(01/28/14 5:00am)
Brandeis Profs. Marc Brettler (NEJS) and Ellen Wright (PSYC) embraced an online course format this semester, each teaching one class through Semester Online. This marked the University's first venture into online course offerings, joining a consortium of nine other colleges who are also offer courses through Semester Online. The consortium offers a total of 21 courses. Though both Brandeis courses were intended to attract Brandeis students as well as students from consortium schools, Wright's "Psychological and Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Health" online course enrolled only Brandeis students. In total, 29 Brandeis students are enrolled in online courses, 18 enrolled in Wright's class and 11 enrolled in courses offered by consortium partners, according to Senior Vice President of Communications Ellen de Graffenreid. Brettler's course, "The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: Then and Now," only enrolled students from consortium partner schools. De Graffenreid wrote, "offering an academic strength at Brandeis to students at other top-ranked schools" is "exactly what was intended with Semester Online." In an email to the Justice, Brettler wrote that he wishes Brandeis students were also taking this course, "but there is something exciting about teaching students from other schools, and increasing the diversity of the students I am teaching." Brettler's course "explores the meaning of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament in its original ancient Near Eastern context, and how this compares to the uses made of the Bible now," according to a June 11, 2013 BrandeisNOW press release. Both professors said they sought to teach online courses due to personal interest in the method. Brettler wrote that he liked to experiment with new educational models "especially because I think that the standard model of three hours of classroom contact is arbitrary and not always best for the students." He expects online teaching to be "used widely in all colleges," so he said that he was excited to get involved. Wright wrote that she appreciates the online teaching method for its many resources. "Students get the opportunity to have guest lectures asynchronously, and also to watch and join in virtually with roundtables that feature experts in particular fields," she wrote. The online format includes first a "flipped class format (lecturing and some activities testing knowledge and understanding)." Beyond that, it "allows for 'live' discussion and activities that will help support the learning of the material in ways that we don't have the time or resources to do with our regular course load," Wright wrote. The live sessions allow students to divide into break out rooms for smaller discussions. Wright's course is "designed to survey areas of psychology, psychobiology, medical anthropology and medical sociology and was created to be helpful to pre-med students around the changes in MCATs." Using the online format to her advantage, she noted that it allowed one unit of the course to feature a discussion about evaluating public service announcements around the Women, Infants and Children program between Monique Turner, an expert on persuasion and communications who has worked with [public service announcements], and Patricia McDade, a pediatric nurse practitioner. Wright reported getting "a tremendous amount of help from faculty in all three departments" including Profs. Margie Lachman (PSYC), Nicolas Rohleder (PSYC), Anita Hannig (ANTH), Ph.D. candidate in Sociology Catherine Tan and recent Brandeis Ph.D. recipient Michael Polito. Though Brettler showed no trepidation about the possible anonymity of online courses, Wright expressed that she still has "some concerns about how the Internet leaves us less connected rather than more connected." However, she wrote, "I think the partners in this activity work hard to make the classes really great."
(01/21/14 5:00am)
One of my favorite things about the time surrounding winter break each year is the rush of holidays we get to celebrate with family and friends-Christmas, New Year's and one that probably isn't usually at the forefront of people's minds, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For Brandeis, MLK Day is about reflecting on and celebrating our university's heritage of diversity, social justice and activism, and each year student clubs host programs that up the ante in our observance. Yesterday evening, continuing their celebration of King's life after already hosting a day-long service activity for local middle and high school students, MLK & Friends Club teamed up with Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams and the African and Afro-American Studies department to host a memorial program. Though this is the ninth year that the University has hosted a memorial for King, the programming was, this year as much as ever, dynamic and celebratory, and geared toward facilitating a dialogue about King's teachings. The memorial, which was fondly called "For the Love of a Dream!" was staged in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater, and every seat in the house was filled far before the program began. As the excited audience settled down, a sound bite played, prefacing the program with the words of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass: "If there is no struggle, there is no progress," the bit began, leading into a warm introduction by Adams. Beginning with Adams, each performer and speaker shared his or her own contribution to the memorial, each with an artistic and sentimental flair that drove home King's message. Adams began by delivering a slam poem, detailing in no uncertain terms that the society we live in is not, in fact, a post-racial one, and sending the audience into roars of applause and reactionary finger snapping as he chronicled the struggle for civil rights from its earliest origins in the abolitionist movement. "How outside of yourself would you go to get out of your own way?" he slammed toward the end. Prof. Chad Williams (AAAS), who hosted the rest of the program, took the stage next, reiterating to the audience that King's work "was a fight that he committed his life to, [and] it was a fight that he gave his life to." Williams hyped up the audience for a group of performers returning from a superb performance at last year's memorial program, the Boston Tap Company. Established in 2007, the group seeks to spread their message of love and positivity through dance, Williams said. Their routine certainly did that-starting off with no music at all, the group's wild and resonant tapping progressed into an exciting choreography to Sam Cook's song "A Change is Gonna Come." Taking a break from the musical aspect of the program, the first ever cohort of Brandeis Bridges Fellows shared stories of their recent trip to Israel in order to institute an interfaith, intercultural dialogue between black and Jewish students on campus. Bridges Fellow Makalani Mack '16 took on the song in a heartfelt vocal performance, accompanied by three students on the bass guitar, electric guitar and saxophone. Mack rose from his seat in the audience as the song's tune began playing, and shared how growing up in Atlanta and walking by sites sacred to the Civil Rights Movement as he was growing up, like King's place of burial, inspired him from a young age. During his performance, Dean Adams yelled "sing, sing!" at him, and the rest of the Fellows joined in as they were seated in the audience. The highlight of the musical program, without a doubt, was keynote speaker Jane Sapp's performances on the piano, playing and singing songs that were sung during King's activism, at protests and rallies, and encouraging the audience to sing along with her. Her husband, keynote speaker Hubert Sapp, said with a surprised smile after her first song that he never knows what she will do. An absolutely unbelievable evening of music and performances, in addition to a slew of moving spoken-word pieces and orations, many composed of or inspired by the words of King himself, "For the Love of a Dream!" gave the Brandeis community a wonderful opportunity to commemorate the legacy of a man to whom we owe much of the freedom to which we have grown up accustomed. *
(01/21/14 5:00am)
