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T h e I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9 Volume LXXVII, Number 4
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION
Waltham, Mass.
GRADUATE UNION
Brandeis graduate workers reach new contract agreement after months of negotiations ■ A new agreement with the
University enables student workers to focus on their studies and research. By LIN LIN HUTCHINSON JUSTICE EDITOR
ELIZA BIER/The Justice
ADDRESS: President Ronald Liebowitz gives a speech on Sept. 25.
Brandeis University President Ronald Liebowitz shares his resignation ■ Brandeis community members were
informed of the resignation of the ninth University president by the Board of Trustees. By ANNA MARTIN
JUSTICE EDITOR IN CHEIF
On Sept. 25, the Brandeis community was shocked as a new email entered their inbox. The email, written by Chair of the Board of Trustees Lisa R. Kranc ’75, was sent out at 9:42 a.m. and announced the resignation of University President Ronald Liebowitz. This news came just two days after the announcement of the faculty vote of no confidence and one day after the conclusion of the Board of Trustees fall meetings. Liebowitz will be stepping down from his position on Nov. 1, a surprise to many as this date falls prior to the conclusion of the fall 2024 semester. In the email, Kranc shared that “the Brandeis Board of Trustees appointed [Liebowitz] president emeritus,” and explained that the implementation of this title will allow him to “continue to advocate for Brandeis and its values.” The email went on to acknowledge Liebowitz for his contributions to the Brandeis community, emphasizing his work “speaking out against antisemitism in our world and on college campuses.” Kranc also emphasized his work reconnecting with alumni globally through the celebrations of Brandeis’ 75th anniversary. Following the acknowledgement of Liebowitz’s departure, the board informed the community about the appointment of new University interim president, Brandeis alumnus Dr. Arthur E. Levine ’70, who will be stepping into the role on Nov. 1. The email stated that “[Levine] looks forward to meeting members of the Brandeis community in the coming weeks” and highlighted some of his past experiences, such as holding the position of president of Teachers College at Columbia University. 16 minutes after Kranc’s email, the Brandeis community received one from Liebowitz. In his email, Liebowitz explained that the decision to resign was not an easy choice to make, as he did so with “mixed emotions” due to the “great meaning” the University holds, “especially at this time.” However, Liebowitz stated that
“this is a valuable moment for [him] and for Jessica [Liebowitz] to build on our experiences to create new pathways for innovation and reform in higher education, and [he resigns] knowing that the university will be in good hands.” Liebowitz continued on, reminiscing about his time at the University and his years of leadership, specifically small group lunches that he hosted with his wife Jessica. Closing his email, Liebowitz stated, “The university’s accomplishments are numerous and remarkable for such a relatively young university, and there is no reason to believe it will not find the right path in the coming years.” He wished the community success moving forward. The press release sent by Julie Jette, Assistant Vice President of Communications, further highlighted some of the accomplishments of Liebowitz, stating that “Liebowitz led Brandeis admirably through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also led a campus-wide planning effort that yielded ‘The Framework for the Future,’ a comprehensive set of recommendations rooted in Brandeis’ historical strengths, its unique place in higher education, and aspirations for the future.” Jette has informed The Justice that no interviews with Liebowitz can be conducted at this time. As displayed by the 149 to 159 vote of no confidence in President Liebowitz, faculty members have mixed opinions regarding Liebowitz’s resignation. One of the most outspoken supporters of the vote of no confidence, Prof. John Plotz (ENG), spoke with The Justice in an email exchange on Sept. 28. Plotz stated, “In cracking down on the November 10th protests, President Liebowitz’s administration mistreated students and violated his own Free Speech and Free Expression policies.” Plotz then continued to speak about the events of November 2023, saying that “[a]lthough many other factors contributed to his fall, this year’s student distress and widely expressed faculty outrage owed its force and persistence to the palpable injustice of meeting speech with force, and his unwillingness to acknowledge the errors and the hubris of that day.” In elaboration regarding his personal beliefs of how this situation should have been handled, Plotz stated, “The philosopher Hannah Arendt says the truth of an event can be See RESIGNATION, 7 ☛
Creative Conversations
Book Release Sheri T. Joseph publishes debut novel, 'Edge of the Known World'. By GRACE DOH
Photo courtesy of ROSIE QUELLET
