About 15 students convened outside the Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center to protest high tuition costs and the University's compensation practices on Thursday, Feb. 13.

Amid winter storm conditions, protesters held signs saying "Blatant Inequality," "Education minus Capitalism is Equality" and "Where's the 'social justice' in Jehuda's 4.9 Million," while shouting chants like "Fair Pay Today" and "Freeze Tuition."
Last November, an article in the Boston Globe highlighting University President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz's salary and benefits sparked concern and outrage over administrative compensation at Brandeis. Reinharz, who served as University president from 1994 to 2011, has received $4.1 million in deferred compensation and $811,000 in untaken sabbatical payments as of Jan. 2, according to a Jan. 23 BrandeisNOW press release. Reinharz, who earned about $300,000 annually in 2012 and 2013, will hold the title of president emeritus through June and earn $160,000 for that position. After June, he will serve as a half-time professor and make $180,000 a year.

In response to student concern, the University also announced that the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to release information about senior administrative compensation and accept feedback about executive compensation in the future.
"We were motivated to organize the protest because after the 'budget transparency' was released by the administration, we felt as though not enough was being done in terms of speaking out against the executive pay," wrote Aaren Weiner '16, one of the organizers of the protest, in an email to the Justice. "It is one thing for students to complain but it is another for them to feel empowered and act upon those feelings."

Elaine Mancini '16, another protest organizer, wrote in an email to the Justice that "there were grievences [sic] against the feeling that Reinharz and [University President Frederick]Lawrence are essentially 'stealing our money,' and of the injustice regarding what the lowest paid worker on campus receives versus executive pay.

"There were many cries for Brandeis to provide the lowest paid worker with a real living wage," wrote Mancini. "And of course there were comments on Reinharz's long awaited text on donkeys."

According to Weiner, she and Mancini met with Dean of Students Jamele Adams before the protest to discuss the nature of it The Rights and Responsibilities Handbook states that anyone who plans to organize a protest or demonstration must notify the "Senior Student Affairs Officer or designee," who "may instruct organizers regarding the guidelines for such activity."

"[Adams] gave us the administration's full support, showed us where the protest was to happen specifically, and let us know that we could talk to him if we needed anything," Weiner wrote.

According to both Mancini and Weiner, the response to the protest has been mostly positive, particularly from other students.

"We received encouragement from most passersby who verbally responded. A few students came over and said that they would like to attend if another protest was organized in the future," wrote Mancini. "I only recall one person with a negative reaction, but their comment didn't seem very well thought out, and therefore I won't bother trying to repeat it."

According to Weiner, the administration has not been in contact with the group of students who organized the protest since it occurred.

In an email the Justice, Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid wrote that the administration and Student Union are planning a forum "where concerns can be heard." The Student Union Senate announced a tentative date of March 13 at 5 p.m. at a location that has yet to be determined.

"I can tell you that the administration supports students' right to protest. The culture of Brandeis University encourages debate, discussion and a frank exchange of conflicting views," wrote de Graffenreid in her email. "Student protests have been an important part of the University's commitment to free speech and expression since Brandeis' founding."

According to Weiner, more demonstrations will be held in the future, though "nothing specific has been planned as of yet."

-Rachel Hughes contributed reporting