(03/02/10 5:00am)
An article in Arts misidentified the graduation year of a student. Jackie Benowitz is a member of the class of 2012, not 2011. (Feb. 9, p. 18) A caption in News misattributed the photographer. The photograph of the Activist Resource Fair photo was taken by Yosef Schaffel, not Robyn Spector. (Feb. 9, p. 2) The reader commentary in Forum misidentified the graduation year of a student. Doug Nevins is a member of the class of 2011, not 2010. (Feb. 9, p.11) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. E-mail justeditor@brandeis.edu.
(03/02/10 5:00am)
At a graduate student open forum about the Brandeis 2020 Committee's proposals, master's students in Cultural Production, MFA students in Theater Design and Ph.D. students in Anthropology spoke to Provost Marty Krauss and Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe against the closure of their programs, while undergraduate students also expressed some skepticism about the proposals at a separate forum. Both forums took place last Thursday.The Brandeis 2020 proposals, slated to save $3.8 million annually, include reorganizing the major in Hebrew Language and Literature and the minor in Yiddish and East European Jewish Culture as tracks within the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department, reorganizing the science departments into a new Division of Science to reduce overlapping research areas and terminating the Italian major. As part of the Faculty Handbook-mandated deliberative process, the Faculty Senate, the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Graduate Council reviewed the proposals last Thursday. The Faculty Senate has called for a special faculty-only meeting to discuss the proposals this Thursday. Krauss plans to release her final decisions about the proposals next Monday, before the Board of Trustees meeting March 24. Krauss addressed the timeline for coming up with and reviewing the proposals by March 8 in both forums. "I think that this truncated process has allowed for an intensity of communication, and I don't see much need to go beyond that Monday." She added that when Board of Trustees member Meyer Koplow '72, chair of the Board of Trustees Budget and Finance Committee, set the plan for the committee in motion, he initially wanted the proposals to be released by early March before the University negotiated with him to get one more week. Both Krauss and Jaffe addressed the factors affecting the decision-making process regarding the Brandeis 2020 proposals. "We are a research university, ... but I think the [Board of Trustees] feels that we already are not in graduate education in every area, so one of the ways to rein in our ambitions should be to think about being somewhat less ambitious about what we do in graduate education," Jaffe said. "We basically were told that if we didn't do a serious job, the Board would decide to just cut the budget in Arts and Sciences to something that would probably require far deeper, across-the-board, more damaging cuts," Krauss said. "Frankly, one of my worries is that some on the board will feel like this wasn't enough," Krauss said. Christopher Petrello, a first-year Cultural Production student, recalled at the forum that when he applied to graduate programs explaining his research interest, other universities directed him to their Art History or Anthropology departments. When he wrote to Prof. Mark Auslander (ANTH), director of the Cultural Production program at Brandeis, he said, "he not only said it would be a great fit, he seemed excited about it, which in turn made me excited to find other people who were interested in similar things." He added that he did not understand why the University did not seem to see the new Mandel Center for the Humanities as a good fit for the Cultural Production program. "I'm not going to say it doesn't fit. It many ways it would fit," Jaffe replied. "The reason that the majority of us are here is because there is nothing else like this out there," Nicole March, another first-year Cultural Production student said. She added that she was under the impression that the program earned money for the University and that it was the program's expansion that would cause financial difficulties. Jaffe said that beyond the cost of bringing in additional students, the program "is costing the University more than it is bringing in." He added that it would require more investment in the future to be a strong program. "Limiting the number of students does not control the cost of the program." In a follow-up e-mail to the Justice, Jaffe wrote, "I did not say [the Cultural Production program] does not earn revenue. What I said was that in the judgment of the committee, it has costs comparable to that revenue. I am not going to share specific numbers in that regard."In a follow-up e-mail to the Justice, Auslander wrote, "The CP program generates over $200,000 in revenue each year via tuition. Our understanding is that about $100,000 goes to help pay the salaries of faculty and administrators associated with the program, and to cover the expenses of the program. The remaining 100K goes to the Graduate School, and helps support Graduate School programs, such as stipends for PhD students."Benjamin Williams, an MFA student in Theater Design, stated that the Theater students acknowledged that the current state of their program was unsustainable. If the design program were removed, "the MFA program in acting and the undergraduate program would have to be significantly restructured," he said. "If this is going to take place, we firmly believe that the design program can be included within the overhaul of the department," Williams said. He continued to say that the program could work with the administration and the theater program to minimize production values of performances. Carlos Martinez-Ruiz, an Anthropology Ph.D. student, said that the Anthropology program costs less than other programs. Acknowledging that other programs are more expensive, Jaffe noted that "there is no serious research university that does not have a Ph.D. in English. There are serious research universities that don't offer Ph.D.s in anthropology." Martinez-Ruiz went on to say that the committee had not taken into account the department's transition. "We chose Brandeis because it's a small, up-and-coming department. ... It is quite surprising to us that it is throwing that all of that effort and investment out of the window at the moment when the department is beginning to see the fruits that the University invested." Jaffe stated that the committee did not apply the same criteria to all programs and that it was aware of the changes that had occurred. Undergraduates also expressed concern about the University's public perception and how the proposals would concretely affect them at their open forum. At the undergraduate forum, Jaffe emphasized that it was the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department's task to establish how to meet the proposals' goals, there was no intention to reduce the frequency of Yiddish language classes and that few students pursued the NEJS minor. "One of the reasons I wanted to come here was because I thought, wow, there are so many different kinds of majors here, and I thought that unique people would gravitate to this school," Janette Myette '13 said. Jaffe noted that with over 40 majors and similar number of minors, dropping two or three "I really don't think is a major change in terms of the breadth of possibilities." "I think the Brandeis 2020 Committee did a fairly good job of finding a balance," Caroline Grassi '12, an Italian Studies undergraduate departmental representative said, "While it's disappointing for my department to face a cut, it's understandable since the department's only tenured professor will be leaving in the next two years." Jaffe pointed out that students could put together an Independent Interdisciplinary Major in Italian Studies through the Boston Consortium or Study Abroad but that the University didn't want to be "claiming we have a major that we don't really feel we have enough courses to justify. Pointing out the "fundamental" influence Anthropology Ph.D. students had on her classroom experience, Union Vice President and Anthropology UDR Amanda Hecker '10 asked about the effect of the program's closure. "We do anticipate that there will still be teaching assistants in Anthropology," Jaffe said, noting the continued existence of the master's program. Jaffe went on to say that he did not think the new Division of Science would be a change very visible to undergraduates because the individual departments would still exist. "What we're thinking of doing . is instead of each [of] those departments individually putting together their curriculum that would be coordinated at the level of the division." Jaffe said he could not yet say exactly how the plans for the theater program would play out. "Our goal is to have a terrific undergraduate theater curriculum that includes all aspects of theater, including design," he said. "Exactly how we're going to do that and reconfigure the department ... I honestly don't know." With two new faculty hired already for next fall in addition to two hired through the Kay Fellows Fund, fellowships for postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and the social sciences, Jaffe pointed out that "we will be hiring many fewer faculty over the next few years" compared to the usual number of 12 to 15 per year. Former Student Union President Jason Gray '10, also a member of the Brandeis 2020 Committee, encouraged concerned students to reach out to faculty to help shape the new curricula with them. "I thought they did a good job responding, and they made me not afraid of how the reputation of the school is going to be after this proposal and after there are major cuts," Janette Myette '13 said after the forum. "My primary concern is why did we get to the point where we're cutting majors, and what I want to know now is what can the University do to cut other things ?. I'm not terrified anymore.