On Sunday, the Senate met for the first time this semester to discuss events and initiatives for spring. Student Union Vice President Charlotte Franco '15 said that last week, Village Senator Bowen Li '16 resigned due to a strenuous course-load this semester. Elections will take place to fill the positions of Village Senator, Rosenthal Quad Senator, Off-Campus Senator, Midyear Senator, one position on the Judiciary and one on the Finance Board in the coming weeks. Next, Student Union President Ricky Rosen '14 delivered his executive report. According to Rosen, the student body has responded positively to the online forms for the BranVan. Rosen said he anticipates that in the future the Union will work toward greater online accessibility for other campus services. He also informed the Senate that the hours of the Brandeis shuttle to the Riverside Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority station has officially changed from Wednesday and Thursday from 2 to 5 p.m. to Saturday and Sunday at the same time. Rosen expects the change to make transportation into Boston increasingly convenient for students in the upcoming semester. Additionally, Rosen mentioned that David Barsky '17 has been contracted to work on the Union website, which will be functional by the end of the year. Rosen informed the Senate that the 'Deis Day co-chairs have resigned because they do not have the time to commit to the project. As a result, Rosen urged members of the Senate to involve themselves in planning the event. According to Executive Senator Annie Chen '14, 'Deis Day this year may feature a parade through campus in which clubs build golf-cart floats, school bands play or a capella groups join in the festivities. Finally Rosen briefly discussed the 'Deis Impact! key-note address, which will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 5 in Levin Ballroom. Kweku and Ndaba Mandela, two of Nelson Mandela's grandchildren, will attend the event. Following the executive officer report, Senator at Large Naomi DePina '16 delivered a report on the upcoming poetry slam to take place on Jan. 31. The event consists of students presenting their perspectives on the meanings of social justice and diversity. According to DePina, Dean of Students Jamele Adams will host and perform at the event. Next, Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf and Class of 2016 Senator Jonathan Jacob introduced a proposal to create another BranVan stop at Waltham's Main Street Marketplace, where dining options include Panera Bread and Chipotle Mexican Grill. The marketplace is situated near the BranVan's current Walgreen's stop and therefore the addition would only cause a minor change in the current BranVan schedule. Bessendorf also discussed safety concerns on South Street near the Lemberg Children's Center. In this area there are no streetlights, making a walk through the area of campus dangerous at night, said Bessendorf. Bessendorf raised such concerns with Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan, who replied that the area is owned by the City of Waltham and therefore Brandeis has no jurisdiction to place a light post on that area of the street. The Senate might introduce the issue to the interim vice president of operations or Waltham City Hall. North Quad Senator Brian Hough '17, a member of the Constitutional Review Task Force, stated that this semester he will continue working on amendments to the constitution but, thus far, has no projected end date to the project. The Sustainability Committee stated that more than 60 dual flush toilets have been installed in both Massell and North Quads. The committee will soon begin calculations to determine the impact of the initiative. East Quad Senator Andrew Savage '16 proposed a revisal of the Club Committee's procedures. He expressed concerns over ineffective measures of de-chartering clubs due to inaccessible information or lack of communication with the Union. The Senate hopes to establish a better relationship between itself, the Finance Board and clubs to more efficiently monitor club activity. -Rachel Uemoto
(01/20/14 5:00am)
"No meaningful discussion, about any topic, can occur without accurate facts and appropriate context." This is part of the mission statement of the Students for Accuracy about Israeli and Palestinian Affairs, a student organization that was approved to become a chartered campus club on Dec. 8, 2013. The club was founded by Daniel Mael '15, Guy Morag '17 and Ari Givner '17. SAIPA's core mission is to expose media manipulation in order to further establish campus event accuracy by attending campus-sponsored events. SAIPA then issues a report on the event with the intention of holding campus speakers accountable to any misinformation they may have shared. "This will change the nature of Middle-East affairs discussions because when people know they are being monitored they are much less likely to present their opinions as facts." Morag noted in an e-mail to the Justice. "We always want to make sure that everyone has a fair chance to explore the issues from a factual perspective. Brandeis is a perfect climate to debut a club like this because there are so many groups that care about it," Mael said. Mael, Morag and Givner had been talk for a long time about starting a group that exposes media manipulation. Mael explained that they reached their tipping point at a Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee event in which there was conflict between certain campus groups over facts and definitions. Brandeis already has several clubs that are involved in the Israeli and Palestinian debate. "We felt that every group that was talking about the Israeli conflict, [on campus] was an interest group," Mael said. "We are simply trying to make sure that students have a fair shot at that facts ... [and] can form their own opinion afterward," Mael said. SAIPA hosted an event on Oct. 29, in which it brought in guest speaker Sgt. Benjamin Anthony, an Israeli Defense Force combat veteran. "He was explicitly clear that this is his narrative, and that it did not represent what our organization thinks. We believe that it is important that we hear varying perspectives and give them a forum to speak," Mael said. The event was hosted in conjunction with the Brandeis Libertarian Conservative Union and the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America. Mael indicated that the group hosted the event as a way of raising visibility for SAIPA in their early stages, but that going forward, SAIPA will focus on exposing media manipulation and ensuring the accuracy of campus events hosted by other groups. On Nov. 12, Neil Hertz, professor emeritus at John Hopkins University, gave a presentation called "Pastoral in Palestine." The University and six other campus organizations sponsored the event. SAIPA attended and wrote a report following the presentation. "[Hertz] supported boycott divestment and sanction movement in his question-answer session. That is his opinion and SAIPA made no mention of that in our report." Mael said. "What we did make a mention of was that he said that excavating the city of David was a private-public joint venture in displacing Palestinians from East Jerusalem ... [describing what] is in the Jewish tradition a very significant place as simply a venture in displacing Palestinians is misleading to the community." SAIPA has not been well-received by all campus clubs that deal with Israeli and Palestinian affairs. "My question for those that oppose us or have problems with SAIPA is why is a group that is oriented to find the truth problematic? It should be no problem that a set of students have come together to try to ensure that an objective truth is presented," said Mael. Responding to the club's mission and activities thus far, J Street U Brandeis Co-president Catie Stewart '16 stated in an e-mail to the Justice that "[W]hile interrogating assumptions and perspectives is a value we share with SAIPA, we believe that no group is truly apolitical or 'objective' and we would hope that the organization is frank about their own political motivations." J Street U is a self described "pro-Israel, pro-peace organization advocating for a two-state solution." Anyone, despite their stance on Israel, is welcome to join the club. "I don't know many people who are happy to have others monitoring their work and then finding their biases published online for the world to see. With that said, we have encouraged members of all organizations on campus to join us," Morag noted. SAIPA plans to extend their "pro-truth, pro-honesty" agenda through a monthly or biweekly publication where they can share the perspective from two sides. "I think that's very unique because when someone actually has to articulate a thought on writing, you would hope they bring their best honesty and most well thought out ideas," said Mael. "If one student can be positively impacted and have a little bit better understanding of media manipulation and fact manipulation I think we've done a good job," Mael said.
