The Justice, February 3, 2026

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Anti-ICE demonstrations carried out on campus garner support

■ The acts of protest embraced a theme of community and connection amid times of nationwide tensions surrounding immigration.

By CHAVA THIELL

On Friday, Jan. 30 at 2:30 p.m., a group of about 30 individuals convened in the Shapiro Campus Center atrium to protest the escalating actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. The event was preceded by another protest the previous week on Tuesday, Jan. 20, in what was called a “Free America Walkout.” This was part of a larger nationwide initiative led by the organizers of the Women’s March, which inspired Professor Sabine von Mering (WGS/CGES) to organize on campus.

The protest was organized by Professor von Mering, who was arrested on Dec. 16 after attempting to bring care packages to an ICE detention center. At both protests, von Mering held signs challenging the federal government’s actions. “ICE out of MN,” “Keep ICE where it belongs” and “Fight ignorance not immigrants,” could all be read from her various signage.

Professor von Mering shared that coordination for the Jan. 30 event was very last-minute, as information about the demonstration was shared less than 24 hours earlier. As a result, fewer people were in attendance than the Jan. 20 walkout which was held outside the Shapiro Campus Center.

Inside the atrium, attendees gathered in a circle and began by passing out firsthand accounts of Minnesota residents, which touched on the escalating tensions following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents. Following the readings, people were encouraged to speak and share their thoughts. Professor von Mering emphasized the importance of fostering connections between community members when organizing protests and demonstrations in this manner. She had embraced a similar message the week before, when she noted that the purpose of the walkout was to “come together and express all the frustrations we have with the current moment” as well as “not feel[ing] alone in this moment.” von Mering also passed out papers with a quick response code, where attendees could note their interest to participate in similar events in the future.

Both demonstrations included opportunities for

attendees to speak and share their thoughts. “Trump must go!” said Luke Farberman ’27, on Jan. 20. The crowd responded with rounds of applause. A week later, when asked why he wanted to participate, Hudson Ranney ’29 said in a Jan. 30 interview with The Justice, “I don’t want to tell my kids or grandkids I sat out and didn’t do anything while an authoritarian takeover was happening.” He concluded, “now is not the time to sit back.”

ICE has come under fire nationally, especially following its escalation of operations, as well as the fatal Jan. 7 shooting of civilian Renee Good by ICE officer Jonathan Ross. As a result, protests have erupted across the country calling for the department to cease operations and greater protections for immigrants.

On Jan. 23, thousands of people joined in the streets of Minnesota to protest ICE activity, and hundreds of businesses shut down in what Minnesotans called a “Day of Truth and Freedom.” Further outrage grew after ICE agents shot another civilian, Alex Pretti, in Minnesota on Jan. 24.

The Jan. 20 event also included remarks from several faculty and staff members. Professor Irina Dubinina (RUS) spoke of her own experience being a Russian immigrant, and how the unfolding situation in the United States resembled similar events in her home country. “This is not a moment where we choose between right and left. This is a moment where we choose between right and wrong.” She was among multiple speakers who urged the group to look beyond politics and instead think about the greater implications for the country that this moment held.

Both events included suggestions to become trained on what to do if attendees see ICE, as well as learning their own rights should they interact with federal agents. During the Jan. 20 event, she also mentioned that the site of their gathering outside the Shapiro Campus Center was where a “horrible event took place in November 2023,” alluding to the arrests of seven people during a pro-Palestine protest. She later said she felt it was time for Brandeis to “start healing as a community” in light of the University’s recent history.

The Jan. 30 event concluded as von Mering encouraged attendees to convene in small groups and brainstorm action plans, such as ways they can become involved on campus and how to support the movement in the greater Boston area. She acknowledged that going forward, the group would need to do a better job of planning and announcing these events ahead of time, and reinforced messages about getting familiar with one another and building a sense of community.

In a Jan. 20 interview with The Justice, von Mering

“We can’t sit this one out”: Prof. Sabine von Mering reflects on December arrest

■ Massachusetts police arrested Prof. Sabine von Mering and three others outside ICE's New England Regional Headquarters as the group was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid.

By SOPHIA DE LISI JUSTICE EDITOR IN CHIEF

On the cold morning of Dec. 16, Prof. Sabine von Mering (WGS/CEGS), Fred Small, Eric Segal and Roger Rosen arrived at Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s New England Regional Headquarters in Burlington with the intent to deliver aid to individuals detained inside. Within hours, the group found themselves in handcuffs, facing two civil court charges: trespassing and disturbing the peace.

“We wanted to make sure that here in Massachusetts, we live our values and especially during

the holiday season,” Prof. von Mering said in a Jan. 23 interview with The Justice. The care packages included food, water, menstrual products, medicine, thick socks and hats. “It’s tradition. You give gifts, you bring things, you care for each other. You express your love for each other,” she said. Prof. von Mering frequently heard updates regarding dismal conditions inside the Burlington center, specifically through attending vigils hosted by Bearing Witness New England. These updates were informed by eye-witness accounts from U.S. Representative Seth Moulton’s visits in June and November, as well as news of an aid group’s September arrest outside the facility. As of press time, ICE has not addressed concerns from civilians nor representatives, having illegally denied Representative John Larson from entering the center on Jan. 29. The center is an administrative building that was not built to detain people for long periods of time and lacks washing, medical and sleeping facilities, leading to reports of “inhumane” and “humiliating” conditions. The above sources corroborated that the regional headquarters were not intended to be a detainment facility, a sentiment con-

Bike Sharing Program on campus works to spread sustainable transportation

■ A new sustainable transportation option will be available for the Brandeis community starting

By ASHHWIKA SONI JUSTICE NEWS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

After more than a year of planning and revisions, Brandeis has approved $25,500 in funding for a student-run bike share program that will be launching its pilot phase this April with 12 bikes. In a Jan. 23 interview with The Justice, the student organizers for this project, Ruben Seaman ’29 and Allan Feldman ’26 shared that they planed to expand the program to 20 bikes by the time the program “hard launch[es]" in the fall semester. The funding for this program came from the The Community Emergency and Enhancement Fund and the Campus Sustainability Fund following a revised proposal that addressed logistical and sustainability concerns that were raised in the previous application cycle. Seaman and Feldman said that the updated proposal focused

Spotlight

A deep dive into Danielle Mckinney's exhibition. By

SHELBY TERRY

on long-term continuity, cost efficiency and broader student participation. The initiative was first reported by The Justice in October 2024, when they outlined early plans for a campus bike share program but had yet to secure funding.

Seaman and Feldman submitted a detailed proposal to the funding bodies which outlined the goals of the program, proposed locations for bike storage, staffing structure and long-term vision. Their earlier plans included three possible docking locations, including a current place for docking student bikes in Massell Quad. “The one that got approved is the existing bike shelter in Massell Quad, and that one is the most cost effective for us,” said Seaman. “That’s something the allocation board really liked about this project,” he added. Seaman shared that a lot of the concerns last year were about how the program would be sustained long term, Feldman stated “recruiting younger students who could take on the program after we graduate was really important.”

Student demand for a bike share program at Brandeis has remained positive and upward. Survey data collected by Feldman during the previous proposal phase in 2024 engaged more than 300 students, with nearly 90% indicating they would use the program in some capacity. “I think student demand was very clear,” stated Feldman. Additional data collected this year further shaped the structure of the pilot program. Approximately 140 respondents said they would use

the bikes several times per week considering good weather. “The data showed that demand would way outpace how many bikes we would have, so starting smaller made more sense,” said Seaman. They added that rather than offering 24-hour multi-day rentals, the program would prioritize shorter and more frequent use to maximize access. When discussing the possibility of 24-hour rentals Seaman said that “wouldn't even cover half the demand.”

The program is set to work in relation to a custom-built mobile app in contract with an electronic locking company named LINKA that is being developed by Christian Todorov ’28, Adrian Nykairu ’28 and Nathaniel Martin ’26. The app will function similarly to municipal bike share systems such as Bluebikes or Citi Bike. Seaman stated “everything [including] locking, rentals and maintenance requests will be handled through [the app]." The program will use electrical locks from LINKA, which secure the rear wheel and include an additional chain for attaching bikes to secure locations. Access will be limited to users with Brandeis affiliations and participation will require a signed waiver and a mandatory safety course. After completing these steps, students will have unrestricted access to the program, free of charge.

The maintenance will be handled by students in partnership with the Brandeis Cycling Club. Gabe Mitchell ’26, a former bike shop employee, will serve as lead mechanic and train a team of student volunteers to spearhead

POLICE LOG

MEDICAL EMERGENCY

Jan. 16—There was a medical emergency for a party who fell down the stairs and was missing teeth. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 16—There was a medical emergency for a party having a panic attack. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 17—There was a medical emergency for an intoxicated party. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 17—There was a medical emergency for an intoxicated party. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 18—There was a medical emergency for a party reporting pain in their groin area. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 19—There was a medical emergency for a party reporting an injured jaw. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 20—There was a medical emergency for a party who had slipped and fallen on ice. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 20—There was a medical emergency for a party who fainted. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 20—There was a medical emergency for a party who had passed out and was having a seizure. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 21—There was a medical emergency for an unconscious and unresponsive party. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 24—There was a medical emergency for a party’s roommate who was having difficulty breathing. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 24—There was a medical emergency for a party coughing up blood. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 24—There was a medical emergency for a party with a sore throat. The patient refused further treatment.

Hassenfeld-Sherman Fire

At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, students and staff were issued a Brandeis Alert concerning “ongoing fire activity” in the ShermanHassenfeld building.

The email, with the subject line “HazMat/Fire/ Gas Leak,” instructed community members to stay away from the area surrounding Sherman-Hassenfeld and to adhere to the detours Public Safety has administered. Those leaving campus were instructed to use the Cedarwood gate or the Tower Lot. Both Brandeis Facilities and Public Services did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

Stew Uretsky, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, and Matthew Rushton, Associate Vice President of Campus Operations and Chief Safety Officer, informed Brandeis community members that Sherman Dining Hall and Hassenfeld Conference Center will be closed Tuesday, Feb. 3. The email, sent out at approximately

5:30 p.m., stated that “following Monday afternoon’s fire,” kosher dining options will be available in Usdan at Louis’ Deli. They assured that updates will be forthcoming. An update on Tripshot was sent out to users approximately 30 minutes after the initial Brandeis Alert. Riders were informed that the campus shuttle was “suspended because of a fire alert” and that the Waltham shuttle will continue to run but will not enter Loop Road and will instead drop passengers off at the main entrance of campus. The shuttle system became fully operational again at 6:23 p.m. and an alert was sent out to passengers on Tripshot.