(02/09/10 5:00am)
Koplow would be great presidentIn response to your article "Meyer Koplow nominated for University president" (News, Feb. 2):Meyer Koplow would be an excellent choice for University president. His talent, integrity, devotion and support to Brandeis make him uniquely positioned to take on this challenge.-Barbara S. FriedmanThe writer served with Meyer Koplow on the board of the Westchester Day School and is the parent of Brett Friedman '00.Koplow is the president we needIn response to your article "Meyer Koplow nominated for University president" (News, Feb. 2):Meyer Koplow's nomination for University president is excellent news. We need someone who has been familiar with the crisis so far so that Brandeis can get out of its current mess, without wasting time getting up to speed. -Reuven Solomon '08Consider Conn senator for the jobIn response to your article "Meyer Koplow nominated for University president" (News, Feb. 2):I nominate Senator Joe Lieberman. We need a nationally known figure to bring the attention to Brandeis that it deserves. As both a committed Jew and independent thinker, he embodies the spirit of our University. -Mark D. Gershenson '74Brandeis grads took part in killing Regarding your article "To show respect for local community, let Waltham residents use University gym" (Forum, Jan. 26.):Just for purposes of accuracy, can I point out that the two women involved in killing that police officer were Brandeis graduates? I also have some problems with Ayers, but radical-even extremist-activism is a part of our school's history that we must acknowledge.-Doug Nevins '10
(02/09/10 5:00am)
College is a strange place, when you think about it. When we first arrive here we are told that Brandeis will teach us, nurture our strengths, help us plan our futures, etc. by providing us with an authentic "college experience." When I arrived here, I felt that I wasn't just attending a university-I was coming to a place that would help me transition into adulthood.But then I am reminded, every time and as soon as I log on to sage, of my "current balance," "finances," "outstanding charges"-here are the buzzwords that shatter my delusions of grandeur. Brandeis is fundamentally a business, and I am a consumer. These words are indicators of the very real and tangible transaction of funds that allows me to be here.For example, I can do the math and know that every Spanish class I attend (or occasionally-and now very guiltily-miss) costs my parents around $250. Maybe I should consider the value of that $250. Of course, my tuition pays my professors to teach me and helps maintain the buildings where I do my learning. But there are countless other factors that go into the division of funds. Tuition is allocated to help pay for administrative salaries and student activities, among other things. So, in theory, only a percentage of that $250 may actually go to my Spanish professor. The University will use much of it to enhance and enrich student life.So what exactly is my relationship to this place? Is this my new community, or is it just the place where I live and attend classes in return for a hefty check? Let's look at the question from a different angle. What am I doing exactly when I cheer for the Judges at their basketball game? Am I rooting for the "University" as an abstract, mystical entity that holds my allegiance? Or am I merely expressing my approval of this particular form of entertainment that Brandeis has provided for me-sponsored, in part I'm sure, by a sizable slice of my tuition-as a distraction from my workload?The answer is more muddled than either of these two options. Brandeis is first and foremost a school that students pay to attend. In a way, we are like customers buying a product. Our role in the relationship is somewhat clear in this sense. The identity of the product is more complicated. One way to think of it is this: we pay for the classes, but to give us our money's worth, the University provides all these extra services. This is what sets Brandeis apart from other universities of lesser quality. The extra services are the features that will attract applicants and maintain a high quality of life here. I tend to think of them as the college equivalent of those freshly baked cookies that some hotels give you at check-in-little personal touches that enhance the experience and ensure that the customer will return in the future. Students are even more of a monetary investment to the University in this sense. If Brandeis does a good job preparing me for my future career, chances are I'll eventually become successful enough to give back to the school through alumni donations.For sure, this is a cold, capitalistic way of understanding the University. We pay, we learn and we leave with a brand-name diploma. But I don't think this outlook on the college experience necessarily has to be so bleak. We can remain sentimental, or we can begin to think of Brandeis as a resource waiting to be tapped and, with that knowledge, make a conscious decision to take advantage of our time here. It turns out there is way more to take away from this campus than what one could get out of a successful round of "Sherman shopping." So how do you pillage and plunder your way through all Brandeis has to offer? Follow these simple steps!1) Take advantage of TAs. They are there to help you. Think of them as private tutors who would charge you for their time if someone wasn't already paying their salaries (ignore the fact that, in a way, you already are paying them through tuition). 2) Use the gym. A gym membership at home would cost me about $70 a month, so why not make use of the Brandeis gyms while I'm here? 3) Take advantage of the accessibility of religious services held on campus. Brandeis is the ideal place to be for this. You never know when or where in your lifetime you will next have the opportunity to explore spirituality in an open forum, free of charge. Or schedule a one-on-one with one of the chaplains and learn a little more about your own religion. 4) Make an appointment at the Hiatt Carreer Center and brainstorm potential career options, and if you find yourself in trouble, do not hesitate to visit the Counseling Center and use one of your 12 free sessions per semester. 5) Go to the free or discounted concerts, plays and other events on campus. You may as well get yourself a little more cultured while you're here. 6) We're right outside Boston, possibly the greatest resource available to us. And we've even got free shuttles running there all weekend. Check it out sometime. My overall suggestion is to experiment with this new mindset. There are tons of "freebies" sitting on campus waiting to be snatched up. The most amazing realization, you might discover, is that you are entitled to all of this. You are a paying customer, after all.
