Use the field below to perform an advanced search of The Justice archives. This will return articles, images, and multimedia relevant to your query.
Last week, the Brandeis community came together at Chapels Pond for a vigil in remembrance of Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager who was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo.
As a Brandeis undergraduate on the pre-med track, Nadia Hashimi ’00 didn’t imagine her professional life would turn out as it has. Literature was always something she appreciated, but it wasn’t until she’d settled into life as a doctor that she realized she could pursue writing as a second career.
Students and faculty gathered at Chapels Pond on Thursday evening for “A Night of Remembrance and Response: Brandeis Vigil and Town Hall.” The vigil was held in remembrance of Michael Brown, the unarmed black 18-year-old who was shot and killed by a police officer on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, MO. and other victims of similar incidents.
University President Frederick Lawrence responded to the recent publication of controversial comments made by faculty members over a restricted email list, called the “Concerned” listserv. The emails sent to the listserv, which was created in 2003 as a private forum for professors to express their concerns surrounding the Iraq War, and has since evolved to bring attention to other issues in recent years, were exposed by Daniel Mael ’15.
Amid what some experts are calling epidemic levels of opioid abuse in New England, researchers at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management have joined forces with several state governors to search for a solution.
In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding the University’s severance of its educational partnership with Al-Quds University last November, several members of the Brandeis community took to pubic forums to express their discontent with how the situation unfolded—including a longtime member of the advisory board of Brandeis’ International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, Michael Ratner ’66.
With the 2014 commencement ceremony now behind us, this board would like to express sincere gratitude to the newest alumni of the Justice, who have each contributed to the paper immensely over the past few years. We wish you all tremendous success in the future and look forward to covering your future accomplishments.
Four recipients of the Frances Taylor Eizenstat ’65 Undergraduate Israel Travel Grant Program united at a reception on Thursday night to tell a group of more than 20 people of their experiences this past summer. The four students were Eliezer Buechler ’16, Viktoria Bedo ’15, Mirit Gendelman ’15 and Catie Stewart ’16.
Yesterday, students gathered outside of the Usdan Student Center in protest against Sodexo. There were also several students in Upper Usdan Dining Hall with signs that indicated the protesters’ grievances.
The first faculty meeting of the year was held last Thursday and included not only a summary of recent University changes, but a discussion of recent sexual assault issues and faculty arguments over the private Listserv discovered last summer.
A New York Times/CBS News poll has found that President Obama’s approval ratings are similar to George W. Bush’s ratings in 2006. About 40% of Americans approve of the President and 50% disapprove, comparable to Bush’s 37% and 56% during his sixth year in office. While 70% of Americans disapprove of Congressional Republicans, 45% say they would vote for a Republican if the 2014 midterm elections were being held today, as opposed to 39% who say they’d vote for a Democrat. Do you approve of Obama, and do you plan to vote Democrat, Republican or neither in 2014?
If you can identify the message or moral of the Rose Art Museum’s newest sculpture, Prof. Chris Abrams (FA) asks that you not tell him.
The University announced on May 13 in a BrandeisNOW article that nine Brandeis undergraduates, graduates and recent alumni have been awarded grants from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The article also acknowledged that a Brandeis student was named a Goldwater Scholar and yet another was selected as the University’s second-ever Gates Cambridge Scholar.
