Month: October 2016

My second story idea for the video project is to focus on Brandeis’ a cappella groups.  There are many a cappella groups on campus, and the audition process to be in them is selective.  Students go through try outs and call backs, ultimately hoping to land a coveted spot in the group of their choice.  I could interview students who recently went through the selection process on that procedure, as well as how they are enjoying the group they have been placed in.  I could also interview group leaders on the exclusivity of the system, on their practice and performance schedules, and on the sense of community and culture within different groups.  It could be interesting to compare the differing cultures that have emerged in different groups.  A cappella often has movement incorporated, in addition to the obvious musical components of their performances.

For many freshman students college is an in-between point bridging high school and the adult world.  For Brandeis freshman Tal Richtman college is simply the next step in his life, as he has already spent years as a leader in the Israeli Army, as well as in the Israeli Scouts Movement.  Tal came to Brandeis in order to futher his education, but soon realized that his strong leadership qualities made him a natural fit for the class of 2020 senator, leading him to run for office so that he can apply the skills he gained in his military service to his life here at Brandeis.

For my video project I plan on focusing on a few of Brandeis’ women’s club sports teams, theoretically soccer, lacrosse and rugby.  Lacrosse and rugby have encountered a lot of trouble with recruitment, and with maintaining enough players to not forfeit games, let alone to win them.  Soccer however has a surplus of players, so I think it could be interesting to explore any contrasting recruitment methods, or why those girls chose not to play the other two sports.  I could potentially interview the captains of these teams, or senior members.  This could prove interesting, as they could speak to numbers in past years.  I also could speak to a friend of mine who is on all three teams, and the differences she notices between the teams.  These teams are all full of girls who are passionate about their respective sports (or several as some girls play on multiple teams), but who are facing a challenge in what is for many of them their final season, as they are unable to gain enough players to stand a fighting chance.  Whether this is due to the markedly technical aspects of the sport such as in lacrosse, or the intimidatingly aggressive nature of the game such as in rugby, it will be interesting to see if these sports could benefit from any recruitment methods that soccer used.  Another fascinating storyline could be exploring what drew specific interview subjects to play the respective sports over each other.