(02/09/10 5:00am)
The Brandeis 2020 Committee announced proposals today to phase out or reorganize a wide range of graduate and undergraduate academic programs in order to achieve annual savings of about $3.8 million. The move will go toward fulfilling the Board of Trustees' mandate communicated at a special faculty meeting Jan. 20 by Meyer Koplow '72, chair of the Board's Budget and Finance committee, to reduce the academic commitments of the Arts and Sciences to ensure the long-term financial health of the University.Some key elements of the proposals include reorganizing the major in Hebrew Language and Literature and the minor in Yiddish and East European Jewish Culture as a track within the Near Eastern and Judaic Studies department; reorganizing the science departments into a new Division of Science to reduce overlapping research areas; transforming the American Studies department into an interdepartmental program; phasing out the master's program in Cultural Production; and phasing out the Master of Fine Arts in Theater Design, as well as reducing the budget of the Brandeis Theater Company and theater production activity significantly over the next two years.According to the deliberative process outlined in the Faculty Handbook, University community members will have a chance to give feedback on the proposals to Provost Marty Krauss, who will make the ultimate decision about which proposals to present to the Board of Trustees. There will be two open forums with the provost and committee members for undergraduate and graduate students, to be held this coming Thursday at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. in Olin-Sang Auditorium and Golding Auditorium. The administration will present the final proposals to the Board of Trustees in March, together with proposals about centers and institutes, administrative costs and structures or suggestions from Bold Ideas Group. The Brandeis 2020 Committee was made up of members of last year's Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering committee and the Dean's Curriculum Committee, the chair of the Faculty Budget committee, the faculty representatives to the Board of Trustees, three other faculty members to ensure maximum faculty representation, according to the report and one undergraduate and one graduate student representative. Asked whether there was a minimum of the proposals that the committee expected to be implemented, Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe said in an interview with campus media that the committee considered the proposals to be a "package" and an "integrated plan." "One of the things this report does is ... to take the ideas that CARS started with and try to lock them down better so that we can reassure the Board that these things are really going to happen.""I don't think there is any question that the reductions are affecting graduate students significantly more than undergraduate programs," Jaffe said. "The undergraduate programs that are directly affected are limited, ... whereas with respect to some of the graduate programs we will basically be getting out of graduate training in those areas." "The bulk of the savings is actually either fewer Ph.D. students' support [in the future] and faculty attrition that would eventually happen voluntarily," said Jaffe. He added that the committee estimated that there would be six or seven full-time jobs and another six or seven part-time faculty and staff that could be eliminated in the short term, beginning in summer 2011.Regarding the recommendations for the theater program, "we have not given a specific target for the savings, frankly because we want to work in concert with the people in theater to figure out what changes could be made while maintaining a strong theater program," Jaffe explained. Committee member Prof. Sarah Lamb (ANTH) added that another aim was to increase undergraduate opportunities in theater. Prof. Leslie Griffith (BIOL) said the reorganization of the sciences would also allow for a long-term reduction full-time faculty equivalent faculty positions. She said cuts in administrative staff were unlikely but that there could be a reallocation to understaffed areas. The proposal states that the sciences "should carry out the CARS-mandated net reduction in faculty of 10 [faculty full-time equivalents]" by the elimination of specific subject areas from the research portfolios of each department. The proposals also call for suspending the Ph.D. programs in Anthropology indefinitely; merging the Ph.D. in Biochemistry with the Ph.D. programs in Biophysics and Structural Biology to form one Ph.D. program in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry; reduce the University-funded Computer Science Ph.D. slots from 10 to five; and reducing the University-funded Chemistry Ph.D. slots from 25 to 20. Additionally, says the report, all stand-alone programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will have to explain "how they will achieve benchmarks set by the Dean of GSAS for enrollment, expenses, revenue, and metrics of student success and satisfaction. Programs that do not achieve their benchmarks by 2012-13 will be phased out at that time." On the undergraduate level, the proposals encourage the Physics department to consider reorganizing the major in Biological Physics as a track within the Physics major; the termination of the major in Italian Studies while still offering instruction in Italian language and an Italian Studies minor; and termination of the Internet Studies minor, beginning with the class of 2015. "The sense of the faculty in the program and the graduate students ... [is that they] all feel this is a very unfortunate and poorly considered decision," Prof. Mark Auslander (ANTH), director of the Cultural Studies program, said. He went on to say "that it's our hope in fact that during the deliberation process the Provost will have a chance to think carefully about all this ... and will recognize that there is a little more freedom to save certain important parts of the University."Students and faculty in the M.F.A. in Theater Design program have been circulating e-mails to colleagues at other institutions and to alumni protesting the decision. "The general consensus here in the Design department was shock and anger," Benjamin Williams, a second-year Theater Design student, said. "This is a mandate from the Board to form this committee without coming through and looking at our program to see where we can save money and make changes to see if we can still maintain this program."--Hannah Kirsch contributed reporting.
(02/09/10 5:00am)
The University's financial difficulties and the recent influx of a remarkably large first-year class have made on-campus housing a complicated, frustrating phenomenon. In order to help ameliorate housing chaos, we recommend that the University help facilitate off-campus living.The University should not only spend time and money reconfiguring campus housing to fit a maximum number of students: It should also invest in staff who can advise students about off-campus housing. Until July 2008, the Department of Community Living staff included an assistant director of residence life for off-campus housing. The University would be wise to reinstate this position, even if just for a few months between October and February. Students debating where to live would be likelier to move off campus if they knew someone could assist them throughout the process.Because hiring additional staff is a costly decision, the University might also consider hiring students to counsel their peers about off-campus living issues. Rising seniors who have lived off-campus for at least one year could apply for these positions, and current DCL staff could supervise their work. Students might even feel more comfortable approaching other students with their concerns than they would about meeting with permanent DCL staff. An off-campus housing adviser could address many concerns students have when considering moving off campus. This staff member could help students find housing that matches their budgets in the Waltham area. The adviser could also provide guidance on paying utilities and purchasing food. Some students living off campus still want to be able to eat on campus, and the adviser could recommend a suitable meal plan.Brandeis might also consider establishing a forum on myBrandeis for students to communicate about available houses near campus. Students who rent specific houses would be able to answer questions about the advantages of living there or the problems they have faced. In an effort to encourage students to move off campus, the University should also better publicize the resources the DCL provides. The online "Guide to Off-Campus Housing" offers some useful tips for moving off campus, including average rental rates, advice on subletting and instructions for posting a listing on myBrandeis. As the date for room selection draws nearer, the University should let students know that these resources are available. The DCL could stuff mailboxes with hard copies of the "Guide to Off-Campus Housing" or e-mail students about upcoming workshops on off-campus living. More students might be inspired to seek off-campus housing. As the size of Brandeis' undergraduate class continues to increase, the University should think carefully about resolving issues in campus housing. Whether by hiring extra staff or increasing advertising, the University should promote off-campus living as an attractive option and help ease the process of moving off campus.