(01/20/14 5:00am)
Social justice can, at times, seem like an ideal that is hard to define - a construct impossible to concretely extend beyond the walls of a classroom. At Brandeis, however, there are faculty members who devote their careers to bringing this ideal to fruition, working every day to translate theory into practice in order to defend the world's most vulnerable people. Prof. Allyala K. Nandakumar (Heller) is one of these faculty members, an economist who has succeeded in finding efficient ways to deliver health care to the poorest and most marginalized sector of the global population. In his new role as chief economist for Global Health for the United States Agency for International Development, which began in November 2013, Nandakumar will provide a crucial voice that synthesizes economic expertise and humanitarianism. "My role is to try to sit there, and shape the strategies and policies of the United States government. You are part of these big discussions, you are shaping what is happening," Nandakumar said. Nandakumar completed his undergraduate and master's studies in India in the field of mathematics. He then worked for several years as a bureaucrat, running large organizations in India, before being one of two Indians selected to become a Fulbright scholar in the U.S. As a Ph.D. candidate in economics at Boston University, he wrote a paper about health economics that impressed his professor. He immediately introduced Nandakumar to the Heller School for Social Policy and Management's Dr. Stan Wallack, and Nandakumar's relationship with Brandeis was born. Nandakumar and Wallack had a mutual passion for analyzing problems in the financing and delivery of health care. Nandakumar promised Wallack he would eventually join him at The Heller School, but in the meantime he accepted a faculty position at Harvard University in order to explore other aspects of economics before he committed to specializing in social policy at Heller. Throughout his 25 years as a professor and researcher, Nandakumar has worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as the World Health Organization and the World Bank as a consultant, creating a unique role for himself at the intersection between the academic community and the political world of global health. For Nandakumar, who resides in a unique intersection between the political and the academic, the Heller school is the ideal environment to conduct research and translate it into policy. "What is most critical is how one brings research to practice. One must ask, 'if I want to translate this research into policy, what are the potential barriers to implementation, and what are the interventions that can be performed?'" Nandakumar said. Nandakumar will be the first person to occupy the role of chief economist for Global Health for the United States Agency for International Development. This role was created by the U.S. government in response to significant structural changes in the global arena regarding health care financing and the number of small donors who play a role in financing global health. "The number of people who are playing in this space and trying to address major global problems has increased," Nandakumar said. Also affecting the rapidly changing face of global health is the magnitude of economic growth in African countries, as well as countries such as Brazil, China and Russia. "They are becoming big economic powers who have a different say. ... The kind of assistance you provide needs to be rethought," he said. By a vast margin, the largest funder of global health in the world is the United States government, and assistance flows through USAID. Nandakumar's first goal as chief economist involves engaging the political world with the academic one. "The first goal is to actively bring health systems, health financing and health economics to bear on some of the big internal discussions that are taking place to inform and shape those discussions," Nandakumar said. Secondly, Nandakumar plans to work directly with the countries themselves in order to install functional health systems that accurately address the needs of individual countries. "From the health systems perspective, it's not a question of going in and doing the work. I go in, put in clean water, and I'm out. Nothing is left behind. So I think the perspective the U.S. government is taking, rightly, is to create country systems that are sustainable. Countries are increasingly going to take ownership of their own destiny," Nandakumar said. Third, Nandakumar plans to build external partnerships with organizations he has worked with in the past, such as the Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization. "I hope to mentor, create and strengthen a network of health economists, and people interested in health financing, within USAID," Nandakumar said. The ideal of social justice and global health policy are, from Nandakumar's perspective, inextricably linked. For Nandakumar, it is a moral necessity that efficiency is balanced with equality. "Society is obligated to pay more attention to those who have less. Everybody should be treated equally, and everybody should have equal access, therefore we are required to look specifically at the poor and marginalized populations. You come up with a very different policy recommendations if you put a social justice lens on social policy," Nandakumar said. Nandakumar encourages aspiring advocates for social justice. "You are all here because you believe in social justice. ... It is not easy to make it happen, the fights are not always easy, but I really feel that it is worth it," he said. "My only advice is you are here at this great place-remain passionate, don't give up. As individuals we cannot solve all the problems, but each one of us is capable of making a difference."
(01/14/14 5:00am)
This week, JustArts sat down with Emily Zoller '14, the executive director of hip-hop dance performance group Kaos Kids. JustArts: Would you tell us about your involvement with Kaos Kids-how long have you been involved, and what is your role in the group? Emily Zoller: I joined Kaos my freshman year, and I'm a senior now. So I've been with the group almost four years. I'm now the executive director; I was the executive director last year too, in the fall, and in the spring I was abroad. Before that, I was the events coordinator, so I've always been involved with Kaos from the beginning of my Brandeis time. JA: How would you describe Kaos Kids to someone who is unfamiliar with it? EZ: Kaos is crazy. Kaos is chaos-we know that about ourselves and we love that. First and foremost we are a family, and that's something that we really promote and we really push. We're really good about supporting one another, in the dance room and when we perform, but also in our lives in general. We are a very diverse group. We do hip-hop, but we have some breakers and some people who like to do flips and stuff like that, and we like to incorporate a lot of different styles. Sometimes we'll bring in contemporary, and we pull on people's strengths within the group. JA: I'm excited for Kaos Kids' performance at the University's celebration for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on MLK Day next Monday. How has the group prepared? EZ: It's something that the artistic directors are working on-Stephanie Ramos '14 and Mark Borreliz '14-so they are putting together the choreography and song choice. It's not going to be all of us because it's a shorter time period to practice, but we'll put it together, and you'll see! JA: I'm curious about the personal stake that you guys have in this performance, as Kaos Kids has performed at MLK Day last year, is it a yearly thing for you? EZ: I didn't perform in it last year, I was abroad, but it is an important thing to us. It's important that we're doing it again, and we'd like it to become something that's regular for us. We're a very diverse group and support everything that MLK stands for. It's a different space for us to perform, and it's something that's meaningful. JA: Is social justice or activism with regard to diversity a common interest among the group's members? EZ: It's not something that we explicitly talk about-I think, as Brandeis students, we all sort of have social justice tendencies, but it's not necessarily the mission of the group. We do like to give back to the Brandeis community and the community at large, and have worked with some of the on-campus groups that do after-school programs, and teaching kids, and we went to the YMCA last year to do a performance for some of the kids. JA: What has been your biggest challenge as you've worked with Kaos Kids over the years? EZ: That's a good question. I think that the biggest challenge is that we want to do a lot, and we always have ideas and there's always a lot of ambition and a lot of momentum to move forward and do big things. And it's just a lot of energy to try to do the work and try to organize and make sure that we get done what we need to get done and make sure that we are perfecting the pieces we are performing, and not just running through them, not just trying to get to bigger venues or different places or try really crazy ideas. It's just to follow through and make sure that we have a finished product as much as we are trying to grow and do new things. JA: What sort of direction do you see the group going in for the rest of this year? Are you guys planning out long term? EZ: We are just about to have our pre-semester meeting, so we will be talking more about that. We've been talking for years about trying to compete in things around Boston. We have performed at different universities and we really do love that, being part of a Greater Boston-area hip-hop community or dance community in general, so that's something we're thinking about. We're planning our semester show, which we did for the first time last year. We're trying to get more people to choreograph, really get involved with the group. -Rachel Hughes
