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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 LXXVI, Number 21
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Waltham, Mass.
STAFF RALLY
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION
How the University moves forward: Responses to the investigation of Nov. 10 ■ The independent
investigation report following the arrests of Nov. 10 was just released, garnering responses from the community. By ANNA MARTIN
JUSTICE EDITOR IN CHIEF
On Tuesday, April 9, the University community received an email from Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance Stewart Uretsky and Provost Carol Fierke. This email shared the completed report compiled by independent investigators from the law firm of Hirsch Roberts Weinstein that reviewed the Nov. 10 arrest of demonstrators protesting the derecognition of the Brandeis chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. According to the email, “the investigation reviewed actions taken by Student Affairs and Brandeis University Police Department with respect to the day’s protest, and made recommendations where opportunities existed for policy or procedural improvement to align with best practices in higher education.” The report explains that the protest took place on the Great Lawn for 30 minutes before the chants of the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” began — a phrase that had been banned earlier that day when it was classified as “threatening and harassing speech” by the administration. According to the report, some of the individuals utilizing this phrase were not Brandeis community members. A representative from administration then spoke to a gathering organizer, “[advising] that those chants violated the University’s prohibition calls for violence against others.” The organizer was advised that if the chants continued, “the protest would be required to end.” Upon continuation, the administration representative determined that protest dispersal was necessary. According to the report, law enforcement present called for the dispersal of the crowd four times, but the protesters did not comply. One of the organizers of the event refused to disperse and was placed under arrest. According to the report, while this arrest was occurring, two more arrests took place when the individuals detained threw liquid and punches at the officers. While attempting to transport these individuals to a vehicle for transport to the station, others “interfered with police efforts and/or, in the case of nonaffiliates, refused to leave campus.” They were ultimately arrested as well. Two interviews were conducted through the process of this independent investigation. The subjects of these interviews were Chief of University Police Matthew Rushton and University Vice President of Student Affairs Andrea Dine. The report
states that Dine was the university administrator on scene at the time of the protest. The independent investigation also consisted of a community listening session held on Feb. 2. This session was conducted by the faculty senate and a redacted transcript was provided to the reviewers on Feb. 7. The members of this session were undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and members of staff. This transcript was considered by investigators along with a list of other items as seen in the report. These included “Department of Student Rights & Community Standards, Section 7; Campus Protests and Demonstrations Rights and Responsibilities Department of Student Rights and Community Standards Brandeis University; Brandeis University Police Department Use of Force Policy; Brandeis University Police reports; Waltham Police reports; Closed Circuit Television Footage; Social Media Videos; Web Pages” and more. The report illustrates that Dine expressed that while it is not required for students to inform administration of protests in advance, it is recommended that they do so. This allows the University to complete three main objectives: “to assist in planning to facilitate safety for demonstrators exercising their speech rights,” “to assist in planning to facilitate bystander safety and protection of property” and “to assist University affiliated demonstrators to navigate compliance with the University’s protest requirements.” The report goes on to outline the many ways that the administration learns about upcoming protests and states. It states, “When Student Affairs becomes aware of a pending protest, staff members offer the students organizing the demonstration a meeting to discuss their rights and responsibilities under the Protest Policy, but students are not required to meet with administrators regarding planned protests.” The report continues on to discuss the reasoning behind the Nov. 10 protest, citing an email from President Ronald Liebowitz that was sent while derecognizing the Brandeis chapter of SJP. Following this announcement, university administration was made aware of student plans to hold a protest led by the de-recognized group. The report states “Prior to the November 10 protest, the BUPD received information indicating that members of National SJP’s leadership were scheduled to fly from New York to Boston. At that time, neither the University, nor the BUPD specifically, were aware of any other National SJP events scheduled in the area, other than what appeared to be the large-scale protest at Brandeis being planned for November 10.” This is followed up with a statement implying that the administration had no choice but to assume that these individuals were planning to protest
See REPORT, 7 ☛
SMILEY HUYNH/The Justice
RALLY: The rally, consisting of various members of the Brandeis community, took place in the Wien Falculty Club.
Brandeis staff, student, and facilities members protest against merit delays ■ Members of the Brandeis community
expressed their concerns and frustrations on a variety of subjects. By LIN LIN HUTCHINSON AND SOPHIA DE LISI JUSTICE EDITOR AND JUSTICE ASSOCIATE EDITOR
On April 9 at approximately 12:15 p.m., a group of members from facilities, students and assorted staff entered the Wien Faculty Center through its back entrance to present a petition communicating their discontent with administration’s recent decision to The Board of Trustees. This demonstration comes in the wake of the University administration announcing that it intends to delay its “annual staff performance review and merit increases and faculty merit increases until the fall” in a March 14 email from President Ronald Liebowitz, Provost Carol Fierke and Vice President for Finance and Administration Stewart Uretsky. The email provided the community with an overview of the University’s financial situation as it faces “short and longterm financial shortfall” and is looking to make budget cuts to save money. “The administration continuously sends insensitive emails that have a lot of, let’s say, difficult to digest information without much context or sympathy or empathy,” said a non-union staff member at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management in an interview with The Justice shortly after the gathering dispersed. