The Justice, March 24, 2026

Justice the

LEGAL DISCUSSION

Prof. Anita Hill and former district judge engage in conversation about democracy

CAMPUS SAFETY

Brandeis community reflects on antisemitism and campus support

 As incidents of antisemitism are on the rise globally, Brandeis community members reflected on campus climate, safety and community support.

By ALLIE LADJEVA JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

On March 12, an unidentified suspect drove a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, causing the building to catch fire and sparking fear within the Jewish community. Just over a week later, on March 23, ambulances of a Jewish volunteer rescue organization were set on fire in front of a synagogue in London. A recent report from the American Jewish Committee showed that in 2025, “two-thirds of American Jews surveyed report that Jews in the U.S. are less secure than a year ago.” As incidents of antisemitism are on the rise globally, students, staff and faculty members reflect on how antisemitism has been addressed in academic spaces along with how Brandeis supports the Jewish community.

According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, antisemitism can be defined as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” In 1948, Brandeis was founded as a nonsectarian university by the American Jewish community and has been committed to social justice as well as diversity in higher education. Brandeis Hillel, the University’s largest Jewish organization, is working to provide students with safe and inclusive spaces amidst a time of heightened tension. To inform this article, members of Hillel shared their perspective on the recent incidents of antisemitism around the world.

In a March 20 written statement to The Justice, Hillel Student Board President Ollie Small '28 said that “recent incidents of antisemitism around the world have been disheartening for the Jewish community.” They added that Hillel is working hard to provide students with accessible resources. Despite students' fears, Small said that increasing antisemitism has brought the Jewish community closer together.

Hillel Student Board Vice President, Coco Trentalancia '27, also shared her perspective on the issue. In a March 19 written statement to The Justice, Trentalancia explained that recent incidents of antisemitism have been challenging for the

By MARYAM FAZLY AND PAUL LEE JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

On Wednesday, March 18, Prof. Anita Hill (WGS, LGLS, AAAS) hosted a fireside chat in Schwartz Hall with former district judge of Massachusetts, Mark L. Wolf titled, “The Existential Threat to the U.S. Rule of Law and Democracy and How to Counter It.” Professor Hill and Judge Wolf discussed how the politics of President Donald Trump's administration are jeopardizing the American government's core foundations such as rule of law and free and fair elections. Wolf began his legal position in 1985 and retired in 2025 in order to speak out against the Trump administration.

Prof. Daniel Kryder (POL) commenced the event by elaborating on the importance of these conversations in the current era, introducing Hill and Wolf. The conversation started with a question about the difference in the current Department of Justice under the Trump administration compared to the justice department over the past decades. Wolf described them as “diametrically different” and explained that when President Gerald Ford chose Edward H. Levi as attorney general, he explicitly said that the attorney general should always place the interests of the American citizens over the interests of the president. In stark contrast, Wolf believes Trump pushes his attorney general to prosecute his perceived enemies. Wolf pointed to individuals such as James Comey, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Letitia James, attorney general of New York, officials who have both been targeted by the administration. He contrasted this with the case of Tom Homan, who has been deemed Trump’s “border czar” and was being investigated for potential bribery in 2024. However, unlike the strain that Comey and James faced, Homan’s charges were eventually dropped. Wolf remarked, “The Department of Justice is not committed to equal justice under law,” thus questioning presidential power over the judicial system.

 The conversation with Judge Mark Wolf covered how the judiciary system has restricted presidents in the past, the current threat to U.S. law and how citizens can defend democracy. Vocal

Hill asked Wolf how he managed his career at a

time of heightened political tension. Wolf explained, “Everything I try to do is with others. A lot of people are asking, ‘What can I do,’ [but] I think a better framing of the question is ‘What can we do?’” He emphasized that citizens should be highly concerned over the upcoming elections since he believes that Trump will eventually impose martial law and as a result will have an excuse to get rid of elections altogether. To combat this, he implored attendees to exercise their right to vote. Wolf’s interest in civic engagement is derived not only from his position as a concerned citizen, but also as someone who helped found Integrity Initiatives International, an NGO which advocates for laws that hold corrupt leaders accountable for their actions.

Wolf explained how years of traveling to different countries ruled by corrupt leaders has led him to believe that there’s a need for a higher court in order to handle world leaders who have no domestic laws to answer to. He used Turkey as an example of a case where there are no laws in place to check a leader’s power demonstrating that this can cause abuses of power such as the unfair arrests of journalists after the attempted coup in 2016. His organization has advocated for an International Anti-Corruption Court to handle such cases. He added that he never expected that this court would have to take a case in the United States as they typically prosecute our corrupt officials. He then said that “in certain circumstances," Trump could be prosecuted by this court. This drove home the message that the Trump administration has been operating with a far different playbook than previous administrations, and Wolf perceived this change as a sign that the country is heading down a dangerous path.

After Wolf’s conversation with Professor Hill, there was a short question and answer session with the audience. In response to a question about election integrity, Wolf asserted that Massachusetts has less to worry about as it had very predictable election results each year. Other states are at a greater risk of losing their voting rights. Wolf mentioned the importance of protests in light of the recent demonstrations in Minnesota and how, even though they were risking their lives, the protests have led to Immigration and Customs Enforcement “declaring victory” and leaving the city. He added that it was important to protest, but citizens should be mindful of where they do so. He jokingly said that protesting on “the Weston town green … it’s just not likely to have a maximum impact.”

Another question mentioned an inquiry into Wolf’s alleged workplace misconduct and asked if

 A photographic look into Brandeis' Acappellooza. By

JULIAHNA FALCIGLIA-MATTES

Cameron Samuels '25 speaks about public advocacy in higher education

 Samuels discussed how their work with Students Engaged in Advancing Texas has helped students develop advocacy experience.

By NAWAL IRFANI JUSTICE DEPUTY EDITOR

On March 19 in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Cameron Samuels ’25 gave a talk titled “A Seat at the Table: Storytelling, Policy and Law in a Precarious Higher Education Landscape,” sponsored by Brandeis’ Creativity, the Arts and Social Transformation department. The talk centered on the litany of conservative education policy that has impacted Samuels’ home state of Texas and their organization — Students Engaged in Advancing Texas — which is a student-led movement that has advocated for free speech in schools by opposing book bans and the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives along with policies that target immigrant students.

Samuels described SEAT’s mission statement: “Everyone deserves a seat at the table.” SEAT works to promote student voices as “primary stakeholder[s] in education” and to “center youth visibility in policymaking.” They stressed the importance of youth engagement in democracy, especially during a “precarious time for higher education.” With this statement, Samuels displayed a photo that encapsulated the precarity they were referring to: a sign on campus at the University of Texas-Austin that reads “What starts here changes the world. It starts with you and what you do each day. Thank you for making it your Texas. Thank you for making it our Texas.” Next to the sign, a row of state troopers blocks the rest of the street from view. The photo was taken in April 2024 during a national wave of protests on college campuses calling for divestment from organizations affiliated with Israel. The troopers were called

By LUKE BENANAV

onto the university’s campus by state officials who “wanted to crack down on … these peaceful demonstrations within their rights.” UT-Austin was sued by two university alumni and two students at the time for allegedly violating their First Amendment rights. In discussing the state response to the protests Samuels asked, “What does that mean for the future of our higher education?”

Samuels dubbed the litany of recent decisions that have impacted Texas’s education policy, “death by a thousand cuts,” drawing inspiration from the documentary “A Thousand Cuts,” produced by Ramona S. Diaz. The documentary follows Maria Ressa, a journalist who was critical of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte after his election in 2016. She is a “huge inspiration” for Samuels at a time when the “authoritarian regime in the Philippines [has become] this blueprint for the United States.” Ressa also authored “How to Stand Up to a Dictator” in 2022.

Samuels elaborated on the impact of Texas legislature’s adoption of Senate Bill 17 in 2023, which outlawed DEI at higher education institutions. The bill resulted in the firing of diversity officers, closure of LGBTQ+ and women’s centers as well as on-campus spaces for Black, Indigenous and people of color, the loss of grants and scholarships — many of which required a diversity statement for the application — and changes to syllabi. Samuels noted the swift and powerful response from Texas students, including student protests and advocacy from organizations like Texas Students for DEI. Many students used social media “not just [to] draw public attention, but to actually emphasize that everyone [had] a shared interest in protecting [them]… This does affect everyone.”

They highlighted the work of a student newspaper at UT-Dallas, “The Mercury,” whose editor-inchief Gregorio Olivares Gutierrez was removed after being accused of “malpractice” by the director of student media at the university Lydia Lum. The Mercury’s staff went on strike and claimed that Gutierrez was removed as a result of the paper’s coverage of a “pro-Palestinian encampment” on campus and the publication of editorials which criticized student arrests. The Mercury

SENATE LOG

On Sunday, March 22, the Union Senate convened in Shapiro Campus Center 313 for their weekly meeting. The agenda included a club chartering proposal from DeisBikes, the presentation of a Senate Money Resolution, committee reports and public comment for members of the Brandeis community to voice their concerns. The meeting was called to order by Student Union Vice President Daniel Shin ’27.

The meeting began with a presentation from Helen Kurita ’27 and Will Kozlowski ’28, co-legal coordinators of DeisBikes. The group, which aims to establish a bikeshare program on campus, is seeking to achieve probationary club status. According to their presentation, the group’s goal is to improve bike accessibility, reduce student carbon emissions and offer a free transit alternative that supports a campus bike culture. They also mentioned that the group differs from the Cycling Club in that it has no athletic focus, but rather supports casual bike riders. The group has also implemented leadership roles, including positions for events, social media and maintenance coordinators.

The pilot program will be largely run through an app called Linka, which will allow students to borrow and lock their bikes remotely. Once students have used the bike, they can return them to a spot in Massell Quad. The project is currently being funded by a one-time-only grant that must be used by June 30. As such, the club is seeking a new status to secure additional funding. Kozlowski and Kurita also shared the organization’s semester goals and discussed how they would like to prepare for the pilot program, further develop their own bikeshare app and continue to publicize DeisBikes on social media.

After concluding the formal presentation, the floor was opened to questions from members of the senate. Executive Senator Sarah Jafary ’28 asked about Kozlowski and Kurita’s positions as legal coordinators. Kurita stated that “cycling is inherently a somewhat risky activity” with potential for medical or legal accidents. As such, the two are responsible for drafting liability waivers, which she said is “pretty standard for bikeshare programs as a whole.” They also shared that they are in collaboration with the Department of Community Living to ensure the waivers meet university standards.