(01/14/14 5:00am)
Welcome back, my fellow Brandeisians-and a special welcome to our new midyears! To kick off this semester's first Pop Culture, here's a taste of what you might have missed this week while you were caught up in your return to 'Deis. A rep. for Hilary Duff announced that the former Disney star has separated from former professional hockey player Mike Comrie. Confirming the news to People magazine, Duff's rep. calls it an "amicable separation." Duff, 26, and Comrie, 33, wed back in August 2010, and in March 2012, Duff gave birth to their son Luca Cruz. If you're looking for some scandalous or dramatic reason for the split, you're not going to find one. Sources close to the couple have expressed that the two simply have drifted apart. Duff has even gushed about Comrie's parenting skills to the media in recent months, a true sign of respect between the two of them. Only time will tell if there really is such a thing as an amicable separation in the world of Hollywood. With news of this celebrity split came news of another Tinseltown marriage. Unlike Duff's split, this marriage does bring a bit of drama along with it. On Friday, Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of the late Whitney Houston, confirmed to TMZ that she has married her fianc?(c)e Nick Gordon. The couple had announced their engagement in October 2012, and apparently wed in a small, secret ceremony back in November. So where does the scandal come in? Since the age of 12, Gordon grew up with Bobbi Kristina. Though Houston never officially adopted him, she raised him like one of her own children. It's this bizarre scenario that has been raising eyebrows. Nonetheless, Brown, 20, and Gordon, 24, plan on having another, more elaborate, marriage ceremony this upcoming year. Adding to the drama quota this week, news outlets report that singer Ke$ha's mother has joined her daughter in rehab. On Jan. 3, Ke$ha had entered rehab for an eating disorder. Reportedly, the 26-year-old "Timber" singer is being treated at the Chicago-area Timberline Knolls facility, the same rehab center that treated singer Demi Lovato. Ke$ha's mother, Pebe Sebert, 57, announced on Saturday that she has also checked herself into Timberline Knolls for post-traumatic stress disorder. Sebert has allegedly been so affected by her daughter's struggles and actually entered treatment at the urging of her daughter. In recent weeks, Sebert has publicly blamed Ke$ha's producer, Dr. Luke, for fueling the singer's eating disorder with comments he has made. Last of all, if you caught the Golden Globes Sunday night, you likely saw Hollywood's royalty out on the red carpet, dripping in lavish jewels. But, one actress's bling caught the media's attention in particular. Newly engaged American Horror Story: Coven actress Emma Roberts showed off a big, pink gold and diamond sparkler on her finger. Her beau, actor Evan Peters, popped the question over the holidays. Back in July, Roberts, 22, was arrested in Montreal for allegedly attacking Peters, 26, in a hotel room they shared. At the time, their reps called the disturbance a "misunderstanding." If the ring is any proof, it sure looks like they have moved past that incident. That's your pop-culture breakdown for this week, Brandeis. Have a great first week of classes (how is it already second semester?)! *
(01/14/14 5:00am)
On Dec. 18, the Brandeis American Studies program announced its departure from the American Studies Association, a nationwide collective of American Studies departments at colleges and universities, after the ASA announced its participation in a boycott of Israel's higher education institutions. Brandeis University was the second school to end its partnership, after Pennsylvania State Harrisburg, and joins institutions such as Indiana University and Kenyon College in ending its American Studies Association membership after the decision. 157 colleges and universities have made formal statements in opposition of the boycott. This board supports the decision made by Prof. Thomas Doherty (AMST) and his colleagues to end the partnership and oppose the illogical boycott. * The ASA is the most prominent institution participating in this boycott, stating that "Israeli academic institutions function as a central part of a system that has denied Palestinians their basic rights." The ASA plans to prevent its member schools from participating in conferences and events sponsored by Israeli universities, but the association's power is purely symbolic. As an academic institution, its only function is to promote dialogue between colleges on American studies, and the boycott prevents even this from being accomplished. This decision represents the politicization of an academic association that should be committed to the free exchange of all ideas. By blocking Israeli colleges from participating in scholarly exchange, The ASA contradicts its own constitution, which states that it seeks to promote "the strengthening of relations among persons and institutions in this country and abroad devoted to [American Studies]." * While ASA members should be free to make their own choices about political issues, blocking an entire nation from participating in free exchange causes all to suffer, most of all the students who cannot engage in or recieve an Israeli perspective on issues of American culture. * The boycott has been denounced by the Association of American Universities, which represents 62 schools across the United States and Canada. Telling about the nature of the boycott is a similar rejection by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who stated that he "does not support boycotts of the institutions that the ASA is now targeting." Brandeis' decision to withdraw from the ASA should be lauded not only for showing the University's continued support of Israel, but more importantly, for showing its commitment to academic integrity and the free exchange of scholarly work. * In University President Frederick Lawrence's response to the decision, he stated, "The boycott even defies common sense; what Israeli universities can do that would end the policies that the ASA has condemned is hard to imagine." This board agrees wholeheartedly with Lawrence, and applauds the American Studies program's response to the boycott.
(01/14/14 5:00am)
Prof. Jonathan D. Sarna '75 (NEJS) was elected president of the Association of Jewish Studies at its 45th annual December conference in Boston. The Association of Jewish Studies elects its presidents every two years, according to the association's website. Candidates are nominated by a committee on the board of directors, and are then put to a vote among the association's members. Sarna wrote in an email to the Justice that he is "deeply honored to have been elected." Previously, Sarna served as a board member of the Association and, most recently, its secretary-treasurer. Sarna stated that he views himself as the "John Quincy Adams" of the organization; this is due to the fact that his father, Nahum Sarna, was president of the organization from 1984 to 1985, according to a BrandeisNOW article published on Jan. 6. Nahum Sarna was a professor at Brandeis from 1965 to 1985. Sarna wrote that he recalls his father's "high scholarly standards" and "devotion to the Association for Jewish Studies," and that this influenced his previous involvement in AJS. He has been a part of the organization since he was a graduate student, which, according to Sarna, means that he has been involved for nearly 40 years. In the BrandeisNOW article, Brandeis University Provost Steve Goldstein '78 expressed pride at the role Brandeis played in "the creation and nurturing of the field of Jewish Studies in the United States;" he noted the contributions of the faculty members who "served the profession in this role." Goldstein also stated that Sarna's "scholarly contributions and international stature are valued both by Brandeis and the Association." According to his biography on the department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies' website, Sarna earned his undergraduate degree in Judaic Studies and History from Brandeis, and his doctoral degree in history from Yale University. He taught at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati until 1990, as well as at Yale University, the University of Cincinnati and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Sarna came to Brandeis in 1990 to join the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department, and has since served as the department's chair twice. The Association of Jewish Studies was founded at Brandeis in 1969 by "a small group of scholars seeking a forum for exploring methodological and pedagogical issues in the new field of Jewish Studies," according to the association's website. The organization's mission is to "advance research and teaching in Jewish Studies at colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning, and to foster greater understanding of Jewish Studies scholarship among the wider public." It has more than 1,800 members, including "university faculty, graduate students, independent scholars and museum and related professionals who represent the breadth of Jewish Studies scholarship."
