(02/11/14 5:00am)
I believe the author of "Internship courses raise controversy" (Jan. 28) brings up important ques-tions about: 1) The role of internships (paid and unpaid) in students' academic and pro-fessional development, 2) If and how universities should award academic credit for unpaid internships and 3) The overall quality of instruction in all university courses, not just internship courses. However, I am concerned that the author failed to present a more subtle and balanced picture of the "internship experience"-at least at Brandeis. As internship instructor for the Health: Science, Society and Policy program-one of the largest majors at Brandeis that oversees 70 to 80 percent of its students as they undertake internships each year-I believe it is important to present a more nuanced view of the internship experience. Regarding points one and two, the author has the legal issue partly (but significantly) wrong. The real issue is about unpaid internships at for-profit enterprises, not unpaid internships in general-an important distinction. Within the HSSP program, the lion's share of our students intern at nonprofit organizations, many of which operate on a shoestring budget. When students intern at a well-known organization in good (or great) financial health, it is not safe to assume that the financial health of all departments within the organization reflects that of the overall organization. For example, within hospitals' research arms, most of the funding is a patchwork quilt as well as grant-based-so-called "soft money." Beyond the financial component, it's not clear to me that organizations are exploiting academic credit as a vehicle for compensating their interns. In fact, in my conversations with potential internship organizations, I can't think of one that hasn't been surprised that students can receive academic credit-and has thought about how to make the internship all the more meaningful as a result. My impression is these organizations really would like to provide the students with something substantial to grapple with both during the internship itself and during their coursework. Additionally, experience has shown me that internship organizations are impressed that the HSSP program has the level of supervision it does over its students during their internships. Neither the internship organizations nor the HSSP program treat the internship experience as "just another box to check." Regarding point three, I think of the internship course as an opportunity to slow students' thinking down-perhaps the only time in most of their adult lives they'll have the opportunity to be this deliberate-and to get them to really consider where this experience fits in their academic, professional and personal development. Last time I checked, staff development was at least on the list of priorities in most workplaces. I understand not all students may be enthusiastic about that sort of reflection, but I strongly believe it's important for all professionals-young, mid-career and seasoned-to take a step back every now and then and see if they can make sense of the bigger picture and make adjustments as necessary. In one-on-one conversations with a number of resolute premed students, I've seen their eyes light up when they realize that being a physician isn't the only (or best) way to approach medicine, health care or human welfare. I believe such profound moments of self-awareness are a direct result of the opportunities HSSP students are exposed to-both on and off campus. Not all internship experiences are created equal. That the author of the original Justice article begins from the premise that they are is a disservice to the many, many organi-zations that care deeply about their interns' intellectual and professional development, to the academic programs that invest substantial time and energy in complementing internships with deliberate reflection and to the students who deserve a pragmatic and fair discourse about the role of internships and internship courses during their time at institutions of higher learning. -Andrew Hart is a Lecturer and internship instructor in the Health: Science, Society and Policy program, and a Ph.D. Candidate at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
(02/11/14 5:00am)
Most college professors write books and articles for an audience of intelligentsia, keeping their prose precise and the ideas strictly academic. Prof. John Plotz (ENG), a scholar of Victorian literature, has quietly bucked the trend with his forthcoming children's novel. Time and the Tapestry: A William Morris Adventure, Plotz's first work of fiction, will be published in May. "Fundamentally, the book is set up as a time-travel narrative where kids from the present fall back into the past," Plotz explained in an interview with the Justice. His novel centers around the journey of siblings Jen and Ed who must find the missing pieces to their grandmother's old tapestry so she can sell it and save her house. Jen and Ed fall back into the tapestry and find themselves back in 19th-century England, where they meet William Morris, the famous English textile designer and Jen's personal hero, and formulate a plan to complete the tapestry. Plotz explains that his motivation to write a children's novel comes from the fact that he has young children himself. "It comes out of sitting around with my kids and telling stories and reading books with them and rediscovering all those books from my childhood that I loved," he says. The Wizard of Earthsea, the Madeleine L'Engle books, The Hobbit, just remembering what incredible joy you can get if you lose yourself in one of those stories." The focus on William Morris, however, comes from Plotz's academic background. "I've worked on William Morris in the academic context for a really long time and I am always excited to talk about the things I love about him and his socialism and his ... amazing forms of art, and I noticed there had never been a children's book written about it," Plotz explained. William Morris is a significant figure because of his socialist ideology, his textile designs and his publications as a science-fiction writer. "I got interested in him, I think, because the ways that he thinks about what he hates about the capitalism of his day seem very relevant to the critiques of multi-nationalism capitalism today," Plotz said. In addition to being a textile designer, William Morris was also a writer and wrote News from Nowhere, which Plotz described as a "wonderful science fiction" book that considers the idea of "an England after capitalism had disappeared." Plotz has kept the process of writing his new book very quiet, describing it as "a labor of love off in its own world." However, he did seek advice from Prof. Stephen McCauley (ENG), associate director of the Creative Writing program, on how to shift gears from an academic prose and write more creatively. "Steve McCauley said probably the most important thing to me. We were talking about the book early on and he said 'yeah, it's clear you know a lot. You probably want to forget some of it too,'" referring to Plotz's background on Victorian culture. "Talking to people like Steve McCauley at Brandeis really helped in terms of thinking about what is different about that kind of writing. But dialogue was for sure the hardest part," he commented. Having just spent about a year and a half writing and editing his first novel, Plotz is already starting a second, this one directed toward young adults. Although it is too early to give many details, he explained that the second novel would focus on author Mark Twain. "I can say that it's going to be about the old Mark Twain looking back at the stories of his childhood ... in a way, it's going to be set in two times," said Plotz. Despite enjoying the process of writing fiction, Plotz doesn't plan on giving up his academic studies. He explained, "I really enjoy my scholarly work and I can't see giving it up, for sure. I enjoyed this a lot, whether that means I can keep doing it, I don't know. My kids gave me the thumbs-up," Plotz has authored two academic monographs and is currently at work on a third tentatively titled Semi-Detached: The Aesthetic of Partial Absorption, the research for which has been supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship. Other professors have published literature or poetry alongside their academic work. Profs. John Burt (ENG), a scholar of American literature, and Mary Baine Campbell (ENG), an expert in literature of Early Modern Europe, have each published books of original poetry. In the history department, Prof. Jane Kamensky (HIST), an expert on early American history, co-authored Blindspot, a 2008 romance novel that takes place in the era of the American Revolution. Time and the Tapestry: A William Morris Adventure is illustrated by Phyllis Saroff and is scheduled to be published in May by Bunker Hill Publishing. *
(02/11/14 5:00am)
During the 2012 presidential election campaign, there was a memorably amusing moment at the first debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney. As they both quibbled over whose grand plan would save the country and launch us into a new age of American prosperity, Obama decided to tag science into the ring; he claimed to have a study which proved that his plan would be successful. With well-rehearsed ease, Romney quickly retorted that he had six studies to disprove the president's. On both sidelines, each candidate's committed partisan voters felt confident and at ease-economics and the social sciences were on their side. These partisans, happily vindicated, paraded the existence of their side's studies to anyone who would listen; they would be powerful cudgels in their heated dinner table battles of red versus blue. Meanwhile, the undecided voters gained nothing from the exchange, other than perhaps a vague uneasiness about whether this would complicate their choice further. They continued to trudge forward in tentative confusion, refusing to accept fully either side of the story, muttering that "these studies nowadays can prove anything." In all likelihood, very few viewers ever went to check up on these studies. It is even more likely that neither candidate knew or cared what the contents of the studies were. This exchange between the presidential candidates is but one high-profile case of an epidemic of title-citing that now takes place in lieu of genuine analysis of science. For rhetorical purposes, it has become enough simply to point to the cover page of a study, and rely on the public's faith that the contents of such a study are honest and correct. It is commonplace to hear arguments made by pundits which, instead of elucidating some scientific fact learned from a study, simply point to the study as an argument in itself. Obviously, this opens the door to trickery from anyone who can take a title out of context. A similar example of this phenomenon in politics is the recent controversy surrounding driving safety in Colorado, which recently legalized recreational marijuana. A series of conflicting stories came out discussing the dangers of 'high driving.' One notable story, published by CBS Seattle, offered a headline of "Study: Fatal Car Crashes Involving Marijuana Have Tripled." The story cited one study from the American Journal of Epidemiology, which claims that one in nine fatal car crashes involve a driver who would test positive for marijuana-and no other significant contents from the study. Conspicuously absent is the fact that a person can test positive for marijuana for months after ingestion. In both cases, the public discussion ignores the methodology of the studies and whether or not they satisfactorily prove a point. Instead, it is fueled primarily by the titles of the articles and quoted remarks from the scientists involved. In the case of the presidential election, little attention is paid to the studies outside of the mere fact of their existence. A critical eye is never applied to the science itself. Both controversies were shrugged off, like most studies, because few readers bother to read further than the titles. When all scientific studies are reduced to the claim in their title, it is no wonder that people believe that "anyone can prove anything." This growing mentality of chronic skepticism is a disease which is festering deep in the American psyche. The logical conclusion of this mentality can best be illustrated by observing a crucial implication of the notion that "anything can be proven." If anything can be proven, and "anything" includes the false and the misleading, then it follows that fiction can be proven. This negates the meaning and value of proof, and the sum in the mind of anyone who accepts the first idea will be that nothing can be proven. Such a toxic idea is an agent of mental paralysis. After taking hold, it acts as a yoke on the mind of those who unwittingly accept it, and restrains analytical thinking. As a result, it prepares them to be led obediently into all sorts of deceit by any demagogue with sufficiently manipulative rhetoric. It helps to create the sort of mentality that gleefully accepts anything which validates their blurry view of reality, and recoils with anger and outright hostility toward any idea that presents a fundamental challenge. The disease begins with the acceptance of a seemingly innocuous idea that experts are not to be questioned by non-experts, and should be trusted. After all, they spend their whole life studying a topic-how could anyone of lesser expertise question them? While intimidating, this emotionally loaded argument exploits a combination of naivet?(c) and intellectual humility that provides the exact opposite of a proper approach to dealing with factual disputes in any sort of debate. Imagine if jurors in a courtroom approached a murder case with the same sort of skeptical humility. If the prosecution and the defense brought conflicting expert witnesses, the court would immediately be faced with a hung jury. Since the jurors are not experts, they would have no way of discerning who is telling the truth. Yet, such a scenario is ridiculous, and it is equally ridiculous when applied to any individual caught between two conflicting claims. Any such person should have confidence in his or her own mental efficacy and approach all claims as an honest juror would: with a critical, impartial eye and an active mind. Evaluate the science and hold the scientists accountable; read the studies themselves. The only cure for our current plague is for each of us to take individual initiative and exhibit a juror's willingness to make an independent judgment.
