Approximately one year after last fall's "Men's Room" incident, many members of the Brandeis community say that no widespread action has been successfully taken to promote diversity. The few lines spoken by the hosts of WBRS's the "Men's Room" rocked the students, faculty and administrators of the University for many weeks, and have left an impact that still resonates one year later. The anti-Asian and misogynistic remarks were interpreted by many as a sign of ignorance and intolerance on campus. Although immediate action and gradual administrative change were evidently enforced, the success of these measures remains a source of disagreement.
The University reacts

Aside from energizing the campus with debate, the "Men's Room" incident led to immediate action by student-run organizations, including the Intercultural Center (ICC), Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR) and Students for a Just Society (SJS). These student-run groups held forums to build coalitions, increase diversity and promote tolerance on campus. One forum on stereotyping was given by Cindy Cohen, the current director of the Peace and Coexistence Program. Assistant Dean of Student Life Alwina Bennett hosted another forum, live on WBRS during the "Men's Room" time slot.

"After the (WBRS incident) happened, there was a discussion that we don't have many role models or people of color (in the faculty)," Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said.

The administrative reaction came mainly in the form of a diversity task force, appointed by University President Jehuda Reinharz, that consisted of faculty, administrators and students. According to Sawyer, "the committee is educational but also reactive in nature. It's a committee to talk about what's happened and a place where people who are upset could have gone and given their responses and be given University advice with comprehensive abilities."

Early this fall, the committee published a lengthy report on diversity titled, "The Brandeis Experience: Embracing Diversity." According to Student Union Communications Director Marci Surkes '03, the report has been made available in hard copy to students upon request at the Student Union office and library.



Reinharz said he has"read the report carefully, made some decisions and (has) already implemented many recommendations."

Surkes said the most "significant change that has come about as a result of the ... Diversity Report was the promotion of Rev. Nathaniel Mays to the position of Assistant Dean of Students and Diversity Coordinator.

Another consequence of both the report and the WBRS incident has been the intensified "recruitment of a more diverse group of students," Reinharz said. In addition, most of the senior administration has been provided with diversity training, a practice that Reinharz said he hopes to extend to other parts of the University. Also, he said he will "move to appoint someone to manage the Intercultural Center." He said he desires to "add to the vitality and diversity of the campus by redoubling our effort, as we have always done, but hopefully with more success."

According to WBRS general manager Mark Brescia '04, the radio station also implemented appropriate policy changes. He said that "the talk shows are monitored much more strictly," adding "there is no censorship ... people are just more aware of what they can say."

Disagreement over success of implemented measures

Despite the numerous implemented changes, both students and administrators remain unsure that their effects have been significant. "I think where we are now isn't a direct response to what happened last year," Sawyer said.

Addressing the Diversity Report, ICC co-chair Shalwah Evans '05 said, "It is a good start to remedying the problems we are facing concerning diversity on campus, but it is only a start."

ICC co-chair Bryan Jung '04 expressed much stronger dissatisfaction with the University's measures. "I definitely find it unfortunate that the President doesn't do more than just publish reports," he said. "The University didn't become more caring ... and it is disheartening to admit that there isn't enough pro-activeness."

Similarity, SJS core committee member Jocelyn Berger '03 said, "I'm not sure any difference has really been achieved. Although apparently this is the first year that the incoming class is not more that 50 percent Jewish, so that says something about an increasing interest in diversity."

Reinharz said he feels the University approached the issue "quickly and aggressively. My feeling is that the administration is deeply concerned with this issue and will not tolerate any degradation of students on campus."

A look at the Men's Room incident from within

Lex Friedman '02, who was one of the hosts of the Men's Room, said he looks back on the incident with remorse for his words and sympathy for the offended members of the Brandeis community. "While my life's goal is to make people laugh, my legacy at Brandeis is as a guy who made people cry," Friedman said.

The intense reaction to the Men's Room was prompted by an e-mail sent out by Jung from the Brandeis Asian American Student Association (BAASA) to Reinharz and later forwarded to a wide list of student recipients, Friedman said. Friedman said Jung quoted many words that had not been said on the air, but added he doesn't "think Bryan's e-mail exaggerated what happened maliciously. Bryan was hurt and angry and in a passion from the comments on our show. He misquotes extensively and that set the tone for how our remarks were perceived."

"To my knowledge and to the extent of numerous people who heard the tapes, my e-mail was accurate," Jung said. He added, "Regardless of the way I framed my e-mail, it is without a doubt that these comments were offensive, racist and stereotypical."

The subsequent reaction, according to Friedman, included campus wide e-mails about the incident, "an approved e-mail from a student group to urge administrators to expel us" and a "petition from two English professors whom I've never met and who've never met me, who hadn't listened to a tape of the show and hadn't spoken to anyone involved, signed by their students and calling for our expulsion."

Within a week of the incident, Friedman said the hosts sent out an e-mail apology and addressed the students directly on the three-hour forum with Bennett. Friedman said apologizing was not a way to avoid further trouble, but a judgment on the nature of the comments. "Humor is about making people laugh. I know for a fact that people were amused who heard the show live ... but I also know just as well that at least one person was hurt by what we said. Humor doesn't have to hurt."

In response a column, "Political Correctness in Brandeis," by Yana Litovsky, published in the Justice on April 30, 2002, which referred to the reaction to the incident as "a lot of hoopla over nothing," Friedman said he sympathized with the shocked reaction of the Brandeis community. "The hoopla was about a serious issue," Friedman said. But, "in a race to prove that we (the hosts) were wrong, there wasn't any emphasis placed on what was right. That's the 'nothing,' the sad fact about the hoopla. It achieved little other than headlines, in my view."

According to Reinharz, "after listening to students who did the program, I think they truly believe they were being funny ... and didn't realize how much they were hurting other people. It was a case of poor judgment."

Brandeis reflects on past and looks toward future

In reaction to how the University responded to the incident, Reinharz said "I'm sure these things will happen from time to time, but we're better able to deal with them. We can't control every action and non-action on this campus."

According to Reinharz, the anti-Arab and anti-homosexual flyers posted earlier this year are further examples of intolerant incidents. "It was alarming and inappropriate," Sawyer said, but added that things will fall into place once Mays officially fills his position.

Jung said one result of the WBRS incident was an increase in ICC's pro-activeness. He said this is visible in the frequency of forums held on issues such as the anti-gay and anti-Arab flyers.

For Berger, the Men's Room incident "was a wake up call as to the implicit racism so many of us contain, no matter how enlightened we consider ourselves." She said she urges Brandeis to "rise above political correctness and start confronting these very real and often painful issues."

Looking to the future, Reinharz said he hopes to continue the University's measures for increasing tolerance and diversity. "New classes are coming in every year.

We hope to educate on the culture of the campus," Reinharz said. He referred to the Mosaic program initiated during this year's orientation as an effort to expose the

incoming class to diversity as a result of the issues of last spring, and added "there is still a lot to learn.