On Oct. 15, the next "activist initiative" at Brandeis University will take place. Students for a Just Society (SJS) will launch a school-wide campaign to bring Fair-Trade Coffee to Cholmondleys. Fair-trade coffee ensures that the people who grow the coffee beans do not get financially short-ended in the exchange. In return for their patronage, customers receive a product of sustainable farming, a method which is not destructive to the environment.The campaign for Fair-Trade Coffee will be the next initiative in line by Students for a Just Society (SJS) after last spring's Kraft Referendum. "It (the Kraft Referendum) represented the highest voter turnout. It was an excellent opportunity of debate and discussion," Student Union President Ben Brandzel '03 said.

Importance of Activism
While some Brandeis students say they see these initiatives to create social or political change as excessive, since its inception, Brandeis has had a long-standing history of activism, and many activists here stress its importance.

Professor Brian Donahue (AMST) was an undergraduate student in the 1970's during the occupation of Pearlman Hall to keep the Transitional Year Program(TYP). "The students occupied Pearlman Hall in order to keep the administration from the eliminating the TYP Program."

Donahue said the faculty voted to keep the program and because of these protests, classes were shut-down for a week. "There was a lot of implicit faculty support."
"College presents us with a remarkable opportunity where we don't have responsibilities beyond the minimal things . we have the leisure to be activists," SJS Core Committee member, Jocelyn Berger '03 said.

Communications Director of the Student Union Government, Marci Surkes '03, who is also a member of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA), agreed. "(College) is the time of your life you have to give so selflessly . the lessons you learn in college outside the classroom are the real lessons."

Others say activism is important because current students are going to be the future leaders of our country or our world, and will be able and expected to enable positive change. "We are the future of our country . if we stand up for what we believe in, then we can progress as people and as individuals," President of the Brandeis Black Student Organization Justin Moore '04 said.

Moore also said he believes when people at Brandeis graduate, they will have to learn to speak up. "A couple of years when we graduate and are in the real world, we can't be silent because the country rests on our shoulders."

Others say it is important to be activists because the reputation of a Brandeis student is generally that of a middle to upper-middle class person who has had ample privileges growing up, and is now ready to give back what the world gave them. "As someone from an upper class family, I feel I need to give back to people who are less fortunate," SJS Core Committee member Paul Adler '04 said. Adler also added that his interest in history has fostered his desire to become more active in issues of globalization. "I'm very interested in history and that lends itself to being an activist." He said he feels people become passionate about activism and proactive organizations as a result of prior interests and concerns.

History of activism at Brandeis
Several events call to mind Brandeis' activist history. For example, the national protest for the Vietnam War was held in Pearlman Lounge.
"A passion of social justice has run through this university since its inception. We draw on our legacy of our past as a source of learning, but it's our activities in the present and the commitments to the future that excite me," Brandzel '03 said.

Others said the rich history of activism is a motivation for current students to live up to. "What people are doing now is they are trying to maintain the goals and the achievements of the '60s," Moore said.

"The '50s were not a globally minded activist time . and we're now coming back into a period of renewed activism" former coordinator of Triskelon, Noah Branman '03 said.

But others said they feel they don't pay attention to the history. "We have a large tradition (of activism), but we only think about that for a second and then move onto current issues," Adler said.

However, some concur that Brandeis' history of activism is not prevalent. "Brandeis has a rich history of activism . but Brandeis doesn't do a good job advertising it," Berger said.

Adler said he agreed that people do not truly know all the history of activism at Brandeis. "A lot of times when people talk about the activist tradition of Brandeis, they can't tell you what's going on," Adler said.

Students display apathy
Berger said today, many at Brandeis are apathetic to some social and political issues going on, and that poor advertising is part of the problem. "There's a rich tradition of activism on campus and at large in Brandeis' history, but it's not very publicized."

Others, however, said they feel the only way to get apathetic students involved is if they have a chance to make a proactive initiative, as opposed to sitting in a meeting or engaging in a debate. For example, the Oxfam America Click Drive, which Brandzel organized last year began at Brandeis University, and by clicking on their computer screen, they were able to take a small step in combating world hunger.

"When you worked on the Click Drive, you really felt like you were getting something done . You didn't just talk about getting something done," Adler said.
Adler said he feels what distinguished the Click Drive from other activist initiatives was that people actually took a proactive stance. He emphasized that the discussion based atmosphere of many of the activist initiatives is among the main causes of student apathy.

"I think the best way to get people involved is you've got to bring it [the issue] home to people. They have to have a personal stake in what they're fighting for," Brandzel said. Brandzel also emphasized that student activists must bring their causes to other people in order to get the whole community involved in a campaign.
Still, others say they agree that inside, everyone is an activist. "If you are not a proactive activist, you are learning, seeing and absorbing something (here at Brandeis) . you take away lessons that you learn subconsciously," Surkes said.

Future of activism
"I think activism is bound to increase and get more effective because the times are changing and there is a lot more contention in the world, and there is a lot more issues to be taken up at Brandeis and beyond," Branman said.

Surkes said she feels one of the most positive aspects of activism at Brandeis is the presence of constant debate, and it's the constructive arguments during these discussions that really bring the issues of activism to the plate. "For every opinion, there is a counter-opinion, and that's the most special thing because when you are forced to re-examine your position, you really ascertain your position," Surkes said.

Moore also agreed that here, students can voice their opinions or gripes without feeling defeated by someone's counterargument. "If you have a gripe on campus, someone will hear you out. They won't shoot down your ideas."

Brandzel, however, feels that since Brandeis is an institution, which prides itself on social justice, the university must maintain that standard. "Institutionally, we ought to position ourselves as an institution uniquely committed to social action and social justice."

Of the four pillars that President Jehuda Reinharz emphasizes: Jewish-sponsored non-sectarian, academic excellence, and social justice, "it's that social justice pillar that really stands out," Brandzel said.