The University’s recent decision to lay off approximately 60 staff positions has left many students to unwillingly take on some of the responsibilities left behind,without compensation. This year, the Office of Sustainability and Brandeis Arts Engagement are defunct. With no staff to spearhead them, the initiatives that these programs facilitated risk fading into memory without student intervention. This board intends to recognize students’ hard work in the face of diminished support from the University. 

Due to the elimination of the Brandeis Arts Engagement program — previously deemed a “central resource for the arts at Brandeis” — the responsibility to run the Create@Brandeis Craft Market has now been assumed by the student-run organization Art Club. Members of the Art Club received little to no warning that the responsibility to organize the Craft Market would fall on them. After being handed the remaining funds and old materials, they had to salvage a coveted campus event. 

This new precedent has also impacted Brandeis’ sustainability efforts. After its former Director of Sustainability, Mary Fischer, vacated the role in September 2023, administration attempted to search for a replacement. After a fruitless search, Brandeis ultimately reached a hiring freeze in March, failing to hire a new director. Instead, the administration opted to leave the Student Union in complete control over Brandeis’ $55,000 Campus Sustainability Fund, giving it sole discretion over how it will be used. Previously, this fund was managed by the Brandeis Sustainability Committee, which included the director of sustainability. Without a faculty member to oversee funding for the student-led initiatives, we worry that the burden of sustainable programming at Brandeis falls solely on the students. 

The responsibility to ensure that Brandeis is a sustainable campus should be a priority of our administration — one that is more valuable than only leaving it in the hands of students. While we acknowledge — and emphasize — the importance of including students’ perspectives and ideas, it is irresponsible to provide no further support. It is the nature of a University that students enroll and graduate, taking their hard work and ideas with them, and without a position to ensure that there is someone to maintain these projects, there is no way to guarantee their long-term survival. 

With these instances in mind, our editorial board would like to extend our gratitude to all students who have stepped up to ensure the continued functioning of our university amid these recent changes. Your readiness to take on essential tasks, many of which are far beyond the typical responsibilities of a student, has not gone unnoticed. The University is fortunate to have a community of students willing to put in extra labor to uphold these traditions and initiatives without recognition or compensation.

That being said, you are first and foremost students. You should not be asked to shoulder the burdens that have arisen due to administrative decisions. The responsibilities you have taken on, while vital in keeping programs running, should not detract from your primary purpose here: to learn, grow and succeed academically.

It is alarming — and embarrassing — that the University’s leadership has placed students in a position where they are being asked to make up for the institution’s failings. While your contributions are invaluable, it is crucial to recognize that the roles you have assumed were designed for paid full-time staff, not for students who are already balancing the demanding workload of academic and social life. This situation is unsustainable for both you and the University’s longevity, and we must collectively call for solutions that do not place an undue burden on you. 

Further, we remind you to take care of yourselves. Do not let these additional responsibilities compromise your studies or well-being. Remember that you have every right to advocate for your own needs and to push back against any expectation that takes away from your life as a student. 

We would also like to remind the community that these administrative shortcomings have caused students to salvage what has been left to them, accounting for any disruptions in the way these programs operate. Brandeis students, while diligent and resourceful, are not a fair substitute for full-time staff members who were paid to dedicate their time to these efforts. In taking on these responsibilities, students are donating their efforts and talent into upholding the community. 

We must continue to advocate for greater accountability from the University administration and not forget the social justice roots that drew many of us to this school. Why are current students running this school better than the administration? We urge Brandeis to acknowledge the efforts which have been made to keep things afloat through its shortcomings.