(02/11/14 5:00am)
This year's graduating class, the Class of 2014, will mark the last group of Italian Studies majors to leave the University. As a result of cuts to the program made in 2009, while effects of the recession were acutely felt by the University, students from the classes of 2015 onward will only be able to declare a major in Italian Studies as an independent interdisciplinary major. Declaring an IIM requires a formal proposal and three faculty to serve as advisers for the major. The Italian Studies IIM, however, will follow a pre-set program of courses that is similar to the former major. Designating Italian Studies as an IIM, even when still structured as a major, is somewhat unique. According to Julia Moffitt, academic advisor and IIM coordinator, IIMs are normally student-driven and independently designed, as per the name of the program. "The Italian [S]tudies major was one of several programs lost during the last recession, at the recommendation of the Curriculum and Academic Restructuring [Steering] Committee, chaired by former Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe," wrote Elaine Wong, senior associate dean of arts and sciences for undergraduate education, in an email to the Justice. "Italian Studies had been an IIM for many years and returned to this status upon the faculty acceptance of the CARS recommendations," added Wong. "It was a very tough financial time for the university, and several [Master of Arts], minors and majors were affected." There are five Italian studies majors slated to graduate this year. Three students from the Class of 2015 have declared an IIM for the following year so far, according to Sophia Baez '15, an Undergraduate Departmental Representative for Italian Studies. Seventeen Italian Studies minors are currently declared. Italian Studies currently has two faculty members tied primarily to the program: Profs. Paola Servino (ROMS) and Silvia Monteleone-Wasson (ROMS). Servino and Monteleone-Wasson are contract faculty and do not hold doctorate degrees. In comparison, Hispanic Studies has 11 affiliated faculty, four of which are in the tenure structure. French and Francophone Studies has nine faculty members, three of which are in the tenure structure. Since the spring of 2010, Prof. Emeritus Richard Lansing (ROMS)has taught only one course at the University-a class that was in the Comparative Literature program rather than the Italian Studies program. To fill the gap in upper-level instruction, according to the University's Course Catalog, Servino has taught an upper-level Italian literature course every semester since then. This semester, she is teaching ITAL 120b: "Modern Italian Literature." Servino also co-chairs the program in Italian Studies with Prof. Ramie Targoff (ENG), a scholar of Renaissance literature. According to Wong, there are currently no plans to replace Lansing, who retired at the end of last academic year, according to a May 20, 2013 Justice article. "Tenure track requests must come from departments; the Dean's office has not been able to authorize the majority of annual requests since the university has been in budget deficit," wrote Wong. Currently, Italian Studies is the only language program at Brandeis besides Korean that does not have a tenured or tenure-track professor teaching the corresponding literature courses. Programs in Spanish, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Latin and Greek, meanwhile, all have tenured or tenure-track professors teaching the upper-level literature courses. Baez said in an interview with the Justice that she believes a drop in student interest has contributed in part to the decline of the program. In addition, having to take extra steps to declare an IIM as opposed to a regular major might be a deterrent for some people, according to Moffitt. However, said Baez, the program's "small, comfortable feeling" breeds the high rate of retention among the students that it does attract.
(02/11/14 5:00am)
The American Sign Language Club is currently lobbying the University to offer American Sign Language as a course, and to ensure that the course would help to fulfill the language requirement. "Our goal is to have the first semester have 10a, second semester have 20 and then the third semester have 10 and 30, just having it so that it fulfills a language requirement and in seeing what the interest is," said ASL Club President and Co-Founder Jaclyn Kellner '16 in an interview with the Justice. According to Kellner, the club's goal is to at least have ASL fulfill the language requirement "because Brandeis doesn't like offering languages that don't fulfill the language requirement and students don't like taking languages that don't fulfill the language requirement." Kellner also added that it would be "odd" to start learning a language and "not get to a level of good, solid conversation before you stop." The ASL Club was formed and recognized by the Student Union last year, but at that point, according to Kellner, advocating for an ASL course was a potential goal, not the primary goal of the club at that time. The ASL Club recently created a Qualtrics poll to gauge interest in the course, should it be offered in the future. The survey, according to Co-Founder and the club's Class Coordinator Brittany Lerman '14, was posted to Facebook groups affiliated with Brandeis and was sent out to members of the club's listserv. Although the survey was sent to Student Union Secretary Sneha Walia '15 to include in the weekly email to the Brandeis community, according to Kellner, the survey did not make the deadline for Walia's most recent email. Kellner said that the poll would be open for "another week or so." As of Sunday, 119 students who participated in the survey were in favor of Brandeis offering ASL classes, six replied "maybe" and six replied that they would not be in support. However, when asked whether or not they would enroll, given that the course would count toward the foreign language requirement, 87 responded that they would, 25 responded that they might be interested and 10 responded that they would not be interested. According to Kellner, creating a survey was not something the Brandeis administration told the ASL club to do, but is rather "one of the steps as to show that there's interest." However, Kellner was unsure of how many students must express interest for the administration to consider offering ASL. The officers have been working with Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for Undergraduate Education Elaine Wong. Currently, students who are interested in taking ASL have traveled to Harvard University to take a class held on Sundays. According to Kellner in an email to the Justice, Brandeis students pay a part of the fee, or about $15, to take the class, but it is discounted by the Student Union. Transportation to the class is available through the Cambridge Shuttle Service and a BranVan funded by the Student Union. Approximately 20 Brandeis students are currently taking the class at Harvard, according to Kellner. However, this option is not sufficient, according to Lerman. "I know that there are plenty of students on the Brandeis campus that would be interested in taking the Harvard ASL classes but it doesn't work in their schedule to go all the way to Harvard and take classes, so that's why having it at Brandeis would be very convenient so we do have a lot of support," said Lerman in an interview with the Justice. Although the officers explained that there is no particular deadline, they expressed that their goal is to have the University offer ASL as a class by fall 2014. According to Kellner, all coordination and steps to plan the class would need to be completed by March in order for this to occur. "[I'm] not sure how feasible that is at this point just because months keep going by, but the sooner the better," said Kellner. Kellner described the process that the club must go through in order for the University to offer ASL as a course. First, a department under which the course would be listed needed to be decided. According to Kellner, the Language and Linguistics program agreed that if there were an ASL course, it would fall under Linguistics. Linguistics Chair Prof. James Pustejovsky (COSI) could not be reached for comment by press time. The second step, Kellner said, is gauging interest, which is what the club is attempting to do through the Qualtrics poll. Another step is writing a sample syllabus. Kellner said that she started to contact professors of beginning ASL at other universities in order to do so. Lerman added that finding an adjunct professor would be another step. "When we met with administration to talk about this, they were really supportive in seeing that apparently there's been (sic) ASL clubs in the past, and they would like to see ASL at Brandeis, however, if it were to be a professor, to my understanding, it would be an adjunct professor," Lerman said. Lerman added that the club planned to work with administration to locate funding for an adjunct professor. Finding the funding for a professor to teach the course is the main issue now, according to Wong. "I think that at the moment, it's unlikely to happen next year, unless funds from an outside donor are identified," Wong wrote in an email to the Justice. Kellner said that the question remains as to whether or not the club is going to come up with part of the funding for a professor through grants or through fundraising, or whether the club will ask the University to take care of the funding "because there are a lot of classes that different departments want to have offered and they don't just hire new professors all the time," she said. According to Wong, there are no current faculty members who have the time or expertise to teach ASL. "In order for a new instructor to be hired to teach an ASL course, a department or program has to request that such a course (or sequence of courses) be offered, and the university must then identify funds to pay for the new instructor," Wong wrote. According to Kellnerm, the ASL club has not yet found any grants specifically intended to start ASL classes at universities. However, according to both the ASL officers and Wong, administrators are in support of providing ASL courses. "Speaking for myself, I think it would be wonderful if we had the resources to offer ASL for credit at Brandeis. I believe that other members of the administration feel the same way," Wong wrote.