Ashhwika Soni ’29 asked if the app they are planning to use meets all necessary legal standards, to which Kurita assured her does. Kurita described the app as “pretty basic” and shared that “we are hoping to eventually build our own app.” She responded to a question about subscriptions for the bikeshare service, noting that “eventually that is a cost that the club will have to incur” and that they are looking to make it free for students. She also shared that, in the future, the group would like to implement time limits on how long bikes can be rented for.

The Union Senate then moved into a period of discussion. Ariel Bransten ’28 began by stating her support for the program. However, she mentioned her concern about the lack of time limits on the rental period, including worries that students may get “lazy” and will not return the bikes. Luke Farberman ’27, chair of Club Support, responded and shared that “when I first heard about this I was kind of skeptical.” However, he believes it will help students get off campus, and stressed that if the pilot program is successful, the Union Senate can urge the group to implement time limits on rental periods. Raymond Cao ’27 restated the sentiment about lack of time limits, as well as concern about how only having one designated return area in Massell Quad may inconvenience

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

 A news article incorrectly formatted the titles of Profs. Melissa Johannes, Charlotte Powley, Josh Wolk and Philipe Wells. They should’ve attached the subject abbreviations as (LGLS), (LGLS), (JOUR) and (BUS) respectively. (March 17, 2)



 A news article kicker incorrectly added a period in the middle of the sentence. It should’ve read “On March 15, the Jewish Feminist Association at Brandeis collaborated with other University organizations to host its annual Women’s History Month event in the SCC Atrium.” (March 17, 3)

 The “Judges by the Numbers” incorrectly spelled the name “Dimitri Skurides.” It should’ve read “Dimitri Skourides.” (March 17, 12)

 A sports article was incorrectly titled “The ins and outs of the World Baseball Classic Championship.” It should’ve read “The ins and outs of the World Baseball Classic.” (March 17, 12)

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

students or deter them from using the program. Jafary inquired about the additional cost of adding other designated return stations. Soni clarified that because of the group’s limited funding, they were currently limited to only one station. River Simard ’26 countered these arguments, believing they were “nitpicky” and urged support for the program. Soha Mursalien ’27 also wondered if students would take advantage of the program and adopt the mentality that “this is a free bike I now have.” Several students also raised concerns about privacy, as the proposed app would have access to GPS, and the group is looking to connect potential renters through their Brandeis ID. Farberman countered, saying this was true of all bikeshare programs. Jafary responded, noting this was something the group would have to be aware of going forward.

Due to the extended debate on the matter, Farberman motioned for a roll call vote. The motion was unanimously approved, granting DeisBikes probationary status. Farberman shared that the group would need to set up a meeting with club support and Morgan Gill to help them establish a CampusGroups page.

Farberman led the next motion, which called to merge the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life groups. He shared that “this merger has actually already kind of happened” and the vote was meant to “pick up the loose ends” so that it could be confirmed. Farberman motioned to vote, and the merger was unanimously approved.

The Union Senate moved into orders of new business, including appointing a Chief of Elections. Current Student Union President Ria Escamilla-Gil ’27 was seeking the position, and clarified that the Chief of Elections is responsible for handling election information and communication throughout the voting period. Farberman motioned to nominate Escamilla-Gil, and the motion was unanimously approved.

The Union Senate then moved into a communications update, and students took the time to independently review the executive board report. Farberman asked a clarifying question about constitutional amendments and when they would be voted on. Shin replied that these amendments were being drafted months in advance of actually voting on them. As there were no changes made to the finance report, the group moved into committee reports.

Farberman shared that the Club Support committee had officially chartered the Pre-Med Society for probationary status during the fall 2026 semester, and will be hearing more chartering presentations in the coming week. Mursalien spoke on behalf of the Student Advocacy committee, and discussed plans for an upcoming collaboration with the Intercultural Center, which will feature an alumni speaker. Emily Cristales Guevara ’28, chair of the Internal Operations committee, shared that the committee had not had a meeting but is planning to do so in the coming week. Cao spoke about the Campus Life committee’s plans for an event in mid-April depending on availability. He also mentioned that the group had revised the campus life suggestions box and had sent it to Shin for approval. The committee plans to present a Senate Money Resolution soon. Finally, Soni reported that the Health and Wellness committee was not able to host a puppy yoga event they had been planning, but they are looking into it for the fall 2026 semester. The committee is looking into doing tabling with the Department of Student Engagement and may be submitting an SMR in the near future. They are also working on a collaborative

“Stressbusters” event with the Office of Health and Wellness Promotion.

The meeting transitioned into matters of unfinished business. Shin shared that the group will be receiving important updates in the April newsletter, including updates on election results from the current cycle. Shin and Jafary also asked each member to sign up for 30-minute meetings with one of them, to check in about the various projects they are working on and how to better support members of the senate.

Shin presented a Senate Money Resolution of $900 to purchase 30 stoles for seniors to wear during graduation. Shin said that the stoles can be reused and are meant “to celebrate your time in Student Union.” Jafary asked about how graduates can return the stoles so that they may be reused in future years. Shin clarified that they can appoint someone to be in charge of this task. Simard proposed investing in graduation cords as opposed to stoles, believing it may be a slightly more nuanced way of recognizing students’ achievements in the Union Senate. Mursalien inquired as to whether or not the stoles would be made available to students currently serving in the senate, or students who had previously held the role as well. Shin said he was hoping to make the stoles available to everyone. Jafary asked if Shin would be willing to revise the SMR to better reflect the Union Senate’s suggestions. Shin agreed and said he will present the SMR again at a future meeting.

Shin discussed the Student Union’s end of year report. Members of the Union Senate were asked to fill out the report in their respective committee meetings. “We are listing all the achievements we have done,” Shin said. The report will be read during the mid-April state of the union address.

The meeting transitioned into an open forum for public comment. The group heard from Yotam Ginsburg-Levin ’29, who spoke on behalf of his friends. Ginsburg-Levin stated that his friends found the Aunt Flow menstrual products currently offered around campus to be uncomfortable. “The quality of the products are not good,” he said, and urged the Union Senate to look into providing products from alternative manufacturers. Jafary responded by thanking Ginsburg-Levin for bringing the issue to the attention of Union Senate. However, she noted that because the initiative is done in collaboration with ENACT and the Period Activists at Deis group, they will have to look into contacting the respective organizations to change manufacturers. Another student offered to contact Prof. Charlotte Powley (LGLS), who coordinates PAD and is heavily involved with ENACT.

The meeting concluded as representatives shared information about events from clubs they participated in. The meeting was adjourned shortly after.

— Written by Chava Thiell

— Editor’s Note: The Justice News Editor Ashhwika Soni ’29 is a member of the Student Union Senate and did not edit or contribute to this article.

— Editor’s Note: The Justice Layout Editor Ellie Ji ’28 is a member of the Student Union Senate and did not edit or contribute to this article.

The Justice is the independent student newspaper of Brandeis University. The Justice is published every Tuesday of the academic year with the exception of examination and vacation periods.

Brandeis AAUP demands admin to cease business with Enterprise Rent-a-Car, primary provider of ICE’s vehicles

Brandeis’ chapter of the American Association of University Professors has called upon the University to end its relationship with Enterprise Rent-A-Car by May 1, 2026. Their petition explains that “Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the primary provider of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s] ICE’s vehicles, and is also a Brandeis preferred vendor.” The connection between Brandeis and Enterprise Rent-A-Car arises from the University’s membership in E&I Cooperative Services, which is a member-owned nonprofit service for higher education institutions founded with the intention of cutting unnecessary costs. AAUP is collecting signatures for a petition that urges the University to demand E&I cut ties with Enterprise. E&I would be forced to find a different car rental service, one that hopefully aligns with the social justice values held by the professors of AAUP and the signatories of the petition. Organizations such as Sisters of Social Service

BRIEF

have been cutting ties with Enterprise since October of 2025. Notably, the petition does not ask Brandeis to yield its membership in E&I, which has given Enterprise business from all of its members who require a car rental service.

In a statement from the AAUP, the group asserted that ceasing business with Enterprise is a “powerful way to join our colleagues across the country.” E&I has over 6,000 members and offers contracts with over 250 companies for a multitude of services an institute of higher education might need. However, Enterprise is the only company offered by E&I that provides a car rental service. If members of E&I wish to benefit from their membership and need car rental services, the 6,400+ members have no choice but to use Enterprise RentA-Car.

As of March 23, the petition, which is open to all Brandeis students, faculty and staff, has collected 427 signatures out of

Student Union announces spring elections and constitutional changes to amendments

In a March 23 email to the Brandeis student population, Student Union President Ria Escamilla-Gil ’27 announced the candidates for the upcoming spring election cycle. The email included candidate information for the upcoming academic year and proposed amendments to the Constitution.

Voting will take place on March 30 from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Escamilla-Gil encouraged students to review candidate bios and engage with campaigns on the Brandeis Student Union social media account.

This year’s ballot includes a wide range of positions spanning across the executive, financial, judicial and representative roles. The president and vice president positions are also up for election this semester. Daniel Shin ’27 and Monica Lopez Hernandez ’27 are running uncontested.

Additionally, the executive positions up for election include head treasurer, responsible for managing student organization funding, as well as the chief judicial officer, who oversees constitutional interpretation and internal accountability within the Union.

Two seats are available for the Board of Advisors Com-

mittee and five senator-at-large positions remain unfilled. Specialized senate roles like multicultural senator and international student senator are also on the ballot. In addition, there are four seats available on the Allocations Board, which approves and distributes funding to student run organizations.

Notably, some of the positions including the new secretary and multiple class-year Senate seats currently have no listed candidates and will remain open as write-in options on the ballot.

Alongside the candidate slate, the Union announced four proposed constitutional amendments, each addressing structural or organizational changes within the student government.

The first amendment would grant secured status to the Brandeis Mountain Club, following its prior approval through the Senate’s secured club process. A second amendment seeks to formally codify a list of already recognized secured clubs, including BEMCo, WBRS and The Justice, into the Constitution.

its 800-signature goal. The AAUP chapter that initiated the petition is a members-only organization that is unavailable to undergraduate students. Membership qualifications between chapters may vary, but within the Brandeis chapter it is available to professors, other staff, postdoctoral students and graduate students.

