexperience with the cooperation ofthe Legal Studies department. Hoganhopes that students follow his exam-ple of designing a JBS program basedon personal interests.

In an interview with the Justice,former student member of the CARScommittee and JBS subcommitteeand current Director of StudentRights and Advocacy Lev Hirshhorn’11 said, “ It is very much in the inter-est of the student body for JBS to suc-ceed as a mandatory or exceedinglypopular program. This will only hap-pen if it is successful, which meansthat we need a lot of strong pro-grams.”

Hirshhorn further explained thathe feels this is the only solution to anovercrowded campus that would becaused by an already approved in-crease in the student body of approxi-mately 400 students.

“This is an opportunity for studentsto have a strong influence on the cur-riculum. If a student is passionateabout a topic or idea, I hope they getinvolved and create [a proposal],”Hogan said.

JBS panel to receive community submissions

Dean of Arts and Sciences AdamJaffe has chosen the faculty and studentmembers of the Dean’s CurriculumCommittee, which will seek to imple-ment the adoption of a new curriculumwith fewer faculty members in the Artsand Sciences as recommended by theCurriculum and Academic Restructur-ing Steering committee last semester.

This plan is part of a larger responseto budget pressures in which the Uni-versity plans to reduce its faculty by 10percent over five years while increas-ing the number of undergraduate stu-dents by 12 percent. For example, theCARS report projects a decrease from26 to 22 total faculty in Near Easternand Judaic Studies and 29 to 26 facultyin Biology.

Jaffe selected faculty for the DCCover the summer based on recommen-dations by the school councils for thehumanities, social sciences, fine arts,sciences and faculty from interdepart-mental programs. “I wanted people …who would be knowledgeable about theUniversity and have a broad perspec-tive on more than one department orprogram,” Jaffe said. The faculty rep-resentatives are Profs. John Burt(ENG), Jane Kamensky (HIST), JudithEissenberg (MUS), Lizbeth Hedstrom(BCHM) and Richard Parmentier(ANTH). The student representativewill be Supreetha Gubbala ’12, StudentUnion director of academic affairs. Thecommittee will have its first meetingAug. 30.

Jaffe said that the DCC will oversee aprocess taking place this Decemberduring which all Arts and Sciences de-partments will make two projectionsfor their three-year curriculum plansinstead of one; one projection will bebased on the department’s current fac-ulty size, and the other will be based onthe new target size as specified by theCARS report.

The CARS report was released April20, and a revised version with some cor-rections was released in May. The deci-sion to form the DCC was made at aJanuary faculty meeting.

As recommended by the CARS re-port, the DCC will also oversee a moresystematic approach to the curriculum

plan update, with each department es-tablishing its own curriculum commit-tee to make recommendations.

According to Jaffe, the Universityaims to implement the CARS recom-mendations during the 2010 to 2011 aca-demic year.

While students, therefore, should notsee many changes resulting from CARSthis semester, Jaffe said some evidenceof last year’s budgetary challenges isvisible in the number of new facultyhires and courses for first-year stu-dents.

There are fewer new faculty mem-bers this semester as a result of lastyear’s hiring freeze, according to Jaffe.In an e-mail to the Justice, Jaffe wrotethat six out of 18 faculty searches werecompleted last year and of these six,two were hired to start next year. “Inaddition to the four new hires, we havefour people who were hired last yearbut delayed until this fall, resulting ineight new long-term faculty startingthis fall,” Jaffe wrote. He declined tocomment why the four faculty mem-bers who were hired before the 2008 to2009 hiring cycle had been delayed.This semester there are six new profes-sors and assistant professors, com-pared to last year’s 15.

Jaffe said that some new facultymembers were hired before the freezetook effect and that others were re-placements for faculty who departed.

Despite the economic challenges,new professors, who were all hired aspart of the hiring cycle of 2008 to 2009,are eager about their positions.

Prof. Elizabeth Brainerd, who washired prior to the 2008 to 2009 hiringcycle, said she was drawn to Brandeisby her joint appointment to Economicsand Women’s and Gender Studies. “Itfits in really nicely with my research,and I’m really impressed with the qual-ity of the WGS program,” she said.

Brainerd added that she is not veryconcerned about the financial situa-tion. “All universities have gonethrough a really difficult year. … I’mnot sure it’s really worse at Brandeisthan everywhere else,” she stated. “I'mnot concerned about the long-term via-bility of the University at all,” Brainerdsaid.

Hired during the 2008 to 2009 hiringcycle, Prof Charles Rosenberger (IGS)said that the University’s financial sit-uation does not faze him. He stated thatBrandeis has a “much stronger endow-ment than Boston University,” wherehe taught previously. “In some waysBrandeis is in very solid shape for thelong term,” Rosenberg added.

Members ofDCC selected

The new Carl and Ruth ShapiroAdmissions Center is scheduled foroccupancy in early October, andprogress has also been made overthe summer on several other on-campus construction projects, saidto Vice President of Capital Proj-ects Dan Feldman in an e-mail tothe Justice.

Other changes on campus in-clude the completion of the Carl J.Shapiro Science Center and the be-ginning stages of the Mandel Cen-ter for the Humanities. Demolitionof the Kalman and Friedland Sci-ence Buildings has not yet begun,Feldman wrote in his e-mail.

Feldman wrote that improve-ments over the old admissions cen-ter include two larger waitingareas in order to accommodate theincreasing number of visitors tothe Brandeis campus and a “finan-cial services satellite office to pro-vide information to waitingparents and prospective students.”Feldman added that the new build-ing also included a 100-seat presen-

tation room with state-of-the-artpresentation technology. Univer-sity Provost Marty Krauss saidthat the new presentation room,which looks out over the ShapiroCampus Center, creates a “visiblelink to the center of campus.”

The Science Center, with a totalproject cost of approximately $75million, will be fully operational interms of classes, offices and re-search labs at the beginning of thisacademic year, according to Feld-man. “There were many other com-ponents to Phase 1 of the ScienceComplex Renewal Project. Some ofthese are still in progress (e.g., ren-ovations to selected areas in Bas-sine, renovations to what was theupper level of the [Gerstenzang] li-brary, and the imminent removalof Friedland first and, later,Kalman). All of these togethermake up the total cost of a bit over$100 million for Phase 1 of the Sci-ence Complex Renewal Project,”Feldman wrote in his e-mail.

The University began movingfurniture and equipment into theScience Center late last year, andKrauss said that classes have takenplace there over the summer.Krauss added that she was unsureof the status of the café that wasplanned for inside the center.

Feldman wrote that the currentplan is to demolish the Friedlandbuilding between September and

October 2009 and to raze theKalman building between Januaryand April 2010.

Julius Kalman’s great-nephewSumner Kalman had filed an in-junction against the University onMay 7 to prevent the demolition ofthe Kalman Science building, al-leging that such an act would vio-late Kalman’s will. The Universityand Sumner Kalman reached a set-tlement Aug. 18 that calls for theUniversity to name a section of thenew Science Center in honor ofJulius Kalman.

The design of the $27 millionMandel Center for the Humanitieshas been completed and construc-tion is under way, according toFeldman. The center, which will benear the North Academic Quad ac-cording to Krauss, will be made ofconcrete.

Feldman wrote, that the concretepouring process will take severalmonths and that the center shouldbe completed in time for the begin-ning of the 2010 fall semester.

Feldman wrote that “Given thetight financial constraints Bran-deis (like every college and univer-sity) is facing, no residence hallsreceived major renovation thissummer. Facilities Services did,however, carry on with their regu-lar program of maintenance to res-idence halls.”

By MIRANDA NEUBAUERJUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

■ The newly selected members of the Dean’s Curriculum Committee willmeet Aug. 30.

ACADEMICS

THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2009 3

WORK IN PROGRESS

STILL IN DEVELOPMENT : The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center, above, will be ready for occupancy in early October.MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

■ The new admissions center is nearly finished,and the Carl J. Shapiro Science Center is complete.


ACADEMICS

■ Students and faculty cansubmit proposals for pilotJustice Brandeis Semesterprograms starting next year.

By DESTINY AQUINOJUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Construction projects advance

This is an opportunityfor students to have astrong influence on thecurriculum.

“ANDY HOGAN ’11

The incoming Class of 2013 enjoyed ice cream sundaeswhile socializing with Roosevelt Fellows in theShapiro Campus Center Atrium Monday night.

Dining Services is introducing theWiser Plan, a new meal plan for stu-dents who are not required to havea full meal plan, as well as severalother dining changes this fall.

The Wiser Plan, designed for stu-dents who live off campus and thosewho live in campus housing withfull kitchens, offers students 35meals and 300 Dining Dollars per se-mester. The plan’s price will be ad-vertised in selected apartments andresidences this fall, wrote Directorof Dining Services Mike Newmarkin an e-mail to the Justice. In the e-mail Newmark explained that Din-ing Dollars are treated in the samecapacity as points but can be pur-chased at any time, much like Who-Cash. Students will benefit frompurchasing the Wiser Plan becauseit offers a greater value through thecombination of meals and DiningDollars, wrote Newmark.

The Dining Services Web sitestates that Usdan Student CenterBoulevard and Café will have addedcombo meals for under $5, an ex-panded kosher section in the Boule-vard and an organic salad bar.“‘Home Zone’ has changed to a selfserve ‘Comfort Classics’ station al-lowing you to select what and howmuch you want. Priced by the ounceallows customers maximum flexi-bility, convenience and value,” ac-cording to the Web site. ShermanDining Hall will feature moregluten-free options and a newkosher stir-fry station. The WiserPlan was created in response to stu-dent feedback about the Wise Plan,a similar meal plan that was intro-duced last fall, Newmark explained.the Wise Plan is also targeted at stu-dents who are not required to be ona meal plan and consists of 90 mealsand 325 Dining Dollars per semesterfor $949. “Student feedback last yearwas they wanted less meals on a vol-untary meal plan,” wrote Newmarkin an e-mail to the Justice.

The Wise and Wiser plans can bepurchased anytime during the year,

and the Dining Dollars included inthese meal plans will expire at theend of the academic year, accordingto Newmark. “Dining dollars pur-chased separately by anyone at any-time carry over and only expireupon leaving the University,” New-mark wrote. He added that studentswill receive a 10-percent value up-grade to their online purchases ofDining Dollars, meaning that if astudent pays $300, he will receive$330 in Dining Dollars.

Chair of the Dining CommitteeJenna Rubin ’10 believes the newDining Services Web site is also asignificant change. “It’s definitely …an easier format to navigate and un-derstand what kind of informationis available, and a lot more ques-tions about meals plan and dininghalls have been answered throughthat Web site,” Rubin said.

“And now in the future when peo-ple have questions and come to theDining Committee, we can tell them,‘Hey, your question is actually an-swered on this Web site in the wordsof ... Newmark, and his answers arefar better than ours,” Rubin said.

“Despite economic challenges, weare proud to deliver a world-classdining program for our cus-tomers/community by developingrelationships based on service ex-cellence, partnership and mutualunderstanding. We makequality/service improvements eachyear based on the support and feed-back from students, administrationand the rest of the Brandeis commu-nity,” wrote Newmark.

Most students, however, did notrespond favorably upon hearing ofthe Wiser Plan.

Eben Cottrelle ’10, who lives in theFoster Mods, a residence that has fit-ted kitchens, said that he is not cur-rently on a meal plan. “I actuallylike to cook,” said Cottrelle, empha-sizing that, for this reason, he doesnot wish to be on any meal plan.

Similarly, Jason Stoll ’10, wholives off campus, is also not on ameal plan.

Stoll explained that he does notwish to be on any meal plan “be-cause meal plans consist of mostlycampus dining, and the only timeI’m on campus is for classes.”

— Brian Fromm contributedreporting

New meal plan added

The MOSAIC program for new stu-dent orientation will take place duringregular orientation this year and in-clude a yearlong mentor/mentee pro-gram.

The MOSAIC program is no longer apreorientation program for which in-terested students must arrive on cam-pus early. This year the program willbegin Aug. 25 during regular orienta-tion in order to provide interested in-ternational students, athletes,community advisors, orientation lead-ers, as well as students involved withthe Student Support Services Programand Transitional Year Program, all ofwhom are usually engaged in other pro-grams during preorientation, the op-portunity to participate, according toDirector of Community Living for theFirst and Sophomore Year MichelleO’Malley. Preorientation began onAug. 23 this year.

Additionally, the mentor/menteeprogram will engage a mentee withboth a student and faculty mentor atleast once a week throughout the year,according to Diversity and Social Jus-tice Coordinator Andrew Mandel ’11.“A MOSAIC mentor is sort of like an

orientation leader, but instead of justfor orientation, [the MOSAIC mentor]is kind of just for the whole year. It’ssort of like a one-on-one mentoring ex-perience,” Mandel said. InterculturalCenter Director Monique Gnanarat-nam added that MOSAIC, which previ-ously did not serve as an acronym, nowstands for Making Opportunities forSocial Adjustment Interaction andConnections.

Students interested in participatingin the 2009 to 2010 MOSAIC programwere required to complete an online ap-plication. The program will begin Aug.25 with the orientation resource work-shop, “What’s MOSAIC?” There will bean on-campus retreat Sept. 13 duringwhich students will take part in semi-nars on leadership and diversity, ac-cording to Mandel. Mandel stated thatMOSAIC participants will be assignedto student and faculty mentors at theend of the retreat. “From there, we’llhave programs throughout the yearthat will help them with their adjust-ment, transition,” O’Malley said.

O’Malley explained that the MOSAICprogram was re-evaluated after it wasobserved that the program only at-tracted between 30 to 40 students anddid not allow students who would beengaged in other programs during pre-orientation to participate. “In the past,MOSAIC had established this unityamong this 40-odd students and we saidwe were going to have ‘MOSAIC Mo-ments’ throughout the year, but itnever really happened that way,”O’Malley added, explaining that stu-dents became busy with other activities

during the year. “MOSAIC Moments,”which are events for MOSAIC partici-pants, will now be mandatory pro-grams, such as on-campus ICC lectures,according to Gnanaratnam.

“One criticism of the MOSAIC pro-gram in the past was that it was just athree-day orientation program and thatwas sort of it,” Mandel said. By encour-aging MOSAIC participants to interactwith the Brandeis community throughthe mentor/mentee program, O’Malleybelieves that “it’s probably going tokeep that feeling of the orientation-typeprogram throughout the year.” Gna-naratnam added, “This is an opportu-nity for us to address and to take a lookat some of the critical things studentsdeal with in the first six weeks theycome to Brandeis University.”

O’Malley said that it also made moresense to spend the MOSAIC partici-pants’ mandatory orientation fees, setat $185 per new student, over the courseof a year-long MOSAIC program ratherthan over a few days.

Jordan Warsoff ’11, who was a MO-SAIC participant as an incoming first-year as well as a MOSAIC leader lastyear, said that he found the programvery interesting. Warsoff noted that al-though the MOSAIC program strove inthe past to continue throughout theyear, “MOSAIC Moments,” in his opin-ion, have been minimal. He added thatthe program could potentially be betterthis year as it opens up to the rest of thecampus.

— Hannah Kirsch contributedreporting

MOSAIC program revamped

Sage software upgraded from 8.0 to 9.0

Sage, the academic record systemused by students, faculty and staff tran-sitioned from version 8.0 to 9.0 July 22.The upgrade is meant to ensure that thevarious components of sage are noweasier to use.

The upgrade features a new naviga-tions toolbar, as well as visible links tofinances and personal informationareas. Many of the upgrades to sage arevisible immediately upon logging in.Director of the Department of Admin-istrative Information Systems LisaDemings summarised the upgrade inan interview saying, “It’s much easierto now find where you log in using yoursage I.D. You also instantly know howmuch you owe the University.”

In a campuswide e-mail July 26, Sen-ior Vice President for Students and En-rollment Jean Eddy and Provost andSenior Vice President for Academic Af-fairs Marty Krauss notified the Bran-deis community that there would be

limited access to sage between July 17and July 20. The e-mail also explainedthat there would be no access to sageJuly 21 and that sage 9.0 would be com-plete and running July 22.

Krauss and Eddy sent out a second e-mail once the system upgrade to sage9.0 was complete. Many officesthroughout the University coordinatedunder Eddy and Krauss’ leadership tocomplete the upgrade of sage 8.0 to sage9.0.

Vice President and Vice Provost forLibraries and Information Technologyand Chief Information Officer PerryHanson said that the University serverwould not be able to support the neces-sary applications without the upgradeto sage 9.0.

“ Once you get into these enterpriseresource claiming tools, which we bothuse for financials and sage, then wehave to upgrade on a regular basis,which is every few years depending onthe system. We were close to the pointin which the server would no longer beable to support us if we did not up-grade,” Hanson explained.

“I oversee many of the offices re-sponsible for SAGE— the Registrar, ad-missions, financial services to name afew. These offices use SAGE exten-sively and provide services to incomingand current students, so making sure

that all of our data and functions couldbe replicated in the upgrade was reallyimportant to me,” wrote Eddy in an e-mail to the Justice.

The University did not pay addi-tional fees to upgrade to sage 9.0, ac-cording to Hanson. He added theUniversity does not pay PeopleSoft, theserver that created and maintains sage,for the upgrade. “We pay them mainte-nance, and the maintenance covers up-grades to the system,” Hansonexplained.

Regarding future updates to sage,Hanson said, “We will be doing somebehind-the-scenes stuff, but we hopethat none of it affects what the studentssee and use, so for at least the next yearthings will stay the same.”

Nathan Koskella ’13 appreciates theinformative and inviting look of sage9.0. “Where the old layout was austereand cold, the new form is like a book”Koskella said.

However, other students, such asJohn Jesus Orr ’12, do not like the up-graded software.

“I think [sage 9.0] is confusing tonavigate and that the construction ofthe initial menu and getting back andforth between pages could be done a lotbetter,” Orr said.

Counseling program moves to library

The Genetic Counseling Programcompleted its move from the Kalmanscience building into the renovatedupper floor of the Gerstenzang Libraryover the summer.