Brandeis graduate students play an integral role as teaching assistants, researchers, and mentors, yet their experience is markedly different from that of undergraduates. While essential services like housing, meal plans and comprehensive health insurance are often considered in undergraduate tuition, graduate students frequently find themselves navigating a more challenging experience at Brandeis. Graduate students, despite their importance to the University's academic operations, lack the same support systems that are readily available to their undergraduate peers. Many graduate students have voiced concerns that these disparities stem from a noncompetitive union contract compared to comparable institutions. However, this sense of insecurity may be reduced with a new union contract. On Sept. 23, Brandeis’ Service Employees International Union Local 509, which represents educators, part-time faculty, PhD student teaching assistants, and teaching fellows, announced on Instagram that it had reached a tentative contract agreement with the University. The news comes three months after the initial expiration date of the previous contract, which was June 30, 2024 and was later extended to Sept. 20. According to the union’s Instagram, the newly agreed-upon contract includes a wage increase, expanded child care stipend, increased paid parental relief period and workload protections. Notably, it also guarantees contract protection for workers assigned to research groups. Previously, the 2021-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement only covered graduate students working as teaching assistants or teaching fellows, leaving graduate researchers — who face similar housing, food and financial insecurities — without protections. In Sept. 2023, graduate researchers publicized their intent to unionize, seeking to address these disparities. Their efforts to unionize started in 2020 but a plan wasn’t voted forward with the National Labor Relations Board until Sept. 2023. Graduate students unionized during the spring 2024 semester and now are part of SEIU Local 509. They joined alongside TAs and TFs during this year's bargaining sessions. All union members are now guaranteed a minimum salary of $42,000, representing a significant improvement from the previous range of $21,000 to $36,000. Graduate workers who are parents will also receive a guaranteed $1,500 for childcare and an extended paid parental leave period, increasing from eight weeks to 12 weeks. Ac-
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cording to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator, to live in Middlesex County, one adult without children would need to make $53,957, after taxes. Although the new salary makes it more manageable to address financial burdens, it still remains below what MIT calculates as sufficient income to live in the Greater Boston area. The bargaining unit also developed stronger language and guidelines regarding workload, particularly for lab workers who have been called in on weekends and holidays. According to Cat Rosch, a TA, History PhD candidate and union steward, individual workload and when a research assistant can be called in was previously left to the discretion of the lab supervisor. Now, graduate research assistants can only be called in during holidays — such as Christmas, New Year's and other religious observances — if there's an urgent issue, like a critical experiment in jeopardy or malfunctioning equipment. There are now strict regulations on how soon after being called in during a holiday a worker must be compensated with a makeup holiday. On Sept. 24, the union conducted two contract information sessions and between Sept. 25 and 26; all members were given the opportunity to participate in the ratification vote. According to Rosch, over 150 Members voted on the agreement and 98% of the members who casted a vote voted in favor of it. “I'm really glad to see people who weren't part of the union before get union membership and get the protections,” Rosch said while reflecting on the negotiation process. She amplifies the continually expressed sentiment by graduate workers that workers aren’t able to spend adequate amounts of time on their independent research and dissertation when they have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. “I think it's really great that everybody got a pay raise and some of our programs were being paid less than $25,000 a year, which in the Boston area is frankly unacceptable,” Rosch stated. The contract development and negotiation took nine months according to Rosch. The union began having meetings about contract negotiations starting in December, where they developed a dream contract. They didn’t begin meeting with the University until March, when they provided their original offer. Meeting once or twice a month since March, the union and the University negotiated back and forth providing counter offers. The part that took the longest was the economic proposal. “It was really disappointing because it took the school about three months to even give us a financial proposal,” said Union Steward Rosch. “Their original financial proposal was, in my opinion, quite shocking. There was no pay equity in.” The union has now approved and signed the contract. They are waiting for the University to sign the agreement for it to be formally accepted.
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