AAUP is a self-governed union devoted to maintaining a high standard of higher education and academic freedom within the United States. The Brandeis chapter of the AAUP’s executive committee is governed by Prof. John Plotz (ENG), who serves as the president, and Prof. Albion Lawrence (PHYS), who serves as the secretary treasurer.

— Written by Grace Doh and Ellie Harris

The third proposal seeks to rename the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to the Director of Access and Opportunity. While the core responsibilities of the role would remain unchanged, the updated title aims to reflect a shift in language aligning with institutional terminology.

Lastly, the fourth amendment introduces a new Campus Life Fund to be managed by the Vice President of Student Affairs. According to the proposal, the fund would support initiatives that enhance student experience and address emerging campus needs.

To encourage turnout, the Student Union will host a “Ballots and Boba” event in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Election Day encouraging students to vote for this election and make their voice heard. Students will receive free drinks once they have voted.

— Written by Anika Jain

Brandeis’ Basement Records and Campus Crusade For Christ Concert

On Saturday, March 21, a student band gave a public concert co-hosted by Basement Records and Cru Brandeis in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. The band was composed of students in Basement Records and Cru, and they performed Christian songs themed around worship and love. Free food and refreshments were provided, and Cru gave away bracelets and stickers.

U.S. LAW: Former judge candidly discusses the state of American democracy

there should be stronger checks on judges given the power gap with their employees. An inquiry into Wolf was opened in November 2025 about creating a hostile workplace for employees. Although Wolf was not named by the judge who opened the order, a National Public Radio report identified that the judge was Wolf. Wolf’s decision to retire ended the review into his workplace conduct, although he never publicly stated that this inquiry had anything to do with his retirement. Wolf answered, “You can’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.” He

insisted there was no credibility to the accusation and suggested that since he had openly spoken against powerful individuals, people were trying to disparage his name. Wolf didn’t share his perspective about the question about checks on judges.

The event concluded with a final question from Professor Hill where she asked about how people can get involved to counter the actions of the current administration, to which Wolf responded, “Well, I think they have to think about what they can do.” He added that even though

now may be a dangerous time, America has been good to him and his family and he wants to assure that his children and grandchildren are able to live according to the American ideals of liberty and justice for all. He concluded by saying that this should motivate us to imagine what kind of world we want our children and grandchildren to live in, and going forward people should figure out how to combat the actions of the Trump administration.

ANTISEMITISM: Public Safety stays alert amid rising wave of anti-Jewish hate

Jewish community. “Based on the recent incidents of antisemitism, I have certainly felt more paranoid and scared for the safety of myself and my Hillel community (both students and staff),” Trentalancia shared.

Trentalancia also said she is grateful because she feels safe and supported by “the amazing Hillel community.” During Shabbat dinners, public safety personnel are present to ensure students' safety. Additionally, she believes the Hillel staff is always open to conversations and is dedicated to their work. When asked about what she wished more people understood about antisemitism, Trentalancia shared that she wished students understood that it can come in many shapes, such as “through stereotypes, jokes, etc. that subtly reinforce prejudice.”

To better understand how Hillel supports students, Rabbi Seth Winberg, Hillel’s executive director, explained how the group is working to provide resources to students. In a March 19 written statement to The Justice, Winberg said that Hillel works closely with Brandeis Public Safety alongside other local and national partners to ensure the safety of the University’s community. On March 16, Hillel hosted a security and safety training open to the public. The event was held in partnership with Public Safety and the Jewish Federation of Greater Boston. The meeting consisted mainly of situational awareness training.

Additionally, Winberg explained that Hillel offers “support through programming, through Shabbat and holidays, through one-on-one conversations, [and] space for students to make sense of what's happening in the world.” He also supported Trentalancia’s words that antisemitism can take different forms and that one of them is speech.

“Antisemitic violence follows antisemitic speech. This is real and serious, and it has been building. Rhetoric that delegitimizes or dehumanizes shifts what is considered acceptable speech, and Jews feel that shift,” Winberg reported.

In addition to Hillel’s efforts, Brandeis Public Safety has also taken steps to address safety concerns on campus. In a March 23 written statement to The Justice, the Interim Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Campus Operations, Matthew Rushton, said that the safety of the Brandeis commu-

nity is taken seriously every day and is a “top priority.” He also explained that the University’s efforts are ongoing and not limited to specific events. The University has been partnering with federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as campus partners, to monitor threats and ensure safety.

“The Brandeis University Police Department works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, including the FBI and local fusion centers, to monitor threats and share information. We conduct regular assessments of our campus environment and adjust our operations based on current intelligence. We also work closely with campus partners through our CARE Team and Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management processes, which help us identify and address concerns before they escalate,” Rushton reported.

Additionally, Rushton said that Brandeis Public Safety is working closely with student life and campus leadership to meaningfully support students. He also directed the Brandeis community to the University’s website for more information about the available training programs.

To receive mental health support in light of incidents related to antisemitism, the Brandeis Counseling Center is another valuable resource available to students. Hillel works closely with the Counseling Center to ensure the well-being and safety of the Brandeis community. Julia Horvitz, BCC Community Therapist to Brandeis Hillel, provided insights into the impact that cases of antisemitism have had on college campuses.

In a March 20 written statement to The Justice, Horvitz said that “recent antisemitism is linked with reduced feelings of safety, more hiding of identity, strained relationships, academic discomfort and worse mental health, especially for Jewish identifying students.” Horvitz provided a list of resources available to Jewish and non-Jewish students who may have been affected by recent events, including the Center for Spiritual Life, BCC Community Therapists, BCC Urgent Care and Hillel’s events.

Another event held on campus in February 2025 was the discussion called “Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Antisemitism,” moderated by Prof. Sarah Mayorga (SOC). In a March 19 written statement to The Justice, she explained how the

framework of “safety through solidarity” applies to recent incidents of antisemitism.

“Safety through solidarity invites us — Jewish and non-Jewish alike — to focus on the interconnected aspects of global fights for justice. It invites us to understand the distinctiveness of Jewish marginalization, exploitation, and devaluation while simultaneously identifying its ties to other forms of oppression. For example, Ben Lorber and Shane Burley, who we invited to speak on campus last year, point to the importance of understanding white Christian nationalism to map the ties between antisemitism, antiblackness, homophobia, Islamophobia, and antiimmigrant sentiments,” she said.

Prof. Mayorga reported that Brandeis events focused on “safety through solidarity” are crucial today, as they demonstrate the University’s commitment to social justice. In an effort to host similar events, Mayorga said that she and Prof. Ulka Anjaria (ENG) are hosting a seminar series next year titled “Rethinking Safety/Remaking the University,” open to all Brandeis faculty, students and staff.

Another resource available for students to educate themselves on the topic of antisemitism is the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. This on-campus institution researches antisemitism, specifically at the intersection of antisemitism and gender. Dr. Lisa Joffe, the Shulamit Reinharz Director of the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, elaborated on the institute's work in a March 19 interview with The Justice. Dr. Joffe spoke about two recent events hosted and currently being hosted at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute — the Diane Markowicz Memorial Lecture on Gender and Human Rights and the exhibition called “Who Will Draw Our History? Women’s Graphic Narratives of the Holocaust, 1944-1949.”

The annual lecture on gender and human rights, delivered on March 8 by Pamela S. Nadell, the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women’s and Gender History at American University, focused on women’s experiences of antisemitism. “So what she did, both in her book, which is called ‘Antisemitism: an American Tradition’ and in the lecture, was to trace the particular experiences that women have had grappling with antisemitism — how they were subjected to discrimination in the 20th century,” Dr. Joffe said. Another event focusing on combating antisemi-

tism is a current exhibition about women’s graphic memoirs created between 1944 and 1949, illustrating their experiences during the Holocaust. Dr. Joffe reported that the diverse experiences show certain patterns about how women’s experiences differed from those of men during the Holocaust.

“The curator, Dr. Rachel Perry, has identified that many of these narratives focus on the experience, the trauma of women being separated from their children. Another theme that emerges is sexual violence that occurred against women in the camps and in other contexts that might not be talked about in narratives written by people who are not women,” she said.

To better understand contemporary antisemitism and Jewish stereotypes, Dr. Samantha Pickette, an assistant director of Hillel, provided written quotes to The Justice in a March 19 email. Dr. Pickette explained that Jewish stereotypes tend to contribute to the spread of antisemitism by portraying Jewish people as fundamentally different from others.

“All of these ideas are steeped in centuries-old antisemitic tropes used to dehumanize Jews and separate them from the rest of society by pointing out their differences — differences that were and are imagined, rooted in a desire to single Jews out rather than motivated by any kind of historical or social truth,” she wrote.

Dr. Pickette also explained that contemporary antisemitism is not new, but rather draws from century-old ideas that are now easily spread on social media. She implored people to be cautious about what they read on social media, as online platforms can accelerate the spread of misinformation. “And the ‘soft antisemitism’ often found in media portrayals of Jewish life can diminish the nuance and humanity of Jewish identity in a way that further exacerbates the tropes perpetuated by hardened antisemites online,” Dr. Pickette reported.

As concerns about antisemitism continue, students, faculty and staff at Brandeis highlight the importance of safety measures, community building and shared support on campus while learning to navigate these challenges together.

SEAT: Brandeis alum discusses the effect of recent restrictive education policy

staff launched a new independent paper called “The Retrograde” which, as of November 2025, has a volunteer staff of 52 students and is primarily funded by donations.

“And so, why is this significant?” Samuels asked. They explained decisions made during Texas’ 2025 legislative session which included the adoption of two more Senate bills and posed major changes to Texas’ education policy. The state only has a legislative session every other year and meets for 140 days to deliberate on bills. According to Samuels, lawmakers are often eager to pass bills within this time frame and, as a result, are likely to bypass concerns from fellow senators or constituents. “Texas is notorious for adopting laws that get sued, get litigated,” Samuels said. “These laws are imperfect and yet [Senators] just want their name on a bill.” Senate bills 37 and 2972 were both passed in June 2025. SB 37 restructured the government’s role in higher education, granting “political appointees unprecedented oversight of the state’s public universities.” SB 37 would effectively give the governor indirect control over curriculum at public universities by developing committees that are authorized “to reject any course that is seen as ideologically charged or doesn’t align with workforce demands,” as reported by The Texas Tribune. The bill has received widespread criticism from organizations including The Texas American Federation of Teachers, who said that SB 37 poses “the most wide-reaching threat to academic freedom and collaborative governance in higher education that the Legislature has yet undertaken” and undermines faculty authority over what they can teach.

