The Justice Logo

Brandeis University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1949 | Waltham, MA

Sam Mintz

Articles

Beal to leave Brandeis at the end of the academic year

by Sam Mintz | 04/30/2013

Jessamine Beal, the Intercultural Center's program coordinator for sexuality and gender diversity since 2011 and a beloved figure and mentor for many students at Brandeis, will be leaving the University on May 15 to take on the full-time position of assistant director for diversity services at Suffolk University. Beal wrote in an email to the Justice that while she "very much enjoyed [her] time at Brandeis and loved the students here," she "needed a full-time/full-year position and ... wanted a position with more opportunities for growth and advancement." "Jesse's fabulous, and she's going to be missed.

Short films display surprising talent

by Sam Mintz | 04/30/2013

As part of the packed schedule for Festival of the Creative Arts weekend, two Brandeis filmmakers screened their latest collaborative efforts in the Mandel Center for the Humanities auditorium on Saturday night.

Candidates speak about their ideas

by Sam Mintz | 04/16/2013

The Union presidential candidates expressed their ideas and platforms to the Justice. Daniel Schwab '14 I consider myself ... very social ... I believe that I'm able to communicate very well and efficiently with the student body ... I'm not a candidate who's going to get stepped on by the administration, I'm going to be the voice of the students and push the administration to get what we need and make life more suitable and convenient for the students at Brandeis. [T]here's a problem on campus ... [T]here's not a lot of time to study ... I believe as a very academically-driven university, that 24/7 library hours is something that should be established year-round ... Also, the funds that can be diverted from Einstein's [Bros.

Teachers and students recognized

by Sam Mintz | 04/16/2013

At Thursday's faculty meeting, Provost Steve Goldstein '78 announced that Prof. Robin Feuer Miller (GRALL) has been awarded a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship to work on a book project.

Police investigating alleged verbal abuse

by Sam Mintz | 03/19/2013

University Police are conducting an internal investigation into an alleged case of verbal abuse by a University police officer toward a student. The student, who asked to be identified by only his first name, Brian, claims that the officer swore at him and asked if he was "challenged" during a confrontation over a parking ticket.

Though flawed, Obama's 'Scorecard' a useful tool

by Sam Mintz | 03/04/2013

Earlier this month, the White House and the Department of Education released an online tool called the College Scorecard, which is designed help high school students and parents compare colleges and universities by showing "where you can get the most bang for your educational buck," according to President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address. The idea of increasing the amount of accessible information college affordability was met by enthusiasm by many in higher education, but the actual system itself has been roundly criticized by experts, including Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel, who say that its mechanisms and calculations are limited and need improvement. "I think this is a way of thinking about affordability, [but] I think it's far from the only way of thinking about affordability," said Flagel in an interview with the Justice. "It has a limited number of data points that it's examining, and it's always going to have a need to provide a significant amount of context, particularly for students who don't have access to robust counseling, who may not know, for instance, just how complex a calculation it is to understand what net price means to you individually," he continued. The Scorecard provides students with information about colleges, including net price, graduation rate, loan default rate and median borrowing rate. The Scorecard for Brandeis indicated that the average net price for students is $26,278 per year.

Panelists discuss LGBTQ movement

by Sam Mintz | 02/11/2013

More than 50 undergraduates, graduate students and professors gathered in the Usdan Student Center Alumni Lounge on Thursday to participate in a panel discussion called "Progress and Future of the LGBT Movement: Brandeis and Beyond," which featured discussion about the current status of a range of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer issues.

Consortium to review 2U contract

by Sam Mintz | 02/05/2013

The Semester Online initiative which is being developed in collaboration with the University, a consortium of nine other schools, and a company called 2U, has reached a new stage as the company has provided a legal agreement for the schools to assess and sign, according to a statement made by Provost Steve Goldstein '78 at last week's faculty meeting. The University is also moving forward this summer with a pilot program for online summer school classes, according to Vice Provost of Academic Affairs Michaele Whelan. The project is internal and unrelated to the collaboration with 2U. When the Semester Online initiative was announced in November, the University had signed a "non-binding memoranda of understanding," according to Whelan. Now, she said, the University has to "do due diligence" as they look over the binding contractual agreement written up by 2U. Whelan also added that in addition to the legal process, the University is working to examine financial models along with the other consortium schools. "It's a multi-variable model and right now there's a sense that there would be schools that would provide courses, and there would be schools who ... won't provide the courses, but will allow their students to take the courses ... trying to understand those relationships too is not simple," explained Whelan. Since November's announcement, 2U has developed a website for the Semester Online program, which includes information about the program.

Birren's term as dean extended to five years

by Sam Mintz | 02/05/2013

University President Frederick Lawrence's administration is beginning to move out of its transitional phase, as Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Birren reached an agreement last week with the University to stay on as dean for a five-year term. Provost Steve Goldstein '78 announced the extension at Thursday's faculty meeting. Birren's tenure as dean began on July 1, 2011, so barring any unforeseen circumstances or another change in her agreement with the University, she will be in the position until 2016. Birren said in an interview with the Justice that the decision to extend her term relates to the necessity for long-term planning. "What it means is that I'm feeling comfortable in the job; I think that it's an exciting job.

See The Print Version

Follow @TheJustice