(01/14/14 5:00am)
Prof. James Arena-DeRosa (Heller), an adjunct lecturer at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management and a resident of Holliston, Mass., has joined the race for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, local sources such as the Metro Daily West and MassLive.com reported late last month. Arena-DeRosa, who teaches courses such as HS 218f: "Communication for Impact" and HS 281f: "International Advocacy in Action," will run against Steve Kerrigan, a former Senator Ted Kennedy aide, CEO of Leading Cities Mike Lake and Jonathan Edwards, a selectman from Whately, Mass., in the September Democratic primary. Arena-DeRosa was formerly the director of Public Advocacy for Oxfam America, New England Regional Manager for the United States Peace Corps in Boston, and currently oversees $10 billion of food and nutrition programs in the Northeast for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to his profile on the Heller School's website. According to a Jan. 13 MassLive.com article, Arena-DeRosa plans to focus on hunger, nutrition and food policy, should he be elected. "There are billions of dollars of long-term savings if we can get people to have a healthier lifestyle," Arena-DeRosa told the online news outlet. "There's tremendous interest in fresh, local healthy foods," DeRosa continued. "The rules are set up unfortunately to sometimes help the bigger corporate entities. We need someone who's fighting for our small farmers." The position of lieutenant governor has been vacant since June, when Timothy Murray resigned to become president and chief executive officer of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce according to a May 23 Worcester Telegram article. Murray left the elected post amid scandals involving a high-speed car crash and allegations of improper campaign fundraising, according to the article. -Tate Herbert
(01/13/14 5:00am)
The Brandeis men's and women's track and field teams made a great start to the 2014 portion of their season at the Dartmouth Relays this past weekend. The men and women, squaring off against Division I competition that included teams from host Dartmouth College, Boston College and Harvard University, more than held their own. The men's squad placed ninth of 14 teams with six points, while the women took eighth. The highlight of the day was Vincent Asante's '14 third-place finish in the men's 60-meter dash. After a seventh-place finish in the preliminary race, he ran the distance in a blistering 6.98 seconds, second among Division III runners and qualified for the New England Division III Championship in the process. Grady Ward '16 finished 17th in the men's mile, running four minutes, 29.95 seconds. Matt Doran '17 (45th, 4:42.56) and Liban Aden '16 (63rd, 4:52.49) joined him in the marquee event, ultimately won by Dartmouth senior Will Geoghegan in 4:05.75. The women were similarly successful. Kelsey Whitaker '14 just missed out on scoring, taking ninth in the event in 5:19.95. Molly Paris '16 and Lydia McCaleb '17 took 31st and 32nd. Paris ran in 5:53.32 while McCaleb finished in 5:53.95. Omar Scruggs '17 led the way for Brandeis in the 400-meter dash, taking 15th place in 52.73 seconds. Mohamed Sidique '14 (55.02), Jeremy Wilson '17 (55.55), Trevor Tuplin '16 (56.86) and Joshua Romanowicz '17 (59.58) took 28th, 32nd, 38th and 44th, respectively, in the race. Additionally, the Brandeis 4x200 relay team of Asante, Sidique, Wilson and Tuplin placed 14th in 1:36.74. While she was the only competitor in the event, Ashley Piccirillo-Horan '17 picked up points in the 800-meter run, finishing fifth with a time of 2:25.86. Quinton Hoey '17 had a strong showing in the men's 3000-meter run, completing the 15-lap race in 9:10.94, good for 30th overall. Ultimately, 10 of the women's 12 points came from the women's 3K. Maddie Dolins '17 and Victoria Sanford '14 took fifth (10:26.37) and sixth (10:27.09), respectively. The Judges next travel to Saturday's Greater Boston Track Club Invitational at Harvard.
(12/19/13 5:00am)
Senior Vice President and General Counsel Judith Sizer will be stepping down at the end of this month after almost 22 years at the University to join the education practice at Rose, Chinitz & Rose, a Boston law firm. Deputy General Counsel Steven Locke will take Sizer's place as general counsel following confirmation of his appointment by the Board of Trustees in January, as confirmed by Senior Vice President of Communications Ellen de Graffenreid.
(12/10/13 5:00am)
Last Thursday, the Brandeis community joined the global community in mourning the death of Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa who led the movement to free his country from its racist, unjust system of apartheid laws. As a University dedicated to social justice, the loss of Mandela affects Brandeis deeply. This board encourages professors, students, and staff to look to Mandela's legacy as an inspiration. While inviting students to a peace vigil and candlelight event, Dean of Students Jamele Adams wrote of Mandela as "a hero and legend who stood for justice for all," adding that "we commemorate and celebrate him." Mandela's story of peaceful struggle in the face of hatred has inspired Brandeis for years. In February 1986, at the height of the anti-apartheid movement, students built and lived in a shanty town across from Goldfarb Library, vowing to occupy the quadrangle of land until the University cut all relations with companies tied to the South African government. The protesters staged forums and marches, which even led to a group of students being arrested on campus. Then-President Evelyn Handler ended the school's financial ties to the regime after these protests. Kweku Mandela Amuah and Ndaba Mandela, founders of the Africa Rising Foundation and Nelson Mandela's grandchildren, will be the keynote speakers at Deis Impact, a festival of social justice, this February. This shows the University's continued focus on the issues of freedom, equality and above all, the global awareness for which Mandela stood. We applaud this decision as a positive memorial and discourse to have on campus. Students must continue to share and draw inspiration from the life of Nelson Mandela and never forget his unique ability to work alongside and love the people who represented the system he fought against. We ask the Brandeis community not to forget its commitment to social justice, and aspire to teach students the principles necessary to become the next great leaders of our time. *
(12/10/13 5:00am)
The men's and women's fencing teams both hosted nationally ranked teams on Sunday at the Brandeis Invitational held in Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. Though the teams did not walk away with winning records, they put forth impressive efforts. The men's team secured a 2-3 record on the afternoon, picking up wins over Johns Hopkins University and the Air Force Academy while falling to No. 5 St. John's University, No. 7 Columbia University and Yale University. The women also defeated Johns Hopkins on the way to a 2-4 record. While they also defeated Yale in addition to their win over Johns Hopkins, but lost to No. 5 St. John's, No. 3 Columbia, Air Force and Cornell University. Saberist Adam Mandel '15, who posted a 13-2 individual record on the day, noted that the team had the right mindset even though their results were less than desirable. "We went out there with the right attitude and the drive to win, but we fell short of beating Yale and St. John's like we wanted to," he said. "We ended up coming close to beating both, but in the end came down to a few 5-4 losses." Although the men's team fell to their two ranked opponents-12-15 to St. John's and 7-20 to Columbia-the Judges managed a close contest before falling to Yale 10-17. They then managed to gain some momentum in their 15-12 defeat over Air Force and 18-9 triumph over Johns Hopkins in the first two bouts. In the win over Hopkins, both Mandel and foilist Julian Cardillo '14 led the way for the Judges with respective 3-0 victories over their Blue Jays opponents. The saberists managed to secure three wins in their five events on the day, followed closely by the ?(c)p?(c)eists and foilists, who both respectively secured two victories on the day. Foilist Noah Berman '15 had a strong day for the Judges, taking seven victories on the afternoon, while ?(c)p?