Jan. 26—There was a medical emergency for a party with flu-like symptoms. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 26—There was a medical emergency for a party with an injured thumb. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 26—There was a medical emergency for a party feeling sick. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 27—There was a medical emergency for a party with an eraser stuck in their ear. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 27—There was a medical emergency for a party with an injured fingernail. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 27—There was a medical emergency for a party who slipped. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 27—There was a medical emergency for a party with a dislocated knee. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 28—There was a medical emergency for a party having a seizure. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 28—An ambulance was called to respond to a party having a seizure. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 28—There was a medical emergency for a party who fainted. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 28—There was a medical emergency for a party who fainted and may have hit their head. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

Jan. 28—There was a medical emergency for a party with a migraine. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 28—There was a medical emergency for a party having a seizure. The patient refused medical treatment.

Jan. 29—There was a medical emergency for a broken collarbone. The patient was transported to a local hospital.

MOTOR VEHICLE

Jan. 19—A party reported being followed by a car. There will be an investigation to follow.

Jan. 20—There were reports of a suspicious motor vehicle in a parking lot. All appeared in order.

Jan. 21—There was a report of a past motor vehicle accident. There will be an investigation to follow

NOISE COMPLAINT

Jan. 27—There was a report of a parked van playing loud music. The vehicle was gone on arrival.

MISCELLANEOUS

Jan. 17—An officer reported assisting with a motor vehicle accident and would be late back to work. The office in charge was notified.

Jan. 18—A party reported being a victim of a telephone scam. The situation was cleared.

Jan. 22—There was a suspicious persons report of two people in a building who shouldn’t have been there. The individuals were gone upon officer arrival.

Jan. 25—A caller reported that the walkways and stairways had not been shoveled out. Maintenance was notified to respond.

Jan. 26—A caller reported that Loop Road was covered in ice and snow at the main entrance. The situation was cleared.

Jan. 27—A party was served with a court-ordered restraining order.

Jan. 29—A party reported finding a dead rabbit next to their car and believed it was done intentionally. There will be an investigation to follow.

DEIS HACKS

From Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, Brandeis students participated in the annual weekend-long social justice hackathon, DeisHacks. Students of all experience levels from different majors worked to find solutions for problems facing local nonprofits, including the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, Community Day Center of Waltham, and The Haven Project. Teams pitched projects that would help the nonprofits they select and compete for prizes. The event was sponsored by the Brandeis School of Business and Economics.

The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Send an email to editor@thejustice.org

Psychology department colloquium: “What we value in human empathy”

Prof. Anat Perry (PSYC) discusses the “artificial-empathy paradox” and the results of her research in social cognitive neuroscience, empathy and AI.

By GRACE DOH JUSTICE DEPUTY EDITOR

Artificial Intelligence chatbots have become a convenient option over the last three years for many individuals in search of an emotional outlet. In an age where immediacy counts, what exactly happens to the value of human relationships when a faster, more effortless alternative to emotional responses exists? On Thursday, Jan. 22, the psychology department hosted speaker Anat Perry, Ph.D., at the Rapaporte Treasure Hall. In the lecture, Perry compared different perceptions of human and AI-generated empathetic responses according to her research as an advanced fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.

Perry’s interest in studying human interactions with AI first started about three years ago when she discovered “KoKo,” a free and anonymous online platform that was designed to give users peer-to-peer support in the midst of widespread loneliness and isolation. KoKo ran an experiment in which

they allowed users to compose messages with ChatGPT. The resulting controversy led to the removal of their AI feature, but CEO Robert Morris defended the experiment, saying that the responses that used GPT-3 were rated significantly higher than those that were human-written.

Perry was fascinated by what appeared to be an “artificial-empathy paradox.” AI offers responses that are fast and eloquent and it incorporates effective empathic language.

“And yet, once you realize that they’re from a machine, we don’t feel that empathy anymore,” Perry observed. “It makes me realize that we don’t truly understand what we actually value in human empathy,” she said.

The broadest definition of empathy includes three general aspects. There is the cognitive, the need to understand what the other person is feeling; the affective, sharing some amount of the other person’s emotions and the motivational aspect, caring, compassion as well as the desire to help others.

Research shows that AI is able to perform the cognitive aspect of empathy, giving responses that are accurate and naturalistic.

Perry explained that while AI won’t be able to understand what it’s like to be human in a true sense, it would still be able to appraise emotions, discuss them and offer ideas about what one might be feeling. This function can prove useful for those in need of emotional regulation or evaluation. However, AI is not able to help with the motivational component of human empathy. It lacks something fundamental when an individual needs someone

First Thursdays: Trivia at the Stein

to share the emotions of a particular experience.

“Empathy is hard work,” Perry emphasized. “When someone shows you that they’re investing their time, their mental effort, their emotional effort to really be there for you and listen to you, this is something we value.” She shared that human limitations are part of what gives value to personal empathy: “ The fact that we’re biological beings with finite energy resources for care support is one of the reasons that our empathy is valued more than that of AI.”

In addition to the immediate feeling of reward from receiving support from another person, Perry shared that it is also an important interpersonal signal. For instance, when a colleague, peer or neighbor surprises you by being empathetic and caring, it can help predict a close relationship and the nature of future interactions. “ This signals to you that this person is someone that I can now trust or maybe is closer to me than I thought before,” Perry explained.

One study conducted in her lab examined how people perceive empathy that is thought to be generated by AI, versus that by humans. 1,000 participants ranging from ages 1835 were asked to share a recent emotional story. Half of the participants were told that they would receive a response from ChatGPT, and the other half were told that they’d receive a response from another human. n actuality, however, all of the responses were AI-generated. Perry found that participants from this study valued responses less when

they were assumed to be AI. In another study with the same participant setup, ChatGPT was prompted to provide a third of responses using mostly cognitive empathy terms, avoiding phrases like “I feel your pain,” and instead using phrases like “it seems like you’re very angry or sad.” The other third of responses had ChatGPT show affective empathy, or responses that shared the experience. The last third of responses were motivational, and consisted of messages such as “you’re not alone” or “I’m here for you.”

The results showed that with cognitive empathic responses, people valued perceived human and AI responses similarly. With the affective responses, perceived human responses were more valued. And, upon receiving motivational responses, participants valued perceived human responses significantly more.

Perry noted that while she thinks that AI will replace many aspects of daily life, human empathy and connection will still be invaluable. Her findings have prompted further questions about why human empathy has the value that it does — whether it be the physical experience of feeling another person’s pain, the limited human/biological capacity for extending care or the reciprocal nature of human relationships. Perry stressed the importance of emotional sharing and care: “What we need is clear. True, genuine, authentic empathy.”

ARREST: Prof. von Mering stresses the importance of protecting democracy

firmed to WickedLocal in 2007 by the then-New England regional director of ICE, Bruce Chadbourne. According to WBUR, Chadbourne has not responded to recent requests for comment.

“This is disturbing my peace. This should be disturbing all our peace, the fact that this is happening in our midst, that is so disturbing,” von Mering said in light of the allegations of inhumane conditions and the increasing violence committed by ICE officers — such as ICE officers fatally shooting civilians Renee Good and Alex Pretti on Jan. 7 and Jan. 24, respectively.

Prof. von Mering said that her group arrived at the New England Regional Headquarters early and that it didn’t take police officers long to arrest them. Great Blue Hill Boston states that the Burlington Police confirmed it arrested four adults at 11:15 a.m. for “trespassing and disturbing the peace.” In a statement to GBH Boston, Police Chief Thomas Brown said that the group was “told repeatedly to disperse from the front en-

trance and refused to do so after multiple attempts.”

“When you’re in that situation, you don’t pay attention to the time,” von Mering said. “I just know that I sat in the police car for a long time — very uncomfortably — because they handcuffed me behind my back with metal handcuffs.” She was handcuffed for approximately an hour, the duration of the ride back to the police station. The officers removed the handcuffs at the courthouse, replacing them with shackles around her ankles.

“We had to wait another hour or so, and then they took us into the courtroom and brought us before the judge. We had to walk upstairs with the ankle shackles, which was an interesting experience,” Professor von Mering said. As she was charged with trespassing and disturbing the peace, her next pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for March 24 in the Woburn District Court.

As von Mering reflected on her arrest and legal proceedings, she expanded on her perspective as a Germanist and her family’s ties to Germany,

given the country’s history of fascism. Both of her grandfathers served as German soldiers, though one who was a Lutheran pastor joined the Confessing Church, a Protestant resistance movement opposing Adolf Hitler’s manipulation of churches as vehicles for propaganda. Although she once believed her grandfather did not take enough action in protest of Hitler’s ideology, these recent events have caused her to reconsider.

“I’m thinking, what am I willing to risk? Professor von Mering asked. “I see him very differently now, and I’m learning from that.” When she considers her grandfather’s efforts, she reflects on the millions of Germans who dissented with Hitler but were too afraid to take action. She pointed to a lack of “democratic muscle” present in Germany at the time; whereas, modern American society has more experience in understanding and upholding democracy.

To von Mering, this experience is what drives people to engage in mutual aid efforts, hold vigils and protest. “Democracy is not a spectator sport,

and I learned that from Americans,” she said.

“There is a lot we can do — all of us — and I want people to be encouraged to try to stand up, to try to speak out, to try to participate in the many, many ways in which people are pushing back against this regime,” said von Mering. She asserted that Trump’s cabinet is a regime, rather than an administration as their efforts have “hollowed out” the structures put in place to restrict the government. She cited the mass layoffs enacted by the Department of Government Efficiency in 2025 as eliminating anyone in government capable of upholding these protective measures. “We can’t sit this one out,” Prof. von Mering asserted. To her, the ability to uphold democracy stems from active organization and engagement, often requiring a degree of personal risk. As her case progresses, she hopes her arrest is perceived as an act of encouragement, to show others that activism is well within reach.