Mixed-up twins. Physical comedy. Drunk knights. Trying to find true love. And, of course, bright yellow stockings. These were just some of the plot highlights in Twelfth Night; Or What You Will, a student production co-sponsored by the Brandeis Office of the Arts and the Brandeis department of the Theater Arts, put on as part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts. The audience sat on blankets and lawn chairs outside the Foster Gal- lery at the Rose Art Museum. The set was simple, mostly made up of a large wooden structure with steps and a low tower. Beer bottles filled with sand and mason jars holding electric candles lined the stage and formed aisles through the audience for the actors to come and go. The nautical details to the set and the costumes that mixed modern and period gave a casual feel to the production. However, the occasional turkey or car horn could occasionally disrupt the performance. In the play, Viola, played by Morgan Winters '17 is a young woman shipwrecked in a foreign land, Illyria. In order to survive, she disguises herself as a boy named Curio and goes to work for Duke Orsino (Ryan Kacani '15) and quickly falls in love with him. However, Orsino is in love with Olivia (Caley Chase '16), who is mourning her dead brother and refuses to love anyone. Orsino sends Viola to court Olivia on his behalf, but in a comic twist, Olivia falls in love with Viola/Curio, thinking she is a man. Winters and Chase had hilarious counterpoint in every scene when Olivia tried to flirt with the clearly uncomfortable Viola. Kacani captured the completely oblivious Duke perfectly, making the audience both laugh and feel bad for the lovestruck Viola. Sir Toby Belch (Justy Kosek '14), Olivia's drunken uncle, is trying to set up his young, equally drunken and stupid friend, Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Levi Squier '14) with Olivia. However, after Malvolio (Aaron Fischer '15) scolds the two of them for drunkenly singing late at night, Toby and Andrew set up a plan with the fool Feste (Jamie Semel '17) and Olivia's maid Maria (Grace Fosler '14) to get revenge on Malvolio by tricking him into thinking Olivia is in love with him. Kosek and Squier played drunken idiots perfectly, slightly slurring their speech and staggering around, getting laughs from the crowd every single time they came on stage. Fischer was my personal favorite cast member. His Malvolio was hilarious, transforming from stiff and stuck-up to love-struck and ridiculous, prancing around the stage and clicking his heels. His mannerisms were especially excellent in his many scenes with Semel, who made Feste an intelligent prankster and a foil to both Malvolio and the two drunkards. The story only gets more complicated as Sebastian (David Getz '15) and Antonio (Alex Davis '15) come to Illyria. Sebastian is Viola's twin brother and everyone confuses the two of them, including Olivia, who proposes marriage to Sebastian/ Curio, leading to further mayhem. The duke is heartbroken, Viola confused, and at Toby's urging, Andrew challenges Viola to a duel. The duel scene was one of the strongest scene in the show, thanks in part to Kacani and Kosek's fight choreography. Winters and Squier minced and timidly jumped back and forth, shrieking any time their swords hit. Although not one of the main actors, Davis was utterly hilarious in his portrayal of Antonio, making silly faces at the audience and even occasionally ad-libing lines as he went on and off stage. Getz brought characterization to a more minor role as well; in a memorable scene, Getz sneaks back on stage, partially undressed, after leaving with Olivia. Getz played up the sexual humor with a swagger and plenty of winks towards the audience. As with any Shakespearean comedy, everything ends with all the loose ends tied up. Sebastian and Viola run into each other and Viola is finally able to tell the Duke that she is, in fact, a woman. The Duke improbably falls in love with Viola as soon as he learns she is a girl. The two couples, Orsino and Viola and Sebastian and Olivia, get married. Malvolio learns that Feste, Toby and Andrew played a prank on him and is forgiven by Olivia. Compared to the rest of the play, the ending was a little bit flat, although that was not the fault of the actors. After all the mayhem, ending with a wedding just wasn't quite as exciting as the rest of the play. In a fun twist, rather than taking a traditional bow, the cast ran back on stage, led by Semel, singing and dancing, before thanking the production staff. This year's production of Twelfth Night brought a refreshing perspective to a classic Shakespeare play and had the audience in stitches for most of the show.
With another academic year coming to a close, Brandeis again finds itself in the national spotlight with continued scrutiny over its rescinding of an honorary degree to controversial women's rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This scandal follows the media focus on Brandeis' executive compensation earlier this year, as well as the suspension of a longtime relationship of with East Jerusalem's Al-Quds University. Several of these stories proved to be the causes for major University policy changes. Which story will prove to be most significant for Brandeis, and why?
