the
Justice www.thejustice.org
The Independent Student Newspaper Volume LXXV, Number 12
of
B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Waltham, Mass.
ARTIST TALK
MARINE RECRUITMENT PROTEST
Artist Becky Behar gives talk for photo exhibition, ‘Interlaced’ ■ Behar’s photos emulate
themes of motherhood, domesticity, and transience. By GRACE DOH
JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
JACK YUANWEI CHENG/the Justice
OPPOSITION: Members of the Brandeis Leftist Union set up across the Marines in the Shapiro Campus Center on Jan. 25.
In celebration of photo-based artist Becky Behar’s solo exhibition “Interlaced,” the Women’s Studies Research Center at Brandeis hosted an opening reception and artist talk on Jan. 26 at the Kniznick Gallery, where Behar’s photographs will remain on display until Feb. 22. Behar discussed her artistic process, the series of works on view in the exhibition, and her current studio practice. Behar started photography at the age of 45, and as a mother of three, she began her career at a point when her children were transitioning into adulthood. One of the series in the exhibition, “Seeing You, Seeing Me,” contains posed portraits of her 21-year-old daughter and still lifes of domestic scenes. Heavily influenced by painter
Brandeis Leftist Union protests U.S. Marine recruiters ■ The BLU protested for
three hours as U.S. Marines attempted to recruit Brandeis students. By SOPHIA DE LISI
JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Brandeis Leftist Union held a military recruitment protest in the Shapiro Campus Center, tirelessly chanting and showing off their signs in the presence of several Marine recruiters. The unrecognized club announced its plans to protest a day after an email from Marine Captain Austin R. Lorah reached Brandeis students’ inboxes informing the community that recruiters would be on campus to offer information about the Marine Corps Officer Selection Program, “a no obligation, paid summer training program” that would give participants the opportunity to become Marine Officers after graduation. Shortly after this announcement reached students, the BLU posted a call to protest over its Instagram, urging students to join them from 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. in
a show of support for “international solidarity” and “resistance to global U.S. imperialism.” Four members from the BLU awaited the Marine recruiters in front of the Hiatt Career Center, engaging with students and handing out their flyers covered with designs inspired by social movements that protested the Vietnam War. However, they quickly learned that the Marines would be setting up at the Shapiro Campus Center instead, and the BLU members changed course accordingly. The BLU deliberately established itself across from the Marines’ table and set to work, engaging with students, chanting, and attempting to steer any potential recruits away. As some might know, the BLU is no stranger to protests. In a written follow-up interview, the BLU highlighted its key activities and protests as “anti-fascist, anti-imperialist, and anti-racist demonstrations.” Furthermore, it has been involved with “mutual aid efforts with Food Not Bombs Waltham and Warm Up Boston” and rallied both its club members and students in support of dining and library workers on campus. In this case, these members wrote that they were protesting to “drive U.S. imperialists off [the] campus, make a
stand against the U.S. war machine recruiting students from Brandeis,” arguing that the University’s past social justice and “anti-imperialist” efforts are the antithesis of its cooperation with the Marines. When asked to define the connection between campus military recruitment efforts and United States militaristic imperialism, an anonymous BLU member answered, “imperialism requires bodies [to refuel] Saudi jets, bomb buses with children, repair drones to murder people across South East Asia and North West Africa,” drawing the connection between recruitment to the soldiers who are responsible for these actions. Along with protesting to point out Brandeis’ “complicity” with the U.S. military, the BLU also defined its desire to spread its uninhibited spirit and inspire other students to protest in the same way. In its desire for visibility, the BLU was not shy about its feelings towards the military and the Marines’ presence. Anyone in the vicinity of the SCC — surrounding students, Einstein Bros. Bagels’ staff and patrons — heard the megaphone-augmented chants of six students over the span of three hours:
Johannes Vermeer, the photos have a highly luminous quality as sunlight pours through windows onto the rich tones of the subject matter. This series examines the fleeting nature of time as Behar captures images of her daughter, flowers, and fruit in her home environment. She ruminates on how the time of day, the time spent photographing her daughter, and the experience of motherhood are all transient moments in her life. The opening reception welcomed not only Brandeis community members, but also friends and family of Behar who came to see the arrangement of works. Works on display included portraits, still lifes, monitors that detail the stories behind select photo series, and ceramic tile baseboards with cyanotype patterns of various items that can be found throughout her works. Curator and artist Olivia Baldwin collaborated with Behar in the arrangement of pieces for “Interlaced.” The two initially considered using only one of the
See EXHIBITION, 5 ☛
BRIEF Tressie McMillan Cottom awarded 2023 Gittler Prize Brandeis has selected Tressie McMillan Cottom as the 2023 Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize Recipient, in recognition of her celebrated work as a sociologist, author, and New York Times columnist. Cottom is also a professor at the Center for Information, Technology and Public Life at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a 2020 MacArthur Fellow. Created by the late Professor Joseph B. Gittler, a sociologist and faculty member at several universities, the Gittler Prize is an annual award that recognizes “outstanding and lasting contributions to racial, ethnic, and/or religious relations.” Cottom’s bodies of work, including “Lower Ed” (2017) and “Thick: And Other Essays” (2019), spans a variety of topics, from the racial hierarchy of beauty standards and dress codes to the concerning rise of for-profit colleges from the perspective of someone who was once a recruiter for two for-profit colleges herself. Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) praise
“Lower Ed” for insightfully disclosing the unjust dynamics that enable higher education meritocracy to exacerbate social inequality and for sparking important conversations about the benefits and harms of higher education. In 2019, her collection of essays, “Thick,” received many accolades, including a nomination for the National Book Award, not only for her analysis on personal experiences with body image as a Black woman but also for its powerful storytelling, poetic prose, and innovative form. Cottom will be in residence at Brandeis from Oct. 25 to 27, and she will be hosting a public lecture on Oct. 26. On the same day, Brandeis will host a ceremony to officially award Cottom the Gittler Prize, which includes a $25,000 cash prize and a medal.
— Anika Jain
See PROTEST, 5 ☛
Discount stores
Best indie albums
Rent prices spike in Waltham
Two cheerful, family-run
By JEN CRYSTAL
discount stores light up Moody Street.
Read all about the best indie albums of 2022 and be sure to check them out.
By ARIELLA WEISS
By JANE FLAUTT
NEWS 3
The Editorial Board addresses University fines By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
FORUM 8
Arsenal on top ARIELLA WEISS/the Justice
FEATURES 7
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ARTS AND CULTURE 14
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By JOSH GANS
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SPORTS 12