When the plan was first revealed lastyear, Prof. Judith Tsipis (BIOL) saidthat the library space would include of-fices for the Genetic Counseling Pro-gram faculty, a dedicated classroom forthe program, a commons area and aconference room. Tsipis confirmed thatall these renovations have taken place.University Provost Marty Krausswrote in an e-mail to the Justice thatclasses for the Genetic Counseling Pro-gram will take place on the upper floorof Gerstenzang this fall.

The Genetic Counseling Program isa two-year Master of Science degreeprogram that focuses on “providingstudents with a solid scientific back-ground, knowledge of counseling tech-niques and awareness of the social andethical issues in human geneticstoday,” according to the program’s Website.

For the 2009 to 2010 academic year,the program will consist of 23 students,including 12 second-year students and11 first-year students, according toTsipis.

Due to its deteriorating condition,the Kalman science building will be de-molished between January and April2010, according to Feldman in an e-mailto the Justice. The great nephew ofJulius Kalman filed an injunctionagainst the University May 7 to preventthe demolition of the building, allegingthat such an act would go against hisgreat uncle’s will. Both parties reacheda settlement Aug. 18.

Krauss wrote that part of the newlyrenovated upper floor of the Gersten-zang library will be used as a graduatestudy center. “We have a large increase

in the number [of] Masters-level stu-dents on campus this fall, and wewanted to provide better support sys-tems for them,” she wrote in the e-mail.

Krauss confirmed that the lowerlevel of the Gerstenzang library willstill function as a library.

Vice Provost for Libraries and In-formation Technology and Chief Infor-mation Officer Perry Hanson explainedthat all books that were previouslyhoused on the upper floor are now ac-commodated on the lower floor of Ger-stenzang and in the Goldfarb Library.

Hanson said that scientific journals,which were previously housed on theupper floor, have been accommodatedelsewhere according to whether thejournals are available online.

Upon seeing the completed facility,Tsipis said “Our space in Kalman was... hideous, and people were all over theplace in terms of space. And now wehave a lovely, lovely center where wecan teach our students.”

—Destiny Aquino and Brian Frommcontributed reporting

Ice cream socialJULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

BREAKING THE ICE

By NASHRAH RAHMANJUSTICE EDITOR

■ The new incarnation of theprogram will continue tohold events throughout theacademic year.

ACADEMICS


■ The Genetic CounselingProgram is on the upperfloor of the GerstenzangScience Library.

By DESTINY AQUINOJUSTICE STAFF WRITER

■ The updated academicrecord system includesprominent links to financialand personal information.

CONSTRUCTION

TECHNOLOGY

DINING SERVICES

By NASHRAH RAHMANJUSTICE EDITOR

■ The Wiser Plan, which offers 35 meals and 300Dining Dollars, will be available this fall.


Peter FrenchExecutive VicePresident and ChiefOperating Officer

Lorna MilesSenior Vice Presidentfor Communications

MaureenMurphyVice President ofFinancial Affairs

Gil VillaneuvaDean of Admissions

Brandeis Administrators Move On


deficit for the current fiscal year,French explained, and the adminis-tration presented a plan to close thatgap to the Board of Trustees in May.That plan included the one-year sus-pension of the University’s matchingcontributions to employees’ retire-ment accounts.

At that meeting, French wrote, theadministration also revised itsendowment return projection to 20percent from an earlier March pro-jection of 30 percent. “The actualendowment return in FY 2009 was-17.3%,” French wrote. He added that“Brandeis’s [sic] endowment returncompares favorably with many of ourpeers’.” French referred to aBloomberg news report, which foundthat U.S. endowments on average fell24 percent, with Brown and YaleUniversity estimating a 24 percentdecrease and Harvard University a 30percent decrease due to the changesin the stock market in which they areinvested.

Despite this projection, “there con-tinue to be concerns related to keybudget areas, including tuition,financial aid, investment returns,and fundraising,” French wrote. Hestated that the University projectsannual operating deficits for fiscal2011 to fiscal 2014, ranging from -$7million in fiscal 2011 to -$2 million infiscal 2014.

“These projections assume that theUniversity will be successful in its

efforts to increase enrollments by 400undergraduate students and decreasethe Arts & Sciences faculty budget by$5M or by roughly 35 full-time equiv-alents,” he wrote. If this does notoccur, deficits are projected toexpand to up to $12.1 million in fiscal2014.

The $78.3 million fundraising fig-ure includes restricted and unre-stricted money that flows through theoperating budget in the current fiscalyear or in a subsequent year,Director of DevelopmentCommunications David Nathanexplained in an e-mail to the Justice.Funds for capital projects and thatendowment are also part of the $78.3million total, he added. The restrictedand unrestricted funds used in theoperating budget in fiscal 2009 includ-ed $11.6 million primarily for arts andsciences support, including financialaid; $13.2 million for targeted pro-gram support, including graduateeducation, the InternationalBusiness School and the HellerSchool for Social Policy andManagement and $6.3 million fromlarge bequests and one-timeresources to help close the budgetgap. With $11.6 million, theUniversity beat its budget-relievingtarget by $600,000, Nathan wrote.

Winship emphasized that muchfundraising support came from alum-ni, trustees, the Brandeis NationalCommittee and other friends of theUniversity, including members of theJewish community. Funds were also

raised through the Phonathon pro-gram, which involves students mak-ing phone calls to alumni in order tosolicit donations. Additionally, stu-dents spoke directly to donors andwrote them thank-you notes toencourage cooperation for the future.

Winship said that a significant con-tribution of $600,000 came from aBrandeis fundraising initiativecalled the Krupp ScholarshipChallenge, which was established byBoston community leaders Liz andGeorge Krupp. The Krupps agreed tocontribute up to $1 million by match-ing $1 for every $2 raised for scholar-ships. According to Winship, otherdonors were encouraged by the prom-ise of the Krupps’ additional contri-butions.

Winship said that raising moneyfor student financial aid was heroffice’s highest priority. “Instead ofsoliciting someone for an endowedgift, … we instead asked them to givewhatever they could give [for currentuse],” Winship said.

Winship said her office has alsofocused on student need in its out-reach to donors, stressing studentneed online in particular by usingviral marketing campaigns. “TheFaculty Senate sent an e-mail toaround 20,000 alumni and asked themfor support; that was something we’dnever done before,” she said. Theoffice sought to engage alumni usingonline video seminars with Brandeisprofessors and created a video featur-ing Brandeis mascot Ollie the Owl

geared toward attracting youngeralumni as well one focused on theimportance of scholarships to stu-dents.

Given the financial challenges,donors over the past fiscal year werealso less likely to make long-termcommitments, said Winship. “Upuntil this year, people looked to thefuture financially, maybe makingmore and more, thinking their sav-ings would be growing,” Winshipsaid.

Another method the Office ofDevelopment and Alumni Relationsused to solicit gifts this year was toobtain stretch gifts, Winshipexplained, asking donors to giveslightly more than the originalamount offered given the need thatBrandeis faces. Winship expressedconcern about using the same strate-gy for the coming year as “it’s veryhard to tell [people] the same storyagain next year,” she said.

French wrote that the Universitywould be engaging in a continuedreview of the financial and budgetplanning process with the Brandeiscommunity before presentingupdates to the fiscal 2010 budget andthe fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2014 budgets atthe October Board of Trustees meet-ing.

French explained that the adminis-tration always projects multiplefinancial scenarios, including worst,middle and best. “At the conclusionof fiscal 2009, the University’s finan-cial status can be characterized as

slightly stronger than the middle-case,” French wrote. The Universityended fiscal 2009 “with a modest posi-tive operating result of $500,000”through increases in revenues anddecreases in expenses.

Winship says that her office isalready focused on fundraising forthe new fiscal year. “You don’t reallyknow if you’ve made [the exact totalraised] until July 12, [after the booksclose]”, she said. “[But] as soon as wehit July we start at zero again.”

Looking into the future, “we’re justin the process of planning our strate-gy [for the coming fiscal year], butmost likely our focus will again be toraise as much current use funds forstudent financial aid and studentprograms as possible,” Winship said.

Jeffrey Apfel, who will soonreplace Peter French as EVP/COO,noted that “every institution workson integrating its fundraising oppor-tunities with its overall financialgoals.”

Apfel added that “what fundraisingin higher education is all about is …finding ways to link donors’ passionsto the mission and direction of theinstitution. From what I can see,Brandeis has done that well.”

look at residence life on this cam-pus not about where people live,but more about how people live.”Staff changes in the DCL are part ofthe Department’s efforts to involveother University organizations inits programming.

Financial restraints preventedthe University from hiring replace-ments after three staff members inthe DCL, including Rich deCapua,Kate d’Urso and Nicole Fadavi leftBrandeis approximately one yearago. Instead, the University choseto reorganize its staff.

Jeremy Leiferman, formerly theco-director of ResLife, became thedepartment’s senior director;Michelle O’Malley, formerly direc-tor of orientation and first-year pro-grams, became the director for thefirst-year and sophomore classes;and Erika LaMarre, formerly thedirector of student developmentand conduct, became the directorfor the junior and senior year class-es. Sarah Richardson, who previ-ously served as one of the activitiesadvisors in the Department ofStudent Activities, replacedMetevier. The department alsoappointed Dean Gendron as direc-tor of the newly renamed Office ofStudent Rights and CommunityStandards.

The University’s financial officewill see the one of the most signifi-cant personnel changes among theoffices and departments that willundergo reorganization, as Frenchends his 12-year career in Brandeis’financial office at the end of this cal-endar year.

Jeff Apfel, formerly the vice pres-ident for administration andfinance at Rutgers University, will

replace French as EVP/COO inOctober; until then, he will serve asvice president of financial affairs.

While French will officiallyretire in October, he will remainhere through December as anadviser to Apfel and UniversityPresident Jehuda Reinharz. “Everyday I’ve been here has been a privi-lege,” French said in an interviewwith the Justice. “This is just agreat institution.”

Murphy will leave Brandeis Aug.31 after 12 years at Brandeis tobecome an associate vice chancel-lor and chief financial officer atNew York University’s new institu-tion in Abu Ghraib, Iraq. “I’m veryexcited about this opportunity, andBrandeis has prepared me well,”she said in an interview with theJustice.

The Office of Admissions willundergo similar transitions thisyear; Villanueva left Brandeis July1 and is now the dean of admissionsat the University of Richmond.According to Vice President forStudents and Enrollment JeanEddy, the University will enlist asearch firm in February to find areplacement and plans to hire anew dean by July 1, 2010. Until July1, Eddy will assume Villanueva’sresponsibilities within the admin-istration.

“The biggest accomplishment[Villanueva] made was in diversityissues for incoming classes,” Eddysaid of Villanueva’s successfulefforts to increase campus diversitythroughout his four years atBrandeis.

Miles left Brandeis in the begin-ning of July to work at theHolocaust Museum in Washington,D.C. The selection process for theposition of senior vice president of

communications is in preliminarystages and will continue throughSeptember, according to French.

“[Miles had] an incredibleamount of energy and time devotedto her job,” said Dennis Nealon,executive director of media andpublic affairs, who worked closelywith Miles.

Villanueva and Miles could notbe reached despite repeatedrequests for comment.

Within the DCL, LaMarre will beresponsible for supervising areason campus where juniors and sen-iors live and working with campusoffices that offer services to benefitthem. LaMarre said she plans tohelp juniors and seniors by work-ing with alumni as well as otherBrandeis departments and organi-zations, including AcademicServices, the Hiatt Career Centerand the Study Abroad office.

DCL living is a “quality-of-lifeexperience and an outside-the-classroom curriculum,” LaMarrewrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

O’Malley will supervise areaswhere underclassmen live and cre-ate new programming for all class-es. O’Malley said she expects to col-laborate with departments like theIntercultural Center, StudentActivities, orientation committeesand the Department of Athletics.

According to Sawyer, this yearGendron will create a campuswidecommittee to review the studentjudicial process and improve theBill of Rights.

“We [the Department ofCommunity Living] hope that weare evolving with students as theyprogress through the Universityand provide them what they needand want,” Leiferman said.

take their case and didn’t take theircase, ” said Reilly.

Lee, the chairman of the Rose Boardof Overseers, said in an interviewthat he was not displeased with thecourt’s decision to transfer the case.

The lawsuit additionally claimsthat Brandeis has accelerated theprocess of selling works of art but doesnot provide any evidence of suchactions. Lee would not comment onthis particular aspect of the lawsuitbut said that the complainants weregathering “lots of documentation.”

Reilly initially called this allegationpremature in a comment to the pressafter the lawsuit was initially filedJuly 27 and has maintained that it isnot an accurate assertion. “The plain-tiffs have represented that [theUniversity has accelerated theprocess of selling the art], but that issimply not the case,” he said.

Provost Marty Krauss said in aninterview with the Justice thatalthough she is not familiar with all ofthe legacies of the suit,“They didn’tgive any evidence. I don't know whatthey're referring to,” she said.

According to Lee, the lawsuit’sassertion that Brandeis has a commit-ment to the Rose family and the com-plainants to keep the Rose fully func-tional as a public art museum stemsfrom the founding documents thatwere written when Edward andBertha Rose first prepared to donatemoney to create the museum.Included in the lawsuit is a letter writ-ten in 1968 by Edward Rose stipulat-ing that funds from the museum couldonly be used to purchase other art-work; the letter was signed byAbraham Sachar, Brandeis’ presidentat that time. “It’s clear that the presi-dent, Abraham Sachar at the time,and Ed and Bertha Rose made a com-pact to have a public art museum inthe documents,” said Lee.

When asked about that particularletter, Reilly said that he could notcomment on specific documents butthat “everything would unfold” dur-ing the litigation process and thatBrandeis would have a chance to tellits story. He added that both he andother lawyers involved in the casehave been in contact with the court.

According to the settlement, ifthe location of the plaque is everremoved due to renovations,Brandeis has agreed to place theplaque in an equivalent place with-in the Science Center.

In an e-mail to the Justice,Executive Director of Media andPublic Affairs Dennis Nealonwrote, “Brandeis University isvery pleased that the Universityand the Kalman family havereached an amicable agreement.Under President Reinharz’s leader-ship, the University has made it apriority to update and replaceolder facilities in an effort to pro-vide students and faculty with anexceptional educational experi-ence and learning environment.Julius Kalman’s magnificent gen-erosity to the University will beappropriately honored by theplacement of plaques in the newscience building on the Brandeiscampus.”

Emily LaGrassa, director of com-munication for attorney generalMartha Coakley, said that shebelieved the attorney general’soffice had not intervened afterreviewing the situation.Additional details were not avail-able at press time.

Kalman said, “I think that it’sunfortunate that we had to get intolitigation. That was certainly notmy preferred method. We wereworking with [the Brandeislawyers and representatives] in acordial fashion and [came] to a res-olution.”

“I had no assurance that [theoriginal intent of the will] would be[honored], and now I feel that isbeing effectuated and that’s reallywhat’s important,” Kalman said.

FUNDS: University projects FY ’10 balanceCONTINUED FROM 1

☛ Read an expanded version of

this article on the Justice Website at www.thejusticeonline.com.

KALMAN:Estate’slawsuitsettledCONTINUED FROM 1

ROSE: Newcourt tohear suitCONTINUED FROM 1

ADMIN: Four administrators to leaveCONTINUED FROM 1

just VERBATIM | Mahatma Gandhi

ON THIS DAY... FUN FACTeatures f In 1814, the U.S. Library ofCongress was destroyed byBritish forces.

Lobsters have blue blood.

Freedom is not worth having if it does not include thefreedom to make mistakes.


When asked what he will miss most aboutBrandeis University, soon-to-retire ExecutiveVice President and Chief Operating OfficerPeter French answers instantly: “The people!”

“I’ve done quite a bit of reading about retire-ment,” says French, a stately, white-haired manof 65, “and a lot of what people say after they re-tire is … [they’ll miss] the people, and I thinkthat’s high up on my list.”

French came to Brandeis in July of 1997, andimmediately, what he saw of the Brandeis com-munity struck him. “My number-one impres-sion was the people here, and really theenthusiasm and the excellence and the sense ofoptimism,” says French. “I really felt that fromwhen I first started to be interviewed, and thathas carried through the whole 12 years.”

But French also noted major drawbacks toBrandeis that he soon set out to fix: “The otherimpression I had when I arrived was that thephysical plant was in need of a lot of work. Iknow when I got here that July, the campus wasjust covered in all sorts of trucks for repair peo-ple who were working on different elements ofthe campus.”

Soon, French invested his time and effort inwhat he calls the “physical transformation” ofthe Brandeis campus. Indeed, since he took theposition of chief operating officer, there havebeen 11 major renovations or construction proj-ects, including the expansion of the HellerSchool for Social Policy and Management, ren-ovation of the Usdan Student Center and con-struction of the Shapiro Campus Center,Abraham Shapiro Academic Complex and CarlJ. Shapiro Science Center. He credits in partUniversity President Jehuda Reinharz and Sen-ior Vice President of Institutional Advance-ment Nancy Winship for their fundraising andplanning efforts in achieving these goals forcampus renovation.

However, the expensive, wide-scale reimag-ining of the campus has not come without crit-icism. The Board of Trustees approved a budgetdeficit of $5.6 million in October 2003 in orderto continue building projects, and Brandeis hastraditionally relied on large-scale gifts and bor-rowing to fund its efforts. While a boomingeconomy in the early part of the decade led toconsistently positive projections for a balancedbudget, and while the upcoming fiscal year’sbudget is also projected to balance, a multimil-lion-dollar budget gap remains projected for thenext few fiscal years even after extensive roll-backs. Fundraising to make up the extensivedebt taken to construct the Science Centerslowed after the recession and Madoff scandaltook their toll, and work on the Safra Center for

the Arts has also stalled.In the face of the Brandeis budget crisis,

many have asserted that revamping the campuswith a reliance on debt and gifts was imprudentdespite the undoubted improvements the newbuildings have brought. French responds tosuch criticism with a rhetorical question all toocommon today: “Who could have predicted theeconomic downturn?” He continues, “Whenyou look at the University, I think you have tolook at it in terms of a long-term point of view,and all of these buildings were conceived anddesigned and have been put in place to meet aperceived need, and I think when history iswritten of this, it will show that the right deci-sions were made.” Reinharz also disagrees withcritics, saying in an e-mail to the Justice that“all of the major construction projects havefilled critical needs at the University.”