(c)eist Tom Hearne '16 matched Berman's win count with seven of his own. Mandel credited the results to the strong leadership of Cardillo, the Judges' captain, who kept his teammates focused on their strengths. "The team was both very excited and nervous about coming into this meet today," he explained. "A lot of us were nervous about potentially not getting the results that we wanted, but our captain Julian Cardillo, did a really good job in helping us focus on fencing rather than thinking about the results." "I think his message got through to a lot of the team and was directly reflected in our results today." Even though the team could not defeat Yale-a match they targeted beforehand as one they wanted to win-Mandel was still impressed with the effort turned out by the Judges-including wins over teams that sit just outside the top-10 national rankings. "I saw a lot of great wins from the Brandeis team today, like the foil squad against St. John's and the saber squad against Yale," he said. "No one gave up any easy touches and there were many amazing wins which came from it." The women's team managed a 2-4 record on the day, posting a 16-11 victory over Johns Hopkins and a 14-13 victory over Yale. However, the Judges could not overcome St. John's (13-14), Air Force (12-15), Cornell (9-18) and Columbia (4-23). As they did for the men, the saberists led the way for the Judges, securing an impressive 5-1 record on the day. The team only fell to Columbia, and throughout the day, was led by Annabel Sharahy '17 who secured eight individual victories. Foilist Caroline Mattos '16 once again led Brandeis with nine victories, matched by ?(c)p?(c)eist Sonya Glickman '16, who also took home nine wins. In ep?(c)e, Glickman was joined by Gwendolyn Mowell '16, who managed seven victories on the day, including a perfect 3-0 record against Air Force. Even though the teams did not preform as well as they would have liked, Mandel saw plenty of positives in the Invitational. "I think that this team shows more promise than any of the previous years I've fenced on and I'm optimistic about what the rest of the season holds," he said. "We are definitely a force to be reckoned with and I think the Judges will be knocking on some serious doors in years to come." Both Brandeis teams return to the mat with the USA Fencing North American Cup on Jan. 17. *
(12/10/13 5:00am)
On Dec. 2, Student Union President Ricky Rosen '14 delivered the annual State of the Union address in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium to a crowd of approximately 70 students and administrators. Rosen opened the address by thanking the members of the Union for being so vocal in advocating for their constituents, stating that this has been a "pivotal semester in Brandeis time." He listed changes and new initiatives such as the implementation of the strategic plan, efforts to turn Brandeis into a household name, the arrival of new campus partners like Sodexo and Joseph's Transportation and the changing administration-including Jamele Adams' promotion to dean of students and Cheryl Sousa's '90 new position as assistant vice president of health and wellness, as part of the pivotal semester. Rosen highlighted Union successes this semester, including the addition of hammocks on campus, increasing communication with students through the Student Union bulletin board in the Usdan Student Center, holding more outreach events and making modifications to the Boston shuttle bus schedule to best benefit students. Rosen stated that the Union also hopes to change the time and access for the Wednesday and Thursday Riverside MBTA station shuttles. Rosen also revealed information about a variety of upcoming dining changes. The New York-style delicatessen that will replace Quiznos will be called Louis' and will be constructed over the winter. The delicatessen will open on Monday, Jan. 13, the first day of classes for the spring 2014 semester. The food truck, which serves food in between the Shapiro Campus Center and the Feldberg Communications Center, will begin accepting WhoCash and points next semester. Plans to install a caf?(c) in the science quad are also in discussions that will continue next semester. After an analysis of the results of a dining survey sent out recently, Rosen announced that the Student Union and Sodexo are presenting a joint recommendation to the University that The Stein be turned into a sports bar, instead of the Guy Fieri On Campus restaurant which was initially proposed. "We are hoping that The Stein will become the premiere on-campus weekend destination for Brandeis students," Rosen said. Rosen also stated that the project is in the final stages of planning approval, and a detailed construction timeline will be announced before winter break. The Stein was officially closed on Nov. 19 for the remainder of the semester. Class of 2016 Senator Jon Jacob is also working to have local Waltham restaurants accept WhoCash as a form of payment, in addition to Cappy's Pizza and Subs, said Rosen. "So far, Carl's Subs, Sabatino's and Tree Top Waltham have all expressed interest in joining this program," said Rosen. He added that their goal is to get Asia Wok and Baan Thai to join in the project, which he hopes will be completed by the end of the year. The Union has also been working on constructing new meal plans with Sodexo. These meal plans, which will likely be implemented in fall 2014, will include the element of unlimited access, "meaning students will be able to go in and out of all-you-can-eat dining facilities [using meals and points] as many times a week as they would like," said Rosen. He also stated that more changes would come in the next few weeks. Rosen thanked Class of 2017 Senator David Heaton and Union Vice President Charlotte Franco '15 for their work with the Dining Committee. Rosen also revealed three longer-term changes to the dining facilities: over the summer, the Usdan Caf?(c) will become a buffet-style location. To complement this, Usdan Boulevard will feature "retail food locations and potentially fast food franchise restaurants, including Quiznos," according to Rosen. Sherman Dining Hall will also be renovated the following summer in 2015. One ongoing Union initiative that Rosen highlighted was divestment from fossil fuels. In response to the referendum on divesting Brandeis funds from fossil fuel corporations last semester, a Divestment Working Group was set up over the summer to investigate the possibility of divestment. Rosen stated that this is part of an attempt to "make Brandeis a sustainable institution and reduce our carbon footprint." The group will continue to examine alternative investment opportunities for the University throughout the academic year. In addition to this, the Senate established a Sustainability Committee, headed by Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf. The goal of the committee, according to Rosen, is to reduce wasteful resource usage and streamline student efforts to increase campus sustainability. One notable success of the committee was being approved for a Brandeis Sustainability Fund grant in order to install 60 toilets with dual-flush capabilities on campus. Another Union initiative is to create an email system for the mailroom to notify students when there is a package for them. Rosen hopes the project will be completed by the end of the year; Jacob and Executive Senator Annie Chen '14 have spearheaded the initiative. Rosen also spoke about 'Deis Impact, the weeklong festival celebrating and focusing on social justice. 'Deis Impact is a collaborative effort between the Union and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. The festival will occur from Feb. 1 through Feb. 10 and will feature Ndaba Mandela and Kweku Mandela Amuah, founders of Africa Rising and the grandchildren of the recently deceased Nelson Mandela, as keynote speakers. Rosen also discussed parking on campus, stating that it has been a "serious problem for over a decade." According to Rosen, the Department of Public Safety has issued 3,126 parking permits for the 2,300 parking spots available on campus this year. In response to student dissatisfaction with available parking, research by the Union found that Brandeis is the only school in its conference-the University Athletic Association-that does not have a parking facility on campus, does not allow sophomores to park on campus and requires faculty and staff to pay for parking. Rosen stated that this was one of the Union's "chief objectives," and that the Union wants to "make [parking] a priority for the administration and students in the years to come." The final initiative that Rosen mentioned was the creation of a bus shelter outside of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center, which he hopes will serve as a memento to the 2013 to 2014 Student Union and its efforts.
