To the Editor: After having had some conversations with members of both SDR and the Justice I feel as though I must express some concerns over the interview with SDR. When I read this article I thought, "Oh no, they didn't do this," in reference to the Justice, as I had already spoken to members of SDR. I still feel that perhaps this article would have best been left unprinted but such is not the case. Perhaps this can be a lesson to us all in stepping back, asking a few more questions and really considering the effects of printing such articles in the future.

My concern lies not in what SDR said; I believe that while perhaps inappropriate publicly, this talk was the type of talk between friends who understand that it does not have the prejudicial undertones some might take from it in a more public forum. I believe that SDR did not mean harm by their comments, and probably would have been more than pleased to have kept them to themselves. The fact of the matter is that these words became public and that can be a dangerous thing. I say this because I worry about the message that gets sent to people who actually feel prejudice and hatred towards those who some of these comments were about. By seeing such words and phrases in the paper these people may think that our community finds this as proper public speech, having a place in the community. Additionally, they may believe that we do not condemn such words towards queer people and women. We must be ever vigilant to ensure that we do not encourage hatred towards minorities on campus and stand by ideals of a safe, welcoming and accepting community.

Additionally, as the newspaper of the student body, I worry what message this sends to those who are not yet out or comfortable with their sexuality. They may feel that they are better off hidden as they will not have to be exposed to such words and feelings. If we are truly an open campus we will do everything in our power to encourage the opposite ideas.

Lastly, I must think of those who are not yet a part of our community. As a prospective student or parent reads an article such as the SDR interview they will wonder what kind of community we actually have here. Like it or not, they will believe that something that is printed represents the beliefs of a larger portion of campus than is true in reality. These prospectives may not just worry because they are queer, but simply because they will wonder if Brandeis is truly the place for them regardless of who they are. The Justice is a piece of the face of Brandeis, representing us beyond the bubble of this institution.
While I hope that nothing bad comes from this article or the implications it has, I ask that the Justice and all of us at Brandeis consider public actions and the effects they have on our community. If we fail to take on this responsibility we will be unable to create the community we hope for here at Brandeis.

-- Noah Branman '03