After a torrent of public outrage from the greater Brandeis community, University administration has rescinded the offer of an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a controversial political and women's rights activist, due to statements that she has made publically that criticize Islam. A press release from the administration, published by BrandeisNOW on the evening of Tuesday, April 8, said that while Hirsi Ali "is a compelling public figure and advocate for women's rights ... we cannot overlook certain of her past statements that are inconsistent with Brandeis University's core values." The press release added that the University "regret[s]" that it was "not aware of these statements earlier." The press release stated in conclusion that Hirsi Ali is "welcome to join us on campus in the future to engage in a dialogue about these important issues," but that the commencement ceremony was not the appropriate forum for said discussion. The announcement of the rescindment came after both faculty and student community members voiced outrage over Hirsi Ali receiving an honorary degree. Some community members were uncomfortable with her anti-Islamic views. Prof. Jytte Klausen (POL) wrote in an email to the Justice that she believed giving Hirsi Ali a degree would "[undermine] years of careful work to show that Brandeis University promotes the ideals of shared learning, religious toleration, and coexistence, irrespective of religion." A petition on Change.org, started by Sarah Fahmy '14, was one of the main forums used by students to voice their concerns. As of this press release, the petition had garnered over 6,800 signatures calling for the rescinding of the offer. Faculty members also signed and sent a letter to University President Frederick Lawrence protesting the offer to Hirsi Ali and calling for an immediate rescinding of it, which garnered over 75 signatures as of Monday evening. *
Numerous members of the University community have expressed outrage at the selection of Ayaan Hirsi Ali as an honorary degree recipient for its 63rd annual commencement ceremony, which was announced last Monday along with the names of the other recipients and the individual who will deliver the commencement address. Hirsi Ali is a Somali-born women's rights activist who has campaigned against female genital mutilation but is also well known for her critical view of Islam; she has at various times called Islam a "backwards religion" and a "destructive, nihilistic cult of death" that legitimizes murder. She formerly lived in the Netherlands and was a member of Dutch Parliament until it was discovered that she had provided false information on an asylum application to gain entry into the country. In response to this, Hirsi Ali claimed that she lied on her asylum application because she was fleeing a forced marriage. She had also previously disclosed inaccurate information through several sources before the controversy, including through her book The Son Factory. After resigning from her position due to the ensuing scandal, she moved to the United States to join the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute-an organization dedicated to expanding liberty, increasing individual opportunity and strengthening free enterprise according to its website-where she is now a visiting fellow. The decision to award her an honorary degree has drawn strong reactions from many members of the Brandeis community, especially faculty and students. Prof. Mary Baine Campbell (ENG) said in an interview with the Justice that she believes this decision is not in the University's best interest. "Hirsi Ali represents values that Brandeis, in naming itself after Justice [Louis] Brandeis, ... was founded in noble opposition to," said Campbell. Campbell also said that she was concerned about the awarding of the degree because of a lack of consultation with the faculty during the selection process. In an email to the Justice, she wrote that she was "astonished to find out that this choice, to honor Ms. Hirsi Ali for her contributions to 'women's rights,' had been made without consulting the WGS Core Faculty." s=She noted that the core faculty in the Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies program had not been contacted either. In a statement issued on behalf of the administration, Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid wrote that University President Frederick Lawrence "is aware of concerns that have been expressed following the announcement of the selection of Ayaan Hirsi Ali as an honorary degree recipient." She also added that Lawrence was reaching out to members of the Brandeis community to discuss the controversy, but did not respond to requests for comment on which individuals have been contacted by press time. In addition to vocal opposition to Hirsi Ali, there have been more tangible measures to oppose her presence at commencement. A student petition at www.change.org, started by Sarah Fahmy '14, calls on Lawrence to rescind the offer of an honorary degree. As of Monday evening at 11 p.m., the petition had over 600 signatures. Faculty members also organized to protest the decision through a letter to Lawrence. The letter calls on Lawrence to rescind the offer because of her "virulently anti-Muslim sentiments," as well as re-institute a faculty committee to review potential candidates before honorary degrees are awarded, since such a committee could have "warned [Lawrence] about the horrible message that this [decision] sends to the Muslim and non-Muslim comminutes at Brandeis and beyond." The letter was sent to the faculty on Sunday evening, and by late Monday had received over 75 signatures from various faculty members. Prof. Jytte Klausen (POL) wrote in an email to the Justice that giving Hirsi Ali a degree "undermines years of careful work to show that Brandeis University promotes the ideals of shared learning, religious toleration and coexistence, irrespective of religion." She further wrote that Hirsi Ali should be invited to speak on campus since the University allows individuals of all views the opportunity to express them