The dedication of a plaque in memory of Mark Chopelas, who died last March during construction of the Village Residence Hall, has been postponed until a date to be determined in the spring.The dedication, originally scheduled for Dec. 7 2003, needed to be rescheduled due to a production delay at HonorCraft, the company chosen to create the plaque. Heavy snow on the scheduled date also would have impeded the completion of the ceremony as planned.

Adam Herman '04, executive assistant for Union affairs, has been working closely with the University and Chopelas' brother, Thomas, in planning this event, designed to commemorate the life of Mark Chopelas and his contribution to the University.

"I think it's a really special way to remember someone who unfortunately lost their life building something really great for Brandeis students, improving the lives of Brandeis students," Herman said.

Since the delay, the plaque has been completed and is already in place for the dedication. It rests at the base of a tree planted in memory of Chopelas, embedded within a stone.

The delay derived from the detailed process of making the plaque, described by Herman as "a multi-step process," requiring the acquisition of a stone, sandblasting and inscribing the plaque.

A date will now be chosen, likely a Saturday or Sunday, in order to accommodate family and all those hoping to attend the ceremony.

A large turnout is expected, comprised both of those who knew Chopelas and also those who simply know of him and the life he led.

"We're all looking forward to it," Thomas said, "and we (the family) might have several people going down for the dedication...I'm talking about a busload."

Herman anticipates the event to be "a small gathering of family and student leaders" and said that the event will be open to the entire Brandeis community. Herman approximated that Chopelas' funeral had been attended by possibly as many as a 1,000 people.

Thomas expressed warm anticipation of the ceremony and conviction about the importance of the plaque to his family.

"To have a plaque, the way it was done by the students, is really nice," Chopelas said. "It's something really important for my mother. His name is there, and it shows that he worked there... It's going to make her feel good. Twenty years from now, people will see the name and remember."

Executive Vice President Peter French also expressed the hope of all those in the Brandeis community that the memorial would be a fitting means to remember Chopelas.

"The University...and all of us at the University just really regret that this terrible accident happened," French said. "We have expressed our deepest sympathy to Mark's family, and ... we very much support the memorial that has been established here on campus with the plaque."

The memorial on campus is just one of a number of plans taken by Chopelas' community regarding the commemoration of his life.

Herman said he is coordinating with the Vice President for marketing at Berry & Son Construction Carolyn Miller to help Chopelas' former colleagues connect to Brandeis' commemorative activities.

In addition, the Chopelas family has founded the Mark S. "Choppa" Chopelas Youth Benefit Fund, which helps give back to organizations and groups that Chopelas had been involved in or supported.

During its last fundraiser in May, the Fund raised more than $11,000, just from friends, family, and residents in Chopelas' hometown of Malden. All money raised has been given back to people of the city of Malden, such as the youth basketball league in which Chopelas was a coach.

$5,000 has also been donated to Malden High School, which has gone toward the purchase of two heart defribulators. Brandeis contributed $2,000 to the fund, and William A. Berry & Son contributed $2,500.

The dispute between Berry & Son and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regarding fines amounting to $46,200 has not yet been settled, according to Ted Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for OSHA. These fines were imposed as a result of what OSHA perceived to be a lack of adequate safety precautions.

French said that as of Dec. 8, OSHA had revised its violation and imposed a lesser fine of $36,960 for failing to require a supervisor "to see that a safety harness was worn." In addition, French said that Berry & Son had already trained all of its supervisors prior to the deadline that has been set by OSHA.

French added that Brandeis itself has played no part in this dispute and that it would continue to consider the company in the future just as it would any other company, taking into account safety record.

"In the future, Berry may be considered," French said. "Construction is an inherently dangerous activity, and accidents happen all the time. Unfortunately, in this case, we had a very tragic outcome.