Samuels said they had planned to testify against SB 37 and had traveled back to Austin from Brandeis during its deliberation. However, registration for testifying constituents had closed prior to the session, though this was not standard practice. They cited the legislature’s reasoning for closing registration early and said they “didn’t want to hear from another UT student.” Samuels joined students and faculty from across the state who had similarly traveled to Austin to testify, recalling, “They created this archetype, this caricature of us, of being just these rowdy rebel-rousers that [didn’t] know anything.” Samuels and their colleagues participated in a “people’s hearing,” or an unofficial hearing where some

senators listened to additional testimonies from people who hadn’t been able to speak during the session. SB 2972, which faced similar scrutiny from students and faculty at Texas institutions, limits all “expressive activity” on campus, including how, when and where individuals can participate in such activities. The most controversial provision of the bill outlaws “all expressive activities on public campuses from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.” The law was quickly sued by student organizations, and Samuels questioned whether schools truly have the authority to limit this expression.

Samuels further elaborated on the repeal of the Texas Dream Act in June 2025, which allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public colleges and universities. SEAT joined a coalition of student-led organizations — including Texas Students for DEI — to bring people together for the National Day of Action on Nov. 7. They also helped organize a march starting at Huston-Tillotson University and heading to the Capitol in Austin. “And then we went inside the Capitol and we met with lawmakers. We walked into their offices, we sat down, we had these conversations, we talked about these laws and how they were impacting us,” Samuels said. “What was so important was before that march, we were building community … and using that to tell a story beyond what was happening in the moment.”

As of this February, UT-Austin will be eliminating several programs, including African and African Diaspora Studies; Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Mexican and Latino Studies and American Studies, by consolidating all four departments into a Social and Cultural Analysis department. These changes mirror recent attacks against the LGBTQ+ community, where transgender content and literature have been notably targeted. In August 2025, Texas A&M University fired Professor Melissa McCoul after a video of her teaching literature on gender identity went viral on X. Similarly, the student response was widespread. Texas A&M’s nonprofit, MOVE Texas, which stands for mobilize, organize, vote and empower, organized a protest on Sept. 22 in collaboration with other student groups to protest McCoul’s termination alongside the removal of other faculty members.

In the midst of these restrictions in schools, Sam-

uels emphasized the legacy of Mary Beth Tinker, a student activist who was famously involved in the 1969 Supreme Court Case Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District after wearing a black armband to school in protest of the Vietnam War. After her suspension, the Supreme Court ruled in her favor and set a key precedent for students’ right to free speech in schools. SEAT continues to carry on the work of Tinker. “We’re continuing to organize in other schools for workshops and teachins and demonstrations as we build up to another day of action across the nation on May 1,” Samuels said.

The presentation then transitioned into a discussion about SEAT’s advocacy, including its partnership with Texas Students for DEI, which raised over $20,000 to support students impacted by the repeal of the Texas Dream Act. The fund was distributed amongst 13 students and made up the difference in costs that exceeded the in-state tuition fees. Unfortunately, not every student who applied for funding was able to receive it. “We did hear from students saying that they did drop out of school. They were on student visas,” Samuels said. They continued, saying that it showed the tangible impact that policy and law can have on people, “and it’s really the stories behind this that you need to tell.”

Since 2023, SEAT has hosted an annual advocacy day. The organization has gathered 300 students in Austin from across Texas to talk to lawmakers and collaborate with each other. It has also been a “springboard” for student career development, and Samuels mentioned one instance of a student who was offered an internship from a lawmaker and started the next month. SEAT has also launched other initiatives, including a Mary Beth Tinker Federal Policy scholarship, an interactive student “power map” that provides information about school boards and how to sign up to speak, as well as a student “Bill of Rights.” Samuels wants students to know that they’re “not just leaders of tomorrow, but [they’re] changemakers of today.”

Samuels ended the discussion with a quote from Shirley Chisholm: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

In a March 20 interview with The Justice, Samuels spoke about how they co-founded SEAT in Texas and what it has meant to them. Samuels first started

SEAT after advocating against book bans in Texas and joining journalists, policymakers and other students to distribute hundreds of banned books. “I was the only student in the room of my school board as a high school senior wanting to change policy that was impacting me … and it wasn't really a situation that I felt welcome in,” they said. Samuels and their collaborators named the group SEAT to represent the need for “a seat at the table” across school boards and in education policy in general.

Samuels believes SEAT helps students develop storytelling skills: “I say that every student is the expert of their own lived experience. We are the ones in classrooms every day. We're the ones that these policies affect, and if we're not telling our stories, then the decision makers don't know what matters to us.” They see storytelling as a powerful tool of advocacy. “We can list out facts and statistics or current events and developments, but really what humanizes politics is stories.”

Samuels also spoke about the story of Cade Carter, a transgender student that they had worked with in advocating against anti-trans policy at school board meetings in Katy, Texas. Despite student advocacy, the policy was passed and required teachers to notify parents if their child requested to use a different name or set of pronouns than their birth certificate. As a result, many teachers stopped calling trans students, including Cade, by their chosen name. Cade eventually dropped out of school and is no longer a student. “He loves education … he wanted to succeed, and it was just that the school environment wasn’t a place to succeed,” they said. Through SEAT, Cade was able to connect with journalists to help lead rallies and community events that continued to advocate against harmful policies.

When asked about how SEAT has impacted Samuels, they said, “I’m learning so much from all these students … and I think that’s a testament to how incredible these students are, that each and every day I’m inspired.” SEAT now boasts over 300 members and is a member of 15 coalitions involved in education advocacy.

To young advocates, Samuels said, “Find your superpower. Everyone has one, and you can show up in the way that matters most. … Don’t do it alone.”

just features

ACAPPELOOZA

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ON THIS DAY…

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Brandeis Consulting Club: Coming this spring

In a March 20 interview with The Justice, co-presidents Gianna Crisha Saludo ’28 and Malake Loukili ’28 elaborated on their plans to charter the new club this semester, as well as their objectives for the next academic year.

By SOPHIA DE LISI JUSTICE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Starting in fall 2026, the Brandeis Consulting Club is planning to offer alumni-led workshops, opportunities for pro-bono consulting and case competition events for undergraduate students interested in honing their consulting skills. In a March 20 interview with The Justice, the club’s co-presidents, Gianna Crisha Saludo ’28 and Malake Loukili ’28, outlined the origins of the club concept, their objectives for its programming and where its logistical planning currently stands.

Saludo and Loukili have discussed starting this club since their first year at the University, and while they are part of other clubs that feature aspects of consulting in their work — such as DeisHacks and TAMID Group — there are no extracurricular options that focus on the topic full-time. DeisHacks is an annual hackathon event held at the University where small groups of students, faculty and community members work together to solve problems for local nonprofit organizations. The Hackathon runs for 48 hours, challenging Brandeis community members to tackle issues that arise in “areas like education, healthcare and housing, fostering creativity, technical skills and social impact,” according to the School of Business and Economics’ webpage. On the other hand, TAMID connects students with consulting, business and finance opportunities with organizations that are based in Israel. Although the University once had a Consulting Club, Saludo and Loukili said that it was de-chartered.

“I was involved in DeisHacks and we were basically consulting for nonprofits,” Saludo said. “What if we extend it a little bit more, take it one step further and do it not just for startups at Brandeis but also startups around us?” Loukili and Saludo each emphasized that consulting is applicable to a broad range of industries, which also inspired them to found the club. Loukili described, “There’s healthcare consulting, technology consulting, and we think it’s something that not many people know about.”

Applications for the club’s executive board have recently closed, and the co-presidents shared that they will be dedicating the rest of this semester to following the Student Union’s procedure to charter the club, planning an event for after Passover Break and outlining plans for the fall 2026 semester. They expressed excitement about their e-board members’ passion for consulting, stressing that the primary quality they were looking for in candidates was a willingness to help the club prosper.

event ideas and suggestions.

“We want them to have agency and lead their committee the way that they envision it to be, and for everyone to contribute their ideas to every single one of the committee heads,” she explained. Saludo stressed that the Partnerships and Outreach Committee is integral to the club’s event programming for next semester as they coordinate with University alumni in hopes to have them lead a variety of workshops for undergraduate students. Ac-

that many of their alumni contacts have used their background in consulting to move onto jobs in the finance industry, given that the necessary skills are applicable to such a broad range of specialties, including healthcare and education. “[The alumni] are all doing something completely different,” Loukili reflected, “but then at the same time, still consulting, and something we want to bring to our club [is that] there’s not one specific thing you have to learn, and that’s it. There’s no one-size-

Boston area.

“Our main goal right now is building our portfolio to build our credibility,” Saludo clarified. She explained that the eboard will be connecting with nonprofit startups in Waltham and Brookline to ensure that the club will deliver impactful work: “We’re tailoring down our Constitution to make sure that passes on to the succeeding e-board.”

They acknowledged that a misconception about consulting is that it’s expensive work.

Since the Consulting Club’s

“They’re very innovative, creative and I feel like they’re amazing problem-solvers,” Saludo said. The club’s inaugural eboard features Suri Nguyen ’29 as the operations and logistics head, Kristen Nguyen ’28 as the marketing and communications head, Oswell Sakaguchi ’29 and Mo Blair ’29 as partnerships and outreach heads, Daniel Liang ’28 as the finance head and Jenny Chen ’29 as the recruiting head. Saludo said that the board members have already raised

cording to their club’s website, these workshops will allow students to foster essential consulting skills such as “case framework mastery,” “presentation and communication skills,” “Excel modeling fundamentals” and include “strategic thinking exercises.”

Loukili and Saludo shared that they have been in communication with the Hiatt Career Center and multiple university alumni, including the Brandeis Consulting Club’s last president before it was de-chartered. They said

fits-all training for consulting.”

The club’s projected organizational structure will encourage general members to fill out an application that will match them with one of the Consulting Club’s local partners by their interests. Ideally, the club will partner with nonprofit organizations across all applicable fields — general members will be divided into dedicated project groups for each organization. Their longterm hope is to partner with organizations across the University, Waltham and the greater

work will be pro-bono, Saludo stressed that their work will be completely accessible, giving these organizations the chance to accept students’ perspectives and ideas. “We’re tech-focused … and since we’re like digital natives, we have a lot to offer businesses who are starting up but don’t know the current tech and how to keep up with everything,” she said. Additionally, the club’s consulting will not be restricted to technological innovations as it will also provide students with the opportunity to give

companies design recommendations. The club’s intent is to provide specific advice for every partnering organization’s individual needs.

