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The Student Union Senate discussed chartering the Brandeis Curling Club and the Brandeis Entrepreneurial and Tech Association at its March 20 meeting. The Pokémon club was supposed to present, but did not attend the meeting.
On March 16, Andrea Dine, assistant vice president of student affairs, sent out an email to the Brandeis community with a subject line of “Important update: Increase in Testing Frequency for Students.” The email announced that as of March 17, the required testing frequency was once again every 96 hours. Students must submit on-campus PCR tests roughly twice a week, a quick turnaround from the previously announced relaxation of requirements that reduced testing to once a week. The email specified that the update in the testing policy was due to an increase in positivity and quarantine rates on campus. It also stated that as of that Thursday, they expected the University to “have the highest number of students in isolation or quarantine since the pandemic began.”
This past Wednesday and Thursday were filled with celebratory traditions across Brandeis’ campus, such as costumes, music, dancing, and feasts, in honor of the Jewish holiday of Purim. Together, the Brandeis Hillel and the Chabad House sought to celebrate and engage the Brandeis community with the holiday, which took place this year on March 16-17. Each organization held various events, services, and parties for students to participate in over the two-day holiday.
While many students can be found sleeping in on a Friday morning, Evan Israel ’24 and Sami Winawer ’23 are on their way to the Skating Club of Boston. The two Brandeis students are on the Hayden Select Synchronized Skating team. The team is part of a brand new division called the “Elite 12,” which was created with the hopes of bringing synchronized skating to the Olympics.
A group of scholars and artists came together on Friday, March 4 to run an event titled “The Arboreal Humanities: Trees, Art, and Activism.” The event consisted of interviews, discussions, readings, and workshops from various professors and artists from multiple institutions around the world.
A 2022 Women’s Power Gap Initiative study titled “The Women’s Power Gap At Elite Universities: Scaling the Ivory Tower,” ranked Brandeis number five out of all 130 R1 universities for gender diversity.
On Friday, March 11, following a student sit-in, workers and students gathered for a student-organized rally to push Brandeis to agree to the demands of the Brandeis Leftist Union’s “Petition to Support Union Dining Workers” ahead of the upcoming dining vendor bid decision.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY
The Student Union Senate chartered the Brandeis Chess Club at its March 13 meeting.
The Russian Studies Department, their Undergraduate Departmental Representatives, and the Russian Club had originally planned a Russian culture week, which was then transformed into “Unity Week Against the War” in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the Russian Studies website, from Tuesday, March 8 to Saturday, March 12, “Unity Week” consisted of events geared toward supporting Ukrainians and Russians, educating people on the war and the massive humanitarian crisis, and encouraging people to become involved. They also circulated a petition during these events, calling on the University to support students affected by the war in Ukraine by providing academic and mental health support, financial and housing assistance, and legal and immigration assistance. They also asked Brandeis to demonstrate their commitment to these actions by making a public statement. Aeryn Rowe ’25 and Berta Muza ’25 co-wrote the petition and largely based it on a Harvard University student’s petition.
After expanding to over 70 schools, Marriage Pact has launched at Brandeis, causing a stir on campus. A total of 1,255 Brandeis students filled out the questionnaire, which is more than a third of the undergraduate population.
Fear-mongering is a tactic commonly used by climate change activists to provoke people to make a change before it is “too late.” The White House National Climate Advisor, Gina McCarthy, passionately disagrees with this approach. “The worst thing I think you can do is say that the world is falling apart, and I have no way of fixing it,” she said, her Boston accent coming out strong, pronouncing “apart” more like “apaht.”
Prior to entering the field of higher education administration, University President Ron Liebowitz was deeply entrenched in the study of the former Soviet Union. His grandfather emigrated to the U.S. right before the Russian Revolution and “instilled in my brother and me a fascination with the history,” said Liebowitz in a March 7 interview with the Justice.
MEDICAL EMERGENCY
Shneider said that the proposed budget is similar to those from previous years, though she and Hopen increased spending on certain items. The proposal increases spending on Turkey Shuttles for next semester because the cost of those from last semester was $4000 over budget.
The Student Union Senate voted to approve the Union’s budget for the 2023 fiscal year at its March 6 meeting, and also voted on chartering three new clubs. The Union’s head treasurers Amanda Shneider ’22 and Josh Hopen ’23 presented the details of the budget at the previous week’s meeting.
Five speakers, Professor Steven Wilson (POL), Paul Jankowski (HIST), Renanah Joyce (POL), Kerry Chase (POL), and Chandler Rosenberger (IGS) offered their historical, political and sociological insights into the conflict.
Russia launched a military attack on neighboring country Ukraine on Feb. 24. While unprovoked by Ukraine, the tension on the Russian side has been building up over a long period of time, as Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has continuously denied the existence of Ukraine’s sovereignty as a state.