(02/09/10 5:00am)
I love Brandeis Fridays; I really do. That last class of the week, Sherman chicken wings, catching up on those shows you missed on Thursday night after your 12:10 to 1:30 p.m. class-it's a delightful little way to end the week. But I've come to recognize that perhaps Fridays as I know and love them ought to maybe change for the benefit of the University at large. At one of the recent budget cut brainstorming forums, one participant raised the prospect of switching from a five-day to a four-day workweek. Switching the way we operate relative to time in order to save some money? Seems a little bit crazy-in the United States, hearing about something other than a five-day workweek evokes a certain sense of unnatural disorder. But shifting from the five-day workweek to a largely, yet not completely, four-day one (as I'll explain) presents possibly significant and sustained financial savings, which seem to be the precise type of economic BandAid the University has been seeking. Even though our strangely standard Monday-Wednesday-Thursday and Tuesday-Friday classes may have some nostalgic appeal, just as the Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering committee noted in its report last spring, weaning off such a system is probably in the University's best interest. But that CARS committee suggestion doesn't go nearly far enough. I'm not sure exactly how the individual that spoke up at the forum envisioned a Brandeisian four-day workweek, but my vision looks something like a more radical version of the current model employed by schools like Columbia University. There, most classes occur in Monday-Wednesday and Tuesday-Thursday pairs, with some longer seminars at various blocks throughout the week. Fridays are much emptier than other days, reserved only for a handful of language classes, seminars and lab courses. We could use a similar system-obviously by pushing most courses to fit a more limited range of time slots, it would be beneficial to use the Columbia-style idea of pushing at least some of the lab classes to Friday. But aside from those and the low-level language courses, there would be no need for classes on Fridays. However, so long as individual department offices remain operational on Fridays, it'd be tough to reap in the real financial gains that could materialize from completely closing down a number of University buildings an extra day of the week.So to that end, if the University wanted to embrace the full merits of a four-day workweek, it should phase out Fridays as a workday for most University departments. Some buildings in the Mandel Quad, as well as other places around campus, could then be completely closed an entire extra day of the week. The University could save a notable amount of money from having one less day of temperature control and maintenance for a number of large buildings on campus. And if the four-day workweek extended to other campus entities like administrative and advisory offices, then the savings start rolling in at an even greater pace. Faculty course loads would remain the same, and thus their pay would logically be unchanged. Yet how such a change would ultimately be reflected through employee pay gradients would remain to be seen. The University could simply choose to continue its current demands on different segments of the academy with a new, increased focus on time efficiency. Switching to a four-day workweek might be perceived as a rather radical change for the University. But I'm willing to say that it's far less radical-and perhaps just as effective-as any of the cuts that will be announced in the coming weeks. The difference is that the switch to a four-day workweek might make things rather tough across much of the University's infrastructure. Additionally, in light of recent economic woes, many school districts across the country switched to four-day workweeks to save money on transportation costs as well as other costs that would be comparable to the costs saved at this University. That might seem like the messier and more frustrating option. The switch to such a system would be chaotic and hopelessly inconvenient, at least at first. On the other hand, phasing out entire academic programs might seem like cleaner cuts for the University to make. But that doesn't make them the right cuts-it only makes them the simple ones. I'm a fan of my treasured 12:10 to 1:30 p.m. class on Fridays. But I'd be willing to trade that in for a better Thursday night and the potential preservation of programs that might otherwise be wholly eliminated. Wouldn't you?
(02/09/10 5:00am)
The SunDeis Film Festival was started five years ago by a group of students who believed there should be a forum for film students to get their work out there. Intended to unify and strengthen the film community at Brandeis, new plans for SunDeis may now be dividing it.SunDeis started small and grew each year, drawing in more and more submissions from student and independent local filmmakers and encouraging a greater appreciation of the art of film. The annual festival has developed hand-in-hand with the Film, Television and Interactive Media Program, which started out offering only a few classes in the Film Studies minor but over time has grown to the point that in 2008 the University created a major for it.As of last year, SunDeis' future was in jeopardy. Due to substantially reduced funding from Student Activities and a lack of leadership, rumors abounded that SunDeis would be canceled this year. In response, the Film program, headed by Prof. Alice Kelikian (HIST), offered to ease the financial burden on Student Activities by co-sponsoring SunDeis in partnership with BTV.According to BTV president Avi Swerdlow '10, who also serves as undergraduate departmental representative to the program, the organizers will create a SunDeis 2010 planning committee. It is composed of seven to 10 people, mostly from BTV and the Film program, although as in years past, the committee will expand to include students not necessarily connected to either group. The sponsors also plan to offer prize money for the first time and bring high-profile speakers to campus, as permitted by the newly expanded budget."I think it's a good reflection of the film community that's growing on campus," says Swerdlow of the organizers' goals. On the other hand, Illona Yuhaev '11 and Tom Charging Hawk '10, who were involved with SunDeis in past years, do not think that these changes are for the better. Yuhaev believes that with the Film program's involvement, the festival would no longer be truly student-run. She advocates a neutral planning committee comprised of interested students not necessarily affiliated with the Film program or BTV, and she wants these students to have the power to decide which student films will be screened.Kelikian is eager for the program to become more involved in organizing SunDeis because of the potential to "broaden the festival," making it more inclusive of the entire film-making community, with an emphasis on alumni outreach, the greater Boston area and celebrity guests and judges. Kelikian maintains that the festival will continue to be student-run but asks, "Why should we limit ourselves?" She hopes the involvement of people outside of the Brandeis community may create more opportunities for student filmmakers and attract larger audiences to screenings and panel discussions. Although Yuhaev admits the Film program could contribute significant funding and make the festival larger than it has ever been before, she feels that in the long run, "It is better for students to have a voice." Yuhaev feels that by taking over sponsorship and trying to engage bigger names in the film community, the program is endangering SunDeis' future. "If it's not going to happen through students then it's gone, it's going to die," she says. She fears that the Brandeis community will forget about SunDeis if the program absorbs most of the control over it and that the festival will lose its significance.As a result, Yuhaev and Charging Hawk have started efforts to create a separate festival not affiliated with the department, which would be "completely student-run." Yuhaev and Charging Hawk organized a "Save SunDeis" meeting held on Thursday in the Getz Media Lab to raise student awareness of what is currently happening with the festival. Yuhaev has gone forward with plans to execute what she considers a truly student-run festival, which will focus on students' work and give any interested students the opportunity to help organize the festival, select judges and screen submissions without rigid demands from the Film program being placed on them. In this way, she hopes to create a solid base of students who can carry on the tradition and assume roles of leadership once the current organizers graduate, ensuring SunDeis will remain for years to come.Even as both festivals are in the planning process, attempts are being made by all parties involved to form some kind of compromise, since, as Yuhaev says, "It would be a waste of resources" to have two festivals. Swerdlow agrees, adding that it might come off as confusing to students. "We just want to make it as open and inclusive as possible," he says, which is why the program's festival coordinators held a town-hall style meeting yesterday, to which all interested parties were invited, in order to reflect on the goals of the SunDeis festival and offer everyone the chance to become involved in the activities. Until the two sides can reach an agreement, both will continue planning separate film festivals, with some confusion over rights to the name "SunDeis" and the timing of the two festivals. Either way, there will certainly be no lack of film festivals at Brandeis this spring!
(02/02/10 5:00am)
Delay major academic changesRegarding your article "Rethink academic restructuring" (Forum, Jan. 26):In addition to the points made in this editorial, it would be wisest to defer making any major changes in academic offerings until the new president of the University is chosen. Changes at this level should be approved and implemented under the aegis of the leader who will have to work with the consequences of them.-Meredith Warshaw, MA '87Univ restructuring plan doesn't payIn response to your article "Academic programs to face cuts" (News, Jan. 26):Rather than eliminating programs, I think the University needs to think long and hard about either how to maintain these programs while saving money, or about how much money will actually be saved by eliminating them. A program like Medieval and Renaissance Studies employs professors already firmly employed in the History, Art History, English (Literature), and other departments, and would be very easy to maintain at no extra cost.What does it actually cost the University to have courses which are already being taught by professors who are already here and firmly entrenched in core departments such as History, Art and Literature? What does it cost the University to have these courses, in disparate departments, count on someone's transcript as an established major or minor in "Medieval and Renaissance Studies"? Just about nothing, I should think. The only way I can imagine that a Medieval and Renaissance Studies program costs the university more than having these professors teach these classes without it counting as a major or minor would be if the costs were in excessive, unnecessary back office administration and bureaucracy. Whether we have a Medieval and Renaissance Studies program or not, Prof. Kapelle (HIST) will continue to go on lecturing on medieval history for the History department, and will continue to get paid. And if he leaves and is not replaced, that would create a very serious gap in the University's (specifically the History Department's) offerings-a very serious problem.Whether we have a "program" in it or not, medieval history, Renaissance art and the like are crucial core subjects that every university ought to be teaching. So I don't see where the University thinks it is going to be getting any great savings out of cutting these programs.-Travis Seifman '04
(02/02/10 5:00am)
An article in Features last week misspelled a student's surname. The student's name is Megan Strum, not Megan Stromm (Jan. 26, p. 7)An article in Sports misspelled a photographer's surname. The photographer's name is David Sheppard-Brick, not David Shephard-Brick. (Jan. 26, p. 13)An article in Forum last week misrepresented information about the number of scholarships Waltham residents are elgibile to apply for. Waltham residents are eligible to receive other scholarships besides the four reserved specifically for them. (Jan. 26, p. 11)The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. E-mail justeditor@brandeis.edu.