but that honorary degrees should only be given to "people who promote our mission of learning and toleration." Klausen also expressed concern that Hirsi Ali's presence would detract from the overall experience of commencement, which is "not a hard-edged talk show or forum for confrontational endorsement of extreme views," but rather "a celebration where all should feel welcome." She also called into question Hirsi Ali's political career, saying that it had been built on "complaining about refugees and immigrants" and calling for harsher measures to be directed at these groups. Klausen also noted that Hirsi Ali's false statements on her Dutch refugee application and citizenship request was an offense "severe enough for the Minister of the Interior ... to annul Hirsi Ali's [Dutch] citizenship." In addition to condemnation, the announcement has prompted Prof. Susan Lanser (ENG) to call not only for the award to be rescinded, but for a public apology issued by Lawrence to the greater Brandeis community. In an email to the Justice, Lanser wrote that she believes Hirsi Ali "is not worthy of a doctorate of humane letters from a university that claims to be committed to justice, respect, diversity and truth to its innermost parts." She added that her outspoken views on Islam "foment an intolerance that is wholly antithetical to Brandeisian values." While many faculty members and students are decrying Hirsi Ali's being offered the honorary degree, some are coming to her defense. Bernard Macy '79, an alumnus who came forward to defend the selection of Hirsi Ali as an honorary degree recipient, sent an email to Lawrence, numerous faculty members and the Justice expressing his support. Macy wrote that he was very impressed that Hirsi Ali "had the courage to speak and act out against an extremely vicious form of violence toward women, which, until recently, had been a topic that had not been politically correct to discuss." Macy further expressed hope that "protection of women from this insidious form of mental, emotional and physical abuse" would be in line with the values of the University and firmly stated that Hirsi Ali is very deserving of an honorary degree. Students have also expressed concern about the University's selection. Alina Cheema '15, co-president of the Muslim Students Association, said in an interview with the Justice that she and the MSA perceive Hirsi Ali's receiving a degree as alarming. "[Hirs Ali] is well-known for her [anti-Islamic] beliefs ... and this is a slap in the face by the administration. Are they saying that we don't belong on this campus?" Cheema said. "How can the University claim to be so focused on social justice when they award a degree to someone with such radical views?" Cheema also added that this situation has made her personally feel very uncomfortable as a Muslim on campus. "How am I supposed to tell a prospective Muslim student that [he or she] will be accepted on this campus ... when the administration condones this?" When asked if the MSA was preparing a response to the announcement, Cheema said that the MSA had been talking about the issue since the news broke on Monday. "We will not be quiet about this," said Cheema. "Any opportunity we have to work against this, we will take advantage of." In addition to the perceived disconnect between Hirsi Ali's values and the University's, some have criticized the decision for damaging the University's reputation. Campbell wrote that she is worried this will be a "[public relations] disaster, and a step down a road we cannot take without losing our identity [as a university]." Prof. Mitra Shavarini (WGS) also told the Justice in an email that the offer is not in line with the University's mission, unless it wishes to "incite hate, mistrust and division among its community." She further stated that Hirsi Ali's approach to discourse "collapses thought in obscure, non-contextualized allegations that have no intellectual merit"-something Shavarini believes is radically opposed to the University's values of "intellectual exchange and the challenging of one's ideas."
The first day of April marks an interesting accomplishment for our country. It hasn't been written about anywhere in the news, which is exactly what makes it notable. America has officially gone a full six months without a single nationally newsworthy mass shooting. Not one "horrifying national tragedy" or "senseless slaughter" to read about, not a single presidential speech vowing solemnly to not let it happen again. Not even a photo of wailing parents or somber police officers shedding one tear of rage. It's a milestone that's worth considering. What's both curious and exciting was that I struggled to remember when and where the last of these tragedies took place. The last time we had a mass shooting notable enough to get national attention was in September, when a gunman killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard. After the alleged gunman committed suicide, reporters forced themselves on the shocked witnesses of the tragedy, President Barack Obama said a few remorseful words and that was the end of that. Just another in a long line of senseless tragedies that shock us to the core, force us to ask hard questions about the role of guns and violence in our culture and demand that we find an answer to this problem now to prevent it from happening again. And then, well, it happens again. But in this case, it hasn't-at least not for a little while. We've all moved on, and other issues have taken up the headlines. When Obama proposed a multi-million dollar gun safety program early this month, it received practically no attention from any news organization. Why should it? The proposed program's more stringent background checks and school safety pilot projects are similar to the policies of a 2013 bill that didn't pass in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. shooting, perhaps the most shocking of these events in recent history. Now, there was no impetus for the country to pay attention to yet another bill that only drags up painful memories. The surprising thing about this almost uniquely American issue is that we aren't surprised by it anymore. As a nation, we simply no longer have the emotional space to watch more Katie Couric interviews with mourners, or to hear Mother Jones and the National Rifle Association scream at each other for the 100th time over. The grief of a nation has become routine and clich?