Transitional Year Program students experienced problems registering for Monday’s speech by former President Bill Clinton. Clinton is scheduled as the inaugural speaker for the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program.
Because the speech is held in the main area of the Gosman Gymnasium, students were told by the administration that “everyone who registers will receive a ticket.” According to e-mails from the administration, over 4,000 members of the Brandeis community had registered for the event.
However, TYP students experienced problems. “I went to Shapiro to pick up my ticket because I received an e-mail telling me that my registration was successful and I could get my ticket,” said TYP student Evelyn Moreno. “When I arrived I was told I wasn’t in the list of undergraduate students who had registered… instead, I was put on a waiting list and was told to wait [until] Friday and then I could get a ticket.”
While Moreno stated that she eventually received an e-mail saying she could get a ticket, “I was really upset because I was told that I wasn’t in the list because I’m not registered as an official Brandeis student and that happens a lot for TYP students… it’s the small things like this that make TYP students feel like we’re not part of Brandeis.”
TYP Senator Kamarin Lee stated he had heard of this situation earlier in the week, and is “currently investigating the issue.” He declined to comment further.
“I’m really disturbed,” said Senior Vice President of Communications Lorna Miles, who had been unaware of any problems until contacted by The Hoot. “I’m reaching out to as many people as I can, particularly [Assistant Provost for Graduate Student Affairs] Alwina [Bennett] and [Director of Student Activities] Stephanie [Grimes].”
Miles stated the event organizers were committed to making certain that all Brandeis community members could register for the event. “There have been a few little glitches on the way,” she said. She speculated that the problems may be similar to those affecting graduate students who were listed as staff members.
“We’ve extended the pickup times and answering the phone calls and accommodating people as much as possible,” Miles added. “I’m really glad it came to our attention so we can do something about it.”