PROTEST: Brandeis community members support nation wide anti-ICE effort

commented on the University’s policy on ICE agents on campus, which was most recently revised in July 2025. She felt the statement was strong but in terms of its efficacy, “you would have to ask students.” Professor von Mering said she felt it was important that

police were educated about students being targeted by ICE. In terms of her own activism, when asked if she feels the University has been supportive of her work, she said she doesn’t believe “the University as an institution has a role,” though she has felt sup-

port from individuals at the University.

Ultimately, both events were peaceful and wellattended, in spite of the frigid temperatures and lastminute planning. von Mering emphasized the event as an opportunity to find community among trou

DEISBIKES: Students work toward sustainable transportation and accessibility

the pilot program. The program plans to contract with Trek for bike purchases, though the plans have not been finalized yet. To keep up with maintenance, the users can log an issue on the app. Seaman assured “we’ll take that bike out of service and the maintenance team will fix it within 24 to 48 hours.” They project that the funding for this program is expected to last approximately three years. Beyond transportation, organizers said that the program aims to build a stronger cycling community culture on campus. They plan to include bi-weekly social group rides led by members of the cycling club, with participation determined by a

lottery system due to limited bike availability. Both Seaman and Feldman are exploring collaborations with other student groups and hosting safety education workshops covering topics such as bike handling and flat tire repair. “One of my personal goals was to create more of a cycling culture on campus,” said Feldman.

The program’s success will be evaluated using data tracking and quality feedback. Organizers said they will focus less on raw usage numbers and more on who is using the bike and for what purposes. “We don't want the system to be 20 people who ride bikes everyday,” Seaman said. “We want hundreds of stu-

dents using them a few times a week — commuters, people going off campus, people riding for exercise.”

In addition to weather-related limitations, organizers said establishing accountability policies has been one of the main challenges. They are currently working with university officers to implement systems for fines and enforcement in the cases of theft or misuse. “We’re figuring out the legal side of what happens if someone loses a bike or a lock,” emphasised Seaman.

Both Seaman and Feldman said that they hope the bike share program will contribute to a more active and connected campus, particularly on weekends

when student activity often slows down. They also cited the social and environmental benefits along with accessibility for students without cars. Feldman stated “I want students to leave from this, having read this article, they understand that more students should apply to CEEF and CSF.” Feldman and Seaman are currently conducting a data survey for their pilot program and are seeking student input. Updates regarding this program will be shared on the official “DeisBikes” Instagram page.

ANT-ICE ACTIVISM THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY

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Beyond the frame

A deeper look at Danielle Mckinney’s past exhibit, “Tell Me More,” at the Rose Art Museum.

By SHELBY TERRY JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last semester, if you attended the Brandeis Rose Art Museum and walked down the stairs to the left, you’d find a porcelain-colored room illuminated by soft minimalist lighting. Around the museum, paintings carefully placed on white walls made the room seem less empty, perhaps even less lonely. Various skillfully painted women surrounded me and each painting looked like it was from a world of its own.

On Nov. 7, 2025, emerging artist Danielle Mckinney’s private showing of her newest art series titled “Tell Me More” felt both meditative and serious. The quiet of the Mildred S. Lee Gallery was so sacred that even as late guests rushed into the gallery, their footsteps softened, blending into the hushed whispers of the crowd. Soon visitors drifted around the room with their hands clasped tightly behind their backs, silently observing the stillness of each painting.

Nestled carefully among the other art sat a glossy painting of a woman holding a butterfly to her mouth. At first glance, it seemed the woman was upset about something; she sits to the side, aloof, looking off into the distance like an empress watching a jester in boredom. Her brown eyes peek over to the viewer in dissatisfaction, almost silently asking, “How dare you bring an unfunny jester to my palace?”

The painting’s informational panel read “Shelter 2023 Oil on Linen.” The woman’s short black hair and her dark skin are pigmented with several shades of brown, creating rich shadows on her hands. Her cheeks and lips are a warm rosy red clearly contrasting with her bright red fingernails. A monarch butterfly rests on her index finger. She wears a luxurious, fluffy cream coat which stands out against the golden olive background. Simple, elegant and feminine. The emotions of the character were hard to make out. She has a troubled microexpression suggesting that she’s trying to keep herself together, an expression that you would look at and ask, “What’s wrong?” but never receive a proper answer. This painting is one of Mckinney’s most recognizable works, being both the cover page of her newest book “Beyond the Brushstroke” (2025) and also embroidered on a custom Christian Dior bag featured in Lady Dior Art #9, a limited edition collaboration

where high-profile artists are challenged with recreating Dior’s iconic bag with their own spin. In this particular scene of the woman sitting in contemplation, a butterfly lands on the woman’s hand, depicting ‘the flight of imagination.’

Wall” at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin, Italy and “about a moment – in a moment” at the Kuntshal in Copenhagen, Denmark.

There was silence until a woman at Mckinney’s side spoke up. It was broken by Prof. Gannit Ankori (FA/WGS), art historian and curator of the Rose Art Museum. She quickly introduced Mckinney, affectionately calling her by her middle name, Joy. Mckinney’s bright red fingernails matched that of

the women in all of her paintings, a personal touch to her work. Born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, Mckinney was always fascinated by art. She explained, “When I was a little girl I would take a shoebox, cut it up and place figurines inside of it, creating a sort of domestic scene. It was very soothing to me; art always comes from a place that’s very familiar.”

As a rising star in the contemporary art world, Mckinney’s work has been the subject of two international solo art exhibitions including “Fly on the

In addition, Mckinney’s work has been featured in permanent collections of major art museums such as the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. On the Rose Art Museum’s website you’ll find a rich description of Mckinney’s art. “‘Tell Me More’ offers a tantalizing entry point into the intimate world of a gifted painter whose powerful vision of

Black femininity is expansive, contemplative and defiantly unhurried.”

The tour of Mckinney’s exhibit began with a few quotes pasted near the ceiling throughout the gallery. Mckinney pointed out her own quote that said, “Painting is a spiritual act for me.” Without hesitation, Mckinney began to expand upon this idea. “I’m not originally a painter. I spent 20 years studying photography so painting is a little scary.” She continued, “I realized that when the paint touches the canvas it does what it wants. I had to let go of control and surrender … and to me that is deeply spiritual.”

Standing in the gallery, surrounded by her work, it became pretty clear that these paintings are not about control or perfection. Instead, they are about the quiet moments that go unnoticed. In her work lies something vulnerable: her characters are allowed to be themselves, whether exhausted, contemplating or even bored. While these may not be positive emotions, they are all real. “Even now, as I stand before you guys, I still feel like I want to fix things.” She pointed to a medium-sized painting to the left of us and continued, “But if I fixed it, that wouldn’t be the point of my work.”

Guests wandered the gallery and observed the paintings that exclusively depicted Black women, leading viewers to wonder if any of Mckinney’s work had an underlying political inspiration. She began by explaining her background in photography and how she used to study photographers like Nan Goldin and sculptors like Paul Gauguin. She said, “In the beginning of my studies I wasn’t particularly looking for Black women, I was more focused on understanding composition and the psychology behind photography.” She continued, “But as I started doing more of my own work I was looking for references and I was like… where are all the Black women?”

Mckinney elaborated on detailing her experience at Parsons School of Design in New York. “I would go to all these art exhibitions and I would never see Black art or artists.” Mckinney remembers this being the moment she decided to feature Black women in her work. “Not seeing Black people in art really weighed on me, but it was never something that was supposed to be political. I like the way these women look and I want to showcase them.”

At this point in the conversation Ankori chimed in to inform the audience about art history. “Traditionally when we do see Black women in paintings we think of Edouard Manet’s ‘Olympia,’ where the Black woman is always a servant attending to her white employer.” She explained that Mckinney’s work offers a different interpretation of femininity and rest that just so happens to feature a Black protagonist.

Mckinney added on to Ankori’s point, “At first I was thinking to myself, ‘what am I doing? I’m adding these Black women and inserting them into these historical master paintings?’ But then I soon realized that no matter the color of my characters everyone should be able to look at them and relate.” She continues, “They’re not just my ladies, they’re yours too.” Eventually the tour shifted to a painting on the far right side of the gallery. It showcases one of Mckinney’s familiar characters lying nude on a sofa. McKinney stood in silence for some time, allowing the audience to take it all in, and then she began to explain her artistic process. “I start with a black canvas so you can kinda see the background creating dark undertones. Next I paint her full body and then I work on the interior.” Mckinney paused before speaking. “Then I thought to myself, ‘what painting do I put above her?’” Referencing other paintings is a signature detail she likes to include in her work, and she explained that she looks in her old art history books for inspiration. In this particular painting titled “Fly on the Wall,” she included “The Portrait of Marie-Thėrèse Walter,” Picasso’s 17-year-old muse and lover who inspired many of Picasso’s works. Mckinney explained her process: “I wanted to include this painting to add some color, but I soon realized it sort of sent the wrong message. I couldn’t help but think that I need to cover this lady up; that’s why I added the flower vase.” These artistic choices set Mckinney apart from artists like Picasso and Balthus because she paints women beautifully without making them an object of desire. “I never want my ladies to feel… to be sexualized, I just don’t,” she stated. Lastly, everyone arrived at the painting that inspired the entire art series.

first encountered art history and began to understand visual art as a medium for self-expression. However, when she entered college, that creative side gradually faded into the background. “I was very focused on academics,” she said. “I even thought I wanted to be a surgeon. That idea went out the window pretty quickly.”

“Tell Me More” showcases a woman sitting on the bathroom floor looking absolutely drained. She’s wearing a lime green robe which subtly stands out against the similarly green color palette in the bathroom. Her red fingernails add a pop of color to her figure.

The most prominent connection between all of Mckinney’s characters is their various states of rest. Mckinney’s inspiration was personal. She explained, “I was raised by my grandmother. She was a nurse that worked night shifts and when she would come home she would just sleep in the chair.” She continues, “I’m from the South. I grew up around people that were extremely hard working. They worked for barely nothing. I never saw them rest.” She continued, “I think that slowing down and resting is an active resistance. No one is telling you to do or be anything. You can figure out who you are in the chaos around you; that’s powerful.” With that, the showing came to an end. While trying to understand Mckinney’s characters, I learned that Mckinney’s ladies are special because they’re not trying to be special. Instead of performing for an audience they lounge aloofly, engaging in a somewhat silent resistance to traditional representations of women in contemporary art.

The day after the tour, the room felt different. The paintings were lighter, free of any of my preconceived notions.