(02/02/10 5:00am)
Members of the Brandeis faculty and staff took advantage of open forums with Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Apfel and Provost Marty Krauss held last Tuesday and Thursday to offer suggestions for ways the University can increase revenue, reduce expenses, increase the efficiency of its work routines and enhance its image. Krauss is the chair of the Bold Ideas Group, a committee of faculty and staff investigating academic initiatives that the University could adopt to yield a steady return of at least $2 million. Apfel is chair of the Administrative Resource Review Committee, which is examining University staffing levels and administrative processes. Apfel said after the meeting that senior administrators would evaluate the ideas in upcoming meetings. He said he was open to having a similar forum with students. Faculty and staff offered a range of suggestions from "turning off the lights" to having four-day workweeks at the two open forums. Some participants used the forum to call attention to longstanding issues, such as the closure of the swimming pool: "Prospective students will wonder what's going on," swimming and diving coach Jim Zotz said. "What kind of facility keeps a pool closed for a year and a half? Every elite school we want to compare ourselves to has a pool." "We should target buildings really in distress and renovate them to avoid having to throw money at them to keep them in shape," University archivist Karen Abramson said. She suggested that the University monetize promotional material presenting the University's history. She added that the University could also charge for access to University networking-for example, charging a small fee for an iPhone application for alumni. Director of Global Communications Charles Radin suggested that the University restart an effort to establish a shuttle service to the Riverside subway station. "If we could do that, . then you could eliminate [the Boston/Cambridge Shuttle Service] downtown," he said. Radin added that "a lot of units on the campus buy supplies separately. . I think that can't be the most the efficient thing, every department and center ordering separately, even if they use corporate accounts," Radin said. Apfel agreed with Radin, stating that "when efficiency work is being done in higher education, probably the number-one area is procurement." Apfel said centralized procurement could sometimes be hard to implement because different departments prefer different types of supplies. The University had been exploring the idea of centralized cooperation in this area with Boston consortium institutions, Apfel said. "We may be going down that road over the course of the year." Lisa Andersen of the Schneider Institute for Health Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management stated that savings could be possible in landscaping. "There are a lot of contractors doing plantings [and] replacements. . If we shifted to perennials, we might reduce our landscaping budget."Chris Roppola '99, also an LTS staff member, said that it was important to many alumni that there be an alma mater for them to return to in the future. "There's a lot of debate that we can't shrink out academic offerings if we have 47 academic programs. . But if we only ever have $150 million, ... then maybe that's too many," he said. Peter de Andrade from Human Resources noted that his department had received four-day workweeks for a period over the summer with a choice of Monday or Friday to take those days off. He suggested that if staff all took off the same day there could be savings from building energy. Ethan Sewall, an English as a Second Language faculty member suggested the University become a testing center for the Test Of English as a Foreign Language. He said such a setup for the TOEFL or other tests would cost very little money but did pay some income. Some professors also offered suggestions for enhancing the University's image. Prof. Mary Baine Campbell (ENG) suggested that the University could serve as a "center for literary and cultural studies," particularly since many residents of surrounding areas have "a hard time getting into Harvard Square." The University could take advantage of visiting professors traveling through Brandeis for this purpose and become a "resource for the educated people in the suburbs." A French professor suggested greater engagement to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. "Why don't we hook up with artists in Haiti, figure out how to raise money and help their work," the professor proposed. The professor suggested that the University should take greater initiative to help student groups organizing help for Haiti, with, for example, a Justice Brandeis Semester on the country. Representatives of the Haitian Waltham community could visit English and French classes, the professor added. - Alana Abramson contributed reporting.
(01/19/10 5:00am)
Last year, when MJ Rosenberg '72 attended a conference for the pro-peace, pro-Israel lobby group J Street in Washington, he expected to mingle among upper-middle-class politicians and peacemakers from the United States and diplomatic officials from the Middle East. Instead, Rosenberg spent time with someone who was neither an American nor a diplomatic official. Rosenberg forged a relationship with Yousef Bashir, a 20-year-old Palestinian who had been shot by an Israeli soldier at the age of 15 and was the only person at the conference from Gaza."[Bashir looked] like a prosperous, athletic Jewish kid; like any Brandeis student," thought Rosenberg, who is a writer for Media Matters, "a web based, not-for-profit, progressive research and information center," according to its Web site. Bashir began his college career at Suffolk University but transferred to Northeastern University this semester to study International Affairs. Bashir had dreamed of going to Brandeis but was rejected this past semester when he applied as a transfer. Rosenberg immediately took interest in Bashir as Rosenberg and his son hold Brandeis degrees. Bashir wanted to go to Brandeis to prove to fellow Palestinians that Jews and Arabs can learn together in peace. "I wanted to be a Palestinian who graduated from a Jewish school to go back and help his own people," Bashir says. Rosenberg was amazed not only by Bashir's story but also by his positive perspective on peace considering the violence that once surrounded him. "You don't realize how incredible and overwhelming it is to grow up in Gaza until you get out of it. I used to, and most of the kids would collect bullets for hobbies," Bashir says. Bashir was shot in 2005 when two United Nations officers came to visit his home. They had to obtain permits from several Israeli soldiers who were occupying Bashir's home at the time in order to visit. The officers received a permit for only 10 minutes. Bashir and his late father sat with them in their front yard until the Israelis used a microphone to ask the officers to leave the house. "My back was to the soldier that afternoon. I was wearing a soccer shirt; the number 19 was on the back, a player from Argentina. All of a sudden, I fell to the ground," Bashir says. Medical technicians took Bashir to a hospital in Tel Aviv. Bashir had suffered a shot to the spine. It was questionable whether he would ever have the ability to walk again. Bashir has not been back to Gaza since the shooting. "That's when my whole life took a different direction," he says. Upon regaining his energy and his ability to walk, Bashir began to take interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and politics. "[Before the shooting], all I really cared about was soccer. After I was shot, I grew up," says Bashir. "Instead of being 15, I became 25." Still, Bashir forgives the soldier who shot him and those who occupied his home. "That bullet was supposed to kill me, and it didn't. I cannot deny that fact, but it gives me enough power to forgive them," says Bashir. This ability to forgive comes from Bashir's father, who passed away this past September. "I remember the soldiers banging my father's head on the wall one night because he forgot to gather [us] into the room. [Afterward], he said [the soldiers] are all children. They don't know any better. He said it wasn't a big deal," says Bashir. Bashir's was motivated by an interest in politics and his father's message of peace to interview for a spot at a Seeds of Peace camp in Maine. Seeds of Peace is an organization that, according to the mission statement on its Web site, "[empowers youth] from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence." In summer 2005, Bashir attended the camp with 12 other teenagers from Gaza. The camp houses teens from all over the Middle East, specifically from areas of conflict. The camp also houses American students who are interested in learning about international conflict.That summer Bashir lived in a cabin with Daniel Acheampong '11. At the beginning of the summer, Acheampong said that he felt a lot of hatred among his peers in his cabin made up of Israelis, Jordanians, Palestinians and Americans. Bashir's