B.SASV progress report demands further action
Brandeis Students Against Sexual Violence (B.SASV) issued its second progress report to the university on Monday, calling on the university to hire additional employees, lead a campaign against rape culture, improve the guides outlining resources for survivors and mandate more training for students, faculty and staff. They demand a response from the university by Monday, […]
Brandeis warns students of mumps outbreak at Boston area colleges
Brandeis students received a cautionary email regarding several cases of mumps reported in the Boston area. There have been 12 cases reported in Massachusetts this year, according to a Boston Globe article, including nine at Harvard University, two at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and one nearby in Waltham at Bentley University. There have been […]
University establishes ombuds office to help students address conflicts
The university announced the creation of an ombuds services yesterday, in accordance with the diversity action plan produced during the Ford Hall movement last semester. An ombuds office provides students with a place to confidentially discuss issues at Brandeis. Officers will work with undergraduate and graduate students to discuss the situation and the conflict resolution […]
Herbstritt ’17 and Nuñez ’18 run for Student Union President
Student Union elections for next year will be held next Thursday, and undergraduates will elect a new president, vice president, secretary and treasurer of the Union, as well as representatives to the Board of Trustees, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Brandeis Sustainability Fund. Student Union Vice President David Herbstritt ’17 and Ford Hall activist Christian Nuñez […]
Faculty discuss executive compensation
Interim President Lisa Lynch’s compensation has been notably lower than compensation for former President Fred Lawrence in his final two years at Brandeis, according to a presentation from Board of Trustees chair Perry Traquina ’78 at the Feb. 26 Faculty Meeting. Lynch’s compensation is marked as $587,621 in a chart comparing presidential rates between 2013 […]
BRIEF: Physics building evacuated due to smoke during Wednesday morning classes
The Abelson-Bass-Yalem physics building had to be evacuated at around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24 due to a mechanical issue that created smoke inside, according to an email from Jim Gray, the vice president for campus operations. An issue with equipment in a mechanical room that serves the building and others in the science […]
Students asked to provide feedback on housing lottery
The Department of Community Living (DCL) and the Student Union are asking students to provide input on two possible changes to the housing lottery. The two proposals are separate. The first, which removes class distinctions from some dorms, would take effect for the housing selection process beginning next month. The second, which creates incentives for […]
Portions of Usen Castle to be torn down, with iconic sections preserved
UPDATED 1/28 Parts of the iconic Usen Castle, a sophomore residence hall, will be torn down in the summer of 2017, according to an email from Interim President Lisa Lynch. Only Towers A and B, which include Chum’s Coffee House, are to remain standing. Brandeis will build a new residence hall in place of the […]
Sindberg ’18 elected new executive senator for Student Union
Paul Sindberg, the new executive senator for the Student Union, wants to find new ways for the Union to engage with the student body. He was elected to the position in a secret ballot on Sunday, Jan. 17, following a series of transitions within the Union. David Herbstritt ’17 vacated the position and took over […]
Non-tenure track faculty approve union by four-to-one margin
Non-tenure track faculty voted to form a union on Dec. 18, securing the right to collective bargaining with administration. Faculty leaders will work this semester to learn union members’ priorities and organize demands for contract negotiations with the administration. The organizing committee which led the charge to unionize is now the Contract Action Team. Eligible […]
Club leaders must participate in bystander intervention training
All members of a club’s e-board must now complete bystander intervention training once annually or the club risks losing their accreditation, as the result of a bylaw amendment approved by the Student Union Senate on Sunday, Nov. 22. The bystander initiative will take effect next semester, but there will be no risk of penalty until […]
First-year students begin work to improve quad life through new hall council system
Promoting sustainability is a major goal of the North Quad Hall Council, a group of eight students elected to represent their fellow residents. The hall council system, implemented in North and Massell Quads this year, allows students to take on leadership roles, create programs and build community in their quads, according to students and the […]
New Student Union website seeks to increase transparency
The Student Union is updating its online presence with a new Union website and Facebook group. The new site went live on Wednesday, with information on their recent initiatives, contact information and bios for all members, minutes from weekly Senate meetings and other information. The new website claims to be a “complete overhaul of how […]
First-year students begin work to improve quad life through new hall council system
Promoting sustainability is a major goal of the North Quad Hall Council, a group of eight students elected to represent their fellow residents. The hall council system, implemented in North and Massell Quads this year, allows students to take on leadership roles, create programs and build community in their quads, according to students and the […]
First-years compete in sustainability contest between buildings and quads
The first-year quads are competing to reduce waste and energy usage in a monthlong sustainability contest from Oct. 15 to Nov. 15. The building that reduces their energy consumption the most and the quad that recycles the most material will recieve a to-be-determined prize. The original prize was a pizza party, but students voiced concerns […]
Sage down during first round of registration
Sage, the university’s online records system, was down for approximately an hour on Wednesday when the first round of registration for the Spring 2016 semester began. Sage came back on in the afternoon and has been stable since then, so according to University Registrar Mark Hewitt, there will be no changes to the registration as […]
Survey will gauge student satisfaction with campus operations
To fill out a survey announced in an email from Jim Gray, vice president for operations, students must consider how satisfied they are with sustainability efforts, building maintenance, campus safety and management of construction projects. “We take great pride in our work and we strive to provide excellent service, but we truly can’t know how […]
BRIEF: Brandeis Beacons work with alumni
Second-year students can apply to serve as Brandeis Beacons, a new program through which students work with alumni and encourage donations to the university. Beacons also have opportunities such as annual dinners with the university president. Brandeis unveiled the program last year. Dean of Students Jamele Adams announced that current sophomores could begin the application […]
Adjunct faculty turn union campaign outward
Brandeis students, staff and faculty spoke in support of creating a union for non-tenure track professors on Tuesday, Oct. 13. In the ever-busy wake-and-shake area between Usdan and the library where students pass on their way to classes or lunch, union supporters discussed why they believe adjunct faculty members need collective bargaining rights and a […]
Students attend Bernie Sanders rally
Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) addressed a crowd of over 20,000 at a rally in Boston where he touched on key liberal issues including education, income inequality and mass incarceration. Sanders’ speech focused on social issues, though he also discussed Wall Street, campaign finance, energy and climate change. Sanders spoke at the Boston Convention […]