In the gallery stood Nikita Mangaru, a Brandeis alumna ‘24 MA’26 who now works at the Rose Art Museum. Mangaru was also present for Mckinney’s showing the night before. Mangaru wears many hats. She was an MLK Fellow as an undergraduate, she’s finishing her MBA in marketing and strategy in three weeks and lastly, she works at the Rose Art Museum as a Gallery Assistant. She chuckled while explaining her job at the museum. “I’m basically a glorified security guard,” she told me. “I just make sure people are respecting the space.” But as I watched her speak about the work around us, it’s clear her role extends far beyond supervision.

Mangaru’s connection to art began long before Brandeis. She grew up immersed in creative practices, playing instruments and studying IB visual art in high school. It was there where she

It wasn’t until she took a class on Black theater and performance and later decided to study abroad in South Africa that Mangaru felt pulled back toward creativity. “That experience made me realize that art needs to be a priority,” she tells me. When she returned, she began doing photoshoots, dressing differently and intentionally reengaging with creative work. “I stopped thinking about art as something that needed to be productive or finished,” she says. “Instead, I wanted to make art for the sake of art.”

When Magaru was asked about Mckinney’s exhibition, she perked up. “Tell Me More” seemed to resonate deeply with her on a cultural level. “Seeing Black women resting was extremely significant,” she explained. “We’re usually portrayed as strong, always doing something, always holding things together. A lot of the time we’re masculinized in the media.” McKinney’s work, she believes, disrupts that narrative. “Here, Black women are just allowed to be.” Mangaru was particularly struck by the nudity in McKinney’s paintings. “It’s not sexual,” she said. “It just reminds you that we’re human. You’re allowed to exist in your rawest form.” She paused before adding, “People have such a one-dimensional narrative of Blackness. Struggle is real, but it’s not the only part of identity that deserves attention. There’s so much more.”

Magaru herself felt a certain type of inspiration from McKinney’s work. She said, “I love the way Mckinney was able to take her photography background and mix it with painting. It just truly shows you the versatility within art. Personally I have many artistic interests. I would love to find a way to combine everything together and make something completely brand new.” Mckinney’s newest exhibition “Tell Me More” offers an alternative narrative within the art world. Rest has the ability to inspire, educate and even change perceptions. Mckinney’s work doesn’t end on the canvas, it lingers within the people that are lucky enough to encounter it.

Established

Sophia De Lisi, Editor in Chief

Julia Hardy, Managing Editor

Eliza Bier, Anna Martin, Senior Editors

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Lily Chafe, Xilei Ceci Chen, Brianna Earle, Anika Jain, Sara Samuel, Bryan Wolfe, Associate Editors

Lucia Thomas, News Editors

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Esther Balaban, Forum Editor

Luca D. Jordan, Ben Khayat, Sports Editors

Sophia Garcia, Arts & Culture Editor

Skye Entwood, Reuben Gartenbach, Photography Editors

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Joan Cogliano, Layout Editor

Keira Shear, Advertising Editor

Ellie Harris, Online Editor

EDITORIAL

The weather outside is frightful: Concerns with the handling of the snowstorm and a thank you to facilities staff

This editorial board wants to express our gratitude to the facilities workers who plowed, shoveled and otherwise removed snow around the University campus, especially in light of the immense amount of snowstorm that crossed the east coast last week. However, this board also acknowledges that a snowstorm of this magnitude requires more than the standard number of employees to appropriately clear the snow.

While the University closed campus exercises on Monday, Jan. 26, there continued to be concerns about snow removal and icy pathways well into the week, indicating a problem with the number of staff members who were tasked with removing snow. Therefore, the University should take care to hire sufficient staff to accommodate a big storm such as the one we received last week in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the student body and community.

Some entrances to residence halls and outdoor staircases in lower campus remained blocked long after the storm on Sunday, and paths have not been maintained after they were created. Many of the paths and stairways around buildings on lower campus — such as those within the Ziv Quadrangle, Ridgewood Residence Halls, Village and Spingold Theater — have become frozen over with black ice after their initial clearance. Areas in the Theater Lot are also challenging to navigate, endangering individuals who commute to the University.

It is crucial to note that the Shapiro Campus Center’s fire escape was blocked by snow as late as Tuesday night, leaving staff to shovel it themselves. Additionally, some of the main staircases up to Loop Road from East Quad were neglected until Tuesday. The Rabb steps suffer from the same predicament, with the staircase in some spots being covered in ice, putting pedestrians at risk. The landing between its staircases only has a thin strip plowed clear of snow — it is riddled with ice and much too narrow to safely accommodate the heavy foot traffic accumulating throughout regular hours.

Additionally, throughout the week following the snowstorm, there were several places on campus where snow removal equipment was left unattended, including one machine blocking part of the pathway leading into Gertstenzang Science Library. While this blockage didn’t directly block foot traffic, it could impede emergency services in the event they needed to reach the science buildings or act as a bottleneck

during evacuations. Although these potential dangers can easily be mitigated by moving the equipment, the blockage should not have been an issue days after the storm took place, especially in a frequentlypopulated area.

During the snowstorm, many students living in dormitories had to plan around a restricted access to food, either due to early dining hall closures or difficulty accessing food options on campus. Sherman Dining Hall closed at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, and both The Hive and Dunkin’ Donuts were closed on Tuesday. Students who live in dormitories, especially those without a miniature refrigerator, rely on these facilities for all of their meals. In the days leading up to the storm, University should have anticipated that it would be difficult for many students to leave their dorms in the predicted conditions — especially in consideration of individuals with limited mobility or those without clothes or shoes suited for heavy snow.

With this in mind, this board believes the University should have been prepared to offer shelf-stable food in accessible spots around the residence halls.

The members of this editorial board believe that, given the aforementioned closing of dining options on Tuesday, as well as the various issues that took place with the shuttle, the University should have also canceled exercises on Tuesday. The campus shuttle was heavily delayed as the drivers dealt with tight, uncleared corners on the way to the Charles River Apartments, delays being stuck behind snow plows and incidents of being stuck on ice in the road. These issues caused many students living further from campus, for whom walking would have been dangerous due to the heavy snow and ice, to experience unreliable transportation to their classes, causing potentially long waits in the snow, missed shuttles and late arrival to class. At the very least, students should have had the option to join their classes from Zoom on Tuesday so as to alleviate concerns regarding transportation and limited dining options.

This editorial board understands that winter weather events such as last week’s storm are difficult to manage on a universitywide scale. We would like to reiterate our gratitude for every staff member who assisted in snow clearance, food distribution and the countless essential functions during and after the storm. That being said, we believe that these are necessary considerations for the University’s future responses to inclement weather.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Boston University Law Professor Raphael Stern’s discussion about any contention that may exist about Israel’s borders as reported by Chava Thiell appears to ignore the controlling international law concerning Israel’s status: Article 80 of the United Nations Charter, an international treaty, that supercedes any resolution of the Security Council or General Assembly that may conflict with it. (“Making Israel’s Legal Space: Discussions About International Law”).

Also, Article 80 incorporates by reference the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine and the 1920 San Remo Convention.

In fact, Article 80 declares that all of what is Israel including Judea, Samaria and Gaza to be the 3500 year old reconstituted indigenous homeland of the Jewish people and the land as sovereign Jewish territory. Eugene Rostow, Dean of Yale Law School(1955-1965) and Under Secretary of State in a Democratic administrative ( 19651969) has written:

“Legally, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are unallocated parts of the Palestine Mandate...so far as the claim of the Arabs who live there goes, it must be remembered that, in contrast to other League of Nations Mandates, the Palestine Mandate was not established as a trust for the indigenous population of the area, to be terminated when that population was ready for self-government. It was set up under a different article of the League Covenant as a trust for the Jewish people, in recognition of their historic connection with the land, on condition that the civic and religious rights of the Muslims and Christians living in the territory be respected.

“Moreover, the right of the Jewish people to settle in the West Bank under the Mandate has never been terminated. The Jewish right of settlement was suspended by the British in 1921 only for the East Bank—that is, for what was then the Transjordanian province of the Palestine Mandate, and is now Jordan. Jewish settlement in the West Bank is therefore not an

intrusion into alien territory held as a result of war, nor (as the State Department used to contend) a violation of the Geneva Convention. It is, rather, the exercise of a right protected by Article 80 of the United Nations Charter and hence necessarily part of the domestic law applicable in the West Bank. (“ A False Start in the Middle East”, Eugene Rostow, Commentary Magazine, October 1989).

Further,” those Jewish rights that had existed under the Mandate remain in full force and effect, to which the UN is still committed by Article 80 to uphold, or is prohibited from altering.

“As a direct result of Article 80, the UN cannot transfer these rights over any part of Palestine, vested as they are in the Jewish People, to any non-Jewish entity, such as the “Palestinian Authority.” Among the most important of these Jewish rights are those contained in Article 6 of the Mandate which recognized the right of Jews to immigrate freely to the Land of Israel and to establish settlements thereon, rights which are fully protected by Article 80 of the UN Charter.” (“Article 80 and the UN Recognition of a ‘Palestinian State’ “, Howard Grief, “The Algemeiner”, 9/22/11).

Salomon Benzimra, author of “The Jewish People’s Rights to the Land of Israel. Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights” (2018) has written that Article 80 is “relevant in preventing any action contemplated by the United Nations to alter existing Jewish rights and title to any part of the Land of Israel–Palestine, rights that are legally preserved under Article 80” (Page 70).

Undoubtedly as Professor Stern discusses there has been contention about Israel’s boundaries. However Article 80 of the United Nations Charter resolves all contention about Israel’s status by virtue of the signature of all those members of the United Nations who signed its enabling document.

Richard Sherman, POB 934853, Margate, Florida 33093(646)267-7904.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor, Maybe inspired by my favorite films, “The Hustler,” “The Cincinnati Kid,” and “The Sting,” I owned and operated illegal gambling businesses in the 1970s. This included running a pool hall, hosting poker games, and bookmaking. I often smoked and chewed on a large Swisher Sweet cigar without inhaling. I carried a .38 Smith & Wesson long-barreled revolver in a shoulder holster, equipped with a concealed carry license, and kept a roll of cash on me. I drove a factory-ordered, 4-speed Z/28 Camaro.