message of peace immediately transformed the feeling of animosity in his and Acheampong's cabin. "Speaking to Yousef and [hearing] his ability to forgive really inspired me," says Acheampong. Acheampong and Bashir are still close friends today and see each other often. Bashir says, "He's one of the first characters I met in the states. The first conversation I really had with him, [was about] our dreams and what would happen. We promised to be friends [after camp] because when you go back to Gaza, you usually don't come back."After camp, Bashir decided to live with his aunt on the West Bank. "After one month, she kicked me out because I was in Seeds. [She] thought I was being brainwashed," says Bashir. Not long after, Bashir enrolled in an American boarding school. After a couple of years in the U.S., it was through Acheampong that Bashir discovered Brandeis. He had known of the University, but it was through his visits to Acheampong that the University caught his interest. Acheampong says that he finds many similarities between Brandeis and Seeds of Peace, as they are both devoted to open dialogue and social justice. Bashir feels, though, that anywhere in the U.S. is a forum for open dialogue when compared to his homeland. "I had a hard time talking about my views [in Palestine], so I decided the U.S. was the best place [for me]," says Bashir. With all the hardships Bashir has endured, he is hopeful for the future. "Every hardship I've gone through has happened when I [was] young. It's early. So I think when I'm older, my life will be better for it," says Bashir. In 10 years, Bashir sees himself investing in Gaza. "Schools, hospitals, anything. Hopefully, I have a career in Gaza somehow, but [I hope] in 10 years it will be different, and I hope the people in Gaza won't even need me," he says. Even though Bashir is attending Northeastern and not Brandeis, he is grateful. "I'm a really lucky guy. There [are] few that [leave] Gaza. I appreciate what I have," says Bashir. "Education is education; it has nothing to do with our disagreements.
(01/19/10 5:00am)
UNION IMPEACHMENT WAS UNTIMELYIn response to your article "Student Union Senate votes to impeach Union secretary, censure Union president" (Breaking News, Dec. 6):As a lawyer, I have some sympathy for those who are in student government and believe in following the Constitution, but on Saturday night? Nixon created a constitutional Saturday night crisis when he fired the Attorney General some months before he was impeached. Too bad the Brandeis Student Union senators didn't have other plans for the weekend.-Gary D. Lander '67RUSSIAN PROGRAM REMAINS STRONGRegarding your article "Russian Language and Literature faculty propose new Russian Studies program" (Breaking News, Dec. 4):This proposal rings true. I was a Russian Language and Literature major after four years of study in high school. With the department's blessing, during the first semester of my senior year at Brandeis I created a student teaching assignment at a local independent high school. I simultaneously explored multi-media design and production; the Russian professor who coordinated the language lab helped with my first soundtrack. That is to say that even 40 years ago there were those of us eager to enrich our Russian language study in multi-disciplinary ways. Professors Szulkin and Hanson were very, very supportive.-Jonathan Barkan '71USE OF TWITTER BENEFITS EDUCATIONRegarding your article "Keep 'tweeting' out of the classroom setting" (Forum, Dec. 1):While I very much appreciate your well-crafted message that makes a good case for not using Twitter in the classroom, I must disagree with the objective of maintaining the status quo of traditional academic settings. In the long run, using Twitter in the classroom may lead to great steps forward for education. The use of Twitter in the classroom as education research and development may lead to big payoffs down the road as professional educators begin to harness the power of existing, nearly ubiquitous technology in new ways. Research and development in the private sector is the lifeblood of innovation and improvement. The use of Twitter in the classroom may represents the lifeblood of innovation and improvement in classrooms across the country. -Mark SchambachThe writer is publisher and educational director of daviecountystem.com, a Web site tracking education reform efforts in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. REVISE FIRST YEARS' ELECTION SYSTEMIn response to your article "Midyear senator position proposed" (News, Dec. 1): Here is my solution to the "problem" without creating a new seat or giving a small population over-representation: How about the senator for the first-year class who gets the second most votes is only elected for one semester? At the beginning of the spring semester, a new election for the second first-year senator is held and then all first years can vote and run for the seat, midyears included.-Daniel Baronofsky '09CALIFORNIA PROTESTS HAVE MEANINGRegarding your article "Protest with a forethoughtful agenda," (Forum, Dec. 1):Cooper claims that the situation is just as bad for the administration but then cites pay cuts to faculty and workers. First, he is equating all adults-or nonstudents-at the University with the administration, and then he assumes that students are protesting all the nonstudents. On the contrary, the students are not protesting the faculty or the University workers; they are protesting the administration and the regents. In fact, many faculty members and University workers are standing in solidarity with the students.The protest is an attempt to highlight how time after time again when faced with financial crisis, California has chosen to slash the budget of education and has shifted the burden onto students who simply cannot pay-thus denying their access to higher education.-Lev Hirschhorn '11
(12/01/09 5:00am)
With 10 minutes left of my Introduction to International and Global Studies lecture, I found myself slumping in my chair, checking the clock nearly every 5 seconds and praying with all my heart for the class to finally be over. I carefully surveyed my notes for the day and realized that I had been drawing doodles in the margins for the last half hour. When the professor posed a question to the class, I didn't even think to raise my hand because I knew that whatever I said would probably sound incredibly stupid and indicate quite clearly that I had not been paying attention to any of the discussion that had ensued for the past 50 minutes. At long last, the clock struck 11, and I was out of the classroom before the professor could even get his closing words out of his mouth.Although my complete loss of focus was quite unusual considering my typically studious disposition, a general lack of interest and engagement among college students is a far too common problem for both students and educators. According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled "Teaching with Twitter: Not for the Faint of Heart" by Jeffrey R. Young, the latest innovation for remedying this problem is using Twitter, an online social network, as a new form of forum for discussion in the classroom. Several professors at colleges and universities across the country have been trying Twitter as a means of getting their students more involved in class discussions. According to the article, the online forum emboldens quieter students to participate and ask questions via "tweets"-short 140-character posts that can be submitted via a laptop or cell phone. In addition, it allows students to engage in an ongoing discussion about class material both inside and outside of the classroom.Using Twitter as a classroom tool certainly seems like an interesting idea. Admittedly, when I first read the article, I found myself wishing my IGS professor would adopt a similar system. But on second thought, I realized that using Twitter in the classroom is actually detrimental to an esteemed academic environment. Twitter is undoubtedly an effective way to get students engaged, but the problem is that students would be engaging the wrong skills.One obvious downside to using Twitter in the classroom is that the open, unlimited access to this online forum draws students' attention away from the lecture. According to the Chronicle article, in Prof. Sugato Chakravarty's consumer sciences and retailing class at Purdue University, the experimental Twitter project causes "a constant stream of comments, often tangential. . During one session . students took over the back channel to ask the professor to cancel class Thanksgiving week." Clearly, the students are participating in this online discussion, but their chatter is often not related to the subject material at hand.If a serious lack of focus is already a problem, it seems counterproductive for professors to then provide a forum for unmediated discussion in Twitter. If Twitter is used as a tool for instruction, then students are given license to discuss anything they like, relevant to class or not, under the pretext of participating and paying attention. So rather