More than 75 students attended a viewing of two short films about the history of activism at Brandeis last Tuesday. Produced by Seth Bernstein '06, the films featured Brandeis professors and alumni speaking on a variety of campus historical events, including the takeover of Ford Hall, protests of the Vietnam War and the movement to divest from South Africa during apartheid.

The event, designed to educate students about the University's unique history of social and political activism, was part of the "Boost Brandeis" spirit week. The films were followed by a discussion with chair of the sociology department Prof. Gordon Fellman, who offered his recollections to the crowd in the Lown Auditorium.

Fellman has been at Brandeis since the 1960's and organized anti-war rallies during the Vietnam era and more recently, for the war in Iraq.

Fellman spoke about an incident involving 14 Brandeis students who were arrested by Waltham police officers for blocking the entrance to campus in protest of the University Board of Trustee's refusal to divest from South Africa.

Though 10 of the students plead guilty and had the charges waived, four refused to admit any wrongdoing. They were brought to court by the University. Fellman was one of two professors who testified at the trial in defense of the students' actions.

"In [the students'] research, they found something called the 'necessity defense,'" Fellman said. "Their argument was that they'd done everything they could do to get Brandeis to divest, so they had to protest and block the entrance."

Fellman expressed pride in the students for constructing a case persuasive enough to convince the jury to render a verdict of not guilty.

"Afterwards, we had a party," Fellman said.

The films showcased an abundance of FBI documentation of campus events.

"Basically, the FBI did most of the research for me," said Bernstein, who obtained the information through the Freedom of Information Act.

"During the 60's, the FBI was very active at Brandeis," Bernstein said. "Every student meeting, rally and event is documented in their files, including who was there and what was said. However, all names in the documents were blacked out to protect people's identities."

The end of the discussion focused on today's activists and Fellman was asked if he felt the work done by his generation was for naught in light of the current war in Iraq. In response, Fellman said, "Today, the press is more controlled. The Globe used to inflate the numbers of protesters at a rally while now it deflates them. It is much more compliant."

Fellman said he remains optimistic about the future.

"It took years for the Vietnam anti-war movement to get off the ground. But you have to have small groups of 20 and 40 before you can get hundreds of thousands."

He urged young student leaders to remain hopeful and engaged despite the struggles they face.

Boost Brandeis week was sponsored by the Roosevelt Fellows and the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and First Year Services. It was a weeklong affair of programs to foster school spirit and to educate about the history of social activism at Brandeis.

"I think this week was a success," Roosevelt Fellow Loretta Stein '06 said. "I hope it inspires students to check out the archives and speak to their professors about their experiences at Brandeis. And I hope that Boost Brandeis Week will become a tradition for years to come.