I am grateful that I never inhaled that cigar, unlike my father, who survived his Army service in the Philippines during World War II while smoking military-rationed cigarettes. Unfortunately, on January 13, 1964—just two days after U.S. Surgeon General Luther L. Terry publicly issued the warning, “Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your

Health”—my father passed away with emphysema, leaving my mother to raise four children without a father. Tragically, my mother, a lover of snuff, also died from cancer on January 13, 1970.

Unlike the characters in Hollywood movies, I delivered a “Tobacco Kills” sermon in 1989 to a country church in Kentucky, full of Burley tobacco farmers. They threw me out the following Sunday, proclaiming, “Go somewhere that they don’t farm tobacco and preach that message.” Since then, I haven’t had a pulpit, despite having a Master’s of Divinity degree.

With compassion,

Mike Sawyer

Former Mayor of Midland City, AL Youth advocate & activist since 1983 Denver, CO

Text: 205-515-1560

Email: msawyer911@gmail.com Twitter: @FitToGive

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Brandeis Alumni Newsletter Editor:

I read your obit piece on Stuart Altman because I’m a Brandeis grad (‘63); and also as a long time health policy reform advocate for a single payer health care program. Medicare for all (Jayapal/Sanders) would save hundreds of billions and cover everyone without out of pocket costs from cradle to grave. I know little about Stuart Altman, but I was not surprised that you managed to avoid saying exactly what health policy reforms Altman principally championed to all those presidents. My guess would be that he avoided advocating for the global reform that most policy experts know would solve the health care crisis as why you dumbed down the obit. You are writing to a well educated and very smart audience, so I surmise that I am not the only Brandeis

alumnus who noted your omission. What did Altman stand for in his policy advising role? Medicare for All has been the central policy debate in health care in the US ever since Medicare was restricted to elders by Congress in the 60s, a stroke of financial market-supporting genius. Omission of Altman’s views on health policy is a bit of a sad commentary on Brandeis and American Academia these days, I am afraid. Whether he supported or opposed the idea that Obama said was the solution, but “politically impossible” in the context of Wall Street, Insurance Company and Pharma power, your responsibility as an alumni newsletter was to tell us at least a little about Altman’s policy role either way. Marc Sapir MD, MPH (retired primary care, geriatrics, and public health)

It’s time to abolish ICE

By LUKE FARBERMAN JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Back in November 2024, I wrote in The Justice’s forum on the topic of immigration for its special 2024 presidential election issue. At the time, I laid out the case for Kamala Harris implementing a more compassionate immigration policy than the one she was campaigning on, should she be elected president. I described Donald Trump’s proposed immigration policies as “horrifying” and “fascistic in nature,” concluding that, “immigrants are not pawns to advance political agendas, they’re real people whose lives are affected by policy.” I will be the first to admit, the piece was optimistic, maybe even naively so, but I saw a real opportunity for progress if Harris won. Instead, here we are, 15 months later, and Trump’s fascistic policies are in full swing, destroying the lives of thousands of real people, immigrants and citizens alike. Since Jan. 20, 2025, Trump has utilized the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency as his personal secret police force to terrorize communities across the United States into submission.

In flashy, edited videos posted to social media, officers with assault rifles and gas masks flanked by armored trucks smash in the doors of houses to lead out handcuffed men, women and children. These videos aren’t about gang violence, they aren’t about drugs and they certainly aren’t about daycare fraud. When masked agents abducted Tufts University grad student Rümeysa Öztürk off the streets of Somerville last year for the terrible crime of writing in a newspaper just like this one, it wasn’t about any of those things. It was about instilling terror and compliance. That is what a secret police force does.

It is little exaggeration to say the Twin Cities of Minnesota are currently under occupation by this modern-day Gestapo. Outnumbering local police, 3,000 ICE and Customs and Border Protection agents have descended on Minneapolis and St. Paul, criss-crossing the metro in search of people to kidnap — read: any person with a skin complexion darker than printer paper. They are trailed by community organizers and legal observers, whistles and phones in hand to alert their neighbors and document ICE’s rampant abuses.

The necessary and courageous nature of the work being done by this diverse group of ordinary people cannot be understated, nor can the threats they face for simply exercising their constitutional rights in Trump’s America. That’s what Renee Good was doing on Jan. 7 as she sat in her car observing ICE actions, waving ICE vehicles past her own. Good was given conflicting commands by ICE, and as agent Jonathan Ross purposefully placed himself in front of her car, she reversed and steered away from him to leave the scene. That was when Ross brutally murdered her, shooting her three times. Walking away from the crime scene, Ross was heard saying that Good was a “fucking bitch.”

As I prepared to submit this piece on Jan. 24, another Minnesotan, Alex Pretti, was murdered by a mob of federal agents who shot him over 10 times. Of the many horrific details shared by these two shootings, one particularly glaring pattern has emerged. Despite swaths of evidence to the contrary, the federal government has fully mobilized to blatantly lie about the facts and circumstances of their murders. Donald Trump, JD Vance, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, Greg Bovino and countless more have collectively

worked to fabricate an alternate universe where Good and Pretti were radical domestic terrorists, intent on inflicting “maximum damage and massacr[ing] law enforcement.”

In the wake of these tragedies and the abhorrent response of the federal government, it is more than clear that, as an institution, ICE has been wholly corrupted by the autocratic power grabs of the Trump administration. So today I’m here to lay out a different policy than the one I did in November 2024: ICE must be abolished.

Assuming we still have elections and the Democrats return to power, we must flood their offices with that unanimous and unambiguous message. ICE must be abolished. It cannot simply be reformed or its thugs retrained.

One recent plan to rein in ICE involved ensuring that all agents wear body cameras. A fair proposal, but wholly inadequate considering we have video taken by Jonathan Ross as he murdered Renee Good, and it has done little to change the narrative approach of Republicans. Mere hours after Alex Pretti’s murder, multiple angles have already emerged showing his body being riddled with bullets. The problem is not a lack of perspectives; it is the agents themselves.

Just take a quick look at the X page of ICE’s overseeing agency, the Department of Homeland Security. One post shows an idyllic beach captioned “America After 100 Million Deportations,” a crude dogwhistle for deporting tens of millions of naturalized and natural-born citizens. This sort of veiled, targeted recruitment has enlisted legions of white supremacists and Christian nationalists into the ranks of ICE. Any semblance of background checks or thorough evaluations has fallen by the wayside in a mad rush to massively enlarge the agency with those eager and willing to carry out the orders of Donald Trump.

These far-right ideologues have irreparably compromised ICE’s ability to operate. These forces, with a blank check from the administration for harassment, for bullying and, yes, even for murder, have permanently tarnished ICE’s reputation amongst the citizenry. Abolishing ICE is not about terminating all immigration enforcement. ICE was created in 2003, under a Bush-era expansion of executive power. We existed just fine for 227 years without it! Abolishing ICE is about rebuilding the trust that the federal government has annihilated by waging war on Americans.

There will surely be many obstacles in the path towards achieving this goal, but it is one we must strive towards with unerring fervor. Harness that anger you feel when you watch our neighbors get kidnapped and gunned down in the streets. Take any action you’re able to. Talk with your friends and family about what ICE is doing, contact your legislators about their stances on ICE, connect with the LUCE Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts for reporting ICE sightings, sign up for legal observer training, attend a protest at the Burlington ICE Field Office, in Waltham or anywhere else. Anything and everything helps to advance this cause. In the words of Nemik, the model of an anti-fascist revolutionary from the Star Wars TV show “Andor,” “Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.”

Stop threatening our language programs

By ESTHER BALABAN & MARK GAYSINSKIY JUSTICE FORUM EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Recently, there has been talk of changing Brandeis’ language requirement from achieving “a certain degree of proficiency in the use of one foreign language,” a requirement that can be filled by passing a 30-level language course or higher, to completing two semesters of a language. Bilingual students, who formerly were able to test out of the language requirement, would now also be required to take two semesters of a foreign language. Two semesters are not enough to reach the intermediate level in any language, meaning many students would leave Brandeis without an intermediate level in any second language. This would make them less competitive in the job market and deprive them of the many benefits of language learning, as later elaborated on in this article.

This is far from the first time Brandeis has tried to reduce its language programs. For a couple of semesters now, the University has been covertly attempting to decrease their language programs by firing professors and not hiring replacements. Two semesters ago, Brandeis attempted to fire lecturer Valeriya Kozlovskaya, stripping down the popular Russian language department to just one Russian speaking professor. This change would mean Russian classes would be far fewer and spaced further apart, meaning students would have a less linear track in learning the language, impeding their ability to gain proficiency. In the same semester, they also attempted to fire beloved Yiddish professor Ellen Kellman. These attempts by the University were unsuccessful as students rallied around their professors and circulated petitions demanding Brandeis not get rid of these programs. Although these professors were not ultimately dismissed, Brandeis has discontinued its beginner Yiddish courses, signifying their plans to imminently cut the program. In the German language program, Brandeis has recently combined the intermediate and advanced level courses into one — a change that is harmful for language learners who require having a common language level with classmates.

It is clear that Brandeis is targeting minority languages and throwing them under the bus, but it seems as though this is just the start.

Now, after semesters of covert rollbacks, Brandeis is attempting to officialize this by seriously cutting back on its language requirements. This will only aid in the rapid dismantlement of language programs.

In light of these reforms, it is important to remember why language learning is so valuable, particularly to students. Dozens of studies have shown that language learners show better academic performance across a range of academic subjects, have improved concentration, better memory, greater creativity and stronger communication skills on top of delayed onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Language learning builds intercultural competencies and connections — abilities that have become more and more valuable in a country intent on dividing people based on the language they speak or the country they come from. The level of empathy and determination required of language learners is something that they will carry on with them for the remainder of their adult lives, whether or not they gain fluency. For many students, it becomes a way to reconnect with their heritage. One of the writers of this article met many individuals in their Russian language classes whose parents and grandparents were forced to flee the Soviet Union due to war, religious discrimination, political unrest or lack of opportunity and who, consequently,

never learned Russian. Such students hope to preserve cultural belonging that was taken from them through language learning and to connect with other students with shared experiences.

At Brandeis, we have a plethora of culture clubs that work in close collaboration with the language programs, with language classes often acting as a recruitment system for the clubs. Students already learning a foreign language can experience the culture and meet members of said culture through attending club events and meetings and joining a community of students with shared interests, aiding in developing language skills through more casual practice and expanding one’s network. Two semesters of language learning rather than three could mean that students will be less involved in culture clubs, as they may be insecure about their fluency or feel that they have not yet put roots down in their program. Many students go through their three semesters with the same peers in smaller classroom settings, fostering a sense of trust that is vital for anyone hoping to learn a language and retaining friendships through school breaks that strengthen bonds between language learners.

