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Elections for the vacant positions on the Student Union and the Brandeis Sustainability Fund, as well as for the senior representative to the Board of Trustees, will be held on Thursday.
Medical Emergency
An editorial titled “Protect professors’ free speech rights” was published without an article in News to corroborate information used in it. A News article detailing the situation discussed in the editorial appears in this issue on page 1. (Aug. 26, pg. 10)
Since coming back to campus, students have noticed many changes to the University’s dining services, including changes in meal plans and how they can be used.
A few weeks ago, I went to a stand-up comedy show with my cousin Josh. As we were talking on the car ride home, he stumbled upon what I think might be the most simple way to combat municipal poverty that I have ever heard, as well as a truly brilliant public relations strategy for whatever school is crazy enough to try it.
Medical Emergency
On June 12, the University published a response to a petition created on April 8 by Brandeis Students Against Sexual Violence—a group that formed in the spring and is not recognized by the University as a club or group—which garnered 2,706 signatures as of press time. The petition listed a set of demands made to the University, calling for it to revise and expand protocols and resources for handling reported sexual assaults.
Sept.
An exciting intramural softball season came to an end earlier this month with two one-sided championship games in the men’s and women’s playoffs.
The second-seeded softball squad ended its season on May 10, losing 7-4 to the first-seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the elimination round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament. The Judges had just come off a 3-0 loss to the number three seed Smith College earlier in the day. With the losses, the Judges finish their season sporting a 21-18 overall record.
With the 2014 commencement ceremony now behind us, this board would like to express sincere gratitude to the newest alumni of the Justice, who have each contributed to the paper immensely over the past few years. We wish you all tremendous success in the future and look forward to covering your future accomplishments.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams took on regional competition from all three NCAA divisions at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Invitational and capped a solid weekend with a pair of top-five finishes overall and strong individual races.
Medical Emergency
Family, friends, fellow students, faculty and administrators gathered in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center on Sunday morning in anticipation of the 63rd annual commencement ceremony, where 832 students were awarded bachelor’s degrees, 741 were awarded master’s degrees and 97 were awarded doctoral degrees, University Registrar Mark Hewitt confirmed in an email to the Justice.
With another academic year coming to a close, Brandeis again finds itself in the national spotlight with continued scrutiny over its rescinding of an honorary degree to controversial women's rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This scandal follows the media focus on Brandeis' executive compensation earlier this year, as well as the suspension of a longtime relationship of with East Jerusalem's Al-Quds University. Several of these stories proved to be the causes for major University policy changes. Which story will prove to be most significant for Brandeis, and why?
Adam Brown '14 has been playing tennis since his parents signed him up for lessons at their racket club when he was 10 years old. Unlike many of his tennis friends, neither of Brown's parents was familiar with the sport, so he had to figure out much of the culture himself. "I had to figure out how to play tournaments and stuff on my own and my dad never wanted to drive very far for tournaments," Brown said. "But it was good that way because I think I enjoy it more than some people. I've had to discover it for myself." As captain of the men's tennis team, Brown has the responsibility of uniting the team both on and off the court. He struggled in the beginning to unify the five new first-years and the existing team. "Once everyone became closer off the court, it became a lot easier to fight for each other in matches," Brown said. "Tennis is kind of unique because you grew up playing it individually," he continued. One of the team's biggest disappointments was the match against New York University, as they played them earlier in the season on indoor courts, which affects the pace of the ball and the environment because of a lack of wind or sun. "Indoors, you have to play offensive or you're not going to win. Outdoors, you can play however you want and just be really good at the way you play," Brown said. The match against NYU affected the team's seeding, and placed them in the eighth seed for the University Athletic Association Championships, although the team ranks 30th in the country, and placed seventh in the tournament. Brown brought his team closer with a hiking trip in New Hampshire as well as captain's practices in the offseason. One of their best matches took place against Trinity College. Head coach Ben Lamanna had not been able to win against them since he started coaching at Brandeis nine years ago. A couple weeks ago, however, the team was able to win the match 5-4. In order to establish a rhythm between his style of play and his opponents', Brown takes advantage of the warm-up before matches. During the first few games, after getting a feel for their style, "each player make more errors than they do the rest of the match because they're trying to feel out their opponent," Brown said. "But then after that, you get used to the player and how they play, [Because] everyone does play a little differently." Brown said that the sport has become much more than a game for him. He remembered last year's Senior Day, when the players were emotional speaking about the seniors. "It really just made me realize how much of a family Brandeis tennis was and how much it means to everyone," he said. It will be a family he will miss next year, as he will be working in an information technology company in Hartford, Conn. "I interned there last summer, so it should be good, I'm excited for it, but not excited to stop playing college tennis," he said. Brown has high hopes for next year's team and faith in the way the first-year players will carry the team for the rest of their time at Brandeis on the team. According to Brown, "They have all the tools to really take this team-we're losing no starters this year, so [they] just [need] to take the team to the next level."