(c)d. And as strange as it is to say, that is possibly the best thing that could have happened. We have grown exhausted, and perhaps even bored, with talking about the issue. Thus, we don't want to give it attention. Among the many theories as to why America has a shooting problem, one of the most dominant is that the media promotes it. After each tragedy, journalists try to find out every detail of a shooter's life and background in search of an explanation, which may earn plenty of money, but perpetuates a very real problem. Eric Hickey, Dean of the California School of Forensic Studies, states in his book Serial Murderers and Their Victims that massacre shooters often construct elaborate inner narratives of how and why the world has wronged them, and use their shootings as a theater to express this story, what is to them a revenge tale against an uncaring world. The more attention they can get, the more people know their supposed truth. And if we put the alleged Boston Marathon bomber on the cover of Rolling Stone, it sends a clear message to other potential attackers. In a 1999 study, Paul Mullen, director emeritus of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health, found that gun massacres often occur in "clusters," since perpetrators are inspired by each other. He describes speaking to one imprisoned killer who claimed to be "going for the record," by killing more bystanders than any other similar criminal. Mullen's findings were reaffirmed in a 2002 study in Germany, examining violent crimes across multiple countries. Over and over, the most senseless and inexplicable tragedies occurred close to each other in time, especially when killers became aware of each other's actions through the media or some other source of information. Is the media single-handedly responsible for mass shootings? Of course not. To oversimplify a criminal and mental issue that no one fully understands does a disservice to everyone. To fix this problem, significant arms reform will likely be necessary (look at Australia's drop in crime since banning assault weapons), and our culture's unhealthy obsession with fictional violence will need to be seriously considered and controlled. But the more we can abstract these debates from the issue of mass shootings, the better capable we will be of not only preventing violence, but of thinking deeply and logically about the implications of potential changes in Second Amendment or censorship laws. These are issues unto themselves, and we should not allow either side to use cheap and exploitative emotional appeals. The best preventative measures to take with gun violence is simply to not give it more attention. Eventually, at some point somewhere, a group of people will be killed for no clear reason. The person who does this will be horribly troubled and in desperate need of someone to talk to. It will be a tragedy. When it happens, the media ought not to discover the life history of the murderer, or print hundreds upon thousands of pictures of the terrified masses. The media is responsible for providing a forum for the public to mourn, showing people ways they can help the grieving and then moving on. Nobody benefits from lingering on pain, and the less time we spend around exploitative shock stories and images, the longer it seems to be before they appear again. It appears that America may be on the way out of its current "cluster" of mass shootings. I hope we're better prepared for the next one. *
Ronny Zinner, the daughter of Carl and Ruth Shapiro and a Brandeis University trustee, passed away on March 18 at the age of 70 in Boston, according to a March 20 BrandeisNow article. Following her parents' legacy of dedication to Brandeis, Zinner served as president of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation, which is known for its widespread philanthropic work. The foundation supports organizations ranging from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis to after-school youth art programs.
Executive compensation, changes to meal plans and dining, renovations to campus dormitories and overall transparency were just some of the topics of concern brought up at a roundtable discussion hosted by the Student Union on Thursday evening. According to an email announcing the roundtable discussion from Student Union President Ricky Rosen '14, the first half of the event was meant to be a discussion between the Student Union representatives and administrators, while the second half was meant to be a "forum for students to pose questions to members of senior administration." The panel discussion, which included Student Union members as well as two administrators, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel and Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid, took place in the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center presentation room. The first segment of the event featured questions posed to Flagel and de Graffenreid from Union representatives on varying topics. Union Vice President Charlotte Franco '15 kicked off the event with a question about the level of student involvement in the decision-making processes surrounding major changes, such as the upcoming bid processes for the campus bookstore and mailroom. The University is currently evaluating their options regarding bookstore vendor and is currently in the bidding process for a potentially new mailroom vendor. More specifically, she asked why the Student Union only heard two of four proposals for meal plans before the final decision on which would be offered to students was reached. "Details of [Sodexo's] contract are under a mutual non disclosure agreement," responded Flagel, who said that he was "not engaged" in the bidding process for dining providers. "But I think it's fair