Deis student heads to Taiwan for world roller skating championships

Wei Sum Li 10, straightens her computer screen and presses play on a video;

suddenly a group of skaters are moving in perfect synchronization across a rink. However, instead of the ice that one might expect, the skaters are gliding effortlessly across a hardwood surface.

Li has the video stored on her hard drive because, like the skaters on the screen, she is a member of a competitive artistic roller skating team.

Its like ice skating, but warmer, she joked.

Letter to the editor: Guns off Campus

Dear Editor,

As a parent of a Brandeis student (Myka Held '09), I have examined with interest the various viewpoints on the decision to arm the Brandeis police. I was especially struck, however, by the words of Chrissy Callahan (Give the Police a Chance, Nov. 9), daughter of Public Safety Director Ed Callahan, who primarily opined that the Brandeis police are family-oriented, hardworking, serious and dedicated men and women. Ms. Callahan seems to have missed the debate on campus – a debate that strikes at the heart of the Brandeis environment.

X-country season ends with strong showing at DIII Championships

The Mens and Womens Cross Country teams finished off their seasons strong this weekend, as they traveled to New London Connecticut for the All-New England Division III Championships. The weather was less than perfect, as each runner had to contend with wind and low temperatures. Nevertheless, both squads were able to place at the top of the pack and had standout individual performances as well. The Men came in 9th place out of a field of 47 teams. This is a good showing for the Judges, a reflection on an entire season of training. The Women were also able to place high, ending up in 18th place.

$350 million man

As we enter the 2007 off-season for Major League Baseball, we are confronted with many questions. But perhaps none has more economic implications than Alex Rodriguez and his agent Scott Boras quest for a 350 million dollar contract. During the final game of the World Series, Boras announced that Rodriguez would opt out of his historic 250 million dollar contract with the New York Yankees to seek a new deal. It was later reported that Boras demanded an offer of 350 million from the Yankees in order to get Rodriguez to the table before opting out. With several teams rumored to be interested in Rodriguez, namely the Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, and Angels, it is possible a bidding war could result in the epic contract. But can it actually happen?

Identity crisis for Englands Premier

Perhaps its because Im one of those soccer geeks, but I completely agree with FIFAs move to limit the number of non-British players Premier League teams can field. Many years of watching soccer has convinced me that the balance of teams has gotten out of hand. That's why rules to regulate the number of players in a starting line-up is crucial.

In most ways the game has changed for the better over the past few years. But its one big loss is that few teams – particularly the big ones – now truly represent the town or city in which their stadium stands. They have become international companies whose owners and players often have little or no real connection with England, let alone the locality.

Innocence Week comes to Brandeis

This past week, the Innocence Club hosted a series of three events as part of Innocence Week, in order to better inform the Brandeis community about wrongful convictions.

As a nationwide organization the Innocent Project uses groundbreaking use of DNA technology to free innocent people, according the organizations mission statement. Closely affiliated with Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the Innocence Projects goal is nothing less than to free the staggering numbers of innocent people who remain incarcerated.

Open Process resolution defeated at Union meeting

A Student Union resolution for a more open process in the administrations decision making about controversial issues was defeated on Sunday night, causing some members of Students Opposing the Decision to Arm to express a lack of confidence in the Union.

The resolution, submitted by North Quad Senator Kaamila Mohamed 11, Class of 2008 Senator Darren Gallant, and Senator-at-Large Jessica Blumberg 09, said when controversial or highly contested issues are brought forth to the campus, a committee should be formed to actively engage the Student Body and gather opinions and concerns on those issues.

Union Senator works to bring Zipcars to campus

Class of 2008 Senator Asher Tanenbaum has begun efforts to bring Zipcar, the car sharing progam, to Brandeis. In order to gauge student interest, Tanenbaum will conduct a survey within the next few weeks.

We will go from there and if it is a very positive response it will go a long way towards implementing Zipcar at Brandeis, Tanenbaum wrote in an email.

Two candidates run for open Union Secretary spot

Candidates Nelson Rutrick 09 and Tia Chatterjee 09 began campaigns for the position of Student Union Secretary on Monday. The special elections, called in response to the former Union Secretarys resignation, will open for its primary round on Nov. 18. If necessary, a final round will open Tuesday Nov. 20.

Former secretary Michael Goldman 08 resigned Nov. 1 citing irreconcilable differences with the Executive Board over policies regarding arming campus police and the apparent illegality of the Racial Minority Senator position, as published in the Nov. 2 issue of The Hoot. Special elections for the position of secretary were announced in an email sent out Nov. 6 to the entire student body.

Holocaust survivor speaks at Kristallnacht ceremony

Sidney Finkel, a Holocaust survivor, recounted his experiences as a child in Nazi Europe Sunday at Hillels Holocaust Remembrance Committees Kristallnacht Commemoration ceremony. His address was the culmination of a weekends worth of events hosted by Hillel that memorialized the Holocaust.

Finkel, 75, spoke about the progression of anti-Semitism during his boyhood in Poland, which reached its pinnacle with the systematic mass extermination of Jews. According to Finkel, anti-Semitism had been manifested in more passive aggressive means [before Kristallnacht or the night of broken glass]…after Kristallnacht, Nazis began to bully [the Jews. This]eventually led to the Final Solution.