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Two weeks ago, the School of Arts and Sciences published several new initiatives prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Brandeis faculty. These initiatives prioritize retaining faculty of color, increasing diversity within the Brandeis faculty, developing an equity liaison role in departments, adding endowed chairs, and establishing programs to support and mentor faculty.
On Oct. 26, Provost Carol A. Fierke presented Dr. Carol Anderson the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize.
On Oct. 3, University President Ron Liebowitz sent an email to the Brandeis community with a summary of the September Board of Trustees meetings. The Board convened in person for the first time since January 2020.
Writing a memoir, selling my art, and making a podcast have all been on my list of things to do in my life. I am happy to announce that I am really, really close to completing my list. I sold some of my art for the first time last semester at the Create@Brandeis Craft Market, and now this October I am releasing my very first podcast. After taking Prof. Adriana Lacy’s (JOUR) class on social journalism, my interest in different forms of journalism flourished. I grew up listening to NPR, the “Moth Radio Hour” and a variety of podcasts, but I realized that storytelling is the thread to everything I am passionate about. Film, animation, art, and now journalism all incorporate storytelling. I decided to make a podcast not only because it has been on my list, but because podcasting allows an audience to relate and listen. I learned that through a podcast, you can turn research and numbers into human stories.
The pandemic brought the Boston area’s active live music scene to a grinding halt. Over the past year, local venues gradually reopened as artists went back on the road. Brandeis students have been making the most of the return of concerts in (and around) Boston.
Brandeis University Press recently published photojournalist and portrait photographer Ellen Warner’s book entitled “The Second Half: Forty Women Reveal Life After Fifty.” For the past fifteen years, Warner has been studying how women from multiple cultures experience the second half of their life. She then documented their stories through black and white portraits and interviews. In collaboration with the Women’s Studies Research Center, Brandeis University Press hosted an artist talk, book signing, and art exhibition curated by Olivia Baldwin on Thursday, Sept. 29.
For students like me, Black and Brown, we grew up embracing Black music whether that meant Gospel, hip-hop, rap, or R&B. Personally, my twin and I enjoyed hip-hop from the 90s, listening to artists like Lauryn Hill, Sista Souljah, and Arrested Development. Unfortunately, most rap and hip-hop artists engage in exploitation and dehumanization, particularly of Black and Brown women. Generally, finding uplifting, positive, and powerful music has been quite a journey for us. Luckily, early last spring semester, my twin and I discovered this group who happened to be Black twin artists. Aint Afraid is a rising musical duo performing hip-hop, spoken word, and R&B. The 22-year old Mulsim twin sisters, Sakinah and WiZdumb — who are often referred to as Straingth and WiZdumb — were born in Baltimore, though they have spent most of their lives in Detroit.
Caterpillars, puppets, and decarbonization: Brandeis’ 2022-2023 Year of Climate Action is now in full swing, with several events that took place last week and many more events planned for the future.
News, in my mind, are recent events often tied to sadness and corruption. Throughout my childhood, I watched the news because my mom did, but I never enjoyed it except when I would see a face like Robin Roberts or Gayle King. I hated seeing loops of destruction and war replaying in cycles every five hours. During my last two years of high school, I listened intently to the radio more often, and soon I could instantly recognize Maria Hinojosa from “Latino USA’’ or Terry Gross from National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air.” I usually do not go out of my way to seek out news — I just wait until I hear about something, usually second-hand from a professor, friend, or someone’s re-post on social media. I rarely, if ever, choose to Google “news” or look up the “New York Times.” A Pew Research study from 2016 shows 18-29 year-olds are less than enthusiastic about news. The study reported that young adults are more likely to use social media to get news compared to older generations.
Light the Night: First-years gather at the Rose Art Museum for the annual orientation tradition.
Elizabeth Hilliard ’22 is a singer and songwriter, and now she has officially added writer, creator, and actress to her accomplishments. Elizabeth, who goes by Lizzie, created and wrote the musical “The Pocket Girls,” which tells the story of two sets of sisters and the experiences they have in a small cottage. The musical explores femininity and sisterhood and the bonds they all create. It is a coming of age story inspired by books like “Little Women,” “The Secret Garden,” and “Anne of Green Gables.” While Lizzie has been exposed to music from a young age, she has been writing and creating her own music for over ten years.
The sweltering May heat of the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center did not deter the Class of 2022’s enthusiasm for being the first in-person Commencement ceremony since 2019.
One of the highlighted events in the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts — Community Talk & Art Build for Indigenous Futures — took place Saturday, April 20 and was hosted by Brandeis Climate Justice. The panel that started the event featured guest speakers Prof. Evangelina Macias (WGS) and Jean-Luc Pierite, the president of the Board of the North American Indian Center of Boston. The panel was facilitated by Marissa Small ’22, a student of Art History.
Amber Bartlett ’22 wanted to incorporate her life experiences into her senior thesis – and she did just that. The show that she created and performed in, “Welcome Home: Threads of Therapeutic Theater,” was shown as part of the Brandeis Department of Theater Arts’ Senior Festival. The festival, which lasted from April 29 until May 1, also included performances by Rosie Sentman ’22, who had a performance of “The Opposite of People,” an adaptation of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” by Tom Stoppard, and Elizabeth Hilliard ’22, who created an original musical called “The Pocket Girls.”
The Festival of the Creative Arts was founded in 1952 by Leonard Bernstein, who not only was a member of the Brandeis faculty, but also a renowned musician. He was a composer, pianist, educator, author, and humanitarian. He is probably best known for his work in musical theater, particularly in “West Side Story.” However, more so than his knowledge and great achievements, he strived to make the arts visible and accessible to all, hence the Festival of the Creative Arts. He called it “a moment of inquiry for the whole world when civilization looks at itself, seeking a key to the future.”
Over the past academic year, at least 15 administrators and department heads have left their positions or have announced that they will be leaving soon to pursue work elsewhere.
Dear President Ron Liebowitz, Provost Carol Fierke, Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration Stewart Uretsky, Vice President Raymond Ou, Assistant Vice President Shelby Harris, Chair of the Board of Trustees Lisa Kranc:
As the last generation of Holocaust survivors continues to shrink, many students such as Aimee Schwartz ’22 understand the importance of keeping survivors’ stories alive and continuing to educate others on the atrocity. Schwartz is a leader of the Holocaust Remembrance Committee at Brandeis, a Hillel affiliate group, which was founded in 2021 and has since “spearheaded an array of events including speakers, film showings, and symbolic art activities,” according to their website.