Along with transforming the physical cam-pus, French also set out to rework the manage-ment and financial systems in place atBrandeis. “I recall walking into this suite of of-fices … and one of the first things I actually didwas move [my office] downstairs and take thedoors off and put in glass so that people couldsee in.” This none-too-subtle metaphor repre-sents French’s desire “to bring more visibilityto what the administrative finance functiondoes here and more organization and trans-parency. We really have been trying to do thatover the past 12 years, and I do think that peo-ple have made some progress.” He also men-tioned that the “lack of credibility in some ofthe numbers we were producing” was a directresult of lapsed financial information systemsand muddled interactions among different Uni-versity systems.

Initiatives to achieve these goals included thecreation of a chief information officer positionand involvement of PeopleSoft information sys-tems to smooth out University managementand organization. “I did a chart early on whenwe were here, and I attempted to map all the dif-ferent systems we had, and it was this chartwith all these different balloons that weren’ttied together,” says French. “It was basically ahomegrown system, and it took us about fiveyears, but we were able to turn that around andput into place a best-practice information sys-tem.” French emphasized that recruitment oftalented staff and involving them in systemchanges was essential to the successful reor-ganization of Brandeis’ financial and manage-ment systems. “That was a huge effort and itwas one of the key things we did here and weworked as a team to change things around,” hesays, citing administrators like former VicePresident and Vice Provost for Library andTechnology Services Perry Hanson and the for-mer Vice President for Financial Affairs and

Treasurer Maureen Murphy as instrumental inthe team effort.

“I think we’ve got a really first-class teamhere,” says French, “and I'm really proud ofthat. I’d actually put that toward the top ifsomeone says to me, ‘Peter, what are you mostproud of?’ That's it.”

In an e-mail to the Justice, Reinharz said ofFrench, “He has been at the center of everymajor construction project, he has participatedin and contributed significantly to the Univer-sity’s strategic planning efforts, and he has pro-vided outstanding leadership of the officesreporting to him. He has been open and respon-sive to students and faculty, and his impact onthe University will be felt for years.”

“In all of our interactions, he has been hon-est, fair and deeply dedicated to the students atBrandeis,” former Student Union PresidentJason Gray ’10 wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.

Reinharz added that French “has been a ter-rific colleague to work with, a tremendous re-source for Brandeis and ... he will be missed byall of us, including Trustees, who have had theopportunity to work with him.”

French will soon be replaced by Jeffrey Apfel,former executive vice president of the Rhode Is-land School of Design and chief financial offi-

cer of the Rutgers University and New JerseyState University systems. French notes that hecrossed paths with Apfel while both were work-ing in the New York state government system.When asked if he set out to end up in higher ed-ucation from the beginning of his career,French says that “the main thing that I focusedon in those early years was I wanted to makesure that I was making a contribution. As I gotolder and matured, I began to understand whatthat means, and I related it to a mission.”French says that it was the not-for-profit worldsof “particularly health care and higher educa-tion” that attracted him for their societal im-port and wide-ranging impact. “The key thingthat motivated me was I wanted to make a con-tribution to something meaningful.”

As for where he'd like to see Brandeis go afterhe turns over the reins to Apfel, French says,“In a nutshell, I want to see the University re-alize its aspirations. … Excellence. Just excel-lence across the board.” And while Frenchacknowledges that the last six to eight monthshave perhaps been the most difficult of his ca-reer, he speaks with complete conviction whenhe says, “I look back on all those years—I’vebeen working since 1967—and I don’t really re-gret a day.”

By HANNAH KIRSCHJUSTICE EDITOR

Executive Vice PresidentPeter French retires this year

SPEAKING UP: Executive Vice President Peter French presents at a Jan. 28 forum on Brandeis’ budget.RACHEL CORKE/Justice file photo

A meaningful contribution

Constructing a careerThroughout Peter French’s 12 years at Brandeis, the campus saw 11 construction projects on buildings including the Usdan Student Center, Shapiro Campus Center and Shapiro Science Cen-ter. Below from left are photos of the construction in progress on the Carl J. Shapiro Science Center, the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center and the Mandel Center for the Humanities.

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2009 98 TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2009 ● THE JUSTICE

Neatly stacked plastic crates, cardboard boxes of elec-tronics and a rainbow of towels, sheets and prepurchasedtextbooks slowly crept out from all corners of the campus.Laundry hampers and duffle bags moved from the trunks ofvans specially rented for the occasion into the eagerembrace of tree-colored orientation leaders. Head-bobbingtunes by the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Blondiedrowned out directions to one first-year residence hall oranother as a voice from a megaphone echoed throughoutSouth Residence Lot: “Welcome, Class of 2013.”

The celebrated entrance of Brandeis’ 51st class on Sundaymarked the start of Orientation and Welcome Week 2009 forfirst-year students. This year’s orientation, themed “Here’sto the ones that can’t be ignored,” boasts an array of noveland traditional programs, including campus tours, theBoston Harbor cruise, academic and job fairs and a concerton the Great Lawn with performances by local bands.Author Junot Diaz will visit campus Wednesday to speak tostudents about his book, The Brief Wondrous Life of OscarWao, which students read this summer. Among the neweritems on the orientation agenda are a presentation by

Student Sexuality Information Services and a series of com-munity service projects in Waltham. Programming thisyear focuses on initiating conversation about diversity andtolerance, with events such as the “Tunnel of Oppression,”an event designed to get students talking about racial preju-dice, a dialogue on diversity led by Associate Dean ofStudent Life Jamele Adams and Triskelion’s LGBTQAbreakfast.

Orientation leaders meandered through first-year resi-dence halls Sunday evening to pry new students fromfarewell embraces with parents and siblings. As the sunbegan to set and the bubble of humidity covering theBrandeis campus slowly lifted, herds of new students trick-led onto the Great Lawn for the annual New Student BBQ.Prompted by a spontaneous eruption of dance music, orien-tation leaders leapt into an eclectic series of choreographedtwirls, jumps and flailing arms designed to set the wildlyupbeat tone for the upcoming days of orientation.

From the sighting of the first car rolling onto the Brandeiscampus to the casual waves goodbye that launched near1,000 students into their college careers, this year’s move-inday was as typically overwhelming as it was warm and ener-gy-packed. These photos highlight the diversity of activitythat made up the cheerful chaos on campus Sunday.

ORIENTATION 2009 ORIENTATION 2009

A NEW START: Above and below, students hugged families goodbyeoutside Gosman before the Brandeis Beginnings ceremony. Theirtearful embraces marked the students’ official transitions to inde-pendence. Left, students were eager to finally see their new resi-dence halls and move in as they dragged their luggage from theparking lots.


SETTLING IN: Top, at the New Student Barbeque Sunday, the Great Lawn and the area outside the campuscenter were dotted with orientation groups sitting in circles, getting to know each other through creative ice-breakers and loud games. Above, new students arrived in cars filled to the brim with equipment for theirfirst year of living in a college dormitory. Some students came up with especially innovative techniques forpacking.

MEETING AND GREETING: Brandeis administrators, staff and student employees and volunteers all pitched in to make move-in day a suc-cess. Left, University President Jehuda Reinharz and a staff member speak with a community adviser as new students move into their res-idence halls. Above, community advisers stood out in bright red T-shirts and put on friendly faces as they handed out hundreds of keys tostudents’ new residence halls. Right, the Great Lawn teemed with first-year students, orientation leaders, community advisers andBrandeis staff at the New Student BBQ Sunday evening. Groups of students hung out on the Great Lawn with hamburgers, hot dogs andveggie burgers and talked to their orientation leaders about Brandeis life. Orientation leaders surprised students when they spontaneouslyperformed a well-choreographed series of dance moves to some funky tunes and cheered for the opening of Orientation and WelcomeWeek 2009.

HELPING HANDS: Left, new students were all ears at the BrandeisBeginnings ceremony, where Reinharz and Sawyer were among thespeakers. Above, orientation leaders exhibited superhumanstrength as they carried crates, boxes and other paraphernalia forstudents’ first year living in college dormitories. Jeffrey Cornejo ’10maintained a pleasant demeanor as he helped a new studentmoved in. Right, Wei Sum Li ’10 gave a new student and his moth-er directions.

RAISING SPIRITS: University President Jehuda Reinharz and Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer spoke to students about what to expect out of their four years at Brandeis at the Brandeis Beginningsceremony in Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. Above, Sawyer gets students excited for their Brandeis careers at the ceremony while Reinharz and other presenters look on in amuseument.



DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice



MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the JusticeMAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice


By SHANA D. LEBOWITZJUSTICE EDITOR

First-year frenzy

Brandeis finds its 2009 to 2010 aca-demic year opening with tightfinances and key administrators andstaff members missing fromUniversity roster. To plug holes left bythe departures of such big names asExecutive Vice President and ChiefOperating Officer Peter French, Deanof Admissions Gil Villanueva andSenior Vice President forCommunications Lorna Miles, manyof the remaining administrators andstaff have reorganized, broadeningtheir own jobs to fill the vacant posi-tions. While the reorganization of theDepartment of Residence Life into theDepartment of Community Livingseems an effective cost-cutting solu-tion, we are concerned that staff mem-bers will be overburdened and unableto serve the Brandeis community totheir full potential. These jobs must bedone by people who can make them apriority while still saving theUniversity money. To accomplish thistask, this editorial board suggests thatthe administration consider hiringstudents to perform administrativetasks in these dwindling departments.

While a Brandeis student obviouslycannot act as a new full-time dean ofadmissions, positions such as departedstaff members Operations SpecialistMark Metevier’s and ActivitiesAdvisor Rebecca Lehrhoff’s can bedivided up into several part-time rolesand shared by a number of studentsworking for less pay than theUniversity would have to spend on afull-time, adult staff member.

Brandeis would not be alone inadopting this suggested initiative.According to “For Colleges, Small CutsAdd Up to Big Savings,” a June 18 arti-cle in The New York Times, “RhodesCollege in Memphis economizes—andgives students work experience—byhiring students in 25 professional staffpositions, saving $725,000 a year.” Toput this into perspective, a mere$90,000 saved by over one-third ofBrandeis’ Arts and Sciences facultytaking a voluntary 1-percent pay cutlast winter prevented two staff mem-bers from being laid off.

We must clarify that we are notadvocating that Brandeis lay off exist-ing staff members. We are encourag-ing Brandeis to seek to fill vacancieswith part-time student workers wherereasonable rather than redistributework among existing staff members inthe face of the current hiring freeze.

Brandeis already entrusts studentsto run several campus staples. Boththe BranVan and Student SexualityInformation Services are completely—and competently—student-run.Additionally, Student Events organiz-es a major concert, not to mention col-laborates with the student-run WBRSon Springfest, every year with mini-mal input from University staff.Students could take on some adminis-trative duties in the non-student-runStudent Activities—which alreadyemploys student volunteers for eventslike Fall Fest. Additionally, the Officeof Admissions has trusted students toconduct admissions interviews forfour years; Admissions could hire stu-dents into other positions where theywould perform, in part, the roles ofAdmissions staff members at a lowercost to the University.

We realize that our suggestion is nota polished solution but simply a jump-ing-off point. The administration mustdecide how it would implement such aplan. But Brandeis should look seri-ously into following in the footsteps ofschools like Rhodes. We recognize thatour plan would cost the Universitymore money than the current methodof redistributing work among existingstaff members; however, our plan willprevent Brandeis’ programming quali-ty from suffering and will provideneedy students with jobs on campus.As Brandeis restructures some of itscornerstone departments followingthis summer’s wave of staff depar-tures, it should restructure how itsdepartments are staffed, increasingstudent involvement in the Universityand keeping money in Brandeis’shrinking wallet.

Lighten the burden on staff

NASHRAH RAHMAN, News Editor

REBECCA KLEIN, Features Editor REBECCA BLADY, Forum Editor

SHANA D. LEBOWITZ and DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK, Associate Editors

JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES and MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA, Photography Editors

IAN CUTLER, Sports Editor JUSTINE ROOT, Arts Editor

Justicethe Brandeis University

E s t a b l i s h e d 1 9 4 9

Quote of the Week

Brandeis Talks Back

What do you think of the newAdmissions building?

OP-BOX

“It’s very nice. It’s a lovelytestament to what theschool stands for.”

JORDAN KERT ’11

“I think it’s pretty cool. Thestructure of the buildingmatches Shapiro, in a way.”

MICHAEL SAPP ’12

“I don’t know anythingabout it, really. As long aswe’re not spending a ton ofmoney on it.”

NAOMI SPECTOR ’12

HANNAH L. KIRSCH, Editor-in-Chief

ANDREA FINEMAN, Managing Editor

A. ELI TUKACHINSKY/the Justice

“Hopefully it’ll be betterwhen it’s done.”

ZHILONG LIN ’10

—-Prof. Peter Kalb (FA) aboutan art exhibition taken downearly. (See Arts, page 21)

Univ can use student help

“I am disappointed that thework is being prematurelyremoved—it was meant toengage a variety of entropicforces, and being up only inthe summer really limited theeffect, meaning, and audi-ence of the work. Campuspolitics certainly count as aform of entropy that acts onart.”


As students at Brandeis, we are charged with the pur-suit of truth “even unto its innermost parts.” If we hold tothose words, then we have a duty to insist on a civilized,rational discussion of policies that will affect our lives andthe lives of our fellows. In this light, it’s worth consideringthe utter degradation of civilized discourse that tran-spired over this past summer, a summer that saw truth fallas the first victim to a most troubling form of vitriol andvenom.

What an odd summer it has been. We have seen the U.S.president subjected to countless rumors and dark accusa-tions lacking any foundation in reality, all apparentlyintended to delegitimize and undermine the administra-tion. The president’s policies have been subjected to thecrudest caricatures and painted as catastrophic abandon-ments of American principles; his supporters in govern-ment have suffered irrational attacks as well. According tohis detractors, he is a socialist while he is somehow also afascist; he was born in Kenya, thus ineligible for the pres-idency to which he was elected; he wants to euthanize theelderly; he is an ardent and unabashed racist. These false-hoods go on and on.

Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and their ilkhave pandered to the most ludicrous fears of a fringe ele-ment, broadcasting that paranoia to millions. Acting inpursuit of ratings, not improved policy or discourse, theyrecklessly endanger the public welfare, their actions con-trary to a free exchange of ideas. Nothing is achieved bysuch ridiculous accusations of Nazism and nefariousintent except the abandonment of civility and the deser-tion of the social justice for which Justice Louis D.Brandeis so ardently fought. Respect for our democraticinstitutions and a commitment to vigorous and spiriteddebate are the vanguard of our American republic; howev-er, these myriad efforts to exaggerate, sensationalize andoutright lie to the American people have rendered anymeaningful discussion impossible. Justice Brandeis wrotein 1915, “What are the American ideals? They are thedevelopment of the individual for his own and the commongood; the development of the individual through liberty,and the attainment of the common good through democra-cy and social justice.” Limbaugh expressed a hope for thefailure of the administration, but failure does not promotethe common good; lies and distortions betray our democ-racy and restrict our true potential for social justice.

In this climate, absurd comparisons to Adolf Hitler arethe rule, not the exception; those concerned about govern-ment policies are encouraged not simply to articulateopposing viewpoints but to shout down and intimidateofficials at town hall meetings nationwide. Our countryhas seen obfuscation and distortion like this before:President Chester Arthur weathered rumors that he was aforeigner, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower wasaccused of being a Communist. Both the far left and farright have long and storied histories of misrepresentationand fear-mongering, but this most recent strain seems par-ticularly troubling. The wild insinuations about the presi-dent and his policies that have propagated in recentmonths will inexorably chip away at the perception of hischaracter. This is more than simple voter dissatisfaction;this is the systematic delegitimization of the office of thepresidency and the man who holds it.

Why should we at Brandeis care? Because words mat-ter. Language matters. And blind demonization of one’sopponents has consequences. The nation has found itselfsliding into an economic abyss, descending deeper thanany time since the 1930s. We have seen our university suf-fer dearly in this turmoil, and many of us have seen ourparents suffer as well. As students, as citizens, we all havea stake in the success of this nation. Many of us voted lastyear, and regardless of whether we identify as Democrats,Republicans or Independents, our futures are intimatelydependent on the success of our country. What we neednow is not demagoguery but reasoned debate, a spiriteddiscussion about the policies that will affect each of ourlives. Only then can we begin to work toward securing ourcommon good and achieving the social justice we seek.

Learn from rushed decisionsFew of the last semester’s contro-

versial issues have been resolved.While the lawsuit filed by theKalman family against theUniversity was recently settled, anew lawsuit has cropped up, filedby three Rose Art Museum over-seers to stop the closing of themuseum. Brandeis has had a recentfiscal upswing thanks to assiduousfundraising and across-the-boardcuts, but we are by no means out ofthe woods, and the costs of hiringoutside counsel Thomas Reilly—plus other associated legal fees—cannot be paltry. If more care andforesight had been taken in theRose and Kalman decisions, suchcostly legal imbroglios could havebeen avoided.

The University is paying both lit-erally and figuratively for a unilat-eral Rose Art Museum decision andfor rushing ahead with razing theKalman building before research-ing donor intent and consultingwith the late donor’s family. Timeand money must be spent on theRose Art Museum suit and on set-tling the Kalman suit, and in themeantime Brandeis continues to

bask in the negative publicity ofsuch decisions.

The continuing fallout of thesemoves should remind the adminis-tration that while the parades offaculty meetings and student/facul-ty joint committees may seem end-less, they are more likely to preventhasty decisions leading to legal bat-tles or screams of protest. Theadministration has already takenthis lesson to heart by seeking coop-eration on Justice BrandeisSemester formulation andCurricular and AcademicRestructuring Steering committeedecisions. It should follow thismodel for future decisions affectingthe entire University community.As far as the Kalman suit, while weare glad a settlement has beenreached relatively quickly andsmoothly, a better-researched deci-sion would have avoided legal prob-lems altogether. We hope theadministration continues to pursuethe transparency and University-wide cooperation that will leavethis semester free of controversy.