Medical Emergency April 13-University Police received a report that an elderly male at Bethlehem Chapel felt weak and ill. BEMCo responded and he was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. April 14-University Police received a report that a female suffered a head injury at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management from a fallen umbrella in dangerous weather conditions. BEMCo arrived and transported her to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for further treatment. April 27-University Police noticed a female student on camera who lay inert in front of the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. BEMCo arrived but the student refused further care and was eventually transported to her apartment without incident. Disturbance April 13-University Police received a report of loud chanting noises on Chapels Field. Officers arrived at the scene, determined the noise originated from speakers at the Holi event and advised those responsible to turn down the music as they lacked a noise permit. April 14-University Police received a report that a suspicious group of people were dumping large objects at Epstein Building. Officers arrived at the scene and determined it was a theater group disposing of used stage products. Larceny April 9-University Police received a report that several green signs were stolen around campus in the past week. Officers compiled a report of the thefts. Harassment April 16-University Police received a report that an employee at Bernstein-Marcus Administration Center received harassing mail. Officers compiled a report of the incident. April 18-A faculty member at Epstein Building notified University Police that he received a consistent stream of harassing emails. Officers compiled a report of the incident. Sex Crimes April 8-A resident in North Quad reported a past incident of sexual assault to University Police. Officers compiled a report to prepare for an ensuing investigation of the incident. April 23-A student reported to the Department of Community Living and University Police that she was raped the night after Pachanga. Officers compiled a report of the incident and will prepare to conduct an investigation. Vandalism April 24-University Police received a report of vandalism to a parked vehicle in the East Quad lot. Officers compiled a report of the incident. Miscellaneous April 14-University Police officers on patrol reported two unknown, suspicious parties taking photos of the Usen Castle. Upon further determination, a mother and son were taking photos of the historic landmark. No further action was taken. April 20-A student called University Police to report that her Brandeis email account-and credit card information-was hacked. Officers compiled a report of the incident and submitted the suspicious email to security@brandeis.edu. April 21-University Police noticed several students were wading in the Massell Pond. Officers dispersed the students without incident. April 21-University Police observed several students on the roof of Bassine Science Building. Officers advised the students to depart without incident. April 26-University Police received a report that a resident in Gordon Hall was playing with a lighter in his room, burning the desk. Officers and the CDC on call were notified, arriving at the scene to handle the matter and compile a report of the incident. University judicial charges will be filed against the student. -compiled by Adam Rabinowitz
President of Rwanda Paul Kagame joined Brandeis University for a talk and roundtable discussion among faculty, students and policy officials on April 23 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the end of the genocide in Rwanda. "This is a time of remembrance as well as serious reflection," Kagame said in a video recording of the event posted online. Kagame, who became Rwanda's president in 2000, "shared the lessons learned during and following the Rwandan genocide" and "spoke about the challenge of rebuilding Rwanda," according to an April 25 BrandeisNOW article. "There is no template for putting a country back together after such a major tragedy," Kagame said. "Everything was a priority. Almost everything of value had been destroyed in Rwanda. We had to make decisions without any comfort of adequate time or resources." The Gosman Sports and Convocation Center was shut down for the day of Kagame's visit, according to an email sent to the club sports leaders. Several protesters stood across South Street with signs that read "Shame on you Brandeis." Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan wrote in an email to the Justice that the group was "allowed to protest away from the Gosman Center." He said he did not believe the protesters were members of the Brandeis community. Kagame has spoken at other universities including Tufts University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University in the past few weeks. According to accounts in the Tufts Daily, Kagame's appearance at their school was a ticketed event open to the community, and he spoke before a packed auditorium. Editorial pages at each of these universities' campus newspapers were critical of the Rwandan president's visit. An op-ed by Stanford's STAND, a student-led movement against genocide and mass atrocity, called for the organizers of the talk to "actively address the Rwandan president's unambiguous record of human rights violations, his consistent oppression of political opposition and his prominent role in the violence and political instability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo." The event at Brandeis was invitation-only with no publicity within the general Brandeis community. The event also had tight security restrictions. "I have been told that there were a number of security restrictions around his visit and that everyone in attendance had to be submitted to the security detail several days in advance," wrote Senior Vice President for Communications Ellen De Graffenreid in an email to the Justice. The Heller School for Social Policy and Management Sustainable International Development program and Coexistence and Conflict program sponsored Kagame's visit. Prof. Alain Lempereur (Heller) moderated the roundtable discussion that followed Kagame's opening remarks. -Marissa Ditkowsky contributed reporting.
