Last week, this board advised the University to adopt a new task force addressing the issue of sexual assault at Brandeis. We outlined a plan for a coalition of students and staff, including Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Specialist Sheila McMahon and Prof. Rani Neutill (ENG), who would advise administrators on how best to prevent sexual assault at our University so that untrained student activists and administrators would not be required to generate solutions for this complex issue.

However, after publishing the editorial, we were informed that a coalition similar to the one we recommended already exists. It was established in May as a coalition of members from the Violence Against Women Act grant writing committee and a subcommittee of the University Advisory Council whom the Provost’s office charged with investigating sexual assault at Brandeis. It is called the Task Force for Sexual Assault Responses, Services, and Prevention. McMahon, when she returns from leave, will chair the group. The interim chairs of the task force are Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs Kim Godsoe and Assistant Vice President for Health and Wellness and Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa ’90. In an email to the Justice, Ava Blustein ’15 explained that the task force meets three times each semester, and a follow-up email from Sousa explained that task force members include administrators like Dean of Students Jamele Adams, faculty such as Prof. Bernadette Brooten (NEJS) and two students, Kyle Brenner ’15 and Victoria Jonas ’15.

First and foremost, this editorial board apologizes to our readership and to the members of the task force. The editorial published last week was fundamentally flawed, and for no reason other than our own sheer oversight. We thank Blustein for pointing out our errors. As a newspaper, we are held accountable by our readership, and being informed of errors helps us to better perform our service of informing the community and generating a marketplace of discourse. 

This board would like to praise the work being done by the Task Force. In the two meetings they have held thus far, the group has reviewed proposals from BSASV and its two parent committees and subdivided into groups focused on campus policies, environment and education. This shows remarkable efficiency and dedication, as the group is aiming to make significant progress by the spring. Additionally, the wide diversity of staff and administrators ensures that this group is addressing the problem of sexual assault from multiple angles. University Police Lieutenant Bette Reilley, Title IX Coordinator Linda Shinomoto and Executive Director of Health and Wellness Michael LaFarr are all members of the committee, to name a few examples. 

This wide spread of experiences and backgrounds ensures the problem is being addressed from many different perspectives.

However, we do ask that the Task Force do more in the future to publicize its work and inform students of their liaisons on the force. Students should know whom to approach about having their opinions and ideas voiced before this critical group. Yet, this board applauds the work of the Task Force in fighting sexual assault at the University. We hope that it will continue its excellent work ethic in advocating for this critical cause.