(02/11/14 5:00am)
Changes appended.
(02/04/14 5:00am)
According to data provided by University Registrar Mark Hewitt, students registered an average median grade of an A- and an average grade point average of 3.4. Although Hewitt was unable to provide averages for separate areas of study, he was able to provide a "rough ranking" from past studies done on the subject. The studies showed that the lowest averages were in the sciences. Averages in the social sciences were higher, although averages in the humanities were higher than in the social sciences. The highest averages were seen in the creative arts. However, the magnitude of the disparity remains unconfirmed. According to Hewitt, the differences among the disciplines are greatest for first-years and sophomores, while averages in the science and social sciences rise to close the gap with the humanities and creative arts for juniors and seniors in particular. "One way of looking at that is by the time students have declared majors they have self-selected for success in their chosen fields," he wrote in an email to the Justice. Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen de Graffenreid provided a statement in regard to whether or not these grades accurately reflect the average Brandeis student. "In general, it is important to remember that averages are just one measurement, which by its nature is likely to oversimplify the academic experience. Like all statistics, these averages will describe some students well and some students' experiences will not fit into an average," she wrote in an email to the Justice. In early December, Harvard University Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay M. Harris confirmed that the median grade at Harvard is an A- and the most frequently awarded grade is an A, according to a Dec. 3 Harvard Crimson article. The article raised concerns about grade inflation at Harvard. De Graffenreid, however, denied any presence of grade inflation patterns at Brandeis. "What we can say about grades at Brandeis is that the averages and the distribution have been remarkably stable over time, which would not indicate a pattern of grade inflation, and that the averages at Brandeis are consistent with those at other elite colleges and universities," she wrote. *
(02/03/14 5:00am)
The presence of technology is becoming increasingly prominent in our daily lives. With the growth of the Internet and other technological advances, it may be of interest to those aspiring to any number of professions to learn about computer science. DEIS.kernel, an academic club founded this past November 2013, aspires "to educate members on topics in computer science and to provide a format for members to present on an area of computer-scientific expertise," according to its website. The club aims to provide an environment for members to share their individual areas of computer science expertise to the rest of the club body in the form of presentations, discussions and lectures. The club was created and is led by five coordinators: Kenneth Foner '15, David Giliotti '16, Daniel Kats '16, Andrew Kouides '16 and Eden Zik '16. DEIS.kernel, as it stands, has a minimalist approach to its functions; the student-directed club activities rely primarily on allocating the time and location to discuss a topic of interest. Then, Foner said, "the members decide what interests them and what they [wish to] bring to the undergraduate body interested in computer science." This framework inspired the analogy which became the club's name, "DEIS.kernel." The kernel of the computer is the component which allocates memory and tasks to programs, much like the coordinators who "allocate" time and space to its members. A few of DEIS.kernel's current and upcoming projects for the semester are Project Euler where they intend to solve computational puzzles in a group and a typography lesson about fonts; user interface and design and one, in particular, is the series of talks about Bitcoins. DEIS.kernel held the first Bitcoin talk on Jan. 30 in the Benjamin and Mae Volen National Center for Complex Systems. For this event, Sam Ronkin '15, president of the Brandeis Technical Trader's Society, a chartered club that educates members on technical analysis and trading, helped facilitate the "What is Bitcoin?" presentation and discussion. "This Bitcoin series is a collaboration," Foner said. DEIS.kernel teamed up with BTTS to "run a joint three part series on the what, why, and how of Bitcoins, the crypto-currency that's taking the world by storm," according to the club flier. Bitcoin is the "first decentralized digital currency," according to the informational video available on weusecoins.com, a website dedicated to increasing accessibility of Bitcoins to beginners. The video was shown during Ronkin's presentation. According to the video, Bitcoins are sent directly from one individual to another, eliminating the transactional fees one could incur. They are generated by anybody with access to a free application called a Bitcoin miner. For each "block" of coins, worth a certain amount of computational work, one must "mine," ergo extract, Bitcoins. After the mining process, the Bitcoins are stored in the user's digital wallet, which is similar to the format of online banking accounts. When a person transfers Bitcoins, an electronic signature is added to the transaction, which is verified by a miner and permanently stored in the network within the span of a few minutes. One benefit of Bitcoin that was cited in the talk is that it is secure. Bitcoin "verifies transactions with the same ... encryption that is used in military and government applications," Ronkins said. The drawbacks of the currency were also addressed. According to Ronkin, many criminals take advantage of Bitcoins as payment. The price of Bitcoin-how many dollars per Bitcoin-is volatile, and moreover, it is seen as a threat to governments and as a speculators' market to some economists. It also poses ethical and regulatory issues. "In December, the People's Bank of China decreed that merchants may not accept Bitcoin and forbade banks and payment processors from converting Bitcoin into yuan," Ronkins said. The second and third Bitcoin talks will follow up with the hardware aspect of mining Bitcoin and the Bitcoin algorithm, which deals with the actual process of mining. Naman Patel '15, a member of BTTS, said "the event was excellent because in addition to the people presenting, there was a lot of discussion being done among the peers, [including] people who already have knowledge and a lot of people who are actually involved. ... There was a lot of engagement. So that was nice." Attendees ranged from the self-proclaimed tech-illiterates to those with a more advanced knowledge base. Although the nature of each event will vary, DEIS.kernel encourages all students to join and participate in the club events. "We all have different experiences, even within the club, but that's kind of the beauty of it," Kouides said. "[The beauty is] that we're able to come together to teach what we know, starting at the ground floor ... making it accessible for people of all levels." One attendee had a very positive reaction to the event. "I was kind of curious about how [Bitcoin is] stored on different computers, et cetera. I definitely learned a lot about that," Elena Stoeri-D'Arrigo '16 said. "If I come to the next [talk], I think that will help me better understand [Bitcoin's] hardware aspect of it. That was really great." "Anyone, really, needs to understand how this world is changing and in what ways," Zik explained. "We want to communicate this to everyone on this campus, regardless of their interests or majors."