On top of interpersonal connections built through language learning, many masters and Ph.D. programs in the humanities and social sciences require students to speak multiple languages. With a requirement of three semesters of language learning, students will be able to get ahead on their prerequisites for post-graduate studies. Often, students decide to attend graduate school in their junior or senior year and don’t know about language requirements until later in their college careers, leaving limited time for language learning to proficiency — which requires three semesters. With the current three-semester requirement, many students decide to start in their first or second year as they know they won’t be able to put it off and complete it in their senior year. So, by the time they decide to apply to graduate schools, language requirements won’t pose a barrier to them or be an additional burden they must focus on while writing their theses. Removing the language requirement would make Brandeis students far less competitive candidates for graduate programs — a disadvantage we can’t afford among our drastic 35 point drop in the U.S. News and World Report in the past six years. Brandeis University differentiates itself from many other small liberal arts universities with its linguistics program and robust language learning departments. Brandeis is one of less than 20 American universities that has Yiddish professors and one of even fewer with an undergraduate minor in the language. Many students apply to Brandeis specifically for this; one of our writers applied to Brandeis specifically for its rare Yiddish and linguistics programs. Many students who came to Brandeis for its language programs are finding that those programs are being actively dismantled, and their education cheapened in the process. In these reforms, we see how a holistic liberal arts education is being traded in for resume points like microcredentials. Downgrading this way for students to learn about different cultures comes at a poor time, when hypernationalism and antiintellectualism is on the rise. Simply put, Brandeisians would suffer a great deal socially, intellectually and even fiscally from the proposed changes and cuts to the language programs — something we simply cannot afford.

Sports just

'Heated Rivalry' goes to the Winter Olympics in real life

■ What is the tradition Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie took part in, and how has the show impacted professional sports?

By ELLIE HARRIS JUSTICE ONLINE EDITOR

With the airing of the hit Canadian television show “Heated Rivalry” in late November and December of 2025, the series thrust actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie into stardom at a blinding speed. The two actors have since appeared on multiple talk shows, presented at the 2026 Golden Globes and walked runways. They have also been selected as torch bearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which take place in Milan, Italy, from Feb. 6 to Feb. 22.

“Heated Rivalry” stars Williams and Storrie as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two closeted professional hockey players navigating their careers and secret relationship over the course of eight years. The TV show quickly gained popularity, with the New York Times publishing that by the airing of the finale, “Heated Rivalry” had been streamed for 324 million minutes. In addition to its streaming success, Hudson Williams revealed on the radio show RadioAndy that closeted professional athletes have reached out to him about the show.

In a very short time, the success of “Heated Rivalry” has started conversations in professional sports regarding the prevalence of LGBTQIA+ players and helped Williams and Storrie reach stardom, all culminating in their roles as torch bearers for the upcoming Winter Olympics. The Torch Relay is a long-standing Olympic tradition that began in 1936 for the Berlin Olympics. The torch is lit in a temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece and then transported to Athens. From Athens, the torch begins its relay to the host city of the games. For the upcoming Milano Cortina Olympics, the torch arrived in Rome from Athens on Dec. 5. On Dec. 6, the Italian leg of the relay began.

Before the Olympic games commence on Feb. 6, 2026, the torch will have traveled to all 20 regions of Italy, 110 provinces and 60 World Heritage Sites.

The tradition of the Olympic torch relay is not ancient, but it is based on ancient beliefs. The ancient Greeks believed fire

was a gift from the Titan Prometheus, and therefore a holy element. They lit fires outside their temples using a parabolic mirror, and when the Olympic torch is lit at the beginning of every relay, the same method is used. This creates a bridge between the Olympics of the modern world and the Olympics of Ancient Greece. The Olympic games were a time of peace in Ancient Greece. A sacred truce called an “ekecheiria” was enacted, requiring the homes of Olympic athletes to cease any wars between them for the months prior to and during the Olympic games. Contemporarily, fire is not seen as a holy element, but it does symbolize brotherhood between different people, and the Olympics are often recognized as a time for countries to come together and celebrate their achievements.

As of Jan. 31, the Olympic torch has made its 55th stop in the province Sondrio, which is within the region Lombardi. After the torch leaves, the Olympic games will come back to Sondrio for snowboarding, alpine skiing and ski mountaineering events. The torch will then travel to Lecco, Bergamo, Como, Monza and finally to Milan on Feb. 4, all of which are within the region Lombardi.

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie joined a small group of people honored as torch bearers on Sunday, Jan. 25 in the town Feltre, which is within the region Veneto. Their presence in Italy helps cement the incredible success of their show and furthers the effect it has on the world of professional sports. Beyond being renewed for a second season, talk show appearances and many other benefits of fame, Williams and Storrie’s success could expand the audience of both professional hockey and the Winter Olympics in general. They could even help professional athletes who relate to their characters on “Heated Rivalry” open up about their experiences publicly, as they already have privately, and help foster the flame of unity and brotherhood among different people, just as the Olympics intended. Their characters on “Heated Rivalry” went to a fictional Winter Olympics, so it is fitting that they would be chosen as torch bearers for these Winter Olympics, especially after putting professional hockey in the minds of the approximately 9 million viewers of the show in the United States alone.

“Heated Rivalry” will be available to watch in Italy in February and the 63-day torch relay will end on Feb. 6 as the flame is lit in Milan.

ONE POINT SLAM

Luca D. Jordan '28 details the new event at the Australian Open that pits pros against amateurs.

Google Us: Indiana Hoosiers

win College Football National Championship

■ Despite their lack of historical success on the football field, Coach Curt Cignetti has brought a championship to Bloomington.

By BEN KHAYAT JUSTICE SPORTS EDITOR

In 2023, The Indiana Hoosiers’ football team was near rock bottom. They finished with a 3-9 record and a singular conference win. They purged their team staff, bringing in up-and-coming head coach from James Madison University, Curt Cignetti, to try and correct the program’s course. During his introductory press conference, Cignetti gave his now-famous remark: “I win. Google me.” Two years later, Cignetti is more than a winner; he’s a champion.

The reason this comment from “Coach Cig” was particularly gutsy is because the Hoosiers have a horrifically bad football program. Despite having 127 seasons to add wins to their resume, they rank a dire 128th in all-time winning percentage among teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Success in football for the Hoosiers is made even more difficult by how strong their conference, the Big Ten, regularly is. The last weeks of Indiana’s schedule often has them running a gauntlet against powerhouses like the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines. However, Cignetti wasn’t lying. During his time as head coach of the James Madison University Dukes football team, the team made the decision to move from the Football Championship Division

to the significantly stronger FBS. Despite having to take on even stronger teams, the Dukes rolled through nearly every team they faced. Cignetti accepted the Indiana job, leaving James Madison with a statement 11-1 record in his final season there.

All things considered, his job at Indiana wasn’t significantly different than it was at James Madison. Ordinarily, a larger institution means he has a way to draw in elite transfer players, but attracting players to a bottom feeder like Indiana is difficult. The players he brought in were underrecruited players from lower levels of college football who were looking for the opportunity to play on the biggest stage they could, as well as 13 players from James Madison. When the 2024 season came around, Cignetti and Indiana quickly made their name known not just with their 10-0 start, but by regularly slaughtering every team they played. In the 2024 season alone, the Hoosiers put up 40 points or more in eight games, maxing out with a 77-3 win over the Western Illinois Leathernecks. The team’s only losses came to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish — the eventual playoff runner-ups — and the Ohio State Buckeyes — the eventual champions. Indiana quickly reloaded their roster for 2025, most notably bringing in a quarterback transfer from California-Berkeley, Fernando Mendoza. Although he was not very well known at the time, Mendoza was a perfect fit for the Hoosiers. Not only did he check the very specific boxes Coach Cignetti looks for in a quarterback, but Mendoza’s brother Alberto was already the backup quarterback in Bloomington. The 2025 season began the same as the season prior with the Hoosiers pulverizing their first three opponents, outscoring them 156-23.

Their first real test was their Week Four matchup with the ninthranked Illinois Fighting Illini. Undaunted, Indiana embarrassed Illinois 63-10, singlehandedly knocking them back to rank 23.

The Hoosiers kept rolling. Aside from scares in Weeks Five and Ten against the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions respectively, Indiana looked invulnerable. They finished off the regular season with a 56-3 dismantling of the Purdue Boilermakers, and trotted into the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State with a spotless 12-0 record. Indiana’s getback game against the Buckeyes was more a battle of the team’s defenses than their offenses, with the game going into halftime with the Hoosiers trailing 6-10. Indiana’s only second-half score was when Mendoza was able to find receiver Elijah Sarratt with a 17-yard pass to get the lead early in the third quarter, which ended up being enough thanks to a shutout defensive performance from the Hoosier defense. Indiana advanced to the playoffs with their 13-10 victory.

Mendoza, Cignetti and the Hoosiers were back to typical form for their first two games of the playoffs. They faced little resistance from the powerhouse Alabama Crimson Tide, winning 38-3 off the back of a dominant rushing game from Kaelon Black. They faced the Oregon Ducks next, though the game was all but over by halftime given Indiana’s 35-7 lead. The teams traded blows in the second half, but Indiana advanced to the championship game with their 56-22 win. The championship game had them squared up with the Miami Hurricanes, who were at an immediate advantage with the game being coincidentally hosted in their own stadium. However, Fernando Mendoza entered the matchup with a major chip on his shoulder. A

HIGH STAKES: INTRAMURAL POKER

On Jan. 22, intramural poker held their first of two tournaments of the semester. Brandeis students played it close to the chest in a series of heated games.

JUDGES BY THE NUMBERS

CFP : Indiana Hoosiers are champs

CONTINUED FROM 10

Miami native himself, the Hurricanes never gave Mendoza a shot coming out of high school. He had the ultimate chance to prove himself to the school that never gave him the light of day. The game started much like the Ohio State game; Indiana entered the half up 10-0 thanks to a goal-line push and a field goal from Nicolas Radicic. Miami punched back in the third quarter with a 57-yard running touchdown from Mark Fletcher Jr. for their first score of the game. Indiana recovered their momentum after blocking and recovering a Miami punt to score, but the Hurricanes were awake now. Fletcher Jr. scored another touchdown right as the fourth quarter began, bringing the game within three. Indiana absolutely needed to score on their next possession to keep the game out of reach for Miami. A pair of 15-yard plays brought

Sasha Tsizer '29 with a time of 6:00.01.

freestyle Lauren Balfour '28 with a time of 2:00.49.