than encouraging active classrooom participation, professors are actually allowing their students' minds to wander through the distractions of the Internet with absolutely no consequence. Another issue with Twitter as a forum for discussion, though perhaps one less obvious, is the limitations that the Web site places on students' ability to communicate and express themselves. For one thing, tweets can only be 140 characters long. This seriously limits a student's ability to ask questions or make insightful comments. Prof. Monica Rankin at the University of Texas addresses this limitation on her blog about her experience with Twitter. During her Twitter experiment, she encouraged her students to use more than one tweet if necessary to get the whole point across. But displaying a comment or question in segments still interrupts the thought processes of the student writing the comment and the person reading it, particularly if another tweet pops up in between the multiple parts of one comment. With such limited space, Twitter definitely makes deep, analytical and meaningful class discussions, which are key to an excellent learning experience, more difficult if not impossible. And of course, let's not forget the important skill of oral communication. Twitter, which relies solely on comments and questions written by students in the class, takes the emphasis off of oral communication altogether. Not every student is a stellar speaker, but there is a reason why oral communication is a core requirement at Brandeis. The ability to effectively express oneself via oral communication is an extremely valuable skill both in the academic world and the professional world. If less-outspoken students can use Twitter as a "get out of jail free" card to avoid speaking in class, they will never learn to effectively express themselves through speech.There are probably several more reasons Twitter could be detrimental to an academic environment. Luckily, at present this popular social networking Web site isn't being used nearly enough in college classrooms to feel the effects of this detriment on the traditional academic setting. One can only hope that professors will find a better way to draw their students into classes instead of relying on a distracting and limiting Web site. Student apathy may be a huge problem in the classroom, but that is no reason to turn to Twitter, which does more harm than good.
(12/01/09 5:00am)
An article in News last week was unclear about the cost of a meal plan. The "$1,400 All-Points Meal plan" costs $2,473 per semester, not $1,400; students receive $1,400 in points. (Nov. 24, p. 3) An article in News last week should have included an editor's note. Daniel Orkin '10, who is mentioned in the article "Chum's institutes changes because of series of thefts" because of his role as president of the Punk, Rock n' Roll club, is a staff writer for the Justice. (Nov. 24, p. 3) A segment in Forum last week incorrectly characterized a reader's relationship to Abram Sachar. Roger Sachar Jr. is not Abram Sachar's grandson. (Nov. 24, p. 11)The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. E-mail justeditor@brandeis.edu.
(11/24/09 5:00am)
STAND MAKES VALID CONTRIBUTIONSIn response to your article "Concentrate less on large-scale campaigns," (Forum, Nov. 17): I understand where you are coming from, but as the president of my univ-ersity's STAND chapter, I would like to explain why I do what I do. I realize what we do probably doesn't have as much impact as we would like. And I also realize that we could do good much more easily and efficiently in our own community. But I believe that genocide is the worst possible crime that can happen, so even raising a little money to help those victims is better thannothing. It's not much, but it is something. And I don't feel like we are taking away from the needy in our own towns. I would still help them out too, and I do. But if I were to only focus on my community then the people whose communities can't help them will have no one.-Mary Pritchard KEEP UP "SAVE THE ROSE" ACTIVITIESRegarding your article "Button controversy discussed at meeting" (News, Nov. 10): The controlling presence of the Reinharzes and the trustees at the "Re-Opening of the Rose" rather than the excellent Board of Overseers is evidence enough that the "Save the Rose" movement must remain vigilant. Closed doors bespeaks of a corrupt purpose, which as long as the current administration remains committed to its position that it has the right to sell off the collection, seems to be the motive of the day.-Dennis J. SolomonCambridge, Mass.GOLDSTONE IMPEDED ROAD TO PEACEIn response to your article "The Justice speaks with Dore Gold and Richard Goldstone" (News, Nov. 10):Goldstone has made peace more difficult by encouraging Palestinian intransigence- their continued denial that the Jewish people have any historical connection to or any rights at all to any parts of the land of Israel.This is the root cause of the conflict. Israel has acted with more restraint and more humanity in defending its citizens from real existential threats than any other army in the world has ever acted. Look at how many civilians have been killed in Afghanastan, Iraq and many other places by countries (such as the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanastan under President Barack Obama) faced with much less a threat than Israel has faced. And yet there is no Goldstone commision, no demonization, no slander against those nations. This is pure hypocrisy.-Larry Bigio '81PROTEST AGAINST GOLD WAS JUSTIFIED Regarding your article "Students stage protest during Gold's speech" (News, Nov. 10):You know, some people can stand up and listen at the same time. It would have been more beneficial for everyone involved to have access to multilateral discussion instead of being handed a right-winger who, from what I can judge based on his comments, did no listening and no engaging in relevant discussion.-Amanda Hoffman '11WIND TURBINES ARE DISADVANTAGEOUSIn response to your article "Union Senate Goals in Disarray" (Forum, Nov. 3):Although I did not attend Brandeis, whenever I'm in Boston on business, I always make a point of driving out to the Sachar Woods and enjoying the quiet tranquility that it provides. Knowing how noisy wind turbines are, I'm chagrined to learn that on my next trip, there may be one buzzing in the background. While Senator Nipun Marwaha's '12 goals may be laudable, I hope that some serious consideration is made before imposing the unceasing noise of a wind turbine in that particular locale.-Roger Sachar Jr.
(11/17/09 5:00am)
The Student Advisory Committee, which was created to provide the Presidential Search Committee with student feedback, will hold a townhall meeting Nov. 30 to encourage student input in the search process, Committee Chair and Student Union President Andy Hogan '11 said in an interview with the Justice.The meeting will take place at either 5:30 or 6 p.m. in Sherman Function Hall, Hogan said. Trustee and faculty members of the Presidential Search Committee will be invited to the meeting, which will be run by Meyer Koplow '72, the chair of the search committee. The meeting will be a forum "where students can express what they want in a new president," Hogan said. "After we finish the town hall, hopefully the search committee will have a better idea of what students really want to see in a new president," he said. The SAC was created after University President Jehuda Reinharz announced his intention to resign in a Sept. 24 campuswide e-mail. Reinharz will remain president until a new president has been selected or until June 30, 2011, according to a Sept. 24 University press release.The PSC, appointed at the Oct. 29 Board of Trustees meeting by Chair of the Board of Trustees Malcolm Sherman, does not contain any student members. Koplow told the Justice Nov. 3 that the committee will be responsible for managing the search process and presenting recommendations to the Board. The number of faculty on the PSC was increased to three after discussions with Sherman. Sherman charged the Faculty Senate with creating a faculty advisory committee to provide the search committee with faculty input. Over 30 out of the 84 faculty members who were nominated are willing to run for the eight seats on the faculty advisory committee, Chair of the Faculty Senate Prof. Sabine von Mering (GRALL) said. The electronic ballots for the faculty advisory committee election will be sent out this week, von Mering said. "There will be one person from each school [on the faculty advisory committee]: . four in Arts and Sciences, one [in the International Business School] and one [in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management], and then there will be two people at large. They can be from any of the other six [departments]", von Mering said.The committee will advise the search committee and have input on the position descriptions of presidential candidates, von Mering wrote in an Oct. 30 e-mail to the faculty. Von Mering also wrote that the committee will be involved in interviewing finalists.