More participation needed

Brandeis spirit demandsrational dialogue on issues

BRIAN N. BLUMENTHAL, Layout Editor BRIAN FROMM, Copy Editor

DavidLITVAKREALITY CHECK

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

NEWS: Harry ShippsARTS: Sarah BayerADS: Brad Stern

STAFFSenior Writers: Miranda Neubauer, Jeffrey Pickette, MelissaSiegelSenior Illustrator: A. Eli TukachinskyNews/Features Staff: Alana Abramson, Destiny Aquino, SamDatlof, Irina Finkel, Reina Guerrero, Michelle Liberman, RuthOrbach, Greta MoranForum: Richard Alterbaum, Hillel Buechler, David Litvak, ZacharyMatusheski, Ethan Mermelstein, Eileen SmolyarArts: Wei-Huan Chen, Sean Fabery, Rachel Klein, Emily Leifer,Wei Sum Li, Daniel Orkin, Alex Pagan, Shelley ShorePhotography: Rebecca NeySports: Andrew Ng, Sean Petterson, Adam RosenCopy: Ariel Adams, Danielle Berger, Jacob Chatinover, EmilyKraus, Danielle Myers, Lauren Paris, Joyce WangLayout: Karen Hu, Kathryn Marable

The Justice welcomes letters to the editorresponding to published material. Pleasesubmit letters through our Web site atwww.thejusticeonline.com. Anonymous sub-missions cannot be accepted. Lettersshould not exceed 300 words, and may beedited for space, style, grammar, spelling,

libel and clarity, and must relate to material published in the Justice.Letters from off-campus sources should include location. The Justicedoes not print letters to the editor and op-ed submissions that havebeen submitted to other publications. Op-ed submissions of generalinterest to the University community—that do not respond explicitly toarticles printed in the Justice—are also welcome and should be limit-ed to 800 words.

All submissions are due Friday at 5 p.m.

The opinions stated in the editorial(s) under the mast-head on the opposing page represent the opinion of amajority of the voting members of the editorial board; allother articles, columns, comics and advertisements donot necessarily. For the Brandeis Talks Back feature onthe opposite page, staff interview four randomly selectedstudents each week and print only those four answers.

The Justice is the independent student newspaper ofBrandeis University. Operated, written, produced andpublished entirely by students, the Justice includes news,

features, arts, opinion and sports articles of interest to approximately 3,000 under-graduates, 800 graduate students, 500 faculty and 1,000 administrative staff.

In addition, the Justice is mailed weekly to paid subscribers and distributedthroughout Waltham, Mass. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academicyear with the exception of examination and vacation periods.

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Evidence will determine lawsuit’s endIn response to your article “Rose overseers

sue Brandeis to halt Rose closure” (BreakingNews, Jul. 30): I agree that there is a standardof ethics that should be upheld. I also agreethat it should be upheld; however, in a courtof law it is the black and white evidence thatdefines the outcome. Is the Board of Trusteesviolating a criminal or civil law by sellingRose Art Museum artwork? I have not heardanything criminal. As far as civil matters go,this is based entirely on what is written inthose contracts between the donating partyand Brandeis University. If one could find asubstantial number of contracts stating someclause as to help prove that the contract isbeing violated, then it is up to that person tosue the school.

—Nipun Marhwaha ’12

Univ’s decision on museum is finalIn response to your article “Rose overseers

sue Brandeis to halt Rose closure” (BreakingNews, Jul. 30): For three members of the RoseArt Museum Board of Overseers to file a law-suit against Brandeis University inMassachusetts’ Supreme Court to halt theclosure of the Rose Art Museum is like beat-ing a dead horse. The Brandeis Board ofTrustees voted unanimously in January 2009to close the Rose Art Museum and convert itsbuilding into a fine arts teaching center. Thisdecision is a legal one made by Brandeis’ gov-erning board; consequently, the courts haveno jurisdiction to change it. The Rose familyand the Rose Board of Overseers must acceptthe fact that the closing of the Rose ArtMuseum is a fait accompli. Any action thatthey take to try to reopen it will be useless.

—George PatsourakosBillerica, Mass.

Rose lawsuit is not black and whiteIn response to your article “Rose overseers

sue Brandeis to halt Rose closure” (BreakingNews, Jul. 30): The issue is not so simple.First of all, anytime art has been sold ordonated to a museum anywhere, not just atthe Rose Art Museum, there are contractsand agreements involved. In some of those

agreements, there are provisions. Some pro-visions are explicit and clear cut, and someare tacit and/or ambiguous. A provisionmight be that donated art cannot be sold forthe purpose of a profit, that the art must stayin a museum for a certain period of time, thatit be kept safe by such and such a method,that it be viewed publicly or that the institu-tion holding the art will not change in itsnature etc. We should not speculate, since wehave not seen those contracts. Maybe somehave, which I would find amazing, but mostpeople definitely have not. And even for thosewho have seen them, not everything is blackand white. People, and boards, and trustees,change their minds.

—Daniel Baron ’09

Booker an impressive political figureIn response to your article “Booker advo-

cates responsibility” (News, May 19): I mustsay that after watching Cory Booker on CNNin the 11 a.m. hour on July 19 that I amextremely impressed. This young man hassuperior intellect and a good heart and showsempathy toward his fellow man. I had neverheard his name until today. He is barely 40years old. This young politician is a greatspeaker and is doing a wonderful job in NewJersey. I will be watching this up-and-comingstar of the Democratic Party! I hope he willconsider running for a higher office in 2016. Iam very, very impressed with this impecca-ble leader from up North just as I was withPresident Barack Obama and his brilliantstaff of young, high-tech workers like CoreyBooker. I wish much good luck to a rising starin the Democratic Party.

—Jane FlanaganDallas, Texas

One-year cuts better than faculty cutsIn response to your article “Board passes

retirement fund plan” (News, May 19): WhileI have never taken an Economics class and donot have any particular understanding of theway retirement funds work, I have to expressa large amount of shock at the “Fire Jehuda”sentiment floating around. For the pastmonths there has been so much talk of cut-

ting faculty and staff, that I was afraid that Iwould come to school one day and find thatmy bosses or my favorite professors hadgone. If I am reading this correctly, it seemslike this move will negate that possibility. Weas students will continue to benefit fromworking for and learning from Brandeis fac-ulty and staff, and the faculty and staff’s daysaren’t numbered. This cutback is only for ayear. I’m not a math student either, but ifthere’s a choice between cutting a bit of fund-ing for a year or cutting someone’s fundingindefinitely ... wouldn’t the possibility offuture earnings negate whatever setbacksthis causes?

—Dev Singer ’11

Retirement plan views misattributedIn response to your article “Board passes

retirement fund plan” (News, May 19): TheJustice quotes me incorrectly. As I stated to aJustice reporter as I left the faculty meeting,I believe that this move is necessary due tothe dire financial circumstances of theUniversity. I agree with Jonathan Sarna thatthis is a socially progressive solution, since itwill hit lower-paid workers less or not at all.Although I agree that this move serves as adisincentive for very senior faculty toretire—especially faculty members whosesalaries were low during past down periodsin Brandeis’ history, I actually did not makethat point in the faculty meeting. Anotherfaculty member did. I did ask in the facultymeeting whether there were plans to reim-burse the retirement accounts once ourfinancial circumstances improve.

—Prof. Bernadette Brooten (NEJS)

1970 Spingold gathering not a sit-inIn response to your article “Idealism gone

wrong” (Features, May 19): The black-and-white photo printed with this article wastaken in Spingold Theater on the evening ofFeb. 25, 1970 in response to Morris Abram’sresignation as Brandeis president and theUniversity-wide interest in choosing hisreplacement. The banner hanging from thebalcony refers to then-Chairman of the BoardLawrence Wien, who owned the Empire State

Building. The banner depicts a gorilla andreads, “King Kong died for our sins on yourbuilding.” A balcony-long banner reads, “berealistic—demand the impossible.”

Sorry, Ms. Klein and Ms. Moran, but thisevent was not a sit-in. It was, in fact, a calledconvocation of the entire Brandeis communi-ty to hear the latest news on the Brandeispresidency. Yes, it reflected student activism,but it occurred two months before the KentState University shootings that resulted inthe establishment of the national studentstrike center on campus.

How do I know this? Well, I didn’t cross theAlps with Hannibal or man an oar on aTitanic lifeboat, but I was at that Spingoldmeeting and in that photo. I’m in the orches-tra somewhere. The previous September,when I entered Brandeis, the University helda welcome dinner in the Shapiro gym forincoming freshmen. One of the speakers wasthe president of the Student Council, awoman who, as I recall my impression, con-ducted herself with grace and savvy. Iremember thinking, “no wonder she is stu-dent council president.” Her name was KathyPower ’71, one of the five people suspected ofmurder and robbery.

—Paul Trusten, R.Ph. ’73


READER COMMENTARY

The tumultuous narrative of the Rose Art Museum

Welcome, largest-ever Class of 2013, to the fru-gal Brandeis University, home of the esteemedand ambiguously existential Rose Art Museum.

If you’re an infrequent reader of news, pleaseembrace this delightful opportunity for me toupdate you on the flowery saga of Brandeis andthe Rose.

The latest segment of the saga involves ablooming July lawsuit and the not-so-insignifi-cant issues of donor intent and museum ethics.But first, let’s take a brief journey back to thestart of all this fun.

Our story began on a cold January day whenthe University Board of Trustees unanimouslyand impulsively voted to close the Rose ArtMuseum, which housed, and still houses, a ratherpleasant and expensive (its estimated value isabout $350 million) modern art collection.

That evening, University President JehudaReinharz sent out a heartwarming e-mail suc-cinctly informing the Brandeis community of theUniversity’s decision to close the museum andauction off its art for relief during its troubled,donor-dependent financial situation.

Within a very short period of time, Reinharzand others involved in the Rose close learned thata number of categories of people really like artand really didn’t like the idea of closing the Rose,including a) students, b) professors, c) The NewYork Times editorial board and d) the Rose ArtMuseum Board of Overseers, which includesindividuals from several families of prominentmuseum donors. That last group is most impor-tant in the latest exciting chapter of Rosy action,which I’ll get to shortly.

Anyhow, following a media maelström andcriticism all around, President Reinharz and theUniversity revised its past position to one of sell-

ing just a few pieces of art and re-emphasizing theusefulness element of closing the official muse-um. Also, a University committee was formed tolook at the whole issue.

But this appeasement was rather ineffective,because apparently it’s immoral to sell even a fewexpensive pieces of art for the sake of sustaininga university.

Which brings us to the latest chapter of thesaga.

At the end of July, three prominent members ofthe Rose’s Board of Overseers, including one withthe noncoincidental last name Rose, sued theUniversity to attempt to block, or at least stall,University action regarding the Rose.

The premise of the lawsuit is unsurprisinglyabout the possible legal and ethical ramifications

of altering the Rose in any way—like, perhaps,closing it. The University, also unsurprisingly, isunhappy about the lawsuit. The legal fees andpublicity associated with a lawsuit are certainlynot good news for Brandeis.

Personally, I’m a fan of proceeding within legalparameters. But whether this lawsuit willenforce the pre-existent legal obligations sur-rounding the Rose remains to be seen. Sales ofartwork require their own legal verificationswithout lawsuits, like checking up on donorintent, so there was automatically a check on cur-rent and future University actions in that area.

And to an extent, the same is true for how theboxy Rose facilities can be legally used by theUniversity. This issue may be blurrier becausethe Rose family donated the building for use as a

museum. But sorting through these legal prob-lems should have been and hopefully was a primeconcern for the University irrespective of anylawsuit.

This lawsuit likely won’t end with a niceplaque or two, the way in which a lawsuit againstthe University regarding the donor of the originalKalman building concluded earlier this month.Yet the spirit of honoring a donor while acknowl-edging a changing situation will undoubtedlyplay a role in any court decision.

So where do we go from here? Maybe the RoseBoard of Overseers will run out of money for legalfees before the University does. Or maybe there’llbe a sudden upswing in the economy and theendowment, and no one will have to sell any-thing. Stay tuned.

HillelBUECHLERAND SO ON

ACTIVIST ATMOSPHERE: Students filled SpingoldTheater on Feb. 25, 1970 to hear the latest newsabout who would succeed Morris Abram as the nextpresident of the University soon after he resigned.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ROBERT D. FARBER UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES &SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT

THE SOURCE OF CONTENTION: Since Jan. 26, the Rose Art Museum has been a hotbed of many of the controversial budgetary decisions made by the University.MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/Justice File Photo


Social justice. Don’t you hate thatterm? It is an empty catchphrase, ashibboleth, an obligatory nothingon this campus. We’ve been usingthe term too long and too often—afact that is all too evident whenevery new University initiative islabeled a social justice program bydefault.

We should stop talking aboutsocial justice until we talk aboutthe deeper ramifications of thosewords. What do they mean? Whatare our values? What do those val-ues require of us? How can we makeour vision into reality?

Brandeis has a long and rich his-tory of student activism of whichwe should all be proud. Though the1969 student takeover of Ford Hallis perhaps the most noted and cele-brated historical example of thatactivism, Brandeis studentsthrough the decades have accom-plished great things: heading thenational student strike coordina-tion center in 1970, leading thecharge against apartheid in the ’80sand today’s Sudan divestmentefforts are but a few distinguishedexamples. The character ofBrandeis activism has changed,however, and not necessarily forthe better.

Brandeis’ most energetic andhard-working activist groups thinkof their mission as students and notas strategic organizers. As a stu-dent, you look to the great studentmovements of the ’60s and try toemulate them. As a student, youknow you can easily invite speak-ers and plan events and protests, sothat’s all you spend your timedoing. As a student, you talk aboutthe world as it should be; as anorganizer, you make it happen.

The key to effective social actionis articulating a vision for thefuture and a credible theory ofchange, examining the steps youcan take to make that vision a real-ity. Too many Brandeis clubs fail toeven discuss that vision, much lesstake the time to make sure theiractions contribute to that goal.These groups should be mappingout the power relations on campus,figuring out who can give themwhat they want and then figuringout how to put pressure on thatpower figure. These groups shouldbe building e-mail lists and allies;they should know how to buildpower and have a media strategy.But we can’t fault these groups;there is no institution or organiza-tion on campus that teaches stu-dents change-making skills.

Brandeis activism today increas-ingly concentrates around a fewgreat figures who created profes-sional organizations that operatemainly outside Brandeis. Theexamples are many: AaronVoldman ’09 and Julia Simon-Mishel ’09 created the StudentPeace Alliance, which boasts col-

lege chapters across the country.Allyson Goldsmith’s ’10 ELEVEateworks with girls in Senegal. SamVaghar ’02 developed theMillennium Campus Network, andJustin Kang’s ’09 LiveCampus lastyear put on a live concert on a col-lege campus in every state in theunion.

To be sure, these were the accom-plishments of Brandeis studentsworking together, and it would be agrave mistake to overlook the hardwork of dozens of people in makingthese things happen.

Still, the tenor of Brandeisactivism has changed. Our accom-plishments consist of foundingorganizations that will soon escapeany strong ties to the University.Indeed, many of the most famousnames in Brandeis activism comefrom alumni, who learned andhoned their skills after leavingcampus.

Andrew Slack ’02, Ben Brandzel’02, Josh Peck ’02, Ari Rabin-Havt’01. These recent alumni have doneand continue to do great work con-sistent with the Brandeis ethos ofsocial justice. Members of the pro-gressive activist community con-stantly tell me that Brandeis has areputation for smart, effective

online organizers. These peopledidn’t learn their organizing skillsfrom Brandeis classes; by and large,they figured it out after graduating.

Brandeis alumni are countedamong the best in the field.Brandeis students, however, arenot. There is raw talent here thatneeds to be trained and tapped. As acommunity, we must recommit tolearning the skills, vision, and best-practices for effective activism inthe modern age.

I’ve been thinking about thisidea: Brandeis is not simply a uni-versity but rather a two-stageexperiment in social entrepreneur-ship that uses the legal and institu-tional structure of the University tointerface with society. In the firststage, the Jewish communityopposed discriminatory quotas inhigher education by creating a newtop-flight academy that wouldreject quotas and use competitionto force other universities to followsuit. That mission has been suc-cessful.

The second stage is a work inprogress.

Now that University quotas havebeen eliminated, the Brandeisexperiment can move on to a broad-er goal: training and equipping the

next generation of social entrepre-neurs and agents of change.

Brandeis talks a good game aboutsocial justice but neither defines itwell nor empowers its students tofoster it. Even the committedactivist clubs on campus are stuckin a paradigm of community serv-ice and instinctive protest or thevague idea of “raising awareness.”We can do so much more than that.

Brandeis should be a fountain ofnew ideas and new recruits for thebroad social justice movement.Brandeis should be a hotbed of newways to organize, of students teach-ing students, of the next wave ofactivism. A Brandeis degree shouldmean more than just a liberal artseducation. A Brandeis graduateshould have the tools and knowl-edge to make the change that webelieve in, to be a citizen in themost expansive sense of the term.

I humbly submit that now is thetime to own up to our limits. Westudents are stumbling in the dark.We don’t know or don’t talk aboutthe values that underpin our visionfor the future. We don’t really evenknow how to make this happen. It’stime for a change.

I want to see a world whereorganizers and activists from

across the country travel here toteach us and learn from each other.I want to see a world whereBrandeis is known again for itscommitment to ethics, where stu-dents collaborate with the foremostchange agents of our time, aBrandeis firmly rooted in the socialjustice movement.

Let’s not sit about and bemoanwhat Brandeis has become; let’sbuild it. Let’s invite alumni back toshare their wisdom; let’s startorganizing workshops and bookingrooms to make that happen. Let’shave those late-night chats aboutour beliefs but also those early-evening discussions with the lead-ing organizers of our day. Let’sbring back the Brandeis spirit.

Let us learn how to make thechange we wish to see in the world.

The Brandeis we wish to see maynot be built by the time we gradu-ate, but if we start now, maybesomeday soon it will be.

The writer is a founder of theJustice Organizing Initiative,which seeks to promote a concretevision of activism on campus. Visitthe Web site at http://bit.ly/JOI_Brandeis.