(01/28/14 5:00am)
Medical Emergency Jan. 21-University Police received a report of a student suffering from flu-like symptoms. BEMCo responded and the student was transported to Urgent Care in Waltham for further treatment. Jan. 21-A club leader in the Shapiro Campus Center reported the theft of photography equipment in the media coalition office. University Police compiled a report of the theft. Jan. 22-University Police received a report that a student in Usdan Student Center felt faint in the cafeteria. BEMCo responded and transported the student to the Golding Health Center for further treatment. Jan. 24-University Police received a report that a student in Hassenfeld-Krivoff Hall suffered a head injury. BEMCo responded and the student refused further care. The community development coordinator in the quad was notified. Jan. 25-University Police received a report that an intoxicated female student remained unresponsive on the BranVan shuttle. University Police and BEMCo awaited the shuttle, and after treating the student, transported her to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 25-University Police received a report that a staff member suffered a potentially broken ankle on the basketball court during a charity fundraiser. BEMCo responded and transported the staff member to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 26 -University Police received a report of an intoxicated student on Usen Hall. BEMCo responded and the student refused further treatment. Jan. 26-University Police received a report that a student in Hassenfeld-Krivoff Hall suffered a laceration to his head. University Police responded and transported the student to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 26-A student arrived at the Stoneman Building with a cut to his hand. BEMCo responded at the scene and treated the student. No further care was needed. Jan. 26-University Police received a report of an intoxicated female in Cable Hall. University Police and BEMCo responded, and from there, transported the student to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 26-University Police received a report of a male student vomiting on the ground floor of Renfield Hall. BEMCo responded and transported the student to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Harassment Jan. 21-A student in the Heller School for Social Policy and Management reported past incidences of harassment via email. University Police proceeded to compile a report of the incident. Disturbance Jan. 26-University Police received numerous calls regarding loud music in the Foster Mods and promptly dispersed students from both parties. Larceny Jan. 20-A student in Usen Castle reported to University Police that her laptop was stolen from her unlocked room. University Police compiled a report of the theft. Jan. 23-A student in Bassine Science Building left her iPad unattended in a classroom. When she returned, the iPad was missing. University Police compiled a report of the theft. Traffic Jan. 24-University Police received a report that a student parked his car in the Athletics Lot, and upon returning, noticed damage to his rear bumper. University Police compiled a report of the incident, determining it to be hit and run property damage. Drugs Jan. 25-University Police received a report from a student regarding a marijuana smell on 164 Charles River Road. University Police attempted to trace the smell but could not localize the source. -compiled by Adam Rabinowitz
(01/28/14 5:00am)
In 2013, the legality of unpaid internships came under heavy scrutiny. However, colleges and universities such as Brandeis continue to promote and profit from unpaid internships by requiring that students take courses in order to receive credit for their internships. As February approaches, many students are starting to think about summer internship applications. According to the Hiatt Career Center's website, the summer is the most popular term for internships among Brandeis students, who typically complete 2.5 internships during their time at the University, according to the 2012 to 2013 Undergraduate Curriculum Committee report. Trends in Academic Internships According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, about 55 percent of the members of the Class of 2012 held an internship or co-op position during their college career. That figure soared to 63 percent among members of the Class of 2013. Of those internships, almost 48 percent were unpaid, according to the same report. As unpaid internships are becoming increasingly widespread, public scrutiny of these unpaid positions is also increasing. This past year, a high-profile ruling involving Fox Searchlight Pictures brought the debate on the legality of unpaid internships to the forefront of the conversation. In this case a federal judge ruled that the media distribution company violated minimum wage laws by failing to pay interns on the set of the film Black Swan. Since the June 2013 ruling, at least 17 other lawsuits have been filed by current or former interns against their employers, according to ProPublica, which launched an investigation last year to determine how many interns are being employed in violation of federal labor guidelines. This year, ProPublica is extending its internship investigation and reporting, and placing a special focus on the trend of granting academic credit in exchange for unpaid work, as many employers now require that interns receive college credit in order to participate in an internship program. Andrea Stern '14, who has completed numerous unpaid internships during her time at Brandeis, said that employers often offer college credit as a form of compensation to unpaid interns. "Since many companies do not want to pay their interns, they think that a 'fair' trade off is to require interns to receive academic credit," wrote Stern in an email interview with the Justice. ProPublica reports that 90 percent of schools nationwide offer credit for internships, although it is up to the college or university itself to decide how to grant that credit. Some schools in the Boston area, like Boston College, automatically grant credits to students upon successful completion of an internship, according to the college's website. However, Brandeis requires that students seeking academic credit for completing an internship also enroll in an internship course. University Policies At Brandeis, the most popular way to receive credit for an internship during the academic year is through a four-credit internship seminar, otherwise known as 89a or 89b courses. Students have the option of enrolling in an internship class during the course of their internship or completing an internship over the summer and enrolling in the course during the academic year. Students are expected to enroll in an internship course in a department or program that is closely related to the content of the internship. About 40 percent of Brandeis students complete credit-bearing internships during their time at the University, according to the UCC report. Students seeking credit are expected to meet during designated class times, as well as complete additional readings and assignments, including papers and presentations. While there are guidelines about the internships-for example, internships must be at least 100 hours over 10 weeks-the UCC grants faculty members the freedom to structure internship courses the way they see fit, according to Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences for Undergraduate Education Elaine Wong. This is why some courses meet weekly, while others meet every other week. In addition, some courses have a heavier workload than others, according to Wong. Last semester Brandeis offered 10 internship seminars in eight different departments, including Journalism, Business and Environmental Studies, among others. According to the Registrar's website, 160 students were enrolled in these courses during the fall 2013 semester. This semester, Brandeis is offering six internship courses, two of which-INT 89b and POL89a-are new. According to the Registrar's website 70 students are currently enrolled in 89a/b internship courses, although that figure is subject to change as the semester proceeds. As with any course, students have to pay the tuition fee in order to enroll in these courses. According to the University Registrar's website, the fee for each semester course required for degree credit is $5,498 ($1,374.38 per credit, per term) for undergraduate students who entered the University before the summer 2012 semester and $5,548 ($1,386.88 per credit, per term) for undergraduate students who entered the University after the spring 2012 semester. According to these figures, the University has brought in over one million dollars this academic year from the 230 students enrolled in four-credit 89a/b internship courses alone. Given that the majority of instructors who teach these courses hold "lecturer," rather than "professor" status, the revenue from these courses is even greater for the University, as instructors with a lecturer status receive a smaller salary. According to the Faculty Guide, four of the six internship courses being offered this semester are taught by lecturers, while only two are taught by associate professors. The same fee applies for international students, who are required to receive academic credit in order to participate in an internship program in the United States. Drawbacks to University system While Brandeis' method of granting academic credit for internships can be beneficial for students who want a structured learning experience in addition to their internship, it can be a burdensome time commitment for students who are required to receive college credit as a form of compensation for participating in an internship program. Wajiha Chaudhry '14 took BUS 89A: "Work in the Global Business Environment: Internship and Seminar" last semester in conjunction with her internship at a recruitment firm in Boston. In an email to the Justice, Chaudhry wrote that although she learned a lot from the course, she "would [have preferred] not to take it ... just due to the time commitment." However, because her internship required college credit, Chaudhry chose taking the internship course over giving up her internship. Although some students said that they do not benefit as much from a structured class experience, Wong says the alternative option of automatically granting students credit upon successful completing their internships has never been an option. "Automatic credit has never been considered. ... It has never been accepted because the whole idea from faculty is, you're not getting credit for [the] internship, you're getting credit for the academic work that surround[s] the internship that makes the internship a better learning experience," said Wong. Wong says that taking a course in tandem with completing the internship to grant credit allows for a better learning experience than simply completing an internship. "If you can structure [the internship] around a course with readings, with assignments, it will be a stronger, better learning experience for the students, and they will have a better sense of the institution, organizational behavior, better reflections, thinking about how to tie in one's academic work with one's actual hands on learning, perhaps even constructive thought about the career-building and career development aspects of it, and the personal and professional development aspects of it," said Wong in an interview with the Justice. Stern, who has taken JOUR 89a: "Contemporary Media Internship and Analysis" twice in order to receive credit for two different internships, said she agrees that taking an internship course can be a beneficial experience for students. Stern said that one of the benefits of taking the class is that it grants students the opportunity to discuss their internships with their peers. "Two people who intern in the television industry... can have vastly different experiences from each other. Therefore, discussing other student's internships is a great learning opportunity because it allows students to hear what makes a good internship, what people liked and disliked about their internship, and more" wrote Stern in an email to the Justice. Matthew Naturman '14, who was enrolled in BUS 89a said he also benefited from the class discussions, and the class reading assignments. But Naturman said he questioned whether a semester-long course was the best method to enhance his internship experience. "Aside from the intimate discussion based setting, for the most part I feel Hiatt could have held a few classes to introduce me to the same information," Naturman wrote in an email to the Justice. Additionally, some students question the benefits of a semester-long course during the academic year for students who completed an internship over the summer. Joseph DuPont, dean of Hiatt and instructor of one of the internship courses, addressed this issue in an email to the Justice. When asked about the benefits of taking an internship course during the academic year for an internship completed over the summer, DuPont wrote that students taking the course after completing an internship "have a context in which to analyze and reflect upon their experience, which contributes to their ability to develop and articulate their academic, professional, and personal goals. Dialogue with faculty and fellow students also helps individuals understand their personal experience within a larger 'world of work' context, and learn from others' experiences." Gil Zamir '15, a student who took BUS 89a during this past fall semester, agrees that there is some value in taking a course toward an internship completed over the summer. "An internship course is not only meant to help someone in their internship, but also to reflect on it ... Reflection can really help students become better workers and market themselves better, which will get them a comparative advantage in this competitive job market," wrote Zamir in an email interview with the Justice. But Zamir also admitted that it may be "difficult to hold a class that will be relevant in the same way to people that already finished their internship, and people that just started theirs." For students completing a summer internship, a one-credit online option INT 92g: "Summer Internship" is available. In an email to the Justice, Stern wrote that she "considered taking an... internship class over the summer (but it only yielded one unit and cost around $400), which didn't seem practical." Although there are drawbacks in Brandeis' method for granting academic credit for internships, Stern says she does not believe the problem lies with the internship courses. "The real issue that I have is not with the class, but with the companies that require interns receive academic credit instead of a stipend [or] salary... I think that all interns should be paid and if they want to either take a course to receive academic credit or need to take an internship course for their major and minor, then that should be the intern's choice," wrote Stern in an email to the Justice. In the meantime, Wong says that Brandeis is working to improve the internship program in order to better serve students. "Brandeis hasn't worked out all of the kinks ... We're still trying to figure out what's the best way to support all internship opportunities ...We're never finished," said Wong.