(12/10/13 5:00am)
Following Student Union President Ricky Rosen's '14 State of the Union address in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium on Monday, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel led a town hall meeting about the University's fiscal year budget. Flagel was joined by Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid and Senior Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer Marianne Cwalina. During the presentation, Flagel explained the University budget to the audience, including the University's revenues and expenses. According to Flagel, the revenues were composed of 40 percent undergraduate tuition and fees, 13 percent graduate tuition and fees, two percent continuing programs tuition, eight percent room and board, 10 percent endowment support, four percent annual giving, four percent restricted gifts use, 13 percent sponsored programs direct revenue, three percent sponsored programs indirect revenue and three percent other income. The expenses budget totaled $394.6 million-a four million dollar deficit-and was comprised of 18 percent staff salaries, 11 percent faculty salaries, three percent student wages and support, seven percent benefits, 19 percent operational expenses, six percent depreciation of buildings, three percent interest on the total debt, 12 percent sponsored research, 14 percent undergraduate financial aid, seven percent graduate financial aid and 0.2 percent continuing programs financial aid. A significant point of the presentation was the inclusion of financial aid in the charts. "Normally, when Universities present the expense and revenue budgets, they don't include financial aid," said Flagel. He explained that this occurs because aid is generally considered a discount as opposed to an expense. This method was "more intuitive," according to Flagel, and showed the true revenue and expenditures. Flagel later said that the budget is "not wildly dissimilar to other institutions." Aid and salaries make up the largest portion of University expenses, said Flagel, and the University is "really tied up in [that] portion of the budget;" thus, it would be difficult to reduce spending in these areas. Following the presentation, Flagel opened the floor to questions from anyone present. When asked how the budget compared chronologically to past University budgets, he said that the "percentages are fairly similar from year to year," and "you don't see much of a shift." Flagel did note that the University has exceeded its revenues for many years, and thus been required to pull funds off of the endowment in approximately a five percent yearly rate. One attendee raised a question regarding tuition and possible increases. Flagel responded that he "[did] not have a specific number, but the [fiscal] model tries to keep tuition increase below four percent [each year]. ... How much we spend on dining, on housing, et cetera ... all are components of trying to make sure that we're keeping Brandeis accessible." Flagel further clarified that the fiscal model's goal is not a price point, but to make sure that the University is not excluding talented students from attending Brandeis. "That's a tremendous challenge in a fiscal model to provide, so [the administration] want[s] to find the best ways possible to preserve the Brandeis experience but make it accessible," he said. After receiving a question about why Brandeis charges regular tuition to students studying abroad, even though their programs may have cheaper costs, Flagel responded that Brandeis' model for study abroad is to either mark a student as on sabbatical, which Flagel said is popular among other institutions, or "pay our fee, [full Brandeis tuition] and stay enrolled at the University and still have access to all the things you would have access to as a student." When asked how the University is planning to respond to the recent Boston Globe article that criticized the compensation package for President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz, in light of the budget deficit, Flagel responded that there "isn't much we can do about an article." He noted that the main issue was one of fairness to the administration, and stated that Board of Trustees is "very concerned" and will "continue to look into this matter." He also said that two undergraduate and graduate representatives to the Board would carry the voices of the student body to the Board. The History of Ideas program, which was the center of a scandal accusing the University of mishandling a donor's money for the program, was also brought up at the meeting. After being asked about the situation and what was being done, Flagel told the audience that "all the funds that come in from donors are maintained with extraordinary ethical standards." He later added that "not everyone who was engaged agrees with the decisions that were made," but that "in terms of maintaining the integrity of the donor's wishes, all of that has been taken care of." In an email to the Justice, Rosen stated that "having a forum such as the town hall meeting last week ... is a tremendous first step towards more budget transparency." Rosen further stated that the student body "[has] the right to know why our tuition is increasing ... and whether Brandeis as an institution is responsibly managing its funds." *
(12/10/13 5:00am)
An in-depth account examining the demonstrations that took place at Al-Quds University on Nov. 5 and the nature of Al-Quds' subsequent response, titled "A Report to the Brandeis Community on the Events of 2013 Involving Brandeis University and Al-Quds University," was made public yesterday afternoon. The report, written by Daniel Terris, the director of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, Profs. Susan Lanser (ENG) and Daniel Kryder (POL) concludes that Al-Quds University acted swiftly to condemn the demonstrations and recommends that Brandeis "resume and indeed redouble its commitment" to the partnership with Al-Quds. Additionally, a resolution from the advisory board of the International Center for Ethics, Justice, and Public Life encouraged both Brandeis and Al-Quds to take steps to lift the suspension of Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh from the advisory board of the Center. University President Frederick Lawrence and University Provost Steve Goldstein '78 requested the report and asked the three professors to learn about the demonstration during a previously-scheduled research visit to Al-Quds, according to the report's introduction. The demonstration in question, according to the report, "featured young men dressed in black military-style outfits, wearing black masks, and sporting fake automatic weapons." In response to a Nov. 17 letter regarding the demonstration from Al-Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh, Lawrence suspended Brandeis' partnership with Al-Quds. On the whole, the authors expressed their confidence with the immediate response of Al-Quds to the demonstrations. "Within 24 hours, the University administration had taken steps to address the unacceptable elements of the rally directly with student leaders, it had issued a direct and unambiguous condemnation of the event, and it had set up a formal investigative committee," read the report. In reference to the Nov. 17 letter from Nusseibeh to his students that Lawrence referred to as "unacceptable and inflammatory," Terris, Lanser and Kryder acknowledged that many members of the Brandeis community felt that there was an "indifference or hostility towards the Jewish people and towards the state of Israel" in the letter. However, they put forth their own belief that the letter was a meaningful effort by Nusseibeh to communicate to his students values of peace and respect. "The four lengthy paragraphs of the letter that condemn violence and hatred ... have received too little attention," they wrote. Details of the demonstration The report provided many new, previously-unknown details about the nature of the demonstrations at Al-Quds. First and foremost, the report explained that the demonstration was sponsored by a student organization at Al-Quds whose name "translates loosely as 'Islamic Bloc.'" The organization is described as "an affiliate of the Islamic Jihad political party" that was trying to "exaggerate its own local strength" through the demonstration to another political student group. The report explains that many political student organizations at Al-Quds are "direct affiliates of national parties, which may also provide external funding and advisement." The demonstrators' application to Al-Quds for permission to stage the rally "proposed four activities: a ceremony honoring the three best students in each school with awards; speeches; a dramatization that as to relate in some way to student life on campus; and Islamic music," according to the report. The rally evidently did not follow this plan. Agreements between Al-Quds and student groups prohibit military-style events and the disrespect for any nation or its symbols, including the Israeli flag, according to the report. On Nov. 5, however, a "highly charged political atmosphere" led Al-Quds security officials to conclude that "any intervention or confrontation carried serious risks" and might lead to violence between two opposing student factions-one