FORUM

Univ should not begin to pursue online education

In July, the Obama administra-tion proposed $500 million to devel-op an online education plan for com-munity colleges to open Web classesto the public based on course con-tent and software developed byCarnegie Mellon’s Open LearningInitiative. According to theChronicle of Higher Education,should this plan succeed, “This typeof course could become part of a freelibrary available to colleges nation-wide.”

But does Brandeis truly want to

pursue this path?Online education is popular right

now and also portends to be a bigmoney maker should colleges even-tually offer degree programs foronline courses. University ofPhoenix Online offers many of thesame financial aid programs asBrandeis. With continuing budgetproblems, some may consider avoid-ing online education a bad move forBrandeis. Adding a few extra hun-dred students and going online couldpossibly fill some of the budget gapwithout having to build extra hous-ing or hire extra faculty. Proponentsof the online system claim that itcould offer education to the poor andunderserved. But despite all of thesebenefits, there are serious problemswith online education.

The problem with online educa-

tion is a matter of parity. Those oncampus get a much fuller educationthan those sitting in a remote loca-tion taking online courses. Most ofthe learning in college takes placeoutside of the classroom. Speakerscome from all over the world toimpart their knowledge to eager stu-dents and faculty on the Brandeiscampus. Unless Brandeis were tofilm all of those moments and offerthem to students, those takingBrandeis courses online couldn’treally claim to have the Brandeisexperience.

Interactivity is the next problem.In an online course, you can ask theprofessor questions and take part ingroup exercises. But talking with agroup of fellow students over lunchis difficult if the participants are dis-persed around the state or country.

First-class lecturers and interac-tivity create an atmosphere of ideasthat is essential to the liberal artseducation. One need go no furtherthan the pages of the Justice to seehow speakers and student groupscan get people thinking and talking.Episodes such as the controversyover Bill Ayers’ visit last April arecentral to learning and to an under-standing of what your own convic-tions and values are. Opportunitiesfor self-discovery are cut down in anonline university.

Low graduation rates provide amore tangible problem. According toU.S. News and World Report,Brandeis has a graduation rate of 85percent. The graduation rate for theUniversity of Phoenix Online isabysmal: According to statisticsfrom the California Postsecondary

Education Commission, only 281 stu-dents graduated out of 6,578enrolled, putting the graduationrate at 4 percent. Those are the sortof numbers that could tarnishBrandeis’ reputation as a first-rateeducational institution. Whether astudent graduates speaks in largepart to the quality of educationbeing offered and whether or not theenvironment is an enjoyable one.

The real-world college experiencecannot easily be brought online—from speakers to late-night bull ses-sions to being involved in extracur-ricular activities. Brandeis shouldnot belittle the quality of its educa-tion by going online and putting itsstudents in danger of the lower-qual-ity education and higher dropoutrates that define the online collegeexperience.

ZacharyMATUSHESKICOMMENT IS FREE

By SAHAR MASSACHIJUSTICE C0NTRIBUTING WRITER

Time for innovation from Deis activists

ACTIVISTS UNITE: Nera Lerner ’12 and Matt Schmidt ’11 stand at the table of Students for Environmental Action, an activist group on campus, at an environment fair last February.MICHELLE STRULOVIC/Justice File Photo

SPORTS

The joy of sportsWhile many students have just un-packed their cars after a long driveup South Street, student athleteshave already suited up to practicefor fall, winter and spring sportsalike. First-year athletes, as well asupperclassmen, hit the courts andfields yesterday across the GosmanSports and Convocation Center.

PRACTICING HARD: The women’s soccer team scrimmages during practice last Monday in preparation for the upcoming fall season.JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

BACK ON SERVE: Seth Rogers ’10 leans in for a forehand.MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

MEN’S SOCCER: “I think that this team is a lot better than the teams we have had the past couple years,” Coach Michael Coven said.MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

FRESH START: “We do have equally high expectations for this [rookie] class,”coach Denise Dallamora said. There are five new players joining the team.

JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

KICKINGAROUND: Saidmen’s soccercoach MichaelCoven, “I thinkwe’ve gotsome sea-soned veter-ans and agood group ofyoung fresh-men, so I amhopeful thatwe will have agreat season.”


BACKHANDED RALLY: The men’s tennis team will square off against the U.S.Coast Guard Academy in its season opener at home Oct. 3 at 11 a.m.



JUDGES FALL SCHEDULE


Cross CountrySept. 4 – Bentley at Weston HighSchool, 3 p.m. Sept. 19 – UMass-DartmouthInvitational at Dartmouth, Mass.,10 a.m.Sept. 26 – Connecticut CollegeInvitational at New London, Conn.,10 a.m.Oct. 10 – Open New EnglandChampionships at TBA, 10 a.m. Oct. 31 – UAA Championships atCase Western Reserve University,10 a.m. Nov. 14 – NCAA RegionalChampionships at TBA, 10 a.m.Nov. 21 – NCAA Championships atTBA, 10 a.m.

GolfSept. 12-13 – Bowdoin Invitationalat Brunswick Country Club,Brunswick, Maine Sept. 30 – Elms Invitational atChicopee Golf Club, Chicopee,Mass., 11 a.m.Oct. 10-11 – Trinity College FallShootout at Kensington, Conn.

Men’s SoccerSept. 5 – Adidas Kick-Off Classic,vs. Rutgers-Newark at WheatonCollege, 2 p.m. Sept. 6 – vs. Southern Maine atWheaton College, 2 p.m.Sept. 12 – at Clark, 2:30 p.m.Sept. 16 – WPI, 7 p.m. Sept. 23 – MIT, 7 p.m.Sept. 26 – Wheaton, 7 p.m.Sept. 30 – Newbury, 4 p.m.Oct. 3 – at Case Western Reserve,11 a.m.Oct. 8 – at Colby-Sawyer, 4 p.m.Oct. 10 – Rochester, 5 p.m.Oct. 13 – at Babson, 3:30 p.m.Oct. 16 – at Carnegie Mellon, 5p.m.Oct. 18 – at Emory, 11 a.m. Oct. 21 – at Springfield, 7 p.m.Oct. 27 – Lasell, 7 p.m. Oct. 30 – Washington University inSt. Louis, 4 p.m.

Nov. 1 – Chicago, 11 a.m. Nov. 7 – NYU, 11 a.m.

Women’s SoccerSept. 1 – MIT, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 – Nazareth, 1 p.m. Sept. 9 – at Babson, 4 p.m. Sept. 12 – at Springfield, 12 p.m.Sept. 15 – Bridgewater St., 4 p.m. Sept. 20 – Clark, 12 p.m. Sept. 24 – at Gordon, 3:30 p.m. Sept. 30 – Wellesley, 7 p.m. Oct. 3 – at Case Western, 1:30p.m. Oct.7 – at Tufts, 4 p.m. Oct. 10 – Rochester, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16 – at Carnegie Mellon,7:30p.m. Oct. 18 – at Emory, 1:30 p.m. Oct. 22 – at Bowdoin, 3 p.m. Oct. 30 – Wash U., 6:30 p.m.Nov. 1 – Chicago, 1:30 p.m.Nov. 7 – NYU, 1:30 p.m.

VolleyballSept. 1 – at Babson, 7 p.m.Sept. 4 – Springfield Invitational,vs. Roger Williams at Springfield,Mass., 7 p.m. Sept. 5 – Springfield Invitational,vs. Lasell at Springfield, Mass., 10a.m.; vs. Westfield St., 12 p.m.; atSpringfield, 3 p.m.Sept. 8 – at Wellesley, 7 p.m. Sept. 11 – Brandeis Invitational,Williams, 4 p.m.; Rhode Island Col,.8 p.m.Sept. 12 – Brandeis Invitational,TBASept. 17 – at Endicott, 7 p.m.Sept. 22 – Tufts, 7 p.m. Sept. 25 – Amherst Classic, atAmherst, 7 p.m. Sept. 26 – Amherst Classic, vs.Westfield St. at Amherst, Mass., 11a.m.; vs. Middlebury, 2 p.m. Oct. 3 – vs. Wash U at Rochester,NY, 12:30 p.m.Oct. 4 – vs. Case Western atRochester, NY, 10 a.m.; vs.Rochester (N.Y.), 11:30 a.m. Oct. 10 – Coast Guard, 11 a.m.;Keene State, 3 p.m.

Oct. 17 – vs. Carnegie Mellon atNew York, NY, 10 a.m.; vs. Chicago12:30 p.m.Oct. 18 – University AthleticAssociation Round Robin II, vs.Emory at New York, 9 a.m.; vs. NewYork U., 11:30 a.m. Oct. 23 – vs. Hall of FameInvitational at Smith College, 5 p.m.

Oct. 24 – vs. Hall of FameInvitational at TBA, 10 a.m. Oct. 30 – TBA, 7 p.m.Oct. 31 – Judges Classic, KeeneSt., TBA; TBA, 11 a.m.; TBA, 1 p.m.Nov. 6 – UAA Championships atChicago vs. TBA at Chicago, Ill., TBANov. 7 – UAA Championships atChicago, vs. TBA at Chicago, Ill.,TBA

Men’s TennisOct. 3- Coast Guard, 11 a.m.

Women’s TennisSept. 9- at Wheaton, 4 p.m.Sept. 12- Bowdoin, 11 a.m. Sept. 13- at Simmons, 11 a.m.

—Courtesy of Brandeisjudges.com

“Pushing ourselves throughthe double overtimes and theovertimes [will help us get better]and really push ourselves thoselast 30 minutes and keep themfrom scoring and scoring goalsourselves—that’s one thing wehad a problem with last year,”Pacheco said.

Dallamora believes the key forthis season is for the team tocome prepared to play everygame.

“I think we have to make surethat we come to every game readyto play,” the coach said. “We can’tmake any assumptions about thequality of the teams we’re com-peting against. We’ve got to comeready to play and ready to win. Alot of it is certainly hard physi-

cally on the practice field, but it’salso [about] being mentally pre-pared, too.”

Ultimately the players hopethat if they improve enough theywill qualify for the NCAATournament this season afterjust barely missing the mark thepast two years.

“It all starts with preseasonand working hard and getting outthe little kinks here and there,and then we need to be really suc-cessful in the UAA and definitelymore successful in our regionalgames [in order to makeNCAAs],” Pacheco said.

The soccer team kicks off itsseason at home against theMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m.and then plays Nazareth CollegeSept. 6 at 1 p.m.

The parting of ways was entirelyamicable, according to Coven,“Baseball’s gain is my loss; Seanpotentially could have been one of thegreatest goalies [Brandeis] has everhad. … [O’Hare] is a quality kid and awonderful athlete, and it was mypleasure coaching him last year.”

Taylor Bracken ’10—returningafter a year away from the team—andMatt Lynch ’11 will compete for thegoalkeeper position.

If the Judges have any chance at areturn to the postseason, it will haveto be through their improved depthand an increased team-first strategy.

“Right now I think we’ll have thedepth so that if someone in our start-

ing 11 gets hurt, we can replacethem,” Coven said.

The Judges will face the Rutgers-Newark Scarlet Raiders on Saturday,Sept. 5 at Wheaton College to beginthe season. The two are part of thefour- team Adidas Kick-Off Classic,which will also feature the SouthernMaine Huskies and the host WheatonCollege Lyons.

’11 and Bridget McAllister ’10 fin-ished first and second on the teamin blocks with 120 and 58, respec-tively. Rounding out thereturnees is libero LaurenPolinsky ’11, who was fifth on lastyear’s squad with 1.99 digs perset.

The team did lose three playersto graduation last year— liberoDanielle Friedman, Ruggiero andoutside hitter LorraineWingenbach. Ruggiero served asone of the team captains last yearand finished third on the team indigs and second in assists/sets.

But losing Wingenbach will beespecially hard for the team toovercome. Last season she wasalso a team captain and finishedfirst on the team in digs and sec-ond in kills.

She is also Brandeis’ all-timeleader with 1,857 kills and is sec-ond all-time in aces and digs andwas named an honorable mentionAll-American by the AmericanVolleyball Coaches Association

her junior year.“We’re definitely going to miss

[the seniors], but I think thisgroup is up to the challenge,” Kimsaid. “When we graduate a playeror two who are very very good, itsort of opens up windows forother players to sort of step uptheir game and hopefully fill thatposition. … I think sometimes itpromotes a little more of a teameffort when something like thathappens, when we graduate anAll-American player.”

With all the rookies on theteam this season, chemistrybetween the newcomers and therookies will be a key, according toCarfagno.

“I think our goal for this seasonis really going to try and estab-lish some good on-court chem-istry because we have five newgirls and we’ve only got sixreturners, ... so if we want to getanywhere, we have to have somegood chemistry on the court,”Carfagno said.

The team opens up its season atBabson College Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.

CONTINUED FROM 16

CONTINUED FROM 16

MSOCCER: Men form plan of attackCONTINUED FROM 16

WSOCCER: Judgeshope to qualifyfor NCAA tourney

VOLLEYBALL: Teamgains “fresh” players

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BUMP ‘N’ GO: The volleyball teamhopes to get off to a strong start atBabson College Sept. 1.

DAVID SHEPPARD-BRICK/the Justice

On paper, the men’s soccer teamshould have trouble replacing three-time Universal Athletic Associationselection Ben Premo ’09, the fifth-leading scorer in school history, butthis year’s men’s soccer team expectsan improvement in their disappoint-ing 8-9-2 record last season. The 2008to 2009 team failed to reach the post-season for the first time since 2005.

“Unfortunately, the last two yearswe were very average. I think thatthis team is a lot better than theteams we have had the past coupleyears,” said coach Michael Coven,who is entering his 37th year withthe University. “I think we’ve gotsome seasoned veterans and a goodgroup of young freshmen, so I amhopeful that we will have a great sea-son.”

Coven hopes to feature a differentattacking style this season to replacePremo’s goal-scoring ability. Hebelieves his team’s offensive strategy

became complacent and predictablewhen focused entirely on their for-mer star: “When you have a player ofthat caliber, everyone looks for[Premo] to score, and we becamevery predictable.”

The team will hopefully feature amore creative, multifaceted

approach this season.“Without a go-to guy, we might

have 10 go-to guys. I think we will bea better overall team with more play-ers sharing the responsibility forscoring goals.”

Corey Bradley ’10 and AdamGuttman ’10 will serve as captains

for the Judges this season.Bradley started 18 games for the

Judges in 2008, and while he totaledonly one assist in his midfield role,he earned All-UAA honorable men-tion.

“He was one of the top players inthe UAA last year. He has the abilityto take guys on one-on-one and reallybreak down defenses, opening up theattacking third of the field with hisspeed,” Coven said.

Coven is optimistic about hisincoming rookie class, especiallycenter midfielder Joe Eisenbies ’13.Eisenbies impressed Coven by win-ning the annual two-mile team runon the first day of practice Aug. 22, an“unusual feat for a freshman.” Covenalso has high hopes for Sam Ocel ’13and Lee Russo ’13, saying“[Eisenbies, Ocel and Russo] right offthe bat will play quite a bit andmaybe start. They have all been look-ing good.”

Sean O’Hare ’12, the 2008 to 2009Justice rookie of the year, will not bereturning to the men’s soccer team.O’Hare won the starting goalkeeperposition for the Judges in his rookieseason but also played shortstop andcenterfield for the baseball team.O’Hare will only suit up for the base-ball team this season.

Last season the Brandeiswomen’s soccer team saw a strongperformance from its rookie class.All 16 rookies played in at leastone game, and first-years made upthree of the team’s top five point-scorers. But after coming up shortin their goal of making the NCAATournament last season, the teamhopes this year’s crop of rookiescan have similar success.

“For the last two years, we’veonly been one game off [from mak-ing NCAAs], so I think we’ll playhard, work hard [this season], andwinning will take care of itself,”goalie Hillary Rosenzweig ’10 said.

“We do have equally high expec-tations for this [rookie] class,”coach Denise Dallamora said.

Five rookies are joining theteam this year, including onegoalie, Francine Kofinas ’13. Theother four players—BrookeGruman ’13, Maegan Bautista ’13,Stevie Phillis ’13, and Zoe Siegel’13 can play all over the field,according to Dallamora, who willtake advantage of the newcomers’versatility.

The rookies will join a squadthat lost only one member to grad-uation—defender MeredithMilstein ’09. Milstein played in all22 games last season, starting 14,and served as a leader on and offthe field for the team last season.

“I think that it will be hard toreplace [Milstein], but she’s stillonly one player,” said Rosenzweig.“We have a lot of girls who I’msure are excited to get her playingtime and show what they have onthe field.”

Despite losing Milstein, thedefense, which shut out opponentsin 11 of its 22 games last season,returns some key pieces, includingdefender Taryn Martiniello ’11 anddefender/midfielder FrancescaShin ’12, who were both named

honorable mention All-UniversityAthletic Association.

On offense last season, the teamwas led by reigning EasternCollege Athletic ConferenceTournament MVP forward MelissaGorenkoff ’10, who was also namedto the All-UAA second team.Gorenkoff finished the year withteam highs in goals and assists,

with eight and nine, respectively.Fellow forward Tiffany Pacheco’11 tied Gorenkoff with eight goalsand tied for second on the teamwith four assists.

Also returning is starting goal-keeper Rosenzweig, who finishedlast season with 78 saves andallowed just 16 goals in 20 games.

While the team finished last sea-

son with a 13-7-2 record, they went0-1-0 in overtime games, and 0-1-2in double overtime games.

Pacheco feels that in order forthe team to get to the next level,this season the players must learnto work through their exhaustionat the end of these long games.

■ A year after one of theteam’s top scorers gradu-ates, the men’s soccer teamis crafting a new strategy.

By SEAN PETTERSONJUSTICE STAFF WRITER

■ Last year’s rookie playershope to hold their own duringthe 2009 to 2010 season.

By MELISSA SIEGELJUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

HEAD ON!: The women’s soccer team opens the season Sept. 1 at home against Massachusetts Institute of Technology. JULIAN AGIN-LIEBES/the Justice

Last season, the women’s volley-ball team did not have any first-years join the team. This seasonthey have the exact opposite sce-nario.