(01/28/14 5:00am)
Improving the public health and the political system at the same time? Tara Cook-Littman '97 is doing her best. Cook-Littman, a New York City prosecutor-turned-health counselor-turned-food policy advocate is a director of a grassroots organization called GMO Free CT, CT referring to the state of Connecticut. Through GMO Free CT, she helped get the nation's first GMO labeling law passed. GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, have been controversial in recent years. GMO foods are foods in which DNA has been genetically engineered, in part "to withstand the application of toxic herbicide and chemicals, and so those foods are coated in chemicals," Cook-Littman says. Because of the modifications made to the food, activists have expressed concern about possible health risks. In Europe, GMO food is subjected to more stringent evaluations. Further, any food products that contain more than a certain percentage of GMO ingredients must be labeled as such. The United States, on the other hand, has not introduced such policy, in part because the science linking GMO foods to health problems has been debated. Cook-Littman first became involved in the food policy movement eight years ago when she was not feeling well and her doctor suggested medication. "I just didn't want to go on the medicine, and I thought there had to be a better way," she says. So she did some research. "Everything pointed to the food that I ate. I went on an all-organic, mostly vegetarian diet and got better," she says. When she realized the change in what she ate could significantly affect her health, Cook-Littman decided to get her certification as a health counselor to share that knowledge with others. Cook-Littman has been fighting to get GMO foods labeled ever since. If food was labeled, she argues, "we may choose not to eat it." Because of this, she strives to pass laws in the U.S. that require GMO foods to be labeled. Connecticut passed the first GMO labeling law in the nation 2013. "The problem, however, is that there's a trigger clause, so that the law won't go into effect until other states pass similar requirements," Cook-Littman says. Specifically, four other states with an aggregate population of 20 million people have to pass a similar law, and at least one state that passes it must be adjacent to Connecticut. Cook-Littman explains that some of the differences between GMO food policy in the United States and in Europe stems from cultural differences. The GMO industry, including powerful corporations like Kellogg and Nestle, have "a foothold in [the United States] because there's too much money in our politics. These companies have a lot of power and a lot of money," Cook-Littman says, and use these resources to lobby politicians to protect the industry. Cook-Littman says that her time at Brandeis helped push her in the direction of advocacy. "I always found that Brandeis encouraged people to fight for social justice. That was at the root of what Brandeis was about, so it really fostered people who wanted to go out and make a difference and fight for what they believed in," she says. In particular, the Women's Studies program "made her realize that [she] could pursue a career and be a mom and be a powerful woman without being afraid of that." To that end, Cook-Littman and GMO Free CT, which was founded in 2012, are working with activists in states throughout the Northeast, including Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New Hampshire. They have also been working with other farther-away states including Florida, Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan. The organization aims to pass legislation and to educate people about what is in their food and what the relevant environmental and ethical issues are. The states that are closest to achieving labeling laws, Cook-Littman says, are New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont. One of the major obstacles when founding GMO Free CT was that it is difficult to organize a grassroots effort. "You don't have a lot of funding, you're just people trying to use your voice," she says. This differs starkly from the wealthy companies GMO Free CT is lobbying against. The organization was able to overcome these challenges, though, by mobilizing people. Firstly, "if you don't have a lot of money, using social media is a way to get the word out to a lot of people at one time ... so we really harnessed social media on Facebook and Twitter," Cook-Littman says. GMO Free CT also "held very big rallies in Hartford where the people came out and showed up in support to let their legislators know what they wanted." Individuals who would like to get involved have a number of options. Cook-Littman advises interested students to "educate [them]selves, avoid bad food as much as [they] can, and educate [their] friends and family about them." Further, "everybody should be calling state legislators, state representatives, state senators, federal representatives, federal senators and letting them know that we have a right to know what's in our food, we need to know what's in our food, and that we want GMO labeling," she says. Ultimately, though, the battle over GMO foods is only partly about the foods themselves. Certainly the content of the food is important, and GMO Free CT will continue working in other states to get labeling laws passed so that the Connecticut bill will trigger. But Cook-Littman frames the issue another way as well. "The problem is that in this country, the way politics is set up is such that corporate interests consistently trump personal rights, and that's what's happening here," she says. It has thus become a bigger issue: "The legacy of what we did here in Connecticut is really not just about GMO labeling. It's about using your voice, taking back our government, and making sure that the people are heard, our interests are not trumped by corporations trying to protect their bottom line."
(01/28/14 5:00am)
Judith Rich Harris '59 is widely regarded in the psychology community for her research into the factors that influence child development. In 1998, Harris published The Nurture Assumption, an outgrowth of a paper she published in the prestigious Psychological Review journal, a considerable feat at the time given that she was unaffiliated with a university and suffers from an autoimmune disease. In 2006, Harris went on to publish a second book that refined her previous conclusions in The Nurture Assumption entitled No Two Alike. She has become known in academic circles as one who has challenges many of the myths regarding parental involvement as a supreme factor in a child's eventual personality, opting for a nuanced approach that takes into account environmental variables that extend beyond the household and genetic factors. In an email interview with the Justice, Harris reflected on her dynamic career as a research psychologist. JustFeatures: Where does your passion for psychology stem from? Judith Rich Harris: I probably could have developed a passion for just about any science. But what's particularly interesting about psychology is that people have pre-existing opinions on its subject matter, and in many cases these pre-existing opinions are flat-out wrong! By nature, I'm a skeptic. I don't accept conventional beliefs simply because I heard them from someone in authority-I want to see the data! As it happens, in my area of interest there's plenty of data. JF: How did your time at Brandeis prepare you for your career and your life of psychology research and publishing? JRH: What I found out at Brandeis ... is that I love collecting and processing data. My thesis advisor was [Prof. Emeritus] Ricardo Morant (PSYC), and he set me a problem that involved testing people (my classmates) in a visual perception task. The experiment produced lots of data. After each testing session, I would rush back to my room in Renfield Hall in order to plot the latest batch of numbers on my graphs. JF: What did you do upon graduating from Brandeis? JRH: Became a graduate student in Harvard's Department of Psychology. At that time the Department of Psychology was exclusively experimental; its most prominent professor was B. F. Skinner. The other kind of psychology-which includes social, clinical, developmental, and personality-was in a separate department called Social Relations. We grad students in Psychology looked down our noses at the "soft-headed" types in Soc Rel. They no doubt held us in equal disdain. JF: Why did the psychology department at Harvard reject you from their Ph.D program? JRH: The letter I got from George A. Miller, the acting chairman of the department, started out by saying that they had no doubt I was "capable of doing satisfactory work in lecture courses and in seminars." The difficulty, he said, had to do with my "promise as an experimental scientist"-in particular, with what the department perceived as my lack of "originality and independence." JF: What did you do after you graduated from Harvard with a master's degree? JRH: I worked as a teaching assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, then as a research assistant at Bolt Beranek and Newman. After 10 years as a full-time mother of two daughters, I became a research assistant again, this time at Bell Labs. My younger daughter was in first grade when I developed intractable back trouble-the first sign of what turned out to be a serious and chronic autoimmune disorder. I was bedridden for a time-had to give up the job at Bell Labs-and was looking for something I could do in bed. Then a friend at Rutgers University, Marilyn Shaw, gave me one of her papers-an experimental study of something called "visual search." Marilyn hired me to edit it-to improve the writing style. But she also gave me the data from the experiment, which I found much more interesting. I spent more than a year happily playing with the data. Then I heard that a textbook publishing company, Prentice Hall, was looking for someone to write two chapters of an introductory psychology book. I applied for the job and was hired. They liked the chapters I wrote so they asked me to co-author (with a professor at SUNY Stony-Brook) a textbook on developmental psychology-one of those fields that Harvard classified as Soc Rel, not Psychology. I didn't know beans about developmental psychology but accepted the job-it was something I could do in bed. By then I was tired of being a co-author, so I decided to start afresh and write a new development textbook on my own. On a cold winter afternoon in 1994-I was alone in the house, reading a journal article on adolescent delinquency-I suddenly had an idea that led me to re-examine the foundations of developmental psychology. JF: What was your initial motivation for writing the Psychological review article that would eventually become The Nurture Assumption? JRH: One of the basic tenets of this field is the belief that the most important part of a child's environment is the child's parents-the belief that, if something goes wrong with the child, it was probably the parents' fault. What I realized, after looking closely at the evidence, was that this belief is nothing more than a cultural myth. At that point, it didn't even occur to me to write a book aimed at a general audience. How could a nobody like me, with no Ph.D. and no affiliation, expect to get an article into one of psychology's most prestigious journals, which had an acceptance rate of 15 percent? It was sheer chutzpah, but I figured I'd give it a try. Amazingly, my paper was accepted. It appeared in the journal in July, 1995. JF: What were the difficulties involved in writing and research at the same time you were struggling with illness? Did you view your work as a way to distract yourself? JRH: By the time I started work on the Psych Review paper, I was no longer bedridden, but I was (and still am) very limited in my ability to do any kind of physical activity. Fortunately, there are work-arounds. I sent out many postcards and letters-in paper mail, remember that?