Alongside hosting alumniled workshops, Loukili said they are aiming for the Consulting Club to host a case competition, which would allow Brandeis students to compete with other institutions’ consulting clubs in the Boston area. Case competitions can differ in terms of format, but at their core, each team receives a business problem to recommend a solution to. Hosting a case competition at the University is the club’s final goal for the upcoming semester, aside from the club’s typical programming. Saludo hopes that with the decade anniversary of DeisHacks, there might be an opportunity for the consulting club to officially collaborate with the event programming.

Loukili said that the benefit of consulting is that different individuals catch mistakes and can offer suggestions that others might have missed, and the club will provide students with a forum to grow more confident in their instincts.

“Sometimes people can be shy … but the importance of consulting is you literally get hired to give your perspective on something that could be very important,” she said. Not to mention, members can join the club with one aspect of consulting in mind, such as design, and eventually branch out to other specialties, like technology consulting.

“We want actual impact,” Loukili emphasized. Both copresidents elaborated on the importance of working with local Waltham organizations and having measurable, impactful outcomes, rather than partnering with large brands.

As Saludo and Loukili move forward with the club chartering process and lay the groundwork for their club’s fall 2026 semester programming, their vision for the Brandeis Consulting Club reflects their commitment to assisting local startups, teaching undergraduate students and establishing a working connection between undergraduate students and University alumni.

Sophia De Lisi, Editor in Chief

Julia Hardy, Managing Editor

Eliza Bier, Anna Martin, Senior Editors

Grace Doh, Nemma Kalra, Skye Entwood, Nawal Irfani, Zoe Zachary, Deputy Editors

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

Ashhwika Soni, Chava Thiell, Lucia Thomas, News Editors

Alyssa Wu, Features Editor

Esther Balaban, Forum Editor

Luca D. Jordan, Ben Khayat, Sports Editors

Sophia Garcia, Arts & Culture Editor

Reuben Gartenbach, Photography Editor

Rivka Resnick, Copy Editor

Ellie Ji, Layout Editor

Keira Shear, Advertising Editor

Ellie Harris, Online Editor

EDITORIAL

Misguided marketing: The case for student involvement in University decisions

The Brandeis administration hosts monthly faculty meetings in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall, where faculty discuss and vote on various changes to the University. Recently, these changes have included the addition of undergraduate majors and minors as well as changes to the Core curriculum. Additionally, they are a forum for understanding and discussing aspects of running a university that are not as apparent to many students such as marketing, university legislation and available resources for faculty members to revise their curricula. In short, they are one of the integral elements of how major changes are made to the University.

You may have read about some of the discussions and decisions made at these meetings in a Justice article before, including recent discussions about proposed changes to the language requirement or new slogan ideas. Even though these discussions and votes can be the catalyst for major changes to student life at Brandeis, students are not welcome to share their thoughts or even listen in on these meetings. In fact, students are strictly prohibited from attending faculty meetings save for one member from each student newspaper, a representative of the Student Union and a member of the student radio, according to the most recent version of the Faculty Handbook.. This specification gives the student body extremely limited means of hearing about upcoming changes to the University, especially considering that several of the aforementioned student representatives do not attend meetings because they are unaware that they are permitted to do so. The content of these meetings hold matters of the utmost importance to students — the administration should not be hiding these discussions behind closed doors.

This editorial board acknowledges that it would not be feasible or wise to have students directly vote in these meetings. However, we strongly believe that students should have the right to sit in on these meetings in order to hear about changes to Brandeis policies that will impact their lives. While we greatly value the opportunity to share this information with the community, The Justice should not be one of the only sources of this information. If allowing students to be physically present at these meetings is deemed inappropriate, there should be a recording of each meeting

made publicly available — the meetings are recorded on Zoom but never released to students — or at the very least a summary of each meeting published by the University.

During their Feb. 13 meeting, the Brandeis faculty debated changes to the Core curriculum and discussed possibly reducing the three-semester language requirement to two semesters. The language requirement is a highly controversial issue among students, and student voices would have given the voting faculty a deeper understanding of the issue. It is important to appreciate that many faculty members spoke on behalf of the interests of their students, but this editorial board believes that the most effective way to incorporate these perspectives would be to hear from students themselves.

Furthermore, for conversations related to marketing, such as those discussed in last week’s faculty meeting, it would benefit the University to take advantage of the student perspective. Brandeis’ undergraduate population is much closer to the age demographic the administration aims to target, and shares more cultural connection with prospective students than faculty members. Given that almost every single undergraduate has a fresh perspective of the modern-day college admissions process, it seems counterintuitive not to take advantage of their insights when making marketing decisions. Most certainly, the student perspective would help avoid questionable marketing choices like one of the selling lines proposed in last week’s faculty meeting:

“One foot in the classroom, one foot in the street” which is far too vague and has several negative implications.

This board is calling on the Brandeis administration to allow students to listen in on faculty meetings and actively seek out student voices to speak on proposed changes to academic matters. If The Justice did not publish overviews of each faculty meeting, it would be impossible for students to know what changes are being discussed. This reads as a lack of transparency and exclusion of student perspectives. If “Truth, even unto its innermost parts” is a true value of the University, its administration should search for this truth from their students when making important institutional changes.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Iran war is immoral, illegal and a colossal waste of money

By Jon Hochschartner

President Donald Trump’s imperialist assault on Iran, which has claimed countless innocent lives, and will take many more before it’s finished, is an unauthorized, unprovoked war of aggression. Besides being immoral and illegal, under both domestic and international law, the conflict is also a colossal waste of money. Pentagon officials told United States lawmakers just the first six days of the war cost more than $11 billion, not including the money required to build up military hardware and personnel, among other things.

Of course, this is just the beginning. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated the early period of the Iran war cost $891.4 million each day. Perhaps Trump will find a way to extricate himself from the conflict sooner rather than later, but it’s worth noting the Middle Eastern wars launched during President George W. Bush’s time in office dragged on for decades. For those who don’t remember, our leaders proclaimed a humanitarian mission and always described victory as right around the corner.

The money spent on the Iran conflict could be put toward any kind of more productive purpose. For instance, the United States could put these resources toward free healthcare, free college education, or rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. Personally, as an animal activist, I’d like to see a portion of these funds invested in cultivated-meat research, which I view as the promising means of reducing nonhuman suffering and premature death. The only limit to the different ways we might use this money is our imagination.

That said, assessing the financial cost of the Iran war purely in terms of military spending seems hopelessly reduc-

tive. After all — with Iran closing the Straight of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for oil — my understanding is there is a decent chance Trump’s war could crash the global economy. That Iran would do this in response to being attacked was widely expected, though it seems to have taken the White House completely by surprise. Perhaps, in a silver lining, this mess will accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. Meanwhile, as this is all going on, Trump is already plotting to overthrow the government of one of our Caribbean neighbors. “I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba,” he recently told reporters. “I think I can do anything I want with it.” If readers believe Trump is motivated by concern for democracy in the island nation, I have a bridge to sell you. American leaders have long wanted to turn Cuba back into a pliant, vassal state and, on a personal level, Trump, I believe, is eager to distract from his numerous domestic failures. Again, his imperialist adventures aren’t just morally wrong and against the law. They also represent a tremendous financial opportunity cost. The old Tupac Shakur line about how ‘they’ve got money for wars but can’t feed the poor’ inevitably comes to mind. With the funds spent to kill innocents in Iran and elsewhere, we could so much. Our country might invest in cellular-agriculture development, as I would like, but also strengthen our fragile social safety net, so what we call ‘the American Dream’ is a little closer to reality than it is now.

Jon Hochschartner lives in Connecticut. He is the author of a number of books, including The Animals’ Freedom Fighter: A Biography of Ronnie Lee, Founder of the Animal Liberation Front. Visit his blog at SlaughterFreeAmerica.Substack.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To the editor,

Any of our political leaders who are concerned about climate change, which ought to be all of them, should support increased public funding for cultivated-meat research. For readers who are unaware, the new protein is grown from animal cells, without slaughter. Scientists believe, when the technology is fully developed, cultivated meat will require a fraction of the greenhouse-gas emissions that slaughtered meat does. Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change, an

inconvenient truth serious environmentalists must reckon with. Cellular agriculture represents a scalable solution to this problem. Ecologically-conscious politicians at the state and federal level should allocate more government money toward cultivated-meat development. Let’s establish cellular-agriculture research centers at universities across the country.

Jon Hochschartner 41 Salmon Brook Street Granby, CT 06035 (703) 901-1011

Adapting to the digital world by losing ourselves

By ERIC CHERNY JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

As people begin to notice how technology negatively affects their lives, it is increasingly important to be aware of the effects we don’t directly feel. Humans are characteristically good at adapting — or maladapting — to changes in their environments and lifestyles. So as digital innovations take up more of our time, it is crucial to realize where we are and how we are changing. The tradeoff for adapting so well to the digital world is that we lose some of our ability to function in the physical world. Although there haven’t been large-scale studies to observe how people are exactly adapting to the digital world, there are many examples of groups having physically adapted to their environmental circumstances.

One example of this is the Huaorani people of the Ecuadorian Amazon, known for their uniquely shaped feet. Due to their huntergatherer lifestyle that often consists of climbing trees, their feet appear flat and bowed with thick and spread-out toes — clearly having adapted to suit their practices. What would be considered a normal foot to them would seem malformed to us, as our perception of what feet look like has been informed by our environment. Though, even in our society we find our bodies attempting to adapt to our lifestyles — I am of course referring to bunions. These are malformations where the base of the big toe protrudes while the tip of the big toe points inwards, which are known to be caused by consistently wearing tight shoes. The product of our material living has caused an environmental circumstance to which our bodies can adapt to, that otherwise would not have happened.

Another example can be found in the Pacific Islands, where some groups like Samoans have the CREBRF gene, called the “thrifty” gene. This gene made it possible for Samoans to gain sustenance on less food for much longer than other groups of people, and proved to be especially advantageous in an environment where food sources were uncertain. However, modern processed food is more calorically dense than what their ancestors would have been used to eating. So, the gene overreacts and amplifies the extra calories. Therefore, Samoans are more prone to illnesses like obesity. The World Health Organization reported that nine out of the ten most obese countries were Pacific Islander countries, showing that certain adaptations that prove advantageous in one environment could prove to be detrimental when the circumstances of that environment change.

