Politics is a messy business. Despite all the politicking and speechifying of candidates and political parties, there are rarely obvious answers to the complex problems of public policy. But sometimes, it is perfectly clear that everyone is full of crap and that the discussion about an issue has gone entirely off track. One such issue is the endlessly controversial discussion of federal student loans.
Studying abroad can have a profound effect on people. Trust me, I know this firsthand. While spending a semester abroad in Beijing, many of my views about my future plans, my religion and my education underwent profound evolutions. If it's not too bold for a lowly junior like me to offer a parting message to the graduating class, I'd like to share the following lesson I learned while abroad. What I realized is that you don't have to be in school to learn. This should have been obvious to me but it was obscured by the educational system of which I had been, and continue to be, a part. I entered Brandeis with a strong, if somewhat nerdy, thirst for knowledge.
Early last month, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority proposed a reduction in operating hours, a closing of several bus routes and modest fare increases in order to close a projected $161 million operating deficit and pay down a $5.2 billion debt.
As we stood on top of the legendary wall, with an endless expanse of mountains on our left and the city of Beijing on our right, it was hard not to feel as if we were living in some alternate reality.
At 10:54 p.m. last Sunday night, one of my best friends from home sent me a short text message telling me that Osama bin Laden had been killed.
Have you ever been looking for the laundry machines in the basement of the Shapiro Residence Hall only to wander into a grungy room with a lot of old shelves, Hebrew books and Jews?
In the last issue of the Justice, I promised that I would use my next column to detail what I believe an ideal Brandeis core curriculum would look like.
I'm a big believer in the liberal arts. So when I first began attending Brandeis, I was proud to say that I went to a college that was concerned with more than just vocational training but was also dedicated to producing well-educated graduates.
Now that both Israeli Occupation Awareness Week and Israel Peace Week have come to a close, I finally have some time to stop and reflect on the events of the past week.
This is going to be a controversial column. So before I begin, I would like to make a few disclaimers.
Justice Editors & Staff — Not Pictured