Mendoza and the Hoosiers to their own 40-yard line, but were stymied by Miami’s run defense to bring up fourth and five. They went for it, and receiver Charlie Becker answered Indiana’s prayers with a championship-saving 19-yard catch. The Hoosiers chipped their way to Miami’s 12-yard line where they were stuck with a tough fourth and four. Cignetti called for a quarterback draw, and Mendoza answered. He muscled his way for the 12 yards they needed, going airborne to break the plane. However, the Hurricanes still had time to respond. They stormed downfield and 18-year-old Malachi Toney scored to finish their two-and-a-half minute drive. Indiana was back in the driver’s seat, playing as safe as they could to burn time if Miami were to get the ball again. After working their way to be 35 yards from the end zone,

the Hoosiers came up to another fourth and four. Cignetti opted to kick a field goal, placing their championship hopes in the defense that brought them to the championship. Miami took the field and hustled their way into Indiana’s territory with 52 seconds to go. They decided to go for the knockout blow by throwing deep down the sideline, but Indiana’s Jamari Sharpe was there to intercept the underthrown pass, sealing the 27-21 championship win for a team that was a laughing stock just three seasons ago. Today, when you heed Coach Cignetti’s advice and Google him, you’ll see a message at the top of the page reading “Yup, he won.” In an era where the rich teams only seem to get richer with five-star talent and donors dumping millions into big programs, The Indiana Hoosiers have proven you can get it done with strategy, not firepower.

Australian Open debuts the One Point Slam

By LUCA D. JORDAN JUSTICE SPORTS EDITOR

The Australian Open came to an electrifying end on Feb. 1, with Carlos Alcaraz winning in four sets for the final against Novak Djokovic, who showed he is still a top-tier player despite being almost 40. The semi-final matches were also riveting; Alcaraz won a five-and-a-half hour five-set match against world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, with Alcaraz pulling through after suffering from cramps at the beginning of the third set. Djokovic went up against world No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who was a favorite going into the tournament as he had won the last two years in a row. Despite his loss in the semifinal, Sinner will keep his No. 2 position since he has almost twice as many points in the rankings than the world No. 3, now Djokovic.

All in all, this year’s Australian Open was astounding, with many must-see games. And that’s not even mentioning the women's tournament, which saw an upset in the final with Elena Rybakina defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sablenka in three sets. However, this year the mad-lads down in Melbourne came up with a new event for the open to shake things up: the One Point Slam. The rules of the One Point Slam are simple. Anyone can play, men or women, professional or amateur, as long as the player is 14 years or older. Whoever serves is decided by a coin flip, with pros being allowed only one serve while amateurs are allotted two. Most important of all, the entire match only consists of one point. There are no second chances, no losers’ bracket, no ifs, ands or buts. If you lose the point, you lose the match. If you win the match, you’re on to the next round.

This is the first new tournament to be introduced since the Association of Tennis Professionals finals was cemented in 2017, and it’s one of the first tournaments with a unique rule set in over 30 years. While this tournament

might seem silly and more for fun than a genuine show of skill, there was still a prize: one million dollars, a huge incentive to compete.

Matches took place throughout one day, with over 20 matches played. Many pros fell in the tournament including Sinner, Zverev, Alcaraz and world No. 3 Coco Gauff. Sinner commented on how he felt after his first and only serve found the net, saying, “You cannot imagine my heartbeat right now — I reckon it’s about 200 bpm!” The final was between world No. 117 Joanna Garland and amateur player Jordan Smith. The tension in the air was palpable as Garland served for the match. Smith returned with a fantastic backhand and Garland’s return did not hold up. Her backhand landed about a foot out of bounds and for what was technically the first time ever, an amateur player won at the Australian Open. Smith was elated and all he could say was, “I can’t speak. It’s unbelievable.”

Khayat ‘28 says: Allowing teams to tank to get better draft picks is good for keeping balance in professional sports.

Thank you Ben for sending in this week’s take. Tanking in sports is a pretty heavy topic. Almost every major American sport has a draft, which means that almost every American sport experiences some form of tanking. For those who are unfamiliar, tanking is when a team doesn’t believe it can achieve major success in a season and instead tries to perform worse and lose more games to receive a better chance of a higher draft pick. The NFL probably has the most egregious examples of this tactic since there isn’t a lottery in their draft. Drafts usually only give a better chance depending on win percentage whereas, in the NFL, whichever team does worst gets the first pick. It is true that equity is a hard thing to keep in professional sports, and tanking seems to be inefficient at preventing an imbalance in teams. Focusing on the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks received the number one pick despite having a winning record and a less-than-onepercent chance of getting it, the San Antonio Spurs have received a top-five pick for the last three years despite having a winning record for two of them, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are likely going to receive a top-three pick this year despite having the best win record in the league. The better question is, does tanking even work in the first place? At the end of the day, bigger market teams are always going to have more assets and it’s almost impossible for them to need to tank. Throughout the entire history of the Boston Celtics, an organization that has existed for roughly 80 years, they’ve had three losing seasons, yet they’ve still had over 30 top-ten picks. The biggest issue people have with tanking is that it makes for a terrible watching experience; personally I don’t want to watch my favorite team try to

Frozen justARTS&CULTURE Forest A

ToileTs, europe and reminiscing: Brandeis TheaTer does The BalTimore WalTz

By LUKE BENANAV JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Brandeis’ Department of Theater Arts has started 2026 by reminding audiences to appreciate the world around them and how quickly everything can change for a person.

“The Baltimore Waltz,” written by Paula Vogel and directed by Brandeis’ own Prof. Jennifer Cleary (THA) follows an adult brother and sister, played by Gianni Storti ’26 and Nina Lokshin ’26, respectively, and their journey through Europe in search of a doctor. Lokshin’s character, Anna, has contracted Acquired Toilet Disease, or ATD — a stand-in for AIDS — and it is terminal. Along the way, the siblings run into a variety of personalities, all portrayed by Matthew Magee ’26, who help make the trip more entertaining, risque and comedic for the audience.

The Baltimore Waltz, running from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 was, at its core, tight and efficient.

The set gave the audience room to imagine the scene, with three levels of platforms, curtains and a bed in the center that plenty of characters used. The set piece that tied the structure together was a small golden backdrop with iconic buildings from all over Europe, reminding the audience that it was possible to imagine a new space for every country that the siblings went to, even if the set did not change from scene to scene. The most impressive set moment, however, was when the curtains around the bed were used as a projector screen showing slides from “the Europe trip.” The curtains surrounding the bed were set alight as projectors from around the theater let the audience see pictures of a trip that was definitely not Baltimore. The slideshow made the audience feel very immersed in the show.

Additionally, the three actors’ performances were absolutely enthralling. Storti and Lokshin expertly navigated their characters’ bickering and loving banter, while also facing the tidal wave of emotions that comes with knowing death is approaching. At the beginning of the show, Lokshin comes on with a guitar and sings “Come Monday” by Jimmy Buffett, preparing the audience for a more serious production. Not five minutes later, Storti stands up and dynamically discusses “Steve from Blue’s Clues” energy, discussing cutting out pink triangles as stagehands give the audience scissors and construction paper.

It was a surprising shift in tone, and the immediate shattering of the fourth wall engaged the audience, allowing them to interact with the actors and to laugh and gasp freely. Once the trip to Europe begins, Storti and Lokshin, embody the frantic desperation of death very distinctly. Lokshin shows Anna’s desperation to live life to its fullest even when death is right around the corner. She accepts that death is coming, and decides to try to have fun with the life she has left, pulling random men — all played by Magee — into her hotel room by simply being an American who does not know the local language. Lokshin’s less comedic moments, such as her “this is how I’d like to die” monologue, captured the audience completely, instantly making the theater swap from filled with laughter to engrossed in the story.

Storti splendidly presented Carl’s desperation to save Anna. While Lokshin is living life to the fullest in Europe, Storti brings out Carl’s limitless desire to save his sister, going on underground spy missions and avoiding being intercepted by strangers following him — all played by Magee — to find a way to save his sister’s life. Throughout the show, Storti expressed the stress of hiding a dark secret in his past and trying to use that secret to save someone incredibly important to him, all while covering that up so that his sister wouldn’t worry. The audience was on his side all the way, feeling his desperation to save a life, even with incredible risk.

Matthew Magee’s performance in “The Baltimore Waltz” uniquely energized the audience. Sometimes he would have to change costumes on stage, or he would walk on with a ridiculous hairstyle such as a rainbow mohawk, but every time, the audience could not contain its laughs or wows of surprise. Magee bought into the energy heavily, emphasizing his physicality and contrasting his many characters beautifully. Every character

that Magee had to perform was distinguishable from the last, and it never felt as though a character was repeated, even between his accents, walks and posture for each character he brought to life. His chemistry with Lokshin and Storti completed the show in a way that made it clear that putting on this show was really fun for everyone involved.

“The Baltimore Waltz” was a massive success for Brandeis Theater. This production took on heavy themes — AIDS, dismissal of people in need and reflections on the little things in life — and wrapped them in a mostly comedic package. In the end, the audience was left thinking about the life they had just witnessed: all of the great times and the devastating moments. Congratulations to everyone involved, especially the seniors who excellently brought this show about reminiscence to life.

M odernity at the M useu M of

As a part of their “Reimagining Modern Art” collection, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston has revamped and recontextualized works from the early 20th century. In new individual galleries, presented alongside new information and prasied for their skill and innovation, paintings by Remedios Varo, Joan Miró, René Magritte and more are exhibited with new life and light. Juxtaposed with works by Alexander Calder and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, these galleries become an explosion of color, a labyrinth of changing forms and an emotive well of oil, canvas and metal. Truly a collection of exemplary works from expressionism, surrealism and modern sculpture, the Museum of Fine Arts has done an excellent job at continuing a popular trend in museums of recontextualizing their works in new relationships to one another. As museums constantly endeavor to reconsider and look at works through new lenses, this new gallery expansion is an excellent opportunity to see how museums work with their collections. Additionally, as our nation quickly moves towards the values of the past in a conservative movement that is gripping our globe, modern art highlights the possibilities of a different future.