Five rookies have been recruitedto join the squad for the fall season,hoping to help the team bounceback after a disappointing 19-13 fin-ish a year ago.

“Recruiting is a funny thingwhere you could end up with littleor you could end up with a lot,”coach Michelle Kim said.“Obviously our initial pool of play-ers that we were considering wasdefinitely bigger [this year]. Wehad to, because we wanted to yielda lot of players. ... We had a lot ofplayers visit earlier in the season,so they were able to get a good ideaabout us right off the bat as theapplication process was initiallystarting, and I think that helped usas well.”

Last year’s team was hoping totake the next step and make theNCAA Tournament after winningthe Eastern College AthleticConference New England DivisionIII title in each of the previous twoseasons. But injuries late in theyear led to a fourth-place finish inthe University Athletic Associationand the team pulling out of con-tention for a return bid to ECACs.

This year’s recruits come fromall over the country, includingSusan Sun ’13 from Acton, Mass.,Becca Fischer ’13 from SanAntonio, Texas and AnnaHomitsky ’13 from Seneca Valley,N.Y. Two of the rookies come fromColorado—Lauren Berens ’13 fromBoulder and Kristee Montijo ’13from Colorado Springs. Berensplayed for Norsco Volleyball Clubthis past season, the same clubteam that setter Abby Blasco ’11and outside hitter Paige Blasco ’11played for in high school.

“I’m expecting [Berens] to bepretty good, because our club ispretty well-known in Colorado andhas a lot of good athletes,” PaigeBlasco said.

The newcomers will providemuch-needed depth for a team thatstruggled when injuries causedgirls to play out of position.

For instance, when Abby Blascomissed eight matches last seasonwith a hamstring injury, liberoViolette Ruggiero ’09 and outsidehitter Piera Carfagno ’10 had toplay setter in her place since theteam had no natural backup setter.The team lost six of those eightmatches.

“Last year was a hard yearbecause we had so many injuries,”Carfagno said. “We also didn’t havea big team, which makes practiceshard to coordinate, and also if peo-ple start getting tired in the game,there are no substitutes.”

The rookies will join six return-ing members from last year’ssquad, including the Blasco twins.Paige Blasco led the team last yearwith 339 kills and 377.5 points,while sister Abby Blasco led thesquad with 787 assists.

Also returning is Carfagno, whofinished third on the team inassists and fourth in points last sea-son. Middle blockers Nicole Smith

VOLLEYBALL

■ The volleyball team willhave five new first-years withonly six girls returning.

By MELISSA SIEGELJUSTICE SENIOR WRITER

See WSOCCER, 15 ☛

See VOLLEYBALL, 15 ☛

Sportsjust PRESEASON PRACTICES

Waltham, Mass. Tuesday, August 25, 2009Page

Soccer, cross country and tennis gear up for the2009 to 2010 season, p. 13.

Women’s soccer gears up for fall Squad’srookiesadd depth

TEAM EFFORT: The Judges prepare for the fall season at practice last Monday.MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

WOMEN’S SOCCER

MEN’S SOCCER

Team tries for fresh start sans Premo

See MSOCCER, 15 ☛

just

ARTSAugust 25, 2009

Photo: Max Breitstein Matza/the Justice. Design: Julian Agin-Liebes/the Justice.

Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch question modern ideasof permanence and impermanence in an installationoutside the Rose, p. 21.

Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch question modern ideasof permanence and impermanence in an installationoutside the Rose, p. 21.

POP CULTURE

Album information provided by Billboard Magazine. Box office information provided by Yahoo!Movies. Radio charts provided by CMJ.

by Shelly Shore

WHAT’S ON? Top 10s for the week ending AUGUST 24

1. Inglourious Basterds2. District 93. G. I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra4. The Time Traveler’s Wife5. Julie and Julia6. Shorts7. G-Force8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince9. The Ugly Truth10. Post Grad

1. Wilco – Wilco (the Album)2. Dinosaur Jr. – Farm3. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca4. Dead Weather – Horehound5. Sonic Youth – The Eternal6. Regina Spektor – Far7. Japandroids – Post-Nothing8. Portugal. The Man – The Satanic Satanists9. Yacht – See Mystery Lights10. Fruit Bats – The Ruminant Band

1. George Strait – Twang2. Neil Diamond – Hot August Night/NYC3. The Black Eyed Peas – The E.N.D.4. Cobra Starship – Hot Mess5. Kings of Leon – Only By The Night6. Various Artists – NOW 317. Maxwell – BLACKsummers’night8. Daughtry – Leave This Town9. Taylor Swift – Fearless10. Justin Moore – Justin Moore

Box Office BillboardCollege Radio

What’s happening in Arts on and off campus

Improv Asylum at BrandeisBoston comedy group Improv Asylum willappear at Brandeis as part of Orientation2009. The group, which hosts shows in itsNorth End theater and headquarters severaldays a week, was founded in 1998 and per-forms a mix of sketch comedy and improvisa-tional scenes. The group also offers classes.Tuesday from 9:30 to 11 p.m. in LevinBallroom.

Student Photography Poster SaleBrandeis Photography Club will be hosting aposter sale of 8x10 and 20x30 posters madefrom photographs by Brandeis students. Theposters are $10 for the smaller size and $20 forthe larger size. The Photography Club alsoholds darkroom hours several days a week; e-mail Jessica Schaengold at [email protected] for more information.Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in theShapiro Campus Center Atrium.

New Student Book Forum and DiscussionSectionsFirst-years will have meetings to discussJunot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life ofOscar Wao with faculty and their orientationleaders; then, Diaz will speak and answerquestions. Diaz, currently a professor at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, emi-grated to the United States at the age of sixfrom the Dominican Republic and, despitedisadvantages, worked his way through col-lege at Rutgers, ultimately receiving aMasters of Fine Arts in Creative Writingfrom Cornell in 1995. His 1996 short story col-lection Drown and his 2007 novel Oscar Waobrought Diaz much acclaim, including aPulitzer Prize. His work has been featured inThe Paris Review, Story, The Best AmericanShort Stories anthology series, and The NewYorker, which called him one of the 20 topwriters for the 21st century.Wednesday; discussion sections from 6:45 to7:45 p.m. in various locations and lecture from8 to 10 p.m. in Spingold Theater Center.

‘What’s Up in the Middle East’Brandeis’ Crown Center for Middle EastStudies will be hosting its yearly panel dis-cussion on current issues in the Middle East.Middle Eastern food will be provided, andstudents can learn more about the CrownCenter and related course offerings and get to

know Crown Center faculty.Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. in RapaporteTreasure Hall.

Carnival, presented by Student Events andDepartment of Orientation and First-YearProgramsThe Departments of Student Events andOrientation will host a campuswide carnivalto celebrate the end of the first week of class-es. Expect carnival games and foods, a giantinflatable Twister board, a bungee run andother carnival activities.Saturday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on the GreatLawn, or, in the event of rain, in LevinBallroom.

Fall 2009 Arts & Activities FairLearn more about student groups on campusat this semester’s activities fair. Sign up forauditions or join mailing lists for Brandeis’multiple student groups. Student arts groupswill perform throughout the evening.Sunday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on the Great Lawn.

‘Pictorial Webster’s Dictionary’ Release PartyLocal bookstore Back Pages Books will teamup with Lincoln Studios for a release partyfor Johnny Carrera’s Pictorial Webster’sDictionary, which will include a galleryshow featuring prints and engravings fromthe book. Back Pages Books was founded in2005 by two Brandeis alumni and in 2007moved to its current location in the LincolnBuilding, which it shares with the LincolnArts Project gallery and Boston University’sCenter for Digital Imaging Arts. The book-store was called one of the “Best of the New”by the Boston Globe in 2005 and has hostedappearances by writers ranging from PoetLaureate Robert Pinsky and Pulitzer Prizewinners Franz Wright (a former BrandeisEnglish professor) and Samantha Power, aswell as intellectuals like Howard Zinn andNoam Chomsky.Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. at Back PagesBooks and Lincoln Studios, located at 289Moody St.

CALENDAR

INSIDE

■ Interview with Junot Diaz 19Before a forum with first-year students abouthis Pulitzer-winning novel ‘The Brief WondrousLife of Oscar Wao,’ the MIT professor spoketo a Justice reporter about his work.

■ Fall Theater Preview 19We took a look ahead at the Brandeis the-ater community’s diverse dramatic offeringsfor the fall semester.

■ Rose Art Installation 21Two artists brought an exhibit about pollutionto the Rose Art Museum sculpture garden.

■ ‘Torchwood’ 22The ‘Doctor Who’ spinoff offered a summerminiseries that expanded the franchise’s fanbase with thoughtful and realistic characters.

■ Animal Collective 22A summer gig in Brooklyn frustrated fanslooking for straightforward renditions of theband’s catchy tunes.

■ Summer Movie Recap 23Some limited-release films were overshad-owed by big-budget summer movies anddeserve a second chance on DVD.

■ ‘Inglorious Basterds’ 23Quentin Tarantino’s latest star-packed filmsquandered its talented cast and felt like arehash of the director’s previous work.

ON CAMPUS 18-21

IMAGE COURTESY OF JESSICA SCHAENGOLD

PHOTOGRAPHER STUDENTS: Hannah Vickers’s ’10 photo, above, is one of many for sale at theStudent Photography Poster Sale, hosted by the Brandeis Photography Club.


WBRS1. Jim Devlin – “Puerto Nuevo”2. Don Grusin – “Zephyr”3. B. T. F. – “Thugs in the Club”4. Depeche Mode – “Any Second Now”5. Elvis Costello – “You Belong to Me”6. Talking Heads – “Life During Wartime”7. The Beatles – “Let it Be”8. Usual Suspectz – “Why they Hatin’”9. Modern English – “Hands Across the Sea”10. Thomas Dolby – “Budapest by Blimp”

Lefebvre looksat love in hercreative thesis

Heather Lefebvre ’10 is currently workingon her senior thesis, a series of short storiesabout different kinds of love. She is also anUndergraduate Department Representativefor the English & American LiteratureDepartment and a staffer for the campusmagazine Where the Children Play. Shemaintains a blog athttp://collegejolt.com/author/heather-l.Lefebvre spoke to the Justice about herinvolvement with literary arts on campusand her ambitions for the future.

JustArts: How did you come upon thistheme of varieties of love for your thesis?

Heather Lefebvre: Love stories are justwhat I do, I suppose. I’m a sucker for char-acter-driven stories, and aren’t most storiesdriven by love in some way? What’s a bettermotivator than that?

JA: How did you decide to do creativewriting seriously? Were you always inter-ested, or did you decide to focus on writingafter you came to Brandeis?

HL: I’ve always loved stories; I’ve beenwriting stories since I was four or five, sinceI could read. Until I was 14 or so there was aquestion of whether, exactly, that would bewhat I ended up doing—I was really intofilm and theater when I was a kid, so I oscil-lated between acting and singing and writ-ing and directing until eighth grade orso—but once I hit high school it was clear Iwasn’t interested in anything to the extent Iwas fiction.

JA: Tell me about the award you won lastyear.

HL: Prof. Thisbe Nissen (ENG) was kindenough to nominate a story I wrote, “WeWelcome All Sorts,” for the 2008 to 2009 J.V.Cunningham Award, and I won in theCreative Arts category. I didn’t expect any-thing to happen, but apparently peopleenjoyed reading it! I’ve never won anythingrelated to writing before, so it was incredi-bly exciting. The story should be on displayin the Writing Center until May.

JA: Can you describe “We Welcome AllSorts” a little? Also, can you explain whatthis award is?

HL: “We Welcome All Sorts” is a weird lit-tle story that just developed, seemingly of itsown accord, last summer. It’s a quest storyabout a zombie named Thomas trying tomake his way in the world, just like every-body else—except, of course, he’s not likeeveryone else. As for the J.V. CunninghamAward, it’s an annual competition Brandeishosts for “excellence in writing,” whereinprofessors nominate student papers (in thecategories of Creative Arts and CreativeWriting, student stories) to a select commit-tee who then chooses a certain number ofwinners—up to five. J.V. Cunningham him-self was a poet who taught at Brandeis from1953 to 1980.

JA: What do you plan to do next year? Areyou going to continue with creative writing,or are you going to follow an entirely differ-ent career path?

HL: Right now the plan is to keep writing.For the first couple years of college my stan-dard “What are you going to do?” answerwas that I wanted to work in publish-ing—which is true; I would like to work inthe book publishing industry—but lately Ihave been leaning towards the magazineindustry. I maintain a blog for an internship[with College Jolt, a college guidebook com-pany] and really enjoy writing the articles. Idig editing, too. I would love to work on a lit-erary magazine.

—Andrea Fineman

Q & A

OFF CAMPUS 22-24

My goodness, Brandeis! What a fun sum-mer we’ve had. The sun has been shining;the birds have been singing. We’ve swum!We’ve hiked! We’ve camped! We’veinterned!

And while we were at it, Hollywood wentcrazy!

Just in case you’ve been out having a lifethis summer, here’s a brief recap of themost scandalous highlights of the past fewmonths:

Jon and Kate Gosselin divorced! Not quiteas depressing as Michael Jackson dying, buta surprising number of people set quite astore by the reality show couple. TheGosselins filed for divorce in late June,paving the way for tabloid drama extraordi-naire—affairs, separation rumors, oh-my-goodness-what-will-happen-to-the-children,etc. Jon and Kate, however, have been sur-prisingly classy about the entire thing—most of the comments have come fromfriends and family trying to make a quickbuck rather than the couple themselves, butthere is still no word on what’s going to hap-pen to the show come next season.

Sex tapes, sex tapes, sex tapes! Well, notexactly, but there was a good deal of risquématerial released this summer. Paris Hiltonhad a series of raunchy photos accidentallyposted to her Twitter—well, we’re assumingit was an accident. With Paris, we neverreally know, do we? Twilight’s AshleyGreene had a photo scandal of her ownwhen three pictures of the actress in vari-ous states of nudity leaked online. Andspeaking of anatomy, Grey’s Anatomy’sEric Dane lived up to his Dr. McSteamynickname when a sex tape featuring theactor, his wife Rebecca Gayheart and anoth-

er woman in some compromising positionsspread like wildfire on the Internet. Fanshave flocked to both Ashley and Eric in sup-port. Fans of Paris have learned to expectthis sort of thing and mostly just shooktheir heads in amusement.

There was plenty more action this sum-mer and not nearly enough space to recap ithere. If the summer’s any indication,though, this fall is already set to be jam-packed with celebrity goodies.

RICHARD DREW/The Associated Press

SUMMER SPLIT: TV reality star Kate Gosselinopened up about her divorce from husband Jon.

■ Short story writer HeatherLefebvre ’10 discusses her recentliterary efforts, including a creativewriting thesis that explores themany different kinds of love.

OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS

Author of 1996 short story collec-tion Drown and 2007 novel The BriefWondrous Life of Oscar Wao, JunotDiaz has garnered considerable criti-cal fame for his work, including aPulitzer Prize for Oscar Wao. He cur-rently teaches creative writing at theMassachusetts Institute of Technol-ogy. On Wednesday, Aug. 26, he willaddress the 2009 Helen and PhilipBrecher New Student Forum, a Bran-deis orientation tradition. Oscar Waowas chosen as summer reading forincoming first-years.

JustArts: Your first book, Drown,was a collection of short stories pub-lished to wide acclaim. Was there asense of expectation afterwards as towhat your next work would be? Didthat contribute to the subsequentwriter’s block?

Junot Diaz: I wanted to write anovel. What it was about wasn’tclear, but I wanted to write a novelfor sure. It just happened to take 11years. I’m sure the expectations did-n’t help but that wasn’t the real prob-lem. The problem was that I was toohard on myself and on my book.

JA: In the 11-year span between thepublication of Drown and The BriefWondrous Life of Oscar Wao, you’vementioned that you wrote a lot of un-successful material. Is all of that re-lated to what would become OscarWao or your upcoming novel? Whatother kinds of ideas did you pursue?

JD: All of it was for versions ofOscar. All of it terrible.

JA: Were the stories about Oscarand Trujillo always intertwined inyour mind from the very beginning?Did Yunior always narrate the tale?

JD: Yes, Oscar in some ways wasthe anti-Trujillo. And Yunior was al-ways the narrator for reasons thatare in my opinion essential to thebook.

JA: Part of Oscar’s lonelinessstems from his total isolation as thisDominican ghetto-nerd. If he hadgrown up with the Internet, do youthink meeting and interacting withother fanboys would have made himless lonely? Could he have foundsome of the intimacy or connectionhe so craved?

JD: Oscar’s loneliness runs deeperthan the non-networked ’80s. Oscar isa victim of a society, a culture thathas losers and winners and his lovefor a “useless” art form and his atyp-ical masculinity all helped to mar-ginalize him as well.

JA: I was delighted when you re-ferred to A Wrinkle in Time duringyour talk for Google. What other chil-dren’s books have influenced or

stayed with you? What is it aboutreading books or comics or imbibingother kinds of culture as a child oradolescent that causes them to leavesuch lasting impressions?

JD: Well, I don’t consider allcomics to be children- or adolescent-specific, though some are. As a kid Iadored Watership Down and a lot ofJohn Christopher’s adventure books.At that age I suspect we’re simplymore open to fall in love with a nar-rative. As adults our sense of wonderis dulled, our willingness “to goalong” is sometimes reduced. In theend books that touch us in childhoodtouch us forever and the why of it isstill a mystery.

JA: Which other artists have influ-enced you as a writer? What are youcurrently reading or watching?

JD: So many artists made me.From Stephen King to Maxine HongKingston. Right now I’m reading nov-els for the National Book Awards. I’ma judge. I can’t wait to get back to myown reading, though!

JA: The book is filled with allu-sions and footnotes, particularly inthe beginning. What’s your advicefor people who might not know asmuch about comic books, science fic-tion and fantasy as Oscar does? Doesnot understanding all his referencesdilute the experience or somehow im-prove it?

JD: My advice is that you shouldseek someone out who can help youunderstand the terms! It’s a nice wayto build community, to meet new peo-ple. And this book can be [understoodon] so many different levels. It’s oknot to understand whole chunks of it;the book still functions, as strange asthat might sound.