to say that one of the major factors that was in the [request for proposal] and a major factor of the contract is student satisfaction, so a large part of [Sodexo's] responsibility is interfacing with you over these meal plans and their development." Relaying too much information during ongoing contract negotiations could be problematic, said Flagel, because "you don't get the best possible price point with completely transparent negotiations." Franco said that, in the future, she still hoped to see more student representatives on committees that review options for outside contractors, such as the mailroom and the bookstore. Flagel agreed that "[w]e didn't really have a student input structure for any of those [bidding processes] because it hadn't changed in a decade so there wasn't a whole lot to discuss." However, he added that "ultimately, you all want the same thing we want: we want the best level of service that students can have for the best possible value." He proposed a "University administrative systems committee" to work with committees and vendors in areas related to student life. Union Secretary Sneha Walia '15 then raised concerns regarding budget transparency, specifically President Emeritus Jehuda Reinharz's compensation. Reinharz's salary has been highly scrutinized following its publication in both this paper and The Boston Globe in November. De Graffenreid responded that based on conversations she has had with "counterparts" at other private institutions, "Brandeis is now probably the most transparent private university in the country in terms of executive compensation." Releasing University President Frederick Lawrence's salary at the March faculty meeting "was a very big step for the Board of Trustees to take," said de Graffenreid, calling it "sort of precedent-setting in the United States." Flagel then noted other substantial budgetary areas. "There was a massive investment, about five million dollars in sustainable energy projects, that had a lot to do with heating and cooling across the campus. .... The cleanup of the steam pipes that were sending steam shooting in different directions up through the ground, fixing those leaks," he said. "There's investments in the infrastructure that you've all experienced like the massive overhaul of East [Quad] that went on over a two-year period. This summer, we're going to be doing two of the halls of Ziv [Quad] and the [Foster] Mods." The next portion of the event featured questions from the audience of approximately 30 students. To start the segment, Class of 2017 Senator and Chair of Senate Dining Committee David Heaton questioned who holds the ability to change the current and oft-scrutinized meal plans, "You seemed to indicate that the composition of the meal plans was actually the responsibility of Sodexo, but in our meeting with Sodexo, they said that it was the responsibility of the administration," he said. Flagel responded, "The crafting and structure came out of Sodexo and my impression was that that had been ongoing discussion, so the fact that it has this level of disconnect troubles me, but I assume that everyone is operating in good faith." The conversation then shifted from dining to executive compensation. "How much do University administrators make annually and why is this not released to the full Brandeis community?" asked David Miller '14 of the Brandeis Labor Coalition. De Graffenreid responded, saying that the Board of Trustees was "concerned that transparency on individual administrator's salary would not allow [University] President [Frederick] Lawrence to manage his team in a way that is effective." She said that administrators have tasks that they are supposed to accomplish every year, "and we're accountable to President Lawrence for those things. "Our compensation depends largely on how well we do on those work plans, and the Board thought that if it was completely transparent, that people could see how people were performing, which would limit the ability to have continuous improvement and performance in people's jobs," she continued. Andrew Nguyen '15, also representing the Brandeis Labor Coalition, then turned from the salaries of the administration toward that of the president in particular. Nguyen expressed his dismay of a quote by Board of Trustees Chair Perry Traquina '78 in a Justice article last week, namely that the University "would never get a president here" if the presidential compensation was "handcuffed to the lowest-paid staff member. "Shouldn't a president want to come to Brandeis because of its commitment to equity, not in spite of this?" asked Nguyen. "Why don't we have a full-time sexuality and gender diversity coordinator" if we can pay such high salaries to administrators? Flagel said the University is making progress toward a full-time lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adviser position. "My hope is that in collaboration with other offices and with looking at space that we're actually going to be able to realize the full student proposal that you all voted on of creating a gender and sexuality center on campus. We're looking at space in Usdan [Student Center] right now where we can carve that out," he said. The issue of sexual assault on campus and the new blog SpeakOut! Brandeis was also addressed. Flagel expressed his surprise at the amount of people who don't think sexual assault is an issue [at Brandeis] because "people are so nice." Flagel affirmed that "[sexual assault] is already here" and "we've really just begun the work" needed to combat it. Other topics included the lighting and safety of the various South Street crossings, reductions in cost of the Golding Health Center as measures to cut costs, potentially recognizing greek life on campus and the overall image of Brandeis. Town hall meetings on marketing and presentation of Brandeis, including the University logo, will be held "toward the end of April," according to de Graffenreid. "We'll get those dates out to everyone, and we're going to buy pizza, and you should come and let your voice be heard," she said. -Marissa Ditkowsky contributed reporting