On Friday, Nov. 14, the University concluded its annual celebration of Kindness Week with a club and service fair in the Shapiro Campus Center 's Atrium. Hosted in a prominent and well-trafficked hub for campus life, the event allowed students to interact with the fair as they desired. 

Initially supposed to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 11, the service fair was merged with the club fair due to a low level of anticipated engagement. Throughout the week, the University held events such as a sustainability fair, various opportunities to spread positivity by decorating the SCC and a trivia night in The Stein. 

Several service-oriented organizations were in attendance, including Community Connections, Junior Brandeis Achievers, Prospect Hill Kids Club and Waltham Group. Several recreational, cultural and interest-specific clubs were also in attendance, aiming to offer students more insight into the mission of their organization, as well as how their group promotes kindness on campus. 

This year marks the 16th annual Kindness Week at Brandeis. According to the University’s website, the initiative began after a faculty member had “a vision to further connect Brandeis by promoting morale, building community, and encouraging more small acts of thanks and kindness on campus.”  This has been inspired by World Kindness Week, a global initiative established in 1998. That has culminated in events and activities on college and school campuses across the country in the second week of November. This year, Brandeis embraced the theme of “Better Together,” aimed at community-building and engagement. The University also offered a virtual “Kindness Card” so that the larger Brandeis community could participate in the themed week by writing a virtual message to a friend or loved one that could then be sent to their email. 

Many tables featured free goodies, including snacks, candy, self-care items like face masks and kindness-oriented activities such as writing supportive notes to a stranger. 

Club leaders commented on the ways in which their organization works to promote kindness and inclusivity on campus. Many touched on the relationships their clubs help foster and how this develops an overall sense of community on campus. Lee-El Messinger ’28, a leader of Jewish Feminists at Brandeis, while tabling, emphasized how “kindness is not just being nice to someone” and that  their club works to foster a greater sense of inclusivity for students in the Brandeis community. She discussed JFAB’s commitment to the principle of intersectionality, making the club open to people of diverse backgrounds and sees this as a means of promoting inclusivity. 

Overall, students felt the University worked to support a campus environment that cultivates kindness. Some felt a significant amount of the effort to cultivate an inclusive campus culture was led by the student body at large. “We’re really the ones supporting each other,” said Ella Majeski ’26, President of Brandeis Gymnastics Club while at her table. Jahnvi Mundra ’28, a leader of Community Connections, one of the 19 groups under Waltham Group, said during the event that the University “definitely cultivates that [spirit of kindness] year round” and “fosters support.” 

The fair also held  tables presented by  the Department of Student Engagement and the Intercultural Center. In a Nov. 14 interview with The Justice, Marcus Curry Jr., an employee at the Intercultural Center said that they are working to connect students with their respective communities through fun programming and educational opportunities. That way, students can form relationships and networks which are available for support. Curry also said that the ICC was “very thankful for our campus partners” and felt the University was supportive of the ICC’s mission. 

Abygail Francis ’26, the president of Waltham Group, touched on, at the event, that the club’s partnership with the ICC and how this advances the group’s goals of promoting kindness, inclusivity and community engagement. Partnering with the ICC has, according to Francis, allowed Waltham Group to teach students about “how kindness is demonstrated in your culture.” When asked about Brandeis’ ability to support a kind and inclusive learning community, Francis replied, “the University does a good job of supporting Waltham Group’s initiatives” and supports the organization’s primary goal of giving back to the greater community. 

The event ended at 2:00 p.m. and marked the conclusion of the University’s formal programming for the theme week. Ultimately, the majority of students felt the University promotes a kind environment year-round and merely offers additional opportunities to promote the spirit of kindness on campus during this themed week.

—  Editor's Note: Justice Online Editor Ellie Harris '28 is the treasurer of GirlUp and did not contribute to or edit this article.