From these examples, I hope to illustrate how flexible humans are to adapting. There’s a sort of feedback loop that we have with our environments. Natural difficulties cause us to adapt, then we change our environmental circumstances to make life easier, which necessitates new adaptations for our new environmental circumstances. However, these adaptations take several generations to appear with earlier generations experiencing difficulties as they learned about the world around them. All of this is to say that the digitization of the world over the past 30 years has significantly altered the world that we live in. Therefore, we have to be aware of how we are adapting to these new environmental circumstances as our world becomes more digital than physical.

One instance is how technological innovations in communication actually make it harder to communicate in person. Researchers from the University of Maine conducted a study in 2021 to explore how well individuals can decode nonverbal information during interpersonal simulations. The difference between their subjects was how they used social media. One group was labeled as active users for posting selfies and writing comments, while the other

group was labeled as passive users for only reading and viewing the posts of others. Although the active users were more likely to claim that they had greater interpersonal decoding skills than the passive users, tests revealed that the passive users actually had the greater skill. Our conversations are built with nonverbal information — from our body language, to our tone of voice, to where our eyes look in order to communicate our feelings effectively. As an increasing number of people engage with their digital environments more than the physical ones, there may be a greater risk of pertinent messages being lost in translation. As in-person conversations become ineffective and therefore more difficult to participate in, people start avoiding them in favor of digital conversations. Another study from the University of St. Thomas found exactly that when they asked school social workers about the effects of texting. They reported that children have been avoiding conversations that they find too difficult, such as when they want to ask for help or navigate a conflict. One stated, “The other thing I have noticed over the years is a lack of or decreasing initiative in students… because with texting, they can take time to reword things … so they feel they have it perfect and then send it, they can’t do in-the-moment stuff anymore, so I feel in that way it has been very difficult and not good for the development of adolescents.” Additionally, the social workers concurred that their students’ spelling and grammar skills have also suffered. I already pointed out how Americans have been becoming more socially isolated since the 1960s, in what experts are calling the “loneliness epidemic” — though it may seem these trends are harder to reverse than I thought. It’s no longer the case that people are favoring the digital world out of a desire for entertainment or novelty, as we may be slowly adapting into a species that can solely live in an exclusively online space. These changes can be seen in studies that indirectly observe this phenomenon. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported in 2025 that the rate of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder had risen to 1 in 31 children from 1 in 150 in 2003. There are multiple theories as to why this rate has been increasing, from changes in diagnostic criteria to a reduction in stigma to seek help. However, the vast acceleration of digital media use could be a contributing factor considering that some of the symptoms for ASD include difficulty in holding conversations and recognizing social cues, which was already found and published in a study on the National Institute of Health’s website back in 2020.

Considering that many members of Generation Z and Generation Alpha are categorized as “iPad kids,” spending many of their developmental years staring at screens, these habits would definitely encourage adaptations to our everexpanding digital environment. It isn’t enough to be apprehensive of new technologies as foreign threats because we also have to realize just how digital our world has become. So when people advocate for legislation to regulate the digital space, it should be equally important to introspect as to why we fall prey to digital dangers in the first place. If we’re constantly pointing fingers at the world and bemoaning how it has changed, then we’ll be blindsided by all the ways that we have changed. If we can’t hold ourselves accountable for who we have become, then the world will humble us for it.

Contract grading: a beacon to a better American future?

By ARIEL KNUDSEN JUSTICE FORUM EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

It is widely known that the United States’ education system is subpar compared to other countries, both in terms of content and, most importantly, methodology. The Grade Point Average system is the most commonly used grading system across the U.S., and though many traditionalists argue against the implementation of an alternative grading system that caters to individual students’ needs, others propose that in a country with rapidly declining literacy rates, the only solution left is to fix what’s broken. However, no one can seem to agree on what aspect of our current education system is the issue, not to mention what scholastic reform would look like. Though I don’t claim to offer any solutions to this issue, my recent experiences with contract grading got me thinking about what constitutes a truly exceptional educational system and what that means in the first place. What is the end-all be-all of education, specifically in America? If the goal of education is to encourage critical thinking, creativity and economic stability, then how can our government collaborate with organizations, teachers and students themselves to create a grading system that escapes the fairly restrictive traditional grading system while still prioritizing educational rigor? Though these are questions that do not have simple answers, they are nonetheless important to ask, especially considering the everchanging arena of American politics, not to mention the technological developments that fundamentally change our relationship to education, namely artificial intelligence. I believe that exposure to multiple education systems encourages critical thinking and maximizes academic potential.

My first introduction to contract grading was during this semester in a humanities class. To paraphrase my professor’s explanation: contract grading entails using a “contract” with specific expectations tied to each letter grade. For example, an A+ grade would be attained by putting in the most effort possible: consistent participation, no absences and no late assignments. By this logic, it follows that lower grades correspond to lower degrees of participation. In other words, contract grading depends entirely on effort, not on quality of the work, as opposed to regular grading where your grade is a reflection of your alignment with the given rubric.

While I appreciate the opportunity to utilize a less common system of grading, and I don’t regret this experience. I often find myself left directionless after my essay gets turned in grade-less but rife with feedback. While this might seem strange — after all, getting writing feedback is wonderful and receiving grades are often less wonderful — I discovered that for me personally, number and letter grades are quite helpful when gauging how much I need to improve. That being said, the feedback in this class has been more detailed and individualized than any humanities class I’ve ever taken, which I deeply appreciate. Even when taking that into consideration, however, my main contention maintains its legitimacy: Grades are truly instrumental in classes for me and many other students, and they help us understand how we need to alter our study habits.

Taking the gradeless, feedbackheavy nature of contract grading into consideration, I do wonder how it might fare in a non-humanities class. For example, I’m currently taking two science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes that

are very grade-heavy. Would I feel the same about contract grading if it was utilized in a class that I’m weaker in? Probably not. That being said, contract grading seems to only apply to humanities-oriented classes. Though the idea of a gradeless STEM class sounds blissful, one wonders if it would even be appropriate considering the disparate nature of humanities versus STEM fields. STEM requires particular and measurable results that can easily be labeled as correct or incorrect — a quality that the humanities does not share.

Contract grading, at least implicitly, rests on the ethos that mastery of a subject cannot be forced. If a student has no passion for writing, for example, it might be illogical to expect them to come to a writing class prepared to approach it with excitement and maximum preparedness. Some may argue with this claim and point out that the optional nature of higher education means that students should prepare to come to each class with great passion, but that’s beyond the purview of this article. To return to my original point, I think that the fundamental idea of contract grading has value. Though this approach hasn’t been catastrophic so far, I do wonder if contract grading has more benefits than drawbacks. Assuming a student has a set goal and time commitment for the class, tying grades to degrees of participation automatically caters to the individual rather than to accepted norms, a fact which bumps contract grading a few points up in my book. I wonder why a happy compromise can’t be established between these two forms of grading: letter/percent grades and contract grading. Surely it doesn’t have to be one or the other — more individualized student approaches with more relaxed grading expectations while still maintaining a productively strict classroom seems like the place where the two can meet. It is, of course, easier to write about these prospects than to actually enact change; all the same, conversations and debates surrounding the systems we use to educate youth around the country are absolutely crucial to increasing literacy rates around the country. Principles of anti-intellectualism have begun to prevail in pop culture — the phrase “it’s not that deep” has found its home in teenagers’ social vocabulary around the globe. Governmental officials are more capable than ever of obfuscating pertinent information from citizens and college matriculation rates are dropping. The lack of a passion for education among the youth will only encourage these symptoms of a crumbling democracy. Many scholars warn that this will in turn cause educational backsliding. I might not like contract grading in this instance, but the very fact that I have an opportunity to experience it speaks to an American libertarian sentiment of free thinking, individual liberty and education for all. American liberty is in danger of slipping from our hands. Keeping our hold on it lies in activism — both current and future. If part of our fate lies in the youth, it is of the utmost importance to encourage constant educational reform, debate and conversation. In short: when push comes to shove, the use of contract grading is a sign that conversations surrounding education are happening. Whether it’s used by itself or in combination with other forms of grading is irrelevant here; the very fact that we have the option to try it is indicative of the fundamental American values of free thinking and liberty — two values that are more precious than ever before.

Sports just SOCCER SCANDAL

Justice Sports Editor Ben Khayat '28 breaks down the controversy over the African Cup of Nations' championship.

Tuesday, March 24, 2026 Page 10

The Boston Red Sox still need improvement

■ With the Red Sox’s spring training off to a mediocre start, what should we expect in this upcoming season?

By COLE HAMNER

STAFF

When we look at the 2026 Boston Red Sox, we see a promising starting lineup with far more depth than the previous year. Overall, the team looks more balanced than in past seasons. However, with new additions to the roster and new rules being applied, there is much to question.

An exciting new rule being tested in spring training — and being considered for this upcoming season — is the induction of the new Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. This technology allows players to challenge close calls, reducing reliance on umpire judgment. We may see some players benefit from this new rule, such as Roman Anthony, due to his strong plate discipline. The rule will also impact pitching, as pitchers with elite command, such as the new pick-up Ranger Suarez, may benefit from getting more consistent strike calls. Other pitchers such as Johan Oviedo may struggle with borderline pitches being

called balls. While ABS is still a developing system, it adds another layer of variability that we can expect to impact early-season play on both sides of the ball. Looking at the team this year, we must first examine the pitching staff. Here, we can see some new faces due to the off-season moves by infamous General Manager Craig Breslow. One of the more exciting new faces, Sonny Gray, was acquired by the Red Sox after trading prospects for the win-now veteran. Gray is an exciting new face who I think will bring some strong, experienced pitching to the team. With his strong, strikeout-heavy pitching style, I think we’ll be looking at a solid three-spot for Gray in the rotation. Accompanying Gray, you’ll be seeing a lot of Oviedo. Oviedo is an exciting but questionable addition to the rotation. When we look at Oviedo in his past seasons, we see issues with injuries and a high walk percentage. But Oviedo still brings a strong upside with a five pitch arsenal and high velocity. With this said, I believe Oviedo will bring good depth to the rotation, but realistically he’s a high-risk-highreward talent that we’ll probably see sitting in the fifth spot of the rotation. This means he will likely be a back-end starter with shorter outings. Another major addition to the Sox rotation is Suarez. Suarez is one of

the more reliable additions for this upcoming season. In his past seasons, he has proved to be a strong two-spot in a team’s rotations with solid control on his pitches, as well as an efficient pitching style which allows him to play deep into games. I think we'll see Suarez fit in well on the Sox as a reliable number two who will use his command to be a big ground ball specialist.

