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Keynote speaker Bryan Stevenson, a human rights lawyer and the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, spoke to the graduating Class of 2021 about overcoming racial injustice and inequality.
Ellen Gordon '65
At its final meeting of the academic year on May 2, the Union Senate voted in favor of chartering –– and by extension, securing –– Branda as a club. This step was made possible because of a constitutional amendment, passed last week, which would add Branda to the list of nine secured clubs.
The Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center hosted a panel discussion last Friday about transformative justice, its implementation in higher education and the ways it can benefit the Brandeis community. PARC invited Brown University alumnus Camilla Pelsinger, Brown senior Izzy Acevado and social justice organizer Dara Bayer to speak about their experiences implementing the first formal transformative justice program in a U.S. institution of higher education.
This year, a committee of Student Union members gathered for the constitutional review process, which the Union holds every three years. The committee proposed a total of 33 amendments, which students voted for on April 29. President-elect Krupa Sourirajan ’23 said at the last Union Senate meeting of the academic year that the results of the voting would be released soon, though she did not specify a date.
The Psychology department released the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and General Climate survey survey on Monday, May 3 for members of the department. The survey is confidential and open to everyone within the department, including all faculty, staff and students.
Mark Brimhall-Vargas, the current Chief Diversity Officer and Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be leaving the University for a new position at Fenway Health this summer, University President Ron Liebowitz wrote in a campus-wide email on Monday, May 3.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY
On Tuesday, April 27, India reported 320,000 new COVID-19 cases and 2,771 deaths, as a second COVID-19 wave ravaged the country's healthcare system. The Indian government has responded to the crisis by restricting its own exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has had drastic repercussions on impoverished nations. Last week, President Biden defended the current ban on exports of raw materials used in vaccines in response to urgent requests to lift it, citing obligations to prioritize vaccinating the American population first. In a recent turn of events, the Biden Administration proposed a plan to export up to 60 million AstraZeneca doses to India when available, and countries such as the UK have sent ventilators and additional medical equipment to assist in navigating the catastrophe. In light of the situation, some physicians have alluded to ‘vaccine nationalism’ — when nations procure doses on behalf of national interests at the expense of other countries. How does vaccine nationalism or pandemic profiteering factor into the current nature of global and domestic vaccine distributions, if at all? Many of our own community also have loved ones in the impacted area. At a local level, how can the Brandeis administration and faculty support South Asian students at this time?
*Trigger warning: Death of Black people at the hands of police violence and white supremacy* Email note: We understand and take very seriously the heaviness of this topic, especially for our Black community members. While we believe it extremely important to continue shedding light on the atrocities of racism and state-sanctioned violence in the United States, we also recognize the need for space to heal away from constant news of this violence. We deeply appreciate any thoughts our community has the space and energy to offer at this time. Last week, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of second degree murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter for murdering George Floyd after violently detaining him on May 25, 2020. Given the ongoing police brutality against Black people in the United States, what do the results of this trial mean for the fight to achieve racial justice? What kind of cultural, legal and policy changes are necessary to achieve racial justice in the United States?
The African Diaspora Cluster hosted the second annual M. Jacqui Alexander Lecture in African Diaspora Studies on Tuesday, April 6. Benjamin Talton, an associate professor of History at Temple University, gave a talk titled “Black Power, Human Rights and Humanitarianism in Africa and the US.” His lecture was drawn from his recently published book, “In This Land of Plenty: Mickey Leland and Africa in American Politics.”
Every year, Brandeis survivors and allies gather to raise awareness and strengthen solidarity among individuals impacted by sexual violence — to “Take Back the Night.” This year, the event took place virtually on Thursday, April 15, rather than in its traditional form of being an in-person community march.
The Student Union Senate unanimously passed all five of the bylaw amendments that Senator Joseph Coles ’22 and Union Director of Residential Living Nancy Zhai ’22 proposed at the previous week’s meeting.
The state of Massachusetts opened COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 years of age or older on April 19. Assistant Provost for Strategic Initiatives Morgen Bergman sent an email to all Brandeis students on April 16 announcing an on-campus COVID-19 vaccine clinic. The clinic was organized with the University’s pharmaceutical partner, PelMeds Community Pharmacy, located in Waltham. The clinic took place in the Zinner Forum, located within the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, on April 22 and 23, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to an email sent to the Brandeis community by Provost Carol Fierke and Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Stew Uretsky.
Though there were no club recognitions, charters or decharters, the April 11 Senate meeting was still full of activity, being just one of the few meetings from this semester to run the full two hours. The meeting was broken down into four blocks, during which University administrators were invited to answer questions submitted by senators — a deviation from the standard meeting procedure.
Brandeis Hillel, a Jewish club on campus, organized an in-person event in celebration of the 73rd Israel Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, on April 15 in Fellows Garden.
Executive Senator Joseph Coles ’22 and Director of Residential Life Nancy Zhai ’22 proposed a combined total of five bylaw amendments at the April 18 Union Senate meeting. The amendments were proposed in conjunction with the review of the Union Constitution, which Coles said is “going well.”
Five senator positions and three representative positions, with a total of 10 seats, were open in the second round of Student Union elections this semester. Students voted on April 21, and Secretary Alex Park ’22 held a debate between the candidates on April 18. Park announced the results on April 22.
The University is in the process of replacing its student information system, Sage, with Workday Student. As with Sage, faculty, students and staff will use Workday Student to access and manage student information regarding class enrollment, grades and more. Workday Student is launching in phases: the Workday platforms of Human Resources, Finance and Payroll launched in summer 2019; the basic structure for Workday Student launched in fall 2020; class registration and advising will be made available in April and May; financial information will be available this summer and all remaining features will go live in fall 2021. As of April 20, Workday Student is available for students to use to manage their personal information. Student information will remain in Sage up to the 2021 summer semester, so students will access Sage to look up spring 2021 course grades and access Workday Student to apply for fall 2021 classes. By fall 2021, the University will have fully transitioned to Workday Student, and Sage will no longer be necessary.