-to researchers at universities, asking for copies of their papers. JF: What did it mean to you to receive the George A. Miller Award, given that the psychology department at Harvard rejected you from their Ph.D program while George A. Miller was the chair of the Psychology department? JRH: In my acceptance speech, I told the audience the story of having been kicked out of the Harvard Psychology Department by George A. Miller and added, "I don't think you will ever have a recipient of the George A. Miller Award who is happier to receive it than I am!" JF: What about the reaction in academia to your theory surprised you most? Did you anticipate that it would be as controversial as it was? JRH: Yes, I anticipated that The Nurture Assumption would be controversial. But I didn't anticipate the amount of media attention it would receive, or the fact that every periodical in the country would voice an opinion! JF: What are some of the major points you communicate in The Nurture Assumption? JRH: It's not that "parents don't matter"-of course they matter, though not in the all the ways you assumed! And it's not that parents don't influence their children's behavior-they do influence their children's behavior at home. The catch is that much of what children learn at home is of little or no use to them in the world outside the home. Children are perfectly capable of adjusting their behavior to the setting in which they find themselves, so the behaviors that don't work outside the home are quickly dropped and new ones acquired. Parents are often surprised to discover that their children behave quite differently in school. I remember, when my children were young, going to Back-to-School Night at their school. Parents would talk to their children's teacher and come away shaking their heads in disbelief. "Was she talking about my child?" they'd say. JF: Some misunderstand your book as one that claims childhood development is strictly determined by "nature." Can you explain in more detail what your conclusions actually prove? JRH: No one-certainly not me-thinks personality is entirely inherited! So the question is: What, besides genes, shapes an individual's personality? The problem is that genes tend to confuse the issue. If competent parents have competent children, is it nature or nurture? Do competent parents teach their children how to manage their lives, or do they pass on this trait in their genes? Because ordinary observation can't distinguish between these alternatives, special research methods have been devised to disentangle them. The use of these methods led to an unexpected conclusion: Most of the environmental factors that were thought to be important ... have no discernible effects on the offspring's adult personality, once the effects of heredity are taken into account. To be honest, I didn't do a very good job of solving it in The Nurture Assumption, though that book does show that the conventional beliefs about childhood, and the conventional research methods used to back up these beliefs, don't stand up to scrutiny. I took another stab at solving the mystery in my second book, No Two Alike. The theory presented in N2A is an enhanced version of the one in TNA and fills in some of the gaps. It's based in part on an idea that comes from the field of evolutionary psychology-namely, that different psychological functions are carried out by different mental organs, often called modules or systems (as in "the visual system"), which work more or less independently. JF: Although of course your research is based on objective study, are there any subjective personal experiences you can recall that confirm your findings or inspire your work? JRH: While I was at Harvard, I lived in a rooming house in Cambridge. It was owned by a Russian couple; they both spoke English with a heavy foreign accent. Even without hearing them speak, you could somehow tell they were foreigners. But their three young children, who ranged in age from five to nine, looked like perfectly ordinary Americans and spoke with no foreign accent at all. I didn't think of the Russian couple and their children for many years but they must have remained in a corner of my mind, ready to speak up again when the time came for them to be heard. -Compiled by Jaime Kaiser and Casey Pearlman
(01/21/14 5:00am)
Sex Crimes Jan. 13-A student in Ziv Quad reported a past assault from another student. University Police compiled a report of the incident and plan to conduct an investigation. Jan. 14-The Office of Student Life reported past sexual assaults between two students to University Police. On Friday, the student formally reported the assault to University Police, who will conduct an investigation on the matter. Medical Emergencies Jan. 13-University Police received a report that a student had experienced a possible overdose on anti-depressant medication and suffered lacerations to her wrist. BEMCo responded and the student was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 14-A student in Shapiro Hall reported an allergic reaction to peanuts. While University Police and BEMCo responded, he administered an epipen to himself. The student was then transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 14-A student reported a party fell and suffered head trauma while exercising in the Mandel Center for the Humanities. University Police and BEMCo responded, and from there, transported the patient to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 18-A student in Hassenfeld Hall reported that she hurt her ankle while getting out of bed. University Police and BEMCo responded, and after treatment, the student refused further care. Jan. 19-University Police received a report of an intoxicated male student in Shapiro Hall. University Police and BEMCo responded, and, after treating the student, transported him to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Larceny Jan. 13-A staff worker in the Kosow Building reported that money had been taken from her wallet. University Police compiled a report of the theft. Jan. 14-A student reported that a refrigerator and microwave were missing from the Pearlman Building common area. University Police compiled a report of the theft. Jan. 17-Two students in Shapiro Hall stated their laptops were stolen from their rooms. University Police compiled a report of the theft, but thereafter discovered that the students had recovered both items. University Police took no further action. Dec. 17-A staff member reported that $50 was stolen from a wallet in the Carl J. Shapiro Science Center. University Police compiled a report of the incident. Dec. 14-A staff member in the Shapiro Life Sciences Center reported the theft and use of a credit card. University Police compiled a report of the incident and advised the staff member to cancel the card. Drugs Jan. 14-University Police compiled a report on drugs that were sent to a community member via the United States Postal Service. University Police plan to conduct an investigation on the matter. Miscellaneous Jan. 15-A community advisor reported three students with open containers of alcohol near the Admissions Lot. University Police checked the area and were unable to locate the students. Jan. 16-University Police received a report that two white males were attempting to break into Zipcars. Upon arriving at the scene, University Police noted that both parties worked for the Zipcar company and, from there, took no further action. Jan. 17-A student in Sherman Dining Hall reported a possible intoxicated male student. BEMCo, with University Police, treated the patient and transported him to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. -compiled by Adam Rabinowitz
(01/21/14 5:00am)
On Thursday, the Golding Health Center sent out an email to the Brandeis community introducing students to new University Nutritionist Carolyn Butterworth. Butterworth will serve students from the campus' Health Center, adopting the responsibilities of former University Nutritionist Laura O'Gara. In addition to working in the Health Center, Butterworth will begin working with Sodexo's nutritionist at Brandeis, Kate Moran. Butteworth was hired on Dec. 12, but did not begin seeing students clinically until last Friday. Butterworth's main role on campus will be working with students to develop healthier eating habits, offering assistance for student athlete diets and eating disorder counseling. Additionally, Butterworth is available to discuss dining options for students with food allergies. "I wish to promote health and wellness in the Brandeis community," wrote Butterworth in an email to the Justice. "I seek to be a resource to students who are experiencing some [gastroenterological] issues, weight issues, nutrition problems related to stress as well as student athletes and students looking to improve overall health," she continued. Butterworth wrote that college is a critical time for students to construct healthy eating habits, and, that as students learn to become independent, they must learn to make healthy dietary choices that will ultimately shape their eating habits later in life. However, Butterworth said she recognizes that the on-campus selections may not be suited to students' dietary needs for medical or other reasons. She and Moran plan to increase resources for students who lack access to proper nutrition on campus. According to the email sent out Thursday, Butterworth has previous experience working with youth. She has worked as a consultant for multiple preparatory schools and universities, including Wellesley College. In addition, she currently works in the Massachusetts General Hospital in the pediatric gastroenterologist clinic. Butterworth has an extensive background with dietary and digestive disorders and sports nutrition, with a focus on newborns to young adults. Butterworth earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Hampshire and her master's in clinical exercise physiology from Northeastern University. She is also a registered dietician and nurse. Students may schedule counseling appointments with Butterworth in the Health Center, which is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Butterworth is available for appointments on Tuesdays and every other Friday.