The biggest non-pitching pickup we'll see on the field, Willson Contreras, brings lots of hope to the team. Contreras was traded to the Sox in hopes of bringing another strong bat and allaround player. On top of this, I hope to see Contreras get some reps at the first base spot, as this is a position the Red Sox have struggled to fill in the past. I have high hopes for Contreras, and if he can play solid at first and bring some power to the plate with his ability to hit off of both lefties and righties, I think we'll view him as a strong addition.

These additions are big for the team and bring some hope to Red Sox Nation, but underlying is the lackluster performance from the team in the past years that hides itself behind the always impending false hopes. Although the team seems to be more balanced than the past years, the starting lineup lacks a certain eliteness, especially in in the batting order. The team lacks the power and lefty killers they've had

See COLLEGE FOOTBALL, 12☛

All-American track Judges

■ Sealy and Leroy impress at NCAA D-III Indoor Track and Field Championships.

By BEN KHAYAT JUSTICE SPORTS EDITOR

The National Collegiate Athletics Association Division-III indoor track and field championships were hosted in Birmingham, Alabama on March 14 and 15 and featured two Brandeis athletes: Sarai Sealy ’28 and Peterly Leroy ’28. Both stars made their returns to the indoor championships, bothhaving competed for Brandeis at last year's indoor championships. This year’s Judges duo improved since their debuts, with both setting personal bests at the competition. Leroy competed on the first day of the championships, running the 400m as the 11th seeded racer. The Malden, Massachusetts native ran lap splits of 26.25 seconds and 30.00 seconds in the second heat, posting a new school record in the 400m. Unfortunately, the following heats made it so Leroy missed out on finals by just 0.42 seconds and 0.002 seconds respectively, short of the ninth-place runner, thus ending her 400m competition. Head track-and-field coach Miles Ketchum had high praise for the performance that earned Leroy second-team All-America honors. “Peterly ran a strategic race,” Ketchum stated in an interview with The Justice on March 20, “She is knocking on the door of the top eight in the country, and I’m excited for what she can accomplish during the outdoor season.” Leroy’s tenacity is clear — her 10th place finish was one higher than her seeding at the championships

and four places higher than her placement at the 2025 championships.

Sealy competed on the second day of the competition in the triple jump, an event where she had already earned first-team All-America honors in two previous competitions. Still, the sophomore was seeded sixth going into the meet. Sealy fouled on her first jump attempt, but was able to fly to 11.68m on her second jump. Her final 11.98m leap lofted her up to fifth place through the preliminaries. Her position was stagnant through her first two jumps in the finals, but when it mattered most, the New Yorker delivered a season-best 12.18m jump that moved her up to fourth place. This placement marks Sealy’s best career placement and the best placement by a Brandeis student at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships since 2019.

Sealy’s podium placement marked the end of the tournament for the Judges, but Sealy and Leroy each made major statements on the biggest stage. Despite being represented by only two athletes, Brandeis placed at a solid 39th of 61 teams in the field. More importantly, this performance seems to be the latest step forward for two elite Judges athletes coming early in the track and field season. Leroy, Sealy and the rest of the Brandeis track and field team will be competing through the rest of the Spring 2026 semester and into the summer. With the amount of improvement each athlete showed in Birmingham, the sky is the limit for Brandeis track and field.

Sealy, Leroy and the Brandeis track and field team return to competition at Bryant University’s Black and Gold Invitational on Friday, March 27.

INTRAMURAL INDOOR SOCCER

Brandeis is currently hosting Co-Ed Intramural Indoor Soccer in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. Anyone can sign up to participate in the tournament and Brandeis students are also the referees. On March 19, "Socolleyasketball" played "Die Mannschaft" in a six v. six indoor game.

JUDGES BY THE NUMBERS

Football controversy at AFCON

■ The African Cup of Nations championship suddenly reversed its outcome two months after its conclusion.

By BEN KHAYAT JUSTICE SPORTS EDITOR

The 2025 African Cup of Nations soccer tournament, known familiarly as AFCON, concluded on Jan. 18, 2026 with Senegal defeating Morocco off of midfielder Pape Gueye’s golden goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time. The Moroccan side disputed this outcome heavily when it happened, and two months later their wish seems to have been granted. On March 17, the Confederation of African Football’s appeal board reversed the decision of the game on the grounds that Senegal had actually forfeited mid-match.

The championship game, hosted in Morocco’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, was already wildly controversial at its original conclusion. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, a corner kick from Senegal cut through chaos in the box and found Ismaila Sarr, who headed the ball, seemingly for a goal. However, Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala controversially ruled that Senegal’s Abdoulaye Seck had fouled Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi while clearing the ball’s path to Sarr. Since Ndala had defied typical protocol and made the call before the play ended, the goal’s validity was not allowed to be reviewed.

Three minutes later, Senegal’s El Hadji Malick Diouf was called for holding Brahim Diaz in the penalty area, triggering a penalty kick for Morocco. The Senegalese side, outraged with both calls, began physically shoving the referee Ndala as well as several Moroccan players. Eventually, head coach Pape Thiaw instructed his team to exit the pitch and return to the Senegalese locker room, where they remained for 14 minutes. During that time, Senegalese fans attempted to rush the pitch and fights broke out in the press box, prompting Moroccan police to get involved. Containing the fights required pausing play for another seven minutes. Senegalese star Sadio Mane convinced the team to return to the pitch and the game resumed with Diaz being allowed to take the penalty, which Senegal’s Edouard Mendy saved.

The game continued into extra time, finally ending when Senegal’s Pape Gueye netted a beautiful lefty shot from just inside the penalty box. After 93 total minutes of scoreless football, 14 minutes of a team protesting in the locker room and an additional seven minutes of deescalating fights, Senegal was victorious. Morocco filed a complaint against the ruling the day after the match. 59 days after the match on March 17, the result was reversed by the Confederation of African Football’s appeal board on the grounds that Senegal had forfeited the match by leaving the field of play to protest. Senegal was stripped of their title and expected to return their trophy, although the Senegalese Football Federation has already begun appealing the decision to both the CAF and Court of Arbitration for Sport.

BASEBALL: The

Red

Sox

have improved, but are they ready?

CONTINUED FROM 10

in the past seasons, especially with players like Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez being out on injury reserve. I think this will hurt production early on, putting a lot of pressure on the performance of the remaining rotation.

Although the rotation is strong, potentially one of the strongest in baseball, the team can't rely on them to win games — they need to produce runs. If they want to have a good season, the Red Sox need to find or create an offensive engine. I have hope that Anthony and/or Story can fill this role, but Boston can't put the weight of the offense's success on a rookie or a veteran who have proven to be streaky and inconsistent. The team need that superstar slugger who's hitting 30+ home runs and forces pitchers to pitch around him, and although they have promising prospects of a superstar bat, there isn’t a definite player in this role yet.

I think we can expect to see a competitive team with

over 80 wins. Nonetheless, the team still has moves and work to be done. With the stacked division the Sox are in, as sad as it is to say, 80 wins might not be enough. What I think needs to happen is for the team to understand its role. This is not a power-hitting or multi-run-scoring team. The team must win by preventing runs and utilizing its strong rotation and depth in the bullpen; they simply can’t be trying to outslug teams because this won't win games. If by any chance Craig Breslow is reading this, it needs to be said that the Red Sox must — and I cannot emphasize this enough — must find a superstar bat. Any great team needs a batter that pitchers fear, and although I believe Anthony could be this player, we can't count on him to fill this role given his lack of experience. Red Sox Nation should be hopeful for this upcoming season, but we must realize the team still has some cracks to fill if they want to be a true threat in the division.

Just Arts & Culture

FreePlay TheaTer’s “The aliens”: an immersive look aT Being human

FreePlay Theater’s spring show, “The Aliens,” is a story about both reflection and thinking about the future. The show tackled love, loss, friendship, insecurities and desire, all through the lens of two friends in their early 30s, who do not know where to go next with their lives and a high school junior who unexpectedly enters their world. Despite the title, there are no aliens from space in this show — just three people who feel like aliens in their own skin.

“The Aliens” began the moment audience members walked through the door of Cholmondeley’s in Usen Castle. As guests entered the space, Maya Shavit ’27 called out in character from the coffee counter, “Welcome in!

Please enjoy your stay!” before sheepishly looking away. Shavit played Evan, a junior in high school who spends the summer working at The Green Sheep Coffee House and has crippling anxiety. Before the show began, audience members could interact with “Evan” and ask questions or order a hot drink, immersing themselves in the world of The Green Sheep. Shavit played Evan excellently, both in the show and during the preshow and intermission. Her improv with audience members was really fun — several people, including myself, had full conversations with Shavit while she was in character, and she did not break once.

Shavit’s nervousness while playing Evan also contrasts effectively characters Jasper and KJ, played by Triona Suiter ’27 and Ben Robertson ’26, respectively. Jasper and KJ are friends in their 30s who both clearly share a long and complicated history, having only each other. The dynamics between Suiter and Robertson are engrossing as

MOVING MUSIC

In September 1996, Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, fell under the control of the Taliban. After overthrowing President Burhanuddin Rabbani, the militant group reshaped the structure of Afghanistan’s political and social system, imposing a strict ideology that blended Islamic fundamentalist ideals with Pashtun nationalism. This reconstruction of the government imposed many limitations on the citizens of Kabul, and specifically women who, under Taliban leadership, were stripped of the previous freedoms provided to them. The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after being disbanded due to the United States’ invasion in 2001 post September 11th . In 2002, following the fall of the first Taliban regime, an Afghan band appeared in Kabul, called “The Burka Band”. This indie-rock band was composed of three women who hid their identities by wearing burkas. The Burka Band released one song in 2003 called “Burka Blue,” directly calling out the Taliban for forcing Afghanistan’s citizens to wear full-body coverings in public. They recorded “Burka Blue” under Taliban control, meaning the women had to steal the recording instruments and ensure their recording location was secure under the imposed music ban. After its initial release, “Burka Blue” became popular throughout the country as the band toured around Kabul and neighboring cities, always playing anonymously. The following year, the band went into hiding, disappearing from the semi-fame they had amassed from their single. Many speculated that the women were found and then killed by the Taliban, with rumors surrounding the mysterious decision to end their protest almost as soon as they started. However, in 2005 the band released another single called “No Burka,” reviving their old musical style and continuing to call out their government leaders.

