Most of 2001 was all but forgotten in the aftermath of the events of September 11th of that year, and in many ways, 2002 was defined by the recovery from 2001.
Students returned to campus last January to discover a laboratory in Kalman had been closed over winter break due to fears that anthrax from an experiment had contaminated the building. The city of Waltham investigated Brandeis in Sept. 2002 to determine if it was properly storing hazardous materials, such as anthrax.
The University introduced a course on September 11th for the Spring 2002 semester -- the first of its kind at an American university. On the anniversary of the terrorist attacks, students participated in various events in between classes to memorialize the day.The near-closing of Deaconess-Waltham hospital, the closest hospital to the Brandeis campus, caused student concern, as it was to increase dramatically the time needed to transport a patient from Brandeis to a hospital. Students became active in supporting the hospital, but its closing seemed certain in January. By March, however, CareGroup, the owner of Deaconess-Waltham, had agreed to sell the hospital to the Coalition to Save Waltham Hospital, a non-profit group. The hospital was then renamed Waltham Hospital.

Local politics affected Brandeis students in another way last year, as two Massachusetts gubernatorial candidates with strong Brandeis affiliations emerged. Robert Reich, a Heller School professor, and Steven Grossman, former chair of the Board of Trustees, both vied for the Democratic nomination. Grossman later dropped out and Reich finished second to Beacon Hill insider Shannon O'Brien in the Democratic primary.

The most important on-campus political event of the year was the Union Senate's referendum to eliminate Kraft and other Phillip Morris-owned products from Dining Services. The election had an unusually large turnout of 1,549 voters. The referendum lost by a razor-thin margin of only 21 votes. "I found the vote disenheartening," 2001-02 Student Union President Josh Peck '02 said.

A Union Judiciary (UJ) case decided Feb. 8 established that students may not run for Student Union positions while abroad. The UJ found unanimously that "appellants will not meet what we find to be the full-time students standard of inauguration." At the same time, rumblings of a large debate about the Student Activities Fund (SAF) began when the University took over the distribution of checks to SAF organizations from the Union Treasurer. In May, the University began a review process -- yet to be completed -- to revise the SAF system.

By far the most compelling thing to occur in the ongoing SAF debate was the discovery in September of more than $100,000 in undistributed money that
accumulated in an off-campus Senate account over several years. The senate had simply put extra "rollover" money in the account every year, a practice that many on campus called into question.

In March, the Brandeis Debate Team attempted to gain SAF funding and join the Waltham Group, the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps, the Watch, Archon, the Justice and WBRS. They failed in their bid to become the newest campus group with secured funds. Nov. 22, however, another group, Brandeis Television (BTV), succeeded in gaining SAF funding. The television station managed to win a referendum to gain the Watch's portion of the SAF. The Watch was considered defunct but later reorganized.

Acts of intolerance marred the campus on two occasions in 2002. In April, at the beginning of Christian Awareness Week, two of three crosses set up by the organizers of the week were taken down by unknown parties and were never returned. In late September, anti-Arab flyers were placed on the Rabb steps and anti-gay graffiti was discovered in East Quad.

At a meeting of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee in April, a motion to raise the grade point average required for Dean's List honors to 3.67 was tabled. This discussion, however, sparked a new debate on campus about grade inflation. Professor Jacob Cohen (AMST) was not among those worried about the rising trend. "The same kids are here today as were here yesterday," he said. "They were a pleasure to teach and they still are."

In early October, the Shapiro Campus Center, plagued by delays, officially opened in a gala ceremony. As soon as students arrived on campus in September, many nicknamed it "The Green Monster," due to its distinctive color. The building, though now in everyday use, remains incomplete. Construction of a new dormitory for upperclassmen near Ziv and Ridgewood Quads began in June. These large construction projects have occurred while the University faces difficult financial circumstances. In the past year, the University budget has already been cut twice.

Students wishing to study abroad in the current semester were disappointed in November when an unprecedented number of students' petitions were rejected. The University said it was applying more stringent standards, but after both students and faculty complained that they had not been forewarned, the University reversed almost all of its rejections.

Although the current semester just began, there are already many active plans. Over 350 students have signed a petition stating they are opposed to any forthcoming war with Iraq and will walk out of classes in protest following the first day of fighting. Changes have been made in the club chartering system, starting a debate. This has led to the first community forum of the semester being held this Thursday. The new dormitory will be open this fall, housing upperclassmen. And, of course, this is only the beginning.