The first official Board of Trustees meeting for this academic year began on Oct. 29. One issue was at the forefront of discussion from students and trustees alike. On Wednesday, a group of students participated in the Carry That Weight day of action, a national event showing solidarity with Columbia University student Emma Sulkowicz. Some demonstrators gave University President Frederick Lawrence a sign stating why they participated. The Board of Trustees meeting was at the same time that the demonstrators planned to give Lawrence the sign, so the demonstrators used the opportunity to ask trustees for support of their cause.

The trustees had actually been discussing the issue of sexual assault at Brandeis at the same meeting. This speaks to the fact that students, administration and trustees alike are all working to identify, address and end the causes of sexual assault at the University. However, like other recent protests, the students in this demonstration did not present specific goals to the Board of Trustees; the purposes of this and other recent protests have merely been to spread awareness. Though awareness is necessary, it alone does not create new ways of truly addressing the problem. 

Therefore, this board recommends the University form a task force of experts on sexual assault prevention, including Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Specialist Sheila McMahon and Prof. Rani Neutill (ENG) to advise the administration on what to do. This task force would be responsible for turning students’ drive into actionable change. Students must be present on this task force but must not make up the entire group. This task force would show that students and administrators alike wish to take action on this issue beyond only spreading awareness. As neither Brandeis Students Against Sexual Violence (the group which sponsored the demonstration), nor the administration, nor this board is qualified to determine what this action should look like, the University must find people who can, and swiftly transform their advice into veritable change.

Important action has already been taken on the issue. This demonstration joins the protest at the “Light of Reason” exhibit’s grand opening and BSASV’s letter last semester as prescient examples of students demanding the University address sexual assault at Brandeis. In response, the University has hired McMahon, started to create a rape crisis center and conducted bystander intervention training sessions. We commend the efforts of both the students spreading awareness of this issue and the administrators developing new systems for addressing it but feel that the continued pressure on administration and outcry from the student body prove that these actions are not enough. 

While Brandeisians across the board want to work for this cause, it is difficult to know what work to do without the necessary training. Continued protests and demonstrations for the vague purposes of awareness and administrative support will not set in motion any administrative action to truly address the issue. 

Just like the protestors and this board, the administration is uncertain of what should be done and are dealing with a problem they are unqualified to adequately handle. Thus, in order to translate the significant enthusiasm toward solving this problem into actionable policy, this board urges the administration establish and follow the advice of a formal sexual assault task force.