JA: You’ve lamented the unidirec-tionality of genre writersbefore—how they’ll never become le-gitimate literary presences the way,for instance, Michael Chabon canwhen borrowing from a specificgenre. Do you think this will everchange? And, if so, how? Does thesuccess of your own novel—by nomeans a typical, high-handed, pon-derous affair—improve thesechances?

JD: Hard to predict. I want it tochange but I doubt it will any timesoon. One book can’t change a cul-ture. But these conversations, if theyhappen enough, might.

JA: Ethnic writers, as you’ve men-tioned before, are sometimes forcedinto the role of an ambassador fortheir culture. For some people, my-self included, Oscar Wao was indeedan introduction to a previously unfa-miliar aspect of Dominican cultureand history. Do you consider that akind of success? Or do you feel lim-ited by the title of being a “Latino au-

thor”?JD: I’m not an ambassador of any

kind. I’m an artist. But a book has amind of its own and if you learned alot about Dominican culture and his-tory that’s cool, but it’s not anythingthat I’m aiming for in my process.I’m trying to address in largest termsthe human condition through a Do-minican lens, but native informant Iam not. As for being a Dominicanwriter—it doesn’t limit me at all, be-cause people are not one thing and Iam not one thing. I’m a Dominicanwriter but I’m also a writer from NewJersey, an immigrant writer, awriter of African descent. I’m manythings and I embrace each of them aslong as I’m not limited to any ofthem.

JA: For you, what is the AmericanDream? How do some of your favoritecharacters define it?

JD: The American Dream is thedream of civil rights, of a more just,more equitable society. It is thedream of all the Latin Americanyoung people who got disappearedand tortured in the ’70s and ’80s fordesiring a more just society.

JA: When you include the off-spring of immigrants like Oscar andLola, who simultaneously under-stand so little about their parents’lives and are yet doomed to reliveparts of it, are you trying to indicate

something representative of the im-migrant experience? How much canthe second generation manage tostraddle two cultures successfully?

JD: Oscar and Lola are not doomedto repeat anything specifically be-cause they are immigrants. It’s the si-lence in their family that invites therepetition; it just happens that someimmigrant families have become ge-niuses at silences.

JA: I noticed you were scheduledfor a lot of college visits in 2009. Haveyou enjoyed the experience? Howhave the student audiences com-pared to your usual students at MIT?

JD: I love meeting readers from allover the country, from all over theworld. Something I could only dreamabout when I was a young boy stuckin a nowhere town in Central NewJersey. MIT students are one of akind. They are intense in ways thatfew students are, and they have towork in ways that few students haveto work. Such a different culture. Butyoung people share so much in thisculture that the institutional differ-ences don’t really loom as large asone would think.

JA: Any more hints about your up-coming novel, Dark America?

JD: It’s just coming slow. I’m try-ing to blow up the planet. So it’s tak-ing a while to get going.

—Joyce Wang

Q&A

Diaz dissects ‘Oscar Wao’ success■ Slated to speak to first-years during OrientationWeek, the award-winning au-thor and MIT professortalked to justArts about in-spirations and impedimentsto his writing.

The start of a new school year atBrandeis means many things: newclasses, new first-years and new bookpurchases. One thing that should notgo unnoticed is the incredible theaterseason that this semester promises.Complete with two Brandeis TheaterCompany productions, three under-graduate straight plays, a Shake-spearean play, an undergraduatemusical, three sketch comedy shows

and a festival of student-written one-act plays, this semester will offer pro-ductions for those who have neverseen a staged production and avid the-atergoers alike.

As always, the Brandeis theater sea-son begins with a sketch comedy showby Brandeis sketch comedy troupeBoris’ Kitchen. On Sept. 25, BK willbring side-splitting laughter as they re-vive classic sketches from the depthsof their archives for all to see in theirOld Sh*t Show.

On a more serious note, the Bran-deis Theater Company will begin itsseason with a production of Every-thing in the Garden, running Oct. 8through 18. This lesser-known EdwardAlbee play centers around two subur-banites in the quest for the balance be-tween happiness and materialpossessions. Directed by Eric Hill(THA), Everything in the Garden is anintriguing social commentary thatquestions whether money really is thekey to happiness.

Oct. 15 through 18, Brandeis Ensem-ble Theatre will present Big Love, acontemporary tale of 50 brides fleeingtheir grooms. Based on The Suppli-cants by Aeschylus, this tale of may-hem, murder and romance will surelythrill and amuse all who attend.

Fall Fest weekend, Oct. 22 through25, will play host to two remarkableproductions. The Brandeis Under-graduate Theatre Collective will followBET’s presentation of Big Love withLot’s Daughters, staged by BrandeisPlayers. This remarkable tale of les-bianism in 1940s Kentucky exploresthe boundaries of love and authorityset forth by social and religious norms.

If the verses of the Bard are moreyour cup of tea, Brandeis’ Shake-spearean society Hold Thy Peace willpresent Shakespeare’s most belovedtragedy, Romeo & Juliet. This produc-tion will take the classic tale and pres-ent it in a more contemporary style.

Nov. 5 through 8, Tympanium Eu-phorium follows a group of aspiring

dancers and singers as they auditionto be in the ensemble of a Broadwaymusical with its production of A Cho-rus Line. With such classic Broadwayhit songs as “One” and “What I Did forLove,” this Tony Award-winning mu-sical is sure to find a new home atBrandeis.

Nov. 12 through 22, BTC will end itsfall season with The Game of Love andChance. Directed by Janet Morrison(THA), this romantic farce deals withmistaken identities and is billed to be“as delightful as it is provocative.”

From Nov. 19 through the 22, HillelTheater Group will present S.Ansky’s classic Yiddish play TheDybbuk. This tale of mysticism andexorcism tells the story of a bridepossessed by a malicious spiritcalled a dybbuk on the eve of herwedding.

The Brandeis theater season willcome to a close on Dec. 4 and 5 withBK’s 10th annual Sketch ComedyFestival. A refreshing theater expe-

rience after returning from Thanks-giving break, this show featuressketch comedy troupes, both profes-sional and collegiate, from aroundthe country (varying each night), aswell as the ever-humorous styling ofBoris’ Kitchen.

If side-splitting sketch comedy isnot enough to relieve the stress ofyour finals preparation, BET willstage its fourth annual QuickiesOne-Act Festival the same weekend.This one-night performance show-cases an always impressive collec-tion of never-before-seen one-actplays written, directed and per-formed by Brandeis undergraduatestudents. Submissions will be ac-cepted throughout the semester.

Sir Laurence Olivier once said, “Agreat theater is the outward and vis-ible sign of an inward and probableculture.” If all rings true in SirOlivier’s statement, this fall semes-ter of theater is sure to make theBrandeis community proud.


‘WAO’ MAN: Junot Diaz will visit campus Wednesday to discuss ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,’ which was assigned to the Class of 2013.PHOTO COURTESY OF JUNOT DIAZ

THEATER

As classes resume, Deis actors get ready to study their lines■ This semester, Brandeisdrama groups will stage awide variety of productionssure to suit any taste. Here’sa look ahead at the diverseofferings in store for the fallseason.

By BRYAN PRYWESJUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This advertisement does not necessarily represent the official views of the Justice.

This year’s class of new first-yearsmay be perplexed while roaming thecampus by a collection of strangeitems surrounding and filling anabove ground pool in the Rose ArtMuseum’s sculpture garden, locatedto the left of the building’s main en-trance. Rhode Island School of De-sign Class of 2004 Ryan Trecartinand Lizzie Fitch’s The Aboutthing(in the air) combines household ob-jects and rubberized body parts withthe outdoor elements to evoke “theflotsam and jetsam that you find inthe rivers of the Pacific Northwest,”says current Rose director RoyDawes. The work is inspired by a re-gion of the North Pacific called theGreat Pacific Garbage Patch, anarea where the currents of the NorthPacific Gyre have trapped strayplastic and other garbage on andnear the surface of the ocean.

According to Dawes, “this was apiece that [former Rose directorMichael Rush] was approached topresent here. Mr. Trecartin is a verywell-known video artist, but this isan installation he had done in agallery in New York.”

“I thought it was a remarkably in-ventive piece. I loved the layering ofskins and chunks of flesh mixedwith the trash, as well as the theaterof it all,” said Prof. Peter Kalb (FA),assistant professor of contemporaryart. While Rush declined to speakabout the Rose Art Museum, he saidabout the installation, “Like manyworks of art, especially contempo-rary art, it has many layers of mean-ings, the two most evident beingsomewhat contradictory (which isalso in keeping with much of con-temporary art): ‘impermanence’ (asthe piece is meant to disintegrate)and the impossibility of ‘imperma-nence’ in the face of environmentaldisasters such as non-dissolublegarbage on our land and in our wa-ters.”

Trecartin and Fitch have re-quested that the piece be left up in-definitely; that is, until the workdisintegrates. Brandeis officialshave other plans.

“My feeling is … once we get to apoint where the water is going tofreeze I think we may have to let thesculpture go at that point. I thinkthe pool will start coming apart. As

soon as I see anything like that tak-ing place, that’s when it’ll go,” saidDawes. The Rose’s Web site lists theexhibition’s end date as Sept. 25.

Said Kalb, “I am disappointed thatthe work is being prematurely re-moved—it was meant to engage a va-riety of entropic forces and being uponly in the summer really limitedthe effect, meaning and audience ofthe work. Campus politics certainlycount as a form of entropy that actson art. … New England with itsridiculous weather was a great placeto have a work that deals with thepower of the environment; it is ashame to see the impact of the pieceso reduced.”

As visitors round the corner of theRose’s Lois Foster Wing, they aregreeted with a rubbery mask im-paled through its temples, mountedon the crossbar of an archway lead-ing into the sculpture garden. To theleft is a potted palm, and to the right,a wooden viewing platform holding

a modern-looking black vinyl couchupon which various ceramic tilesare plastered, all covered in a yel-lowish, dripping glaze. The couchfaces an above-ground pool filledwith murky water and a variety ofplastic bags and storage containers,some of which are molded togetherto form a little mountain of Rubber-maid containers drizzled with pur-plish epoxy body parts andamorphous blobs. “The piece invitesmultiple thoughts and, hopefully, in-augurates serious discussion,” saysRush.

It embodies “this Buddhist idea ofthe duality of impermanence,” saysRoy Dawes. “It too will becomegarbage of a sort.”


Young artists tackleenvironmental issues

By ANDREA FINEMANJUSTICE EDITOR

WELCOME TOTHE JUNGLE:

Rubberizedbody parts pep-

per Trecartinand Fitch’s in-

stallation.

MICROCOSM OF POLLUTION: Trecartin and Fitch’s pool of plastic and molded body parts represents a larger incidence ofwater pollution in the North Pacific, where ocean currents have trapped acres of garbage on and just below the surface.

TILE COUCH: A black vinyl couch covered with ceramic floortiles looks out over the pool of plastic.

A LONG, STRANGE TRIP: Trecartin and Fitch’s installation,frontal view. A wooden sculpture in the Rose’s permanentcollection stands in the background.

PLASTIC PROTRUSION: A tower of Rubbermaid storagecontainers and puddles of epoxy rises from the pool.




MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice

I loved the layering ofskins and chunks offlesh mixed with thetrash, as well as thetheater of it all.

“

Flotsam andjetsam

PROF. PETER KALB (FA)

Flotsam andjetsam

MUSIC

Animals of rock

Picture the brilliant sci-fi story-lines of the popular BBC series Doc-tor Who. Throw in a mix ofcharacters ranging from the unkill-able to the undead. Add a dash of sex-uality—maybe a bit more than adash—and a healthy amount of mor-bid humor and a serving of action,and you’ll have Torchwood.

Torchwood, a spin-off of DoctorWho, first aired in 2006 in both theUnited Kingdom and the UnitedStates While the presence of a well-loved Doctor Who character, thebrash, attractive Captain Jack Hark-ness (played by Scottish-Americanactor John Barrowman) initially at-tracted a niche audience of loyal Doc-tor Who fans, the show quicklypicked up speed, gathering an audi-ence beyond the Whoniverse. Sinceits first airing in 2006, Torchwoodhas run a total of 31 episodes: two 13-episode seasons and one five-nightminiseries that aired this July.

How did such a small show gainsuch a devoted fan base so quickly?And more importantly, why does itmatter to Brandeis students?

Set in modern-day Cardiff, Wales,Torchwood revolves around the titu-lar small, secret organization that isdedicated to the investigation, cover-up and collection of alien life onEarth. “Outside the government, be-yond the police, beyond the UnitedNations,” the show’s voice-over in-troduction informs its audience atthe beginning of every episode. Castaside any mental images of a white-washed, secret government base,though—while the Torchwood head-quarters is secret and hidden, it’shardly the Batcave. The impressivetechnology and alien artifacts tend tobe overshadowed by the well-usedcoffeemaker and ratty couches, anddid I mention the pet pterodactyl?

There is a constant theme of thenecessity of—get ready for the buzz-word, Brandeis kids—truth. Morethan either of its previous seasons,the third season deals with the ab-solute vitality of truthfulness andhonesty—and the difference betweenthe two. Torchwood’s third seasontakes place over a five-day span dur-

ing which the Torchwood team at-tempts to fight off an incoming alieninvasion. The action turns explosiveand the intrigue darkens in the firstepisode, but the pace of the seasonstays constant, with emotional blowscoming at the audience from all an-gles. Without giving away too muchof the plot, it’s fair to say that issuesof truth and social justice—look,Brandeis, another buzzword!—runrampant.

While the sci-fi plotlines are im-pressive, if occasionally cheesy, it’sthe characters that make the show sohard to quit. Fans of Doctor Whoknow that the show’s central charac-ters are well rounded and impossiblenot to love, and that developmentcarries over to Torchwood. The showhas a constant GLBT presence aswell—Torchwood is the only showon television with a bisexual maincharacter played by a homosexualactor, and a good portion of the char-

acters identify as gay, lesbian or bi-sexual.

The interpersonal relationships—friendships, romances, families—arepainted realistically and poignantly,and if the sexual undercurrent of theshow seems occasionally overt, itmanages to stay tasteful. To saynothing of the fact that the show it-self is brilliant (not that this particu-lar journalist is in any way biased),Torchwood takes the underlying val-ues of Doctor Who—the broad baseof knowledge, the respect of foreigncultures, friendship and love—andsweeps them into a mix of subplotsfor a more mature audience.

Between personal relationshipsand government conspiracies, theimportance of truth and the harm-fulness of secrets, Torchwood is agreat summer watch for anyone witha flair for the strange—or just an in-terest in what can happen when so-ciety stops caring.

■ The ‘Doctor Who’ spinoffoffered a midsummerminiseries with the samefast pace and thematicdepth that its loyal viewershave come to expect.

‘Torchwood’ fires up its fansTELEVISION

By SHELLY SHOREJUSTICE STAFF WRITER

DOCTOR WHAT?: The men and women of Torchwood investigate extraterrestrials.IMAGE COURTESY OF THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION

The album Merriweather PostPavilion, which was released in Jan-uary, represented a new direction forthe Brooklyn-based trio of musiciansknown as Animal Collective. Thealbum was very well received by bothcritics and listeners (it got an as-tounding 9.6 on Pitchfork, if you mustknow), and it put the band firmly onthe mainstream-alternative map withits unmistakable pop sound.

“Pop” is a striking label to apply toa group of musicians whose screechy,experimental sound has historicallyconferred on them an image of avant-garde exclusivity. Nonetheless,nearly every track on Merriweatheris seductively catchy, while severalare even highly danceable.

During a show at the Prospect Parkband shell in Brooklyn on Friday,Aug. 14, the three members of Ani-mal Collective demonstrated thatthis newfound accessibility does notextend to their live performances.Earlier, the opening act, Black Dice,pounded the defenseless ears of theaudience with a full hour of self-de-scribed “experimental electronica”that sounded like the soundtrack toSatan’s inner monologue. AnimalCollective took the stage alongside abizarre, psychedelic, aquatic-themedart installation that elicited mur-murs of delight from the crowd. Butvisual distractions aside, if fanshoped for something significantlymore sonically agreeable than theheadliner, they were sure to be dis-appointed.

The band’s sometimes perplexingperformance consisted of a singlecontinuous set lasting 90 minutes,and much of that time was filled withvague melodies, ambient noise andthe band’s trademark dissonant fuzz.Discernable songs were few and farbetween; one had to really listen andwait patiently to discover a point atwhich the seemingly endless andmind-numbingly repetitive transi-tions might evolve into somethingbetter-formed. From a participatoryangle, this organic approach to themusic left much to be desired—a factthat was clear to anyone who, likeme, attempted to tap his foot in timeand soon got bored.

Such indulgence was particularlycruel during “Daily Routine,” a songoff of Merriweather that is distin-guished by the soulful, drawn-out vo-cals at its conclusion, when singerNoah Lennox memorably repeats theline “just one sec more / in my bed.”However, rather than playing it trueto the song’s recorded form, Lennox(a.k.a. Panda Bear) tantalized the au-dience by holding notes past their ex-pected duration and extending thesong by another two minutes. Voicesin the audience shouted out the lyricsat the moment that they expected tohear them, while hands went up andfists pumped pathetically in the ab-sence of any corresponding bassthump or chord. Some listeners obvi-ously felt cheated, creating a palpableatmosphere of disappointment.

A similarly aggravating pattern ofdeconstruction and rearrangementfollowed with what should have beena crowd-pleaser, a recital of “Brother-sport.” Here, the lyrics were deliber-ately switched around, and the songstructure was simplified in some sec-tions but complicated in others. Thismade it unduly difficult to dance andnearly impossible to sing along. Inconsequence, people awkwardly triedto keep up with a song they had beeneagerly looking forward to hearing allevening only to find that the musicbeing played clashed with their ex-pectations.