associated with Islamic Jihad and one associated with Hamas. To avoid any violence, Al-Quds allowed the rally to proceed despite its inappropriate nature. Regarding the link to Nazism, the student group holding the demonstration denied any connection between Nazism and its gesture, according to the report. Instead, the gesture was meant to be related to a pledge supporting Al-Quds. The report also mentions that while scholars on both campuses indicate that the salute is used by other Middle Eastern political groups, "those who perform it can be expected to know that it will be seen as ... a symbol of hatred towards the Jewish people." Al-Quds' response The report explained that the student affairs staff of Al-Quds University gathered all of the student groups "immediately after the rally" to emphasize that the rally had violated Al-Quds' policies. The day following the rally, Nov. 6, Nusseibeh and Executive Vice President Imad Abu Kishek established a committee to "investigate the circumstances of the event and to recommend sanctions for individual participants as well as revisions to University policy." The report indicated that the committee's work was still in process on Nov. 20, when the Brandeis delegation left Al-Quds. In an email to the Justice, Terris wrote that he, Lanser and Kryder "have not had an update about this since before Thanksgiving. As far as we know, the committee is still continuing its work." When asked whether the committee had also considered sanctioning the "Islamic Bloc" student organization who organized the event, Terris responded that he, Lanser and Kryder "do not know exactly what sanctions the committee is considering at this time." On Nov. 17, Nusseibeh wrote a letter to Al-Quds students that was intended to address several different events that had impacted the school. The Nov. 5 rally had served as one of them, according to the report. Lawrence, in a Nov. 18 press release on BrandeisNOW, called this letter, which was translated to English from the Arabic, "unacceptable and inflammatory." Lawrence suspended the partnership between Brandeis and Al-Quds shortly following receipt of the letter on Nov. 18. The authors acknowledge that Nusseibeh's use of the term "Jewish extremists" in the letter is "jarring" but emphasize that there is a distinction between "Jews" and "Jewish extremists," similarly to the way that people have learned the distinction between Muslims and Islamic extremists. "Presumably the same distinction [between Muslim people in general and Islamic extremists] applies when speaking about other groups," they wrote. Community responses Lawrence was traveling in India at the time of the report's release and could not be reached for comment. Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid wrote in an email to the Justice that Lawrence "will review [the report] carefully and he continues to keep the lines of communication open with Al Quds University." "These are sensitive issues and I know that President Lawrence is committed to gathering all of the data that is available and considering a broad range of input from the community," de Graffenreid continued. Terris wrote in an email to the Justice that he had not yet received feedback from the University administration. "The report was just released this afternoon. We haven't received any feedback from those groups that I know about," he wrote. Prof. Mari Fitzduff (Heller), the founding director of the master's program in Coexistence and Conflict, expressed her appreciation in an email to the Justice that the report "paid great attention to the context, the language and the cultural and community nuances that were a necessary part of understanding the Al-Quds incident." She further expressed her support for the partnership. "I do hope the partnership will be actively continued, along with the reinstatement of President Nusseibeh to the Board of the Ethics center," she wrote. Prof. Jonathan Sarna (NEJS) expressed concern with the partnership in an email to the Justice. "Reading the report of the committee, I could not help but wonder how our university would respond if a Ku Klux Klan rally complete with robes, hoods, and the burning of crosses took place at one of our partner institutions," wrote Sarna. "I fear that what we are witnessing here is what George W. Bush once termed 'the soft bigotry of low expectations.'" "I find it deeply regrettable, especially when displayed by colleagues whom I otherwise so deeply respect," Sarna continued. Eve Herman '15, the president of the Brandeis Zionist Alliance, conveyed her distress with the events at Al-Quds in an email to the Justice. "Organizations that support or host anti-Israel or anti-Jewish events (such as the Nazi-style rally) should have no place on our Brandeis campus. All the more so, any similar behavior is not to be tolerated by partnership institutions, and Al-Quds' students' actions were simply unacceptable," she wrote. Representatives from the student organization Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine did not respond to an email requesting comment. Eli Philip '15, the co-president of J Street U Brandeis, expressed agreement with the report in an email to the Justice. "J Street U Brandeis joins professors Terris, Lanser and Kryder in their call to resume a vibrant partnership with Al-Quds University. Engaging with narratives different than our own is often difficult, but ultimately a partnership will help both universities empower productive voices who are interested in peace and understanding," he wrote. -Tate Herbert contributed reporting
(12/10/13 5:00am)
John Evans has guided the Brandeis track and field and cross-country programs to a plethora of success since taking charge as head coach in 2004. In just 10 years he amassed many accolades. Evans led four teams to the NCAA Division III cross-country championships, saw 12 individuals earn All-America honors and 10 first-year athletes to University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year honors. After a decade at the helm, Evans announced last Wednesday that he would resign at the conclusion of this semester. His wife Sinead Evans-an assistant coach with the program for the past four years-will step in as interim head coach for the remainder of the indoor season, as well as the 2014 outdoor track season. Evans, who is also a consultant at New Balance, noted that while it proved to be an incredibly difficult decision, he felt it was best to now focus on a more work-intensive role. "With my role at New Balance expanding, I felt that this was the time to focus my efforts there," Evans said. "This was a difficult decision, as I have loved every minute coaching at a great institution like Brandeis. I've worked with tremendous student-athletes over the years, hard workers and bright students." Under Evans, the men's cross-country team experienced an unparalleled run of success, earning three straight trips to the NCAA championships between 2008 and 2010. The women, meanwhile, punched their ticket this fall to Nationals for the first time since 2001. Evans also brought his own collegiate and professional success to the role. Evans was a three-time Big East and IC4A champion at Providence College in 1989-eventually earning the coveted All-American honor in the 1500-meter run-and has coached professional runners at New Balance since 1994. Now, as Evans departs, Sinead Evans will prepare for her first head coaching role since a short stint at Regis College in 2002. Since joining the Brandeis staff in 2009, she has led the squads' distance and middle-distance runners to several strong finishes. Eight runners under her supervision qualified for the NCAA Division III track and field championships, two of whom included All-Americans Grayce Selig '11 and Chris Brown '12. In a Dec. 4 press release, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Lynne Dempsey cited that while John Evans' indispensable contributions will be sorely missed, the Judges consider it an asset to give control of the program to Sinead. "He has brought quality student-athletes to the Judges' program over the years, both on the track and off," Dempsey said. "We will miss him and wish him well, but we are glad that we can keep the program in the family." *
(11/26/13 5:00am)
Sexy, risqu?(c) and provocative are the three words I think of to describe Cabaret, a daring musical set in 1930s Berlin, Germany. The Brandeis Theater Company perfectly captured the seduction and tension of the musical during their production of it this weekend. Cabaret has a long performance history, dating back to its 1966 Broadway premiere in Manhattan, and is certainly an ambitious undertaking. The musical is arguably best known for actress Liza Minnelli's 1972 portrayal of Sally Bowles in the film adaptation.
(11/26/13 5:00am)
On Thursday night, friends and family crowded into Levin Ballroom for Adagio Dance Company's "Dancefest 2013: It's Your Turn." Adagio, which is run by students, is Brandeis' largest dance group and open to all who wish to participate. Students with varying levels of skill can join and the company will teach their participants and then perform different dance styles at Dancefest. The show was comprised of Adagio performances, as well as several other on-campus dance groups and a few from other schools.