(11/17/09 5:00am)
Elaine Schuster, a founding donor of the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism and a board member of the Women's Studies Research Center, has been appointed as the United States representative to the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly, according to an e-mail to the Justice from the Schuster Institute. A Sept. 22 White House press release states that Schuster, a philanthropist and health care and education advocate, has been a member of the President's Advisory Committee on the Arts for eight years. She has also served as the New England chair of the Democratic Women's Leadership Forum and was honored by the Massachusetts State Democratic Party for her work in support of Democratic values. Additionally, Schuster has been recognized by Franciscan Children's Hospital for her help in fundraising and increasing the hospital's visibility, according to the press release. She has also received the Heritage Society Award from the Brigham and Women's Hospital. Schuster could not be reached for comment by press time because she was traveling by air. "I think in that nominating Elaine Schuster, [President Barack Obama] has made an outstanding choice because she, in addition to all her other qualities, is [a] smart and knowledgeable woman about world affairs and is going to represent the United States in a very caring and intelligent way," said University President Jehuda Reinharz in an interview with the Justice."[Schuster] told me that at the United Nations, she is particularly interested in learning more about the enormous problem of modern-day slavery worldwide, and about the sex trafficking of girls and women worldwide," Florence Graves, the founding director of the Schuster Institute, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice. Elaine and Gerald Schuster made a gift of $5 million to Brandeis' previously named Institute for Investigative Journalism in 2007. The Institute was renamed to include the Schusters after the gift was received. Graves also wrote that Schuster's concerns about human rights and social justice align with those of the institute she founded, which is currently working on a project devoted to reporting on slavery issues."Elaine Schuster's many generous philanthropic efforts reflect her lifetime commitment to social and political justice. In particular, she leapt at the opportunity to fund investigative reporting into issues of social justice precisely because she understands what an enormous effect such work can have on public understanding and therefore on politics and policy," Graves wrote."[The WSRC is] so proud of [Schuster]. She has many accomplishments before this, but I think this tops them all. . We're sure that she'll do a great job," said Prof. Shula Reinharz (SOC), who is also the director at the WSRC. Prof. Reinharz said that she had known Schuster for 15 years before Schuster became involved with the WSRC in 2001. Prof. Reinharz added that she admired Schuster's "political savvy" and said that Schuster's political interests did not lie just within Massachusetts. "I love talking to her about who she thinks will win a race [because] she's always got great insight into political missions and trends," Prof. Reinharz said.
(11/10/09 5:00am)
Last Thursday, Justice Richard Goldstone and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold discussed Mr. Goldstone's eponymous report on war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict at an event in the Levin Ballroom. Two weeks ago, this page emphasized that the event would be a rare and valuable opportunity for students to attend a serious discussion of international importance. While the event did serve as a meaningful forum for discussion, we are nonetheless disappointed with the actions of several attendees of the forum. Firstly, the protest staged by a group of students that intentionally interrupted Gold during the first moments of his presentation was inappropriately timed. Their supposedly silent protest was only nominally such, as their coordinated efforts constituted a distraction to the speaker and, even more unfairly, to the audience, which included fellow students and University faculty. We wholly respect and defend the students' right to protest the absence of a Palestinian speaker to provide his or her perspective on the report at the forum. Yet such a protest should have occurred outside the room in which the forum was held. The disruptive effort was a drain on the event for the community at large; the protesters have a right to freedom of speech but should not have used that freedom to block the speech of another party. However, we do not condone the physical harassment the protesters reported suffering after they returned to their seats. The protesters said that their chairs were shoved and that they were in some cases physically assaulted; such a violent response to a nonviolent protest is completely inappropriate. Such a physical response should not have occurred within the confines of this campus, and we hope that no Brandeis students in attendence took part in these attacks. Despite the setbacks that occurred during this past Thursday's forum, the successful and interesting discourse at the event lead us to hope that the University will continue to bring politically significant events to this campus for the continued benefit of its entire community.
(11/10/09 5:00am)
Prof. Shulamit Reinharz (SOC), Fine Arts undergraduate departmental representatives and students involved in the controversy over the "Save the Rose" buttons at the museum's reopening last week attended a confidential meeting last Thursday, according to Tara Metal '10, a Fine Arts major who works at the Rose Art Museum and was one of the students Reinharz asked to remove her button.Metal, who said her encounter with Reinharz at the Rose made her visibly upset, explained that the meeting was confidential because both parties wanted to create an open forum for discussion without any press. "We all felt strongly about keeping a safe space, trying to have an actual discussion," she said.Reinharz and the wife of a trustee whom interviewees have declined to identify asked several students and faculty to remove their "Save the Rose" pins at the Rose reopening Oct. 28. Some students wearing the button claim that Reinharz had been somewhat abrasive in requesting that they remove them. Reinharz had said in a Nov. 2 interview with the Justice that she did not view her actions as coercive.Reinharz declined to be interviewed, explaining in an e-mail that both parties had agreed to keep the proceedings of the meeting confidential and that she was going to abide by that stipulation.Provost Marty Krauss wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that she did not attend the meeting but was aware that it took place. "I was briefed by several people about what transpired at the Rose opening," Krauss wrote. She did not comment further. Beccah Ulm '11, a Fine Arts UDR who attended the meeting, said that she did not believe the discussions at the meeting provided concrete resolutions for the issues that that occurred at the opening. Ulm said she believed what occurred was essentially a violation of free speech. "I feel like the intent was positive, but there are still a lot of issues that need to be dealt with," she said. Ulm added that she hoped more communication would occur, but that nothing definitive was agreed upon at the meeting to ensure that. Student Union President Andy Hogan '11, who attended the meeting, also declined to discuss what occurred at the meeting due to the confidentiality agreement. Hogan was asked to attend the meeting but would not say who asked him. "The only thing I feel I can say is that it went well and I hope we can continue to have productive dialogue on contentious issues on this campus," Hogan wrote in an e-mail to the Justice.When asked if students had submitted an official complaint to the University, Metal said that there was a report but it was not from students and that Provost Krauss has been made explicitly aware of these cases. She said she could not elaborate further. Krauss said that she has not received a complaint. Ulm said she did not know if students had filed a complaint but that there are means by which they could.-Harry Shipps and Nashrah Rahman contributed reporting.