(01/21/14 5:00am)
After the University's Exploratory Committee on Fossil Fuel Divestment had its first meeting of the calendar year on Friday, the exact nature of the six-month-old committee's progress remains uncertain. Rohan Bhatia '14, a student on the committee, said in an interview with the Justice that while the committee does not have the authority or expertise to make any recommendations to the Board of Trustees, the committee hopes "to give them a well-substantiated presentation on the impacts of divestment to Brandeis" as well as the "larger social impact of no action taken with regards to climate change." Bhatia was unable to provide a specific timeline for any progress, but told the Justice that he hopes the Board "will review and respond to [the committee's] report" at a future meeting. The spring 2013 semester saw significant student involvement in lobbying the administration to divest the University from fossil fuels, spearheaded by the student group Students for a Just and Stable Future. These efforts included events such as a mock climate refugee camp in Fellows Garden and a march through campus in support of divestment, and culminated in a divestment referendum in the Student Union's annual April election. Seventy-nine percent of students who voted agreed that the University should divest its endowment from fossil fuels. According to Bhatia, the committee has made progress in its three main research tracks: financial impact, social impact and alternatives. Bhatia described the financial impact as looking "into the financial impact of divestment on our endowment," one of the main arguments used against calls to divest. As far as social impact, Bhatia said that this research track "delves into health, economic and other impacts of climate change which will become a reality" if certain human environmental behaviors remain unchanged. In terms of alternatives, Bhatia told the Justice that the committee was looking into "other mechanisms and strategies the University may employ, in addition to or in place of, divestment as laid out by 350.org." The website 350.org is the online home of the self-described "grassroots movement" that aims to "hold our leaders accountable to the realities of science and the principles of justice" according to its "about us" section. According to Bhatia, the three research teams will compile their findings into one report for the Investments Committee of the Board of Trustees. Bhatia also said that he hopes the Board will review and respond to the committee's findings at one of their upcoming meetings. The existence of the committee, which was formed over the summer, was formally announced on Sept. 30, 2013 in an email from University President Frederick Lawrence to the Brandeis community. Peter Giumette, dean of Student Financial Services, is the chair of the committee. According to Lawrence's email, the committee was formed to examine "the University's investments in fossil fuels." The committee will ultimately present a report of its findings to the University, addressing "how it can invest and divest responsibly" while simultaneously "strengthening its leadership in the context of climate change and social justice." Lawrence also stated that the committee's goals are "analyzing the social and environmental justice impacts of the fossil fuel companies in which Brandeis holds investments," determining the impact of divestment on the endowment, establishing a list of alternative investment options that are more socially and environmentally friendly and "addressing a more global objective of reducing the endowment's carbon footprint." The committee is composed of faculty, staff, students alumni and Len Potter '83, Board of Trustees Investment Committee member. Members include Student Union President Ricky Rosen '14, Bhatia, Prof. John Ballantine (IBS), Prof. Eric Olson (Heller), Mike Abrams '15, Rachel Soule '12 and Colin Mew M.B.A. '14. Administration members include Senior Vice President of Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, Senior Vice President of Communications Ellen de Graffenreid, Associate Provost of Innovation in Education Prof. Dan Perlman (BIOL), Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff David Bunis '83 and Chief Investment Officer Nick Warren. The Divestment Committee meets every three weeks, according to Bhatia. Guimette and Abrams did not respond to the Justice by press time, while Ballantine could not be reached for comment regarding Friday's meeting.
(01/14/14 5:00am)
Sex Crimes Dec. 17-A student reported a prior incident of assault and battery. University Police compiled a report of the incident and will launch an investigation to address the matter. Medical Emergency Dec. 13-A student reported a party fell and suffered head trauma upon exercising in Mandel Center for the Humanities. University Police and BEMCo responded and transported the patient to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Dec. 16-University Police received a report that a student fell on ice outside Usdan Student Center and suffered head trauma. University Police arrived on the scene and transported the student to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Dec. 17-Waltham Police reported to University Police that a female student fell on the Squire Bridge. She called 911, and after being treated by BEMCo, was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Jan. 7-A female entered Stoneman Building with a fork lodged in her right knee, an injury obtained after falling while running with the fork. University Police treated the party and transported her to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. Larceny Dec. 14-A staff member in the Shapiro Life Sciences Center reported the theft and use of a credit card. University Police compiled a report of the incident and advised the staff member to cancel the card. Dec. 16-A student reported that items were missing from a suite in Rosenthal South. University Police compiled a report of the incident. Dec. 17-A staff member reported that $50 was stolen from a wallet in the Shapiro Life Sciences Building. University Police compiled a report of the incident. Dec. 19-A staff member reported the theft of $15 from a purse left unattended in Volen Center for Complex Systems. University Police compiled a report of the incident. Jan. 9-University Police received a report that approximately $1,000 in cash was stolen from a secured office desk during winter recess. University Police compiled a report of the theft. Traffic Dec. 11-A student reported his car was hit in the Usen Castle parking lot the previous day. University Police compiled a report of the hit and run. Dec. 19-University Police received a report that a car parked in the Goldfarb Library parking lot was rear-ended and received damage. University Police then compiled a report of the incident. Drugs Dec. 11-A student at Charles River Road reported the smell of marijuana adjacent to her room. University Police responded but were unable to trace the source and appraised the community development coordinator on-call of the situation. Miscellaneous Dec. 12-A student reported a strong odor in the Shapiro Life Sciences stairwell. University Police arrived at the scene and indicated the source of the smell probably stemmed from a facilities issue. Facilities staff was notified and no further action was taken by University Police. Dec. 13-A student reported that a fire had arisen in a bush near Gordon Hall in North Quad. State police units arrived on the scene along with University Police and extinguished the fire. The source of the fire seemed to stem from a lit cigarette. Dec. 15-A female student reported that another person had looked at her while in the shower. University Police compiled a report of the incident, and after failing to locate the perpetrator, appraised the CDC on call of the situation. Dec. 19-A potential non-student was found sleeping in the Scheffres Hall lounge. The party claimed to be a student, but after failing to locate a student listing, was immediately escorted off campus and issued a trespass warning. -compiled by Adam Rabinowitz
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Refocus History of Ideas program To the Editor: The Trustees of the Safier-Jolles Fund for the Program History of Ideas would like to express their gratitude to the editors of The Justice for their Nov. 26 article on the program. It is an admirable model of thorough, balanced, carefully researched investigative journalism. Should any members of the Brandeis community like to see the full texts of the documents supporting our charges, they may contact Amelie Rorty at: Amelie_Rorty@hms.Harvard.edu. The Trustees are gratified that Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren seems to have adopted our proposals for the future of the program with such enthusiasm. It is encouraging that she now appears to have undertaken to ensure that the University will abide by the conditions of the Safier-Jolles gift as solely focused on maintaining the integrity of the history of ideas as an academic discipline. The donation is explicitly intended to supplement rather than to substitute for the University's own original commitment to the program. In accepting the gift, Brandeis agreed to continue to support the program from its own endowment without using the S-J funds to cover or to substitute for the University's original support. In view of the Dean's expression of enthusiasm for the program in the History of Ideas, we nevertheless remain troubled by the program's most recent activities in sponsoring the Nov. 4 lecture, "The Female and Her Body in Pakistani Contemporary Art" and the Nov. 12 lecture-performance, "The Great LOL of China: What's Funny in the Middle Kingdom." Whatever the merits of those lectures may have been, neither of them appears to have any substantive connection to the history of ideas. As friends of Brandeis, we hope that the University will retain the respect of the academic community and attract the interest of potential donors, by maintaining its integrity. -The trustees of the Safier-Jolles Fund for the History of Ideas: Steven Gerrard (philosophy, Williams College) David Lyons (law and philosophy, Boston University), David Oksenberg (CEO, BioCern) and Amelie Rorty (Harvard Medical School and Tufts University philosophy)
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Over the upcoming winter break, scores of Brandeisians will return home from a semester abroad, while still more are preparing to depart for all corners of the world in the spring semester. As the costs of education, travel and living expenses continue to rise, more and more college students nationwide are questioning whether spending a year, semester or summer abroad is worth the price tag. On one hand, the globalized economy makes it ever more important for students to understand and interact with foreign cultures. On the other, college degrees are already costly, and many STEM subjects vary little when learned in a different setting. Do you believe study abroad is an investment worth pursuing? Prof. Richard Gaskins (AMST) The lure of adventure will draw another cohort of Brandeis students to study abroad next semester in wildly diverse settings. Why go? Brandeis contains its own intriguing world, with outreach to the community and a stream of incoming visitors. By contrast, study abroad is highly unpredictable. No longer a fleeting tourist, you test yourself daily with new customs, language patterns and cuisine. Academically, the break with routine opens your imagination, inviting you to ask entirely new questions. I've seen these changes close-up in The Hague, where I have taken nearly 100 students to interact with international courts, human rights advocates and peace-builders coming from all corners of the world. Studying abroad is like entering a laboratory, only you too are part of the experiment. Why go? In preparing for life after Brandeis, you learn important lessons about yourself, and can point yourself in new and exciting directions. Prof. Richard Gaskins (AMST) is the academic program director of Brandeis in The Hague. He is Proskauer Chair in Law and Social Welfare. Patricia Amselem '14 Studying abroad is a unique opportunity that should not be influenced by its cost, as there are numerous options to help you fund your study abroad, such as grants and scholarships. Moreover, there is a wide range of approved programs that vary in costs, fitting different students' preferences and needs. I believe every student should consider making this investment as part of their college experience. I studied abroad in Russia, and gained a lot through my experience. I learned about the culture, and its history. I improved my language skills and I met interesting people. To me, studying abroad is an exciting adventure that takes you to unforgettable journeys through which you get to know yourself better, and which enable you to expand your horizons by learning about new cultures and traditions, and gain independence by adjusting to new environments. In short, go abroad! Patricia Amselem '14 is a Study Abroad ambassador and the president of the International Club. She is from Madrid, Spain. Nicholas Medina '14 As a study abroad returnee, I firmly believe that everyone should take advantage of any chance to study abroad for at least one semester anywhere in the world. College is about intensively studying academia, but it is also a chunk of life during which we are sensitive and very quickly personally molding and growing in critical ways. It is a unique period because it is temporally flexible, unlike the far-too-common adult life as a slave to recurring financial indebtedness. We really shouldn't be letting money control the freedom we always have to individually value and do that which we know lavishes our lives with meaning-we must make fortune happen for ourselves where and when our beautiful spirits need and deserve it. Really, the saddest part about rising study abroad costs is the inevitable degradation of the pool of students who will get to even just consider that single, vital, ever-meaningful academic study abroad opportunity. Nicholas Medina '14 is a Study Abroad ambassador. Nina Sayles '17 While there are many benefits to spending a year, or a portion of a year, in another country, there are also many reasons why the classic college experience is meant to be eight semesters. Often, study abroad programs don't provide as many course options or the opportunity to take as many credits as Brandeis and other universities do. This means that when studying abroad, one does not have the opportunity to pursue the goal of a liberal arts college, even though they are often spending much more money for the abroad experience. While clearly another country can provide a wonderful learning experience through culture and sights, many programs do not require a student to know the language of the host country, and this can prohibit one from truly taking advantage of his or her stay. In this case, the cost of the trip may not be worth it. Once one graduates from college, however, it may be extremely worthwhile and educational to secure a job overseas. Even for only a year, this would provide a source of income and offset the cost of living abroad, as well as provide a cultural education. Nina Sayles '17 is studying Health; Science Society and Policy, and Music.
