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The debate for the second round of delayed spring 2020 Student Union elections was held over Zoom on Sept. 14. Union Secretary Taylor Fu ’21 led the event, and students discussed platforms for a collection of positions not covered in the first round of elections. Election results for this second round were released this past Thursday.
On Monday, Sept. 14, the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies had its fall kickoff event: “The Jews are Coming to Brandeis: A Conversation with the Creators of Israel’s Hit Satire Series.” The event featured Natalie Marcus and Asaf Beiser, creators of the Israeli Academy Award-winning TV show “The Jews are Coming” (Ha-Yehudim Baim) in conversation with Shayna Weiss, Associate Director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies. Currently in its fourth season, the show features sketches about Jewish history from biblical times to the present. Think “Horrible Histories,” but with an older target audience and darker, Jewish humor.
It is unbelievable that, as a sophomore, I’ve spent half of my college experience so far in the COVID-19 pandemic. People call it the new normal, but it will never be normal. As many of us are physically hundreds of miles away, language becomes pale, and our interactions are limited to just a small box on our computer screen. As we are apart from our friends and family, I turn to music to find tranquility. In April, I attended the “Together At Home” online concert initiated by Lady Gaga. When I saw the number of attendees climbing up in the lower-left corner of the video, which showed that millions of people across the globe were attending this concert with me, I felt supported.
Entering the fall 2020 semester, the University made many changes to ensure the safety of individuals coming to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those changes was the addition of the Bite app. According to the Bite by Sodexo website, this app is a way to avoid lines, see what is available to eat, make a reservation for a time/table and allow for on-the-go ordering. This board would like to critique the app and its use as well as state where changes can be made.
As Brandeis prepared to open for an unprecedented fall 2020 semester, the University took significant measures to limit the number of students, staff and faculty who contract COVID-19. These measures include rapid frequency testing, daily health assessments and the installment of food ordering apps such as Bite and GET. However, while Brandeis has proved capable of containing the spread of COVID-19 on its campus, there is an area upon which the University and its community can improve — sustainability.
Everybody keeps talking about how divided America is. I agree. Since it’s so broken, maybe it’s time for a break up. If the states “consciously uncouple,” we might have a chance to be good North American neighbors.
As if 2020 wasn’t bad enough, California is literally on fire. Wildfires have engulfed millions of acres of land across California, Oregon and Washington. These wildfires are the worst that California has seen in over 18 years, and it has been reported that San Francisco, Portland and Seattle have the worst air quality in the entire world. Oregon’s air quality is so poor that it has surpassed the state’s Air Quality Index scale, which is a tool used by the government to measure the level of pollution in the air. On this scale, the highest possible score an area can receive is 500 and is considered to be the most hazardous. The city of Sisters, Oregon, recently scored a 582. Back in August, major cities in Oregon were scoring an 11. I could continue to list depressing facts about this crisis. I could even mention how a firefighter lost their life to the El Dorado wildfire that began as a gender reveal party. No matter how many news organizations cover the horrors of the wildfires or middle-aged moms post a picture on Facebook “sending their prayers,” the only people who have the power to enact lasting change are our government officials.
A crucial part of the Waltham community, the Waltham Public Library has continued to host virtual events for the general public — including yoga for kids, family concerts and book club meetings — despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Founded in 1915, the library is a “fully-funded community hub, fostering a healthy democratic society by providing a wealth of current informational, educational and recreational resources free of charge to all members of the community,” per their website. Recently, the library has also embarked on a new project focused on sharing the effects that COVID-19 has had on residents of Waltham and the Greater Boston area through the collection of multimedia submissions. The project, which began earlier in the summer, is headed by Dana Hamlin, the library’s archivist.
On July 25, 2020, the United States celebrated the 30th anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA protects people with disabilities by prohibiting discriminatory behaviors against them in workplaces, government entities and private entities that are open to public accommodation (such as Brandeis). In 2008, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act passed, expanding the definition of “disability.” Although we as a country have come a long way in terms of disability rights, there are many areas in which Brandeis’ campus and its culture are not up to par.
The Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center is the office on campus dedicated to “providing education, empowerment and support related to sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating/domestic violence and stalking.” PARC consists of two professional staff members — Director Sarah J. Berg and Assistant Director Vilma Uribe — a number of undergraduate Peer Advocates and Violence Prevention Educators and four lead student staff members. PARC offers a wide range of free, confidential services, including bystander training sessions, individual meetings/drop-ins, an online chat feature and a 24/7 hotline. Prior to the campus shutdown last semester, PARC — like other departments and clubs — conducted many of its activities and programs in-person. With new social distancing policies and limitations on gatherings enforced as part of the University’s fall 2020 plans, staff and volunteers at PARC have worked tirelessly to reinvent the ways in which they offer their services virtually, while ensuring the same level of privacy, confidentiality and support granted in previous years.
Students and faculty met in a virtual assembly to discuss the ways that Brandeis and other higher education institutions are implicated in the continuation of racism, racist practices and racist policies. The assembly, hosted by graduate students of the Sociology Department on Sept. 9, was facilitated by Ph.D. students Sneha Gantla and Lauren Crosser.
This year, the Brandeis Mutual Aid Fund has emerged as a valuable resource for students in need of financial aid. The Fund is a student-run group created in March when the spread of COVID-19 forced students to leave their dorms and quickly transition to online learning.
On Sept. 8, the DOJ announced that it was taking over from Trump’s lawyers in a defamation lawsuit brought against Trump by E. Jean Carroll. Carroll is an American journalist who claimed in her memoir, “What do we need Men For?,” that Trump raped her in a Manhattan department store sometime between 1995 and 1996. Trump denied her claims, stating, “I have no idea who this woman is. This is a woman who's also accused other men of things, as you know. It is a totally false accusation." Based on this denial, Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump.
On a sunny afternoon, I walked into Fellows Garden. Arts and crafts materials were spread out across the field. People flocked over to the lawn for the fun crafting activity, in a means that was safe for COVID-19 of course.
It is no secret that online learning is drastically different from the traditional classroom-based education we took for granted in a pre-COVID-19 world. Although lectures and discussion sections can be approximated with Zoom calls and breakout rooms, many have worried about how to recreate a classroom testing environment remotely, with many colleges and universities turning to online proctor services as the solution. However, these online proctor services — such as Proctorio, ProctorU and Honorlock — violate student privacy and exacerbate existing systems of oppression. This board is grateful that Brandeis has not instituted the use of these proctor services in response to the pandemic, and we call on all educational institutions, including our own, to take a bold stance against these services.
As students returned to campus following a roughly five month quarantine, many hoped to recoup some of the freedom lost over the summer break. However, rejoining campus life is not as easy for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 or for students who are deemed close contacts of those who test positive. Two students spoke with the Justice to share their stories of isolation and quarantine while on campus.
The Student Union held a delayed Spring 2020 election debate, postponed due to COVID-19, over Zoom this Thursday. Candidates discussed their goals for the Student Union during the debate, led by current Union Secretary Taylor Fu ’21. Since candidates are restricted to virtual campaigning for safety protocols, they used this chance to share their platforms prior to the election, which will be held today.
Last fall, out of curiosity, I created a TikTok account. Many of my other social media platforms were getting old and boring. I grew tired of reading the diatribes on Facebook. Twitter doesn’t have enough characters for me to fully express my opinions, and I wasn’t a fan of the image link. And while Instagram had the text in line with the images, it became so commercialized. Plus, it was owned by Facebook and I was trying to diversify my social media presence. I had been on Snapchat but their videos were too short and not enough people I knew used it — network effects. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit I craved creative outlets that didn’t spew incendiary politics, and TikTok seemed to be the best option. I saw videos depicting everything from cats to parents trying to bond with their children. I also saw first responders reminding me to wear a mask and explaining how they got into medical school while still being devastatingly handsome. Admittedly, I enjoyed many of the videos, the lyrics to Interior Crocodile Alligator by Chip Tha Ripper being one of my favorites.
With the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and continued protests pushing for combating racial injustice, many people have discovered and donated to bail funds through social media this summer. In a June 5 interview, the Justice spoke with Brandy Henry, a graduate of the Heller School of Social Policy, research fellow at Columbia University’s School of Social Work and internship coordinator at the Massachusetts Bail Fund, to learn more about the problems with the United States' bail system and the role of bail funds in addressing those issues. In the interview, Henry did not speak on behalf of the Massachusetts Bail Fund.