This week, the Brandeis administration surprised the student body with the sudden reorganization of the staff of Chum’s Coffee House and the closing of the Women’s Resource Center in favor of the establishment of a Dharmic prayer space. The Brandeis community was made aware of the changes only after they had occurred, with many people learning only via social media. The administration has yet to send an email or make an official statement to the community. This has rightfully been met with backlash, as the suddenness of the actions reveals the administration’s lack of dedication to transparency and building trust with students. The administration’s choice to make such dramatic changes, without any apparent communication with the Student Union, only strengthens the opinion of students that the university represents them in rhetoric only.
The administration has been urged multiple times in the past to work toward a more transparent relationship with students. At the most recent Student Union roundtable, which focused on student life, Vice President for Students and Enrollment Andrew Flagel expressed dissatisfaction when he listened to students express a lack of trust in the administration. Other administrators, including Vice President of Operations Jim Gray, echoed this sentiment and offered support for clearer communication between students and administration. This week’s announcements do not reflect that.
The administration’s understanding of the importance of Chum’s is appreciated and its dedication to a new prayer space for under-represented faiths on campus should be praised. Brandeis’ no-tolerance policy for drug offenses is completely warranted, especially if those offenses put students in danger, as with the incident at Chum’s on Friday, March 6.
However, the university’s handling of these changes can only be met with disdain. Despite multiple statements from university officials that the Chum’s employees have not been “fired,” the fact remains that these students, many of whom have no other source of income, have had their pay stopped and must reapply to continue to work at Chum’s. Student Activities’ lack of proper communication with the employees is also deplorable. Chum’s is and always has been a friendly environment, and it is an unjust action to punish all 13 employees based on the actions of the few who were on duty at the time of the fire alarm incident.
Meanwhile, the action of merging FMLA and STAR to the SSIS office rather than designating a new space also shows a disturbing lack of knowledge about student groups on the part of the administration. It conflates an apolitical student service (SSIS) with a political group (FMLA). Sexual safety and information have no political bent, while FMLA is clear that they are a student group focusing on feminist discussion and activism. Despite some shared values, not every SSIS employee is an FMLA member, and not everyone in FMLA visits SSIS. To lump them together is to ignore their autonomy as safe spaces and organizations with different aims and structures. Though the establishment of a Dharmic prayer space on campus will have a positive effect on the community, two groups’ club space should not be compromised and forced to move into a space already in use.
In a March 17 tweet, Flagel responded to a misinformed statement about Chum’s being permanently closed: “that is incorrect & such misleading information reinforces that the reorganization is justified.” While this may have been an emotionally charged reaction, this kind of response leaves the impression that students must always be wary of the administration crossing the line into student-run clubs, spaces and resources. This state of affairs is unacceptable and cannot continue.