While there may not be much more to say

By MIKEY TERRENZI JUSTICE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

about these individual galleries, it does offer me a soapbox to climb on and start spouting my love for the artistic space that is the MFA Boston. The MFA is a perfect spot for a beautiful outing. Whether your group is a selection of very well-dressed ladies in insect-like gowns such as those in the Varo, “Tailleur pour dames,” or a single day out for a lounging loner such as Kirchner’s “Reclining Nude,” these new galleries are an excellent way to spend an afternoon. For those who are interested in upcoming exhibitions, there is a new gallery about Bengali prints coming to the MFA at the end of the month. With your Brandeis ID, entrance is free for the museum’s temporary exhibitions and permanent collection, so do not hesitate to take the shuttle into Boston for a beautiful experience in the city.

The Library is for everyone: Library Lion’s Messages of eMpaThy and LiTeracy

By ROGÉRIO VILLAÇA SZUSTER JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As 2026 started to unravel, a new jaw-dropping children’s spectacle proudly roared onto the Adam Theater. “Library Lion,” directed by Ran Bechor, has ended its run and solidified itself as a truly meaningful show in an era of otherwise thoughtless entertainment. As a musical adaptation of the award-winning book by Michelle Knudsen with the same title, the audience was transported into this wonder-filled library, and, behind the children’s amusement, a clear message was learned. Through creative blocking, farcical acting, pseudo-melodramatic musical accompaniment and an impressively-built full-functioning lion puppet, “Library Lion” has taught its young audience the importance of empathy when faced with rigid rules while propagating literacy amongst children. All was typical and routine, unforgivably followed when Kevin and Michelle, two children tasked by their teacher to read a fable, entered the library. Mister McBee, the librarian on duty, restricts them and imparts upon them the three rules they had to follow: no shouting, no eating and drinking and no running. As Michelle proceeds to break all three of the rules and has her behavior thoroughly corrected by McBee, Miss Merryweather, the head librarian, teaches the children about the wonders of silence. She explains that if the rules are followed, the silence would allow the library to become a place where freedom can exist to its fullest, where imagination knows no bounds.

Convinced, all agreed to follow the rules and went to tend to their particular goals. As they all left the stage, three actors wearing beige costumes entered and waved to the audience. They quickly made their exit just to immediately return as the puppeteers of a cute, large and blinking lion who promptly scared Mister McBee. To his unfortunate fate, Miss Merryweather instructed McBee simply to “let him be”; he wasn’t breaking any rules, after all. The lion, an avid enjoyer of storytime, returned the next day only to find that he had arrived too early. The head librarian asked whether he could help her with her duties, and licking the envelopes for overdue library notices seemed to be a perfect job for our kind animal. At her command, the lion stuck out his tongue — a truly impressive feat for a puppet like him — and the audience descended into laughter at the well-intended yet poorly executed tongueout maneuver. When Miss Merryweather teaches him how to lick, the puppet shakes its tongue and body, completing its task while making all audience members, children and adults alike, descend into true, deep and exhilarating laughter. A cute and smiling lion, politely and enthusiastically shaking his body and stretched-out tongue, was too endearing a sight.

A few scenes later, the head librarian stretched too far

while getting a book and drastically fell onto the ground — a scene that was carefully acted out in a manner that no actor was hurt, no child got scared and the climaxing tension was nonetheless felt. In an attempt to get McBee to come and help her, the friendly lion started to roar. However, having broken the “no shouting” rule, McBee kicked the lion out of the library. Once he saw Merryweather fallen with a broken arm, the librarian understood what had happened and rushed out in search of the wronged feline. In a musical aside, McBee confessed that the stark difference between the two of them had made him afraid, and this fearfulness led him to misjudgment. In an effort to explain his reasoning, McBee sings, “He was furry and tall. He didn’t speak our language… or any language at all.” He found the lion and explained that there’s a new rule in place: no roaring, unless it’s for a good reason, such as to help a friend who’s hurt. Being now able to return, the lion went back to the library and, faced with this jolly surprise, Merryweather ran to hug him, breaking the library’s third rule. Thus, the play concludes as great a fable as the ones Kevin and Michelle had sought to read. Its moral was simple yet deep, a principle that, as succinct as it is, goes largely misunderstood: “Sometimes there’s a good reason to break the rules.”

The director, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, explained that his motivation for this play was his grandmother’s stories. One key story was of a boy who entered the synagogue but couldn’t read or write, and therefore couldn’t read the prayers. Instead, he played his trumpet, which got him quickly kicked out by members of the congregation. Once the rabbi had learned of their behavior, he shamed the congregation and said that the boy’s trumpet, although different from their typical rituals, had been opening the gates of Heaven for them. Bechor said that, as important as this story was, he had always been disappointed not to know what happened to the boy after he was driven off the temple. The wonder of this play, however, was that the character who was different and subsequently pushed out of their space gets to come back. In this story, the characters who were quick to misjudge those who were different learned to be better. In his talk-back, the director claimed that this story teaches to have empathy towards people who may be different from you and to understand that rules shouldn’t be blindly followed, as there often are good reasons to break them, e.g., to help your friend who’s hurt or to open the gates of heaven.

“Library Lion” was thus the perfect children’s show. It had a good moral about empathy towards others, such as those who don’t look like you or speak your language, and how rules aren’t as black-and-white as they seem — a

moral that adult audience members felt to be important in our polarized and often cruel modernity. The show was able to encourage literacy, the dramatic format being especially fitting for this purpose, as it may encourage goodreading habits for those who are still too young to be able to partake in them, enriching their worldview and guiding them into a future where literacy is thought of as fun. Sometimes, it’s precisely within places where all can fully experience freedom that one may have a good reason to break the rules. Sometimes, we must understand that we may not promptly judge all of those who are different from us, and if the rules themselves are forcing this misjudgment, then there may be a good reason for breaking the rules.

What’s more, and perhaps most pivotally for the parents of this short-attention-span generation, the children had a genuine blast while watching the show. The puppet was magnificent, though one child did admit to having been initially scared of it. The initial introduction of the puppeteers, however, aided the children who were more afraid than marveled to understand that the lion was not real, and therefore they were able to tame their fears. As an uncle of six, I hadn’t believed I could find a show fitting for modern children like my nephews. I couldn’t imagine a show that was enough of a spectacle to harness their focus, but that was nonetheless educational and principled. After having watched “Library Lion,” I have nothing but utter trust in the Adam Theater and Ran Bechor, and I will surely and excitedly bring the young ones to whatever they might do next.

“Pluribus” from the New mexicaN PersPective: more accurate thaN “breakiNg bad”

By LUKE BENANAV JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Vince Gilligan, the creator of the ever-popular shows “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” has done it again. “Pluribus,” Apple TV’s newest foray into science fiction (which, in my opinion, is its strongest genre — just see “Severance”), is Gilligan’s first science fiction story and his third New Mexico–centric show. As someone who grew up in New Mexico and has gotten used to hearing people immediately say “Breaking Bad?” any time that I mention where I’m from, I was curious to see how Gilligan, who masterminded one of the most influential shows of the 2010s, was going to present New Mexico in a universe completely disconnected from that of Walter White and Saul Goodman, which is the setting Gilligan’s recurring crew has been working in for the better part of two decades. My biggest question: How would New Mexico be shown?

To say the least, I was not disappointed. “Pluribus” tells the story of Carol Sturka, played by Rhea Seehorn, and follows her when she becomes one of 13 people in the world to be immune to “the joining” — an alien virus that scientists at the Very Large Array in New Mexico discover which creates a hivemind across the globe. The show dives deep into human psychology, exploring loneliness, loss, the value of independent thought and what an imperfect person might do when they have everything in the world at their disposal. Since the show only finished releasing episodes a few weeks ago, I won’t do a full spoiler review here, but know that there are twists at every turn throughout the season.

One of the biggest draws of the show is the main character, Carol, because she feels very human in a way many TV characters fail to achieve. Seehorn’s performance is hypnotizing — if you want Emmy Award predictions, keep an eye out for her; she’s already gotten the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe awards for best actress in a drama. Carol is angry, makes some wrong decisions, occasionally misinterprets the

information she learns about saving the world and is very stubborn. Every choice she makes, even when frustrating for the audience to watch, is absolutely justifiable because of who her character is shown to be from the very beginning of her screen time. Carol feels more realistic than Walter White in “Breaking Bad,” largely because the position that Walter White finds himself in — building a meth lab and getting dragged into deeper and deeper drug schemes — is more challenging to imagine relating to than the alien virus pandemic that Carol is facing. All of this makes Carol, in my opinion, a better representation of general New Mexico.

But why New Mexico?

Albuquerque being at the center of the story, rather than a bigger city such as Los Angeles or New York City, adds a lot to the impact of the show’s biggest questions about loneliness and creates an interesting setting. Carol’s house and the entire cul-de-sac were built specifically for the show, but to the viewer, they perfectly fit the aesthetic of upper-class Albuquerque housing. I’ve seen other shows set in New Mexico where the housing is stereotypical to a fault, as showrunners try to fit the New Mexico “style.” Gillian and his production designer, Denise Pizzini, spent a lot of time making sure that where Carol lived was not just an interpretation of New Mexico, but an accurate rendition of where Carol could live due to her wealth and lifestyle. Albuquerque is not a gigantic city, and Carol living in the suburbs increases the feeling of her desolation, since she is not surrounded by any of the “joined” people moving around the center of the city.

The show also captured New Mexico’s energy by hiring actors from all around the state as extras, even giving the actual mayor of Albuquerque a cameo. These extras, even if they are playing members of a hivemind, feel like people I would run into on the street in Albuquerque — every city has its distinct people, and Albuquerque is no exception.

Whether or not you are from New Mexico, there is no denying that “Pluribus” is a very intriguing puzzle, and I, for one, am already theorizing about what is coming in future seasons. If you get the opportunity to watch it, I cannot recommend it enough; it has fun and realistic dialogue, great cinematography and takes the “apocalypse from a virus” genre in a different direction than almost anything else I have seen previously.

Top 10 Instruments

By Chava Thiell JUSTICE NEWS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

5.

SUDOKU

By NEMMA KALRA JUSTICE DEPUTY EDITOR