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On Dec. 2, Student Union President Ricky Rosen '14 delivered the annual State of the Union address in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium to a crowd of approximately 70 students and administrators. Rosen opened the address by thanking the members of the Union for being so vocal in advocating for their constituents, stating that this has been a "pivotal semester in Brandeis time." He listed changes and new initiatives such as the implementation of the strategic plan, efforts to turn Brandeis into a household name, the arrival of new campus partners like Sodexo and Joseph's Transportation and the changing administration-including Jamele Adams' promotion to dean of students and Cheryl Sousa's '90 new position as assistant vice president of health and wellness, as part of the pivotal semester. Rosen highlighted Union successes this semester, including the addition of hammocks on campus, increasing communication with students through the Student Union bulletin board in the Usdan Student Center, holding more outreach events and making modifications to the Boston shuttle bus schedule to best benefit students. Rosen stated that the Union also hopes to change the time and access for the Wednesday and Thursday Riverside MBTA station shuttles. Rosen also revealed information about a variety of upcoming dining changes. The New York-style delicatessen that will replace Quiznos will be called Louis' and will be constructed over the winter. The delicatessen will open on Monday, Jan. 13, the first day of classes for the spring 2014 semester. The food truck, which serves food in between the Shapiro Campus Center and the Feldberg Communications Center, will begin accepting WhoCash and points next semester. Plans to install a caf?(c) in the science quad are also in discussions that will continue next semester. After an analysis of the results of a dining survey sent out recently, Rosen announced that the Student Union and Sodexo are presenting a joint recommendation to the University that The Stein be turned into a sports bar, instead of the Guy Fieri On Campus restaurant which was initially proposed. "We are hoping that The Stein will become the premiere on-campus weekend destination for Brandeis students," Rosen said. Rosen also stated that the project is in the final stages of planning approval, and a detailed construction timeline will be announced before winter break. The Stein was officially closed on Nov. 19 for the remainder of the semester. Class of 2016 Senator Jon Jacob is also working to have local Waltham restaurants accept WhoCash as a form of payment, in addition to Cappy's Pizza and Subs, said Rosen. "So far, Carl's Subs, Sabatino's and Tree Top Waltham have all expressed interest in joining this program," said Rosen. He added that their goal is to get Asia Wok and Baan Thai to join in the project, which he hopes will be completed by the end of the year. The Union has also been working on constructing new meal plans with Sodexo. These meal plans, which will likely be implemented in fall 2014, will include the element of unlimited access, "meaning students will be able to go in and out of all-you-can-eat dining facilities [using meals and points] as many times a week as they would like," said Rosen. He also stated that more changes would come in the next few weeks. Rosen thanked Class of 2017 Senator David Heaton and Union Vice President Charlotte Franco '15 for their work with the Dining Committee. Rosen also revealed three longer-term changes to the dining facilities: over the summer, the Usdan Caf?(c) will become a buffet-style location. To complement this, Usdan Boulevard will feature "retail food locations and potentially fast food franchise restaurants, including Quiznos," according to Rosen. Sherman Dining Hall will also be renovated the following summer in 2015. One ongoing Union initiative that Rosen highlighted was divestment from fossil fuels. In response to the referendum on divesting Brandeis funds from fossil fuel corporations last semester, a Divestment Working Group was set up over the summer to investigate the possibility of divestment. Rosen stated that this is part of an attempt to "make Brandeis a sustainable institution and reduce our carbon footprint." The group will continue to examine alternative investment opportunities for the University throughout the academic year. In addition to this, the Senate established a Sustainability Committee, headed by Class of 2015 Senator Anna Bessendorf. The goal of the committee, according to Rosen, is to reduce wasteful resource usage and streamline student efforts to increase campus sustainability. One notable success of the committee was being approved for a Brandeis Sustainability Fund grant in order to install 60 toilets with dual-flush capabilities on campus. Another Union initiative is to create an email system for the mailroom to notify students when there is a package for them. Rosen hopes the project will be completed by the end of the year; Jacob and Executive Senator Annie Chen '14 have spearheaded the initiative. Rosen also spoke about 'Deis Impact, the weeklong festival celebrating and focusing on social justice. 'Deis Impact is a collaborative effort between the Union and the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. The festival will occur from Feb. 1 through Feb. 10 and will feature Ndaba Mandela and Kweku Mandela Amuah, founders of Africa Rising and the grandchildren of the recently deceased Nelson Mandela, as keynote speakers. Rosen also discussed parking on campus, stating that it has been a "serious problem for over a decade." According to Rosen, the Department of Public Safety has issued 3,126 parking permits for the 2,300 parking spots available on campus this year. In response to student dissatisfaction with available parking, research by the Union found that Brandeis is the only school in its conference-the University Athletic Association-that does not have a parking facility on campus, does not allow sophomores to park on campus and requires faculty and staff to pay for parking. Rosen stated that this was one of the Union's "chief objectives," and that the Union wants to "make [parking] a priority for the administration and students in the years to come." The final initiative that Rosen mentioned was the creation of a bus shelter outside of the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Admissions Center, which he hopes will serve as a memento to the 2013 to 2014 Student Union and its efforts.
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The University announced on Wednesday that two professors from the History department have been appointed to endowed chairs. On Nov. 26, Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren named Prof. Michael Willrich (HIST) the Leff Families Professor of History and Prof. David Engerman (HIST) the Ottilie Springer Professor of History. "I was utterly surprised and delighted by the news," Willrich wrote in an email to the Justice. "An endowed chair is a special honor for a professor, and I'm particularly honored to be taking on the chair previously occupied by my much-missed colleague Rudy Binion, a brilliant historian who died in 2011." Engerman had a similar reaction. "I was very excited and proud. Academia is a funny world in which one doesn't get many promotions ... so to find out about the University bestowing an honor like that was great," he said in an interview with the Justice. Carl and Phillip Leff established the Leff Chair in 1965 with their wives, all of whom contributed financially to Brandeis' early years. "The chair is an honor, with no particular strings attached, other than continuing to strive to meet Brandeis' high standards for research, teaching and service," Willrich said. Axel Springer, German journalist and media mogul, named the Ottilie Springer Chair after his mother in 1968. "There's a story about the chair in the memoir called A Host at Last by the president [of Brandeis] under whose auspices it was created, Abram Sachar," Engerman explained. "Axel Springer had given a lot of money to Israel and various Jewish causes, and Abram Sachar solicited a gift on behalf of American Jews." Engerman is currently working on a book entitled Planning for Prosperity: The Economic Cold War in India. "It's about American and Soviet competition ... to provide development aid to India," Engerman said. "It's an unusual facet of the Cold War, since we usually think about the Cold War as military competition and this is about economics." Willrich's most recent book is Pox: An American History, about the smallpox epidemic in 20th Century United States. He is "at the early stages of two separate projects, a political history of sports in the United States, and a post-frontier history of Americans who have chosen-and often have struggled-to live 'off the grid,'" Willrich wrote. Willrich, who began his career as a journalist, said that he likes teaching history because "history offers important insights into our contemporary challenges, and I am particularly drawn to the historian's craft of making meaningful arguments through narrative." Engerman is also enthusiastic about his job. "I like teaching because every time I do it I look at the material differently. Even pieces I've taught on and off since I was in graduate school sound different now. Communism sounds more remote to current students than when I was a student or even students in the 1990s," Engerman said. Both professors say they learn a lot from their students. "We're pretty spoiled at Brandeis, because the students here are very smart and engaged-always ready for a good debate," Willrich wrote. "My legal history class this fall is a case in point. Today the students launched into a nuanced debate about President [Abraham] Lincoln's purposes in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation." "Brandeis students in particular are good teachers," Engerman added. "Trying to see it through their eyes gives me new ways to think about things that I thought I knew something about." Engerman and Willrich both started their Brandeis careers in 1999, and their "careers have evolved together as colleagues and beyond," Engerman said.