Time and again, the band made it apoint to dangle a song or melody—amusical point of reference—only totake it away, displaying an almostsadistic refusal to conform to therecording. Often, such delayed satis-faction can bring spontaneous musi-cal catharsis, particularly at liveshows, but these gestures insteadfailed to inspire enjoyment or re-sponse. For instance, after teasing thedrum riff to “Fireworks” for an inter-minable three minutes, whatever ex-citement was initially created hadbeen completely used up with the un-fulfilled anticipation that somethingmight actually, eventually, begin.Only at a few moments did the group’sexperimentation beget somethingcaptivating, as during a vocal call-and-response buildup in the encore,“Guys Eyes.”

Certainly, Merriweather PostPavilion showed that Animal Collec-tive is capable of crafting pop songsthat are almost charitably catchy. Butat this show, the trio expressed to itsfellow Brooklynites a resolute refusalto be mimed, mimicked or predicted.If you’ll pardon the cliché, they justsimply won’t allow themselves to be“put in a box,” making their live per-formances something of a letdown.

■ The eminent indie rockersrefused to bow to audienceexpectations, much to theannoyance of concertgoerscraving a catchy hook.

By BEN SERBYJUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

22 TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 , 2009 ● THE JUSTICE

I did not go see Inglourious Bas-terds to observe how it differed fromthe 1978 Italian film of the samename, nor did I go see it because Iwas interested in Quentin Taran-tino’s take on the Second World War.

No, I went because the movie’strailer implied that the film wouldinclude scenes in which Eli Rothwent to town on Nazis with a base-ball bat, and I’m a lady who enjoyswatching films that feature attrac-tive dudes performing acts of ex-treme violence, much in the sameway that other ladies like watchingromantic comedies where guysmake papier-mâché flowers and cry,or whatever the hell it is men do inromantic comedies nowadays.

That said, it is probably obviousthat I’m a fan of Tarantino’s workand consequently had high expecta-tions for Basterds. Unfortunately,Basterds was a film as amateur asHugo Stiglitz was a Nazi hunter ac-cording to Brad Pitt’s character,First Lt. Aldo Raine.

Now, before we continue, allowme to clarify: Basterds was by nomeans a terrible movie. If it hadbeen made by any other director, Iwould have considered it an above-average film. However, since it wasdirected by Tarantino, it ultimatelycame to represent for me Taran-tino’s tumble into an artistic rut.Over the course of the movie, Icounted two musical tracks thatwere the same as those used in KillBill. Further, Tarantino divided thefilm into chapters—a technique thatworked well in Kill Bill and Pulp Fic-tion, but which was ultimately un-necessary for this particular movie.And, maybe I’m nitpicking here, butthe font used for the chapter titles

was the same as that used for thosein Kill Bill.

In my mind, there is a fine line be-tween trademark and repetition.

But I digress. There were an as-sortment of other similarities be-tween Basterds and Tarantino’searlier films (e.g., similar cameraangles, death scenes, etc.), but un-fortunately this latest work wasmissing the one common thread thatshould have been included: Taran-tino’s dark sense of humor andclever plots. Ultimately, the film feltlike a series of excessively violentevents connected by implausiblerevelations. For instance, a poorlyexecuted gunfight that lasted ap-proximately five seconds wasprompted by a drunken soldier’s ob-servational skills—skills that wouldbe impressive in a sober man andnonexistent in someone who wasthree sheets to the wind. The blood-shed was not the stylistic violence ofother Tarantino films, but ratherraw brutality included merely forbrutality’s sake. If I had to estimate,I would say 90 percent of the movie’s“strong graphic violence” is eithera) someone getting shot point-blankin the face or b) getting their brainsbashed in with a baseball bat, whichis less appealing than the trailers ledme to believe.

And while the characters werememorable, some of their actionswere just … well … stupid. While un-dercover, they sass superior officersof the opposite faction, and othersloudly plot the demise of Nazi lead-ers while said persons chat in thenext room.

The characters also lack any realdepth; I felt like I was watchingFight Club, except it was BasterdClub and the first rule of BasterdClub is that you do not talk aboutyourself.

Want to know how First Lt. Rainegot that scar on his neck? So do I, butwe never find out.

Want to know why the eight Jew-ish-Americans composing the Bas-terds became Basterds? Me too, butTarantino neglects to include anykind of backstory.

With regard to the cast, I felt asthough the talents of a great many

fantastic actors were wasted.Samuel L. Jackson is the film’s nar-rator, but he had approximately twolines throughout the entire film.Further, only half of the Basterdshad speaking roles, and while suchexcellent players as Harvey Keitel,Ludger Pistor and Christian Berkelhad cameos, I only discovered this asI read the cast list after viewing thefilm—good luck finding them whileyou’re actually watching the movie.

What I found particularly disturb-ing (rather than simply unlikely orannoying) about the movie, though,was Tarantino’s sympathy for Nazisoldiers and distortion of Alliedforces. At one point, the film’s pri-mary Jewish protagonist ruthlesslythreatens an innocent civilian atknifepoint in order to achieve her re-venge against the Nazis, while in an-other scene a Nazi soldier and newfather who has been promised safetyare gunned down by an ally of the

Basterds.They say familiarity breeds con-

tempt, and perhaps I have justwatched a few too many Tarantinoworks a few too many times. Thus,in the few remaining lines I haveleft, I will touch upon Basterds’ goodpoints:

I had recently come to regard BradPitt as a pretty face and little else,but I was pleasantly surprised by hisabilities as a comic actor and hisportrayal of First Lt. Raine. And EliRoth not only swings a mean bat butis also an excellent player, althoughhis character, Donny Donowitz, ispredominantly shown committingacts of violence and doing little else.The few lines Roth is permitted todeliver are imbued with a passionthat many of the other characterslack despite the film’s heavy subjectmatter. Indeed, I would say Basterdsis worth seeing just to view Roth’sefforts not only as an actor but as the

directorial force behind the film-within-a-film, A Nation’s Pride. Thestandout actor, however, wasChristopher Waltz in his turn as Col.Hans Landa, a self-serving memberof the Waffen-SS.

It should also be noted that the lasthalf hour of the film and the movie’sending are incredible but not worthgetting excited over if you’ve al-ready seen the trailer for Basterds.In regard to this, I would like to con-clude with a statement aimed at thecreators of movie trailers:

Stop including footage of a movie’sending in the trailers. Midwaythrough the film, when you realizethat you already know what’s goingto happen in the closing stages be-cause you inadvertently saw the con-clusion on television, it is quitedistressing.

So just stop it before I snag a base-ball bat and go Donny Donowitz onyour ass.

FILM

Excess blood dampens ‘Basterds’ ■ Even for a violence-lovingfan of Quentin Tarantino, thedirector’s latest film about agroup of American Jewskilling Nazis during WorldWar II proves a letdown.

Ah, summer—that lovely season inwhich every theater across the coun-try is flooded with a deluge of block-busters boasting wands and machineguns. Some of these blockbusters,like this summer’s Star Trek, turnout to be wonderful; others, not somuch. For those looking for a tempo-rary respite from the typical summerfare, it’s not always easy to find asuitable film. Sometimes a smallerfilm will come out of nowhere to sud-denly become a box office success,but generally a film that gets a lim-ited release will reach a limited audi-ence—a shame seeing as some ofthese films are quite good and occa-sionally brilliant. There are certainlysome films that I’m still waiting tosee because they never quite reachedmy neck of the woods (Moon, I’mlooking at you). The films that followachieved varying degrees of successat the box office, but they uniformlymade this summer at the moviesmore interesting and certainly de-serve a second shot on DVD.

Drag Me to HellNo film this summer came any-

where close to being as entertainingas director Sam Raimi’s latest hor-ror-comedy. Its plot is simple and rid-

dled with genre clichés, but this is es-sential to its brilliance. ChristineBrown (Alison Lohman), a well-meaning loan officer in search of apromotion, refuses an old woman’srequest for an extension on her mort-gage. Like anyone in her predica-ment, the woman physically attacksChristine and then places a curse onher—a curse that ensures that,within three days, our ingénue willbe—you guessed it—dragged to hell.Christine attempts to find a way outof her predicament with the assis-tance of a fortune teller, a mediumand her boyfriend (Justin Long). Thefilm is very much a love letter to thehorror genre, as it melds a B-movieplot with classic visuals and a bom-bastic score to create a delicious,schlocky confection. It also getsbonus points for making animal sac-

rifice and embalming fluid funnyagain.

(500) Days of SummerIn the opening minutes of (500)

Days of Summer, the narrator de-clares that “this is not a love story.”Instead, it’s a story about love, pri-marily of the unrequited and messyvariety, as viewed through the eyesof Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a ro-mantic who falls for Summer (ZooeyDeschanel). Their intrinsically dif-ferent attitudes toward romance de-fine them. Tom believeswholeheartedly in fate and true love,while Summer doesn’t believe lovereally exists. Tom is sure that Sum-mer is the one; his world conse-quently shatters when she breaks upwith him. We see their relationshipunravel before our eyes, but not in

chronological order—instead we seeit as Tom experiences it, bouncing be-tween warm and hurtful recollec-tions and the realization that hisexpectations haven’t met up with re-ality (cleverly illustrated in oneheartbreaking scene). Though thismay sound depressing in print, first-time director Marc Webb infuses hisfilm with such charm and visualverve that it never succumbs to itsmelancholy. While (500) Days owes agreat debt to films like Annie Halland Eternal Sunshine of the SpotlessMind thematically and structurally,it never feels derivative due to its di-rection and the sheer joy one getsfrom seeing Levitt and Deschanel inaction. It combines its disparateparts to form a cohesive, charmingwhole that proves to be one of themost joyful cinematic experiences inrecent years.

The Hurt LockerSince the U.S. invasion of Iraq in

2003, numerous directors have at-tempted to bring the conflict to cin-ema screens, with little success.Director Kathryn Bigelow succeedswhere others have failed with TheHurt Locker, a suspenseful wardrama which feels almost as real asany footage you’ll see on TV. Insteadof tackling the conflict’s politics asothers have, Bigelow focusessquarely on those fighting on thefront lines. Her film follows threemembers of an elite explosives dis-posal unit as they serve the final daysof their initial tour of duty in Iraq.Not only do they face daily threatsfrom insurgents, but they must alsodeal with the friction between theunit’s new team leader, Sgt. James(Jeremy Renner), and his fellow sol-diers Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and

Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). ThoughJames has disabled over 800 bombs,his reckless, daredevil attitude to-ward his work deeply troubles hispartners, and while “war is like adrug” to James, the others simplywant to get out alive. Bigelow bringsa world to the screen in which evenchildren cannot be trusted and si-lences almost always mean danger.We, too, are made to feel under at-tack. Each member of Bigelow’s castinhabits his role so completely thatit’s hard to believe that these actorsare merely characters in a narrativerather than real people in a docu-mentary. Considering Bigelow’s in-tentions, it’s the highest praise youcan give a film like this.

Summer HoursThose in search of quieter, more

methodical cinema experience woulddo well to turn to Summer Hours, aFrench film which, in essence, eulo-gizes childhood in the face of the re-alities of adulthood. Three siblings(Juliet Binoche, Charles Berling andJeremie Renier) gather together fortheir annual family reunion at theirmother’s summer house. Theirmother dies soon afterward, leavingthem to decide what will happen tothe house and its contents, includingnumerous paintings and pieces offurniture that have both great finan-cial and sentimental value. DirectorOlivier Assayas’ vision is hard tocapture in a few sentences, as hetackles so much—globalization (thesiblings are scattered across threecontinents), the nature of nostalgia,the value of art both culturally andemotionally and more. It’s an incred-ibly moving, intelligent familydrama of the sort that isn’t oftenseen.

FILM

Summer flicks make rewarding rentals for fall

By JUSTINE ROOTJUSTICE EDITOR


■ Some movies never madeit to your town and for othersyou never made it to the the-ater, but here are a few gemsthat stand to endure pastblockbuster season.

By SEAN FABERYJUSTICE STAFF WRITER

HITLER HUNTERS: Eli Roth (left) and Brad Pitt lead a gang of American Jews on a quest for revenge against Nazi soldiers.PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY

CRAZED CRONE: Lorna Raver (Sylvia Ganush) puts a curse on a young woman (Ali-son Lohman) who tries to evict her in the summer horror flick Drag Me to Hell.

PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL ENTERTAINMENT


Through the Lens


BRANDEIS

ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Technology sna-fus tax your patience. But before you throw thatcomputer or other bulky hardware into thetrash, take a deep breath and call someoneknowledgeable for help.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Don’t be tooupset if your generosity goes unappreciated.These things happen, and rather than broodover it, move on. A new friend could open upsome exciting new possibilities.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) A loved one helpsyou get through an especially difficult emotion-al situation. Spend the weekend immersed inthe body and soul-restorative powers of musicand the other arts.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22) You are prettymuch in charge of what you want to do thisweek. However, it might be a good idea to keepan open mind regarding suggestions from peo-ple you know you can trust.

LEO (July 23 to August 22) Another chance toshine (something always dear to the Lion’sheart) might be resented by others. But youearned it, so enjoy it. The weekend brings newsabout a family member.

VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A sugges-tion that never took off could become viable

again. Dust it off, update it if necessary, andresubmit it. In your personal life, a new rela-tionship takes an “interesting” turn.

LIBRA (September 23 to October 22)Confronting a new challenge to your stated posi-tion could work to your advantage by settling alldoubts once you’re able to present a soliddefense backed up by equally solid facts.

SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Youenjoy doing nice things for others. But this is agood time to do something nice for yourself aswell. You might want to start by planning asuper-special getaway weekend.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December21) Some changes you feel you need to makemight be reasonable and appropriate. But oth-ers might lead to new problems. Think thingsthrough carefully before you act.

CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19)Good instincts usually keep the sure-footedGoat on the right path. So, what others mightsee as stubbornness on your part in fact reflectsyour good sense of what is worth supporting.

AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Aperiod of introspection could lead to some sur-prising conclusions—and also equally surpris-ing changes—involving a number of your long-held positions on several issues.

PISCES (February 19 to March 20) The finan-cially practical Pisces might want to take a sen-sible approach to spending as well as investing.Being prudent now pays off later. A romanticsituation moves into another phase.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your sense of curiositykeeps you continually alert for what’s newabout people, places and things.

ACROSS1. Saxophone range5. Nov. follower8. Impale12. Benefit13. “— Yankee Doodle Dandy...”14. Ocean motion15. Farmland measure16. Ross and backup18. Looseleaf-paper holder20. Lucky dice rolls21. Prison, in Portsmouth23. Shriner's cap24. 2007 comedy movie28. Nary a soul31. — out a living32. Le Pew and Le Moko34. Convent dweller35. Catherine — Jones37. Quash39. Tokyo’s old name41. Actress Gilpin42. Straying45. Some hosiery49. Imagined51. Press52. Map53. Past54. One billionth (Pref.)55. Longings56. Director Howard57. Radiate

DOWN 1. Common rhyme scheme2. Places3. Undecided4. Nervous5. Strips6. Ostrich’s cousin

7. Uppercase8. Spielberg or Bochco9. Eastern or Pacific, e.g.10. Mideast gulf11. Harry’s first lady17. Ump19. O.K. Corral VIP22. Drink, as a puppy might24. “— you!”25. Guitar’s island kin26. Barrie boy27. Trust29. Greek consonants30. Navy rank (Abbr.)

33. Agile36. Tweaks38. Angering40. Yoko of music42. Catch sight of43. Hold the scepter44. Despot46. Exam format47. Admonition to Nanette48. Winter forecast50. Id counterpart

King Crossword Copyright 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.

Welcome WagonUniversity President JehudaReinharz greeted the Class of2013 on his new ride, an orangeVespa. Whether it was acquired

to reduce fuel emissions or revi-talize his image, Reinharz’s SunChariot inspired much chatteramong matriculators.

Enter digits from 1to 9 into each blankspace so that everyrow, column and3x3 square containsone of each digit.

Sudoku Copyright 2007King Features Synd., Inc.

Sudoku

■ It is not known who made the followingsage observation: “Conscience is the still,small voice which tells a candidate that whathe is doing is likely to lose him votes.”

■ Cost-cutting is nothing new in the airlineindustry. Way back in 1987, AmericanAirlines was looking to pinch a few pennies.One of the measures the carrier decided onwas to eliminate one olive from each saladserved to passengers in first class. This seem-ingly minor move saved a total of $40,000 thatyear.

■ Before he became a fast food titan, thefounder of the Taco Bell chain of restaurantsoperated a hot dog stand.

■ If you’re overdue for a snack right now, youmight be hearing borborygmi. Those are thegrowling sounds made by an empty belly.

■ Next time you’re planning on taking a fish-ing trip, you might want to consider thewhopper recently brought in by a Floridaman. It seems that while fishing in the watersoff the Panhandle, Rodney Salomon snagged atest missile. Although he wanted to keep themissile as a souvenir, the authorities insistedthat the MacDill Air Force Base Bomb Squaddismantle it. Talk about the one that gotaway!

■ If you’re like the average American, youwill eat approximately 60 quarts of popcornthis year.

■ If you’ve ever been to an arcade, you’ve cer-tainly seen a claw machine—the game in whichyou operate a lever to manipulate a claw inorder to (hopefully) pick up a stuffed toy. Well,in Osaka, Japan, they’ve come up with a newtwist. The Sub Marine Catcher looks just like astandard claw machine, except instead ofstuffed toys, the plastic chamber is filled withwater and live lobsters.

■ It was American comic book artist, publisher,writer and editor Bernard Bailey who made thefollowing sage observation: “When they discov-er the center of the universe, a lot of people willbe disappointed to discover they are not it.”

■ In Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic 1960 film Psycho,that creepily realistic-looking blood in thefamous shower scene was actually chocolatesyrup.

■ The Q-Tip brand of cotton swab was original-ly marketed under the name “Baby Gays.”

■ Do you know anyone who is xanthodontous?If so, you might want to refer them to someonespecializing in cosmetic dentistry.Xanthodontous means “having yellow teeth.”

■ Legislators in Michigan thought it necessaryat one point to pass a law making it illegal to bedrunk on a train.

Thought for the Day: “History is the version ofpast events that people have decided to agreeupon.”—Napoleon Bonaparte

The Justice- Aug. 25, 2009

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Transcript of The Justice- Aug. 25, 2009