In the wake of an unbelievable tragedy, we as an editorial board have never been prouder to be members of the Brandeis community. From the check-ins on the night of Nov. 19 that we all received from friends and classmates to the extremely accommodating response from the university’s administration, this community has been full of love and warmth towards all.
To the Student Union: thank you for the event you organized the morning after the shuttle crash, giving information and unity to students when they needed it most, and for the emergency fund advertisement and continued community support that you have continued to provide is deeply appreciated by the whole community.
To the Brandeis administration: thank you. You have provided students with the accommodations they need: moving the pass/fail deadline, canceling classes in the days following the tragedy and more. Your continued communication with the community, providing us all with accurate information as it becomes available, is valued highly by all of us.
Lastly, and most importantly, thank you to Brandeis students, alumni and families. All of you have surrounded your friends, acquaintances and classmates with the support we all desperately need in times like this. We are so proud to call ourselves members of this community.
We also think it’s important to acknowledge our role in covering this tragedy. Concerning the events of Nov. 19, we want to be mindful of our space as student journalists. Our first priority will always be the mental and emotional health of our staff. Our second priority is the community. And, collectively, as an editorial board we wanted to give the community a space to process the events of the day at their own pace without rushing to publish and adding to the noise of an already confusing and terrible event.
In this edition of The Hoot, our last for the fall semester, we have written about the shuttle crash. We took accounts from a survivor of the crash, from prominent members of the Brandeis community and from students who knew Vanessa Mark. Although we haven’t necessarily uncovered any new information, we tried to paint a picture of the Brandeis community as it is: compassionate, open and caring. Thank all of you for allowing us to paint that picture. With each new day, we grow prouder to be your community newspaper. It is our sincere joy to be a part of Brandeis.