Islam, like any other religion, has factions; some Muslims

By LUKE BENANAV JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

they taunt each other while also knowing when to offer support. As the characters reminisce about their experiences, particularly when they want to form a band, Suiter and Robertson build on each other, their energy growing more animated with each exchange, showing the audience how important the friendship between KJ and Jasper is. Suiter brings remarkable depth to Jasper. She starts the play loud and angry, talking about her ex, her novel that is not moving very fast and how all of her friends are assholes, eventually knocking over a chair. When Evan walks into the scene, at first Jasper stays annoyed, but Suiter naturally transitions Jasper from angry to more caring as the first act goes on. By the end of Act One, during the Fourth of July scene, Jasper has softened, and it is clear why Evan and KJ enjoy being around her so much. Suiter then brings a stunning performance during the second act, as Jasper is silently trying to escape the Green Sheep, banging on windows, trying to get Evan and KJ’s attention, to no avail. As the audience put together the upsetting truth of Jasper’s fate, her panic became more frantic, until eventually she gave up and sat at the coffee bar dejectedly.

Robertson had fantastic comedic timing and physical acting throughout the entire production. Near the start of the show, when KJ is trying to sneeze, Robertson did not hold back, making his movements as exaggerated as possible to get the biggest laugh he could, and he succeeded. He spends most of the show as a very laid-back character, especially when compared with Evan’s pent-up nervousness.

During Act Two, however, after Jasper has died, KJ snaps

— and Robertson gives a gut wrenching performance, she bangs on the wall that is attached to the stage while saying “ladder” progressively louder and louder before collapsing and announcing that Jasper is dead. The entire audience was dead silent. There was a quiet relatability to Robertson’s portrayal of KJ — a character who gets by through acting relaxed and OK, but who has a lot of sadness buried deep.

The most unique part of this production of “The Aliens” was its immersive quality. In standard productions, the audience looks at the backyard of a coffeehouse where employees take their breaks, never seeing the inside of the coffee shop. Trin Hearth, the director of FreePlay’s show, chose to completely change where the audience sat. When they open the show, Hearth gestures to the blue wall with a big hole in it, which is in front of the stage, and reminds the audience that the hole is not really there — the audience is just peers through what should be a complete wall, and seeing conversations we would normally not be able to see. The decision to turn the show into an immersive experience elevates everything, and I cannot imagine seeing “The Aliens” any other way. When I saw the matinée, the natural light through the windows increased the immersion without overpowering the purposeful sound and lighting design that punctuated key moments in the show. Congratulations to Hearth, the actors and the production team on creating one of the most unique and relatable shows of the semester.

By SOPHIA GARCIA JUSTICE ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

follow stricter interpretations of religious texts, while others may follow more reformed versions. In terms of Islam under the Taliban control, the people of Afghanistan are forced to adhere to a stricter interpretation of the Quran. While some women were already wearing burkas for personal reasons, many citizens were not and were forced to conform under this new governmental system. Unsurprisingly, this led to resistance amongst the Afghan people, many of whom were then killed or harmed for speaking out against their government leaders. During this time period, the Taliban issued a countrywide music ban, where Taliban leaders would go through the nation destroying instruments and imposing bans on concert performances.

In February 2026, the Burka Band started to go viral on TikTok. Users started to post the clip of the women playing “Burka Blue” at an Afghan bar in Kabul. With the current political climate of conservatism on the rise, it is no surprise that a band resisting an oppressive government would resurface and make it onto a mainstream platform such as TikTok. The Burka Band is a true representation of the power the arts have and showcases the importance of fighting oppression through civil means. What is striking about The Burka Band’s newfound fame is the members’ lack of promotion of their music. Their song circulating on TikTok is purely based on the posting and reposting of others and has no connection to the band members themselves.

Notably, it is specifically this band that has blown up in the U.S. a country that in recent years has been extremely politically polarized. The Burka Band’s newfound fame in the U.S. highlights the unrest of the citizens of America. While we are a democracy, many have started to see democratic ideals stripped away from them. As politically divided as the

might be, if The Burka Band is any indication, we too can protest through the arts. The Burka Band has been such an inspiration to any person or people who have faced oppression at the hands of a government. The band is a true testament to the power behind art, showing the world that if you are to enact change within a country, you can grab a keyboard, two friends and a powerful message to spread.

ACAPPELLOOZA: A CAPELLA COLLABORATION

By ELIZA ROTHFELD JUSTICE STAFF WRITER

Acappellooza, Brandeis’ largest a capella event, was held in Schwartz 112 on Sunday, March 22, at 5:30 p.m. Organized by the Starving Artists a capella group, this showcase was the perfect look into the University’s music scene. Brandeis currently has eight a capella groups, unique not only in their name choices but also in the genres they choose to perform. Sunday’s show started with Company B, who performed three songs instead of the normal two, as it was their newbie debut. Company B is Brandeis’ oldest a capella group, established in 1984, performing classics and throwbacks since their origin. Up next was Rather Be Giraffes, otherwise known as RBG. Despite the corny jokes the emcee introduced them with, RBG’s two numbers showcased how cohesive they are as a group. Each member of the group, whether they are soloing or not, gives their all, producing wonderful songs. They first performed “Criminal,” originally performed by Fiona Apple, and soloed by Miriam Greenfield; then sang “Bite My Tongue,” originally performed by Wilt, soloed by Val Boyington ’27. RBG was a tough act for Starving Artists to follow, especially with the emcee’s hilarious hand-off of munchkins to Starving Artists in order to make them “Peckish Artists.” Starving Artists first performed “Dancing With the Devil,” originally sung by Demi Lovato, and soloed by Emily Confino-Miller ’26. Confino-Miller blew us all away with her performance, seamlessly turning the mic on when it was handed to her. While that might have been an opportunity to flail, Confino-Miller and Starving Artists demonstrated professionalism.

Their color-coordinated red and black outfits highlighted just how passionately they performed. Their closing number was a beautiful rendition of “October Sky,” originally sung by Yebba, soloed by Isi Bustos’ ’28. Receiving an exorbitant amount of applause, Starving Artists left the stage for Voicemale to enter. Voicemale is Brandeis’ only all-male a capella group. Despite performing a Maroon 5 song first and garnering many cheers, Jack Gorman’s ’27 “Zombie” by The Cranberries rendered the audience speechless. Halfway through the show at this point, Proscenium took the stage. Proscenium is Brandeis’ musical theater-focused a capella group, with both of their songs being Disney classics. Up The Octave then ran down the Schwartz stairs, first performing “Still Feeling You,” originally performed by Couch, and soloed by Sadie Crahan ’27. This performance showcased UTO’s radiant energy, which was solidified by their pop princess medley. Instead of singing only one song for their second performance, UTO arranged a combination of female pop songs. With each song, a different member got to showcase their talent, singing an excerpt from songs ranging in artists from Remi Wolfe to Chappell Roan. With only two groups left to perform, Brandeis’ Jewish a capella group Manginah blew the audience away with their performance of the Hebrew song “Kshehalev Boche,”

INSPIRING INTERVEIW

originally performed by Sarit Hadad, soloed by Allison Fuller’ ’28. Fuller’s beautiful vocals set a high bar for their second song, “Fireflies,” originally sung by Owl City, and soloed by Noam Levitt’ ’27. Finally, Too Cheap For Instruments, had their newbie debut, performing “Rain,” “Closer to Fine” and “Running With the Wolves.” Be sure to mark your calendars for some of these amazing a capella groups’ semester showcases! RBG: April 25, Starving Artists: April 19, Voicemale: April 25, UTO: April 25, Proscenium: April 29, Manginah: April 26

AcAppelloozA: behind the Mic interview with eMily confino-Miller ’26

By SOPHIA GARCIA JUSTICE ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

Acappellooza: behind the Mic interview with Emily Confino-Miller ’26

This past Sunday, March 22, eight of Brandeis’ a cappella groups performed in their annual Acappellooza event in Schwartz Hall. Brandeis has many a capella groups, ranging in styles from pop to musical theater. The Justice had the pleasure of an interview via email with Starving Artists’ Public Relations, Em ily Confino-Miller ’26. Here is what she had to say regarding Acapallooza:

The Justice: What kind of prep goes into making Acapallooza happen?

Confino-Miller: When planning Acappellooza, the biggest challenge is coordinating a date that works for all of the a cappella groups. Once the date is set, we secure a venue and organize logistics, including having each group sign up for designated soundcheck slots and coordinating with Student production se rvices to handle microphones and run soundchecks. On the day of the performance, we decorated the venue to create a lively, engaging atmosphere. I designed promotional graphics, hu ng posters, and created a detailed program that includes each group’s setlist, soloists, arrangers, and additional performance details. I also secured an emcee to introduce the show an d keep it running smoothly.

The Justice: What got you into a cappella, and how has it shaped your time at Brandeis?

Confino-Miller: I’ve been singing and writing music since I was little, and I’ve always been involved in plays and choirs. My high school didn ’t have an a cappella group, but I was obsessed with “Pitch Perfect”and “Glee” and always dreamed of being part of a close-knit group like that. When I transferred to Brandeis during my junior year, I didn’t know anyone and was really nervous about finding my people. The moment I joined Starving Artists, that completely changed. I instantly felt lik e I had found a second family. Beyond performing, these are the people I spend so much of my time with, and they’ve shaped my entire college experience. A cappella has also allowed me to bring my love for songwriting into arranging for the group, and there’s nothing cooler than hearing chords I wrote in MuseScore come to life through voices. The people in this grou p never let hard work go unseen. When you’re hanging out with friends in an a cappella group, a single word can remind someone of a song, and suddenly we’re all jumping in, making up harmonies on the spot and singing our hearts out, and there’s nothing else like it.

The Justice: What is your favorite song to perform as a group?

Confino-Miller: My favorite song to perform as a group is “Dancing With The Devil”, originally performed by Demi Lovato, because it is my senio r song! I have been singing this song ever since it was introduced to me in high school, and it is so cool being able to sing it with all of the talented members in Starving Artists!

Top 10 New York Times Games

By ELLIE JI JUSTICE LAYOUT EDITOR

SUDOKU