Last night, Student Union President Ricky Rosen '14 recapped the University's and Union's major changes and accomplishments during his term as president during the biannual State of the Union address. Speaking to a crowd of students in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium, Rosen looked back on what he called the "most transformative" year for the University he has seen during his Brandeis career. Many of the major changes seen by the Brandeis community include changes to dining, transportation and budget transparency. Specifically, the University saw the arrival of Sodexo as the new dining services provider and the addition of several new dining locations. The University also saw the arrival of Joseph's Transportation as the new shuttle service provider, as well as both recent and anticipated changes to the mailroom, health center and bookstore. Changes in University administration and staff also marked this past year. Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins, Dean of Admissions Mark Spencer and Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer all left the University, while it welcomed Sheila McMahon as its first sexual assault services and prevention specialist and James W. Gray as the vice president for operations, as announced yesterday in an email to the Brandeis community from Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Manos. Regarding the numerous changes made to dining services over the past year, Rosen thanked those who were involved in those processes and relayed the feedback he has received from "satisfied" students. As for future changes, Rosen stated that plans to renovate the Stein into a sports bar will be fully implemented by the 2015 to 2016 academic year. Rosen also reflected on the upcoming meal plan changes, including plans to make them mandatory for all students living on campus starting the 2016 to 2017 academic year. Rosen stated that the Union and the Senate Dining Committee is advocating for an "affordable alternative" to the new options for students heavily supported by financial aid, which they hope to have ready by the time mandatory meal plans come into effect. Other changes include those made to transportation, including the expansion of Boston and Cambridge shuttle hours, the addition of weekend shuttle service to the Riverside Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority station, and the creation of an online BranVan reservation system and those made to the Student Union's constitution approved by 74 percent of the student body who voted, which were proposed by a Constitutional Review Task Force formed last semester. Throughout his speech, Rosen repeatedly affirmed the Student Union's commitment to voicing the concerns of the student body to the administration. One such concern was budget transparency, which Rosen said the Union made a "fundamental priority." Rosen recapped ways the Union provided opportunities for students to discuss these issues with senior administrators, such as last month's town hall meeting and roundtable discussion. While Rosen addressed many issues he had planned to take on at the beginning of his term, he also stated that he found himself working on an unexpected issue: parking. In collaboration with the Graduate Student Association and University administrators, the Union worked to look into student dissatisfaction with the amount of parking available and possible solutions. A task force formed came up with a "comprehensive proposal," which was submitted to the administration last week. The proposal calls for a long-term investigation into the construction of a parking lot, optimization of current spaces and the creation of a system with "rationed" and "premium" parking, that would charge students at different rates based on their proximity to certain lots. Rosen reported that the administration was "very receptive" to these recommendations and the Union will work to have some of these changes implemented within the next two years. Rosen also announced plans to form a gender and sexuality center and coordinator position, spearheaded by Junior Representative to the Board of Trustees Alex Thomson '15. Rosen thanked Thompson and members of the administration for their work bringing this project to reality. During the latter portion of his speech, Rosen reflected on annual Student Union initiatives, such as the Thanksgiving shuttles, the course evaluation guide, the "Take Your Professor Out to Lunch" vouchers, 'Deis Day and 'Deis Impact and thanked those involved. Before closing his portion, Rosen extended gratitude to current members of the senate and honored those graduating this year. After Rosen's speech, current Union Secretary and President-elect Sneha Walia '15 took a few moments to address the audience. During Walia's address, she expressed gratitude and excitement for her upcoming term and listed her major goals and initiatives. Among them, she announced plans to revise the petition process and create a documentation system for student concerns and feedback, working with student groups on diversity-related issues, and informing the student body about major initiatives at the beginning of the year. -Joshua Linton contributed reporting.
An article in Features should have identified Twaweza as a civil society organization, not a human rights organization, as was previously stated. (April 1, p. 8) An article in Features claimed that Twaweza provided access to basic resources, but it actually provides social services. (April 1, p. 8) An article in Features stated that HakiElimu was the first organization Rakesh Rajani '89 founded. In fact, it was the second. (April 1, p. 8) A photo caption in Sports incorrectly identified the subject as Karina Patil. Her name is Karina Patino. (April 1, p. 15) The Justice welcomes submissions for errors that warrant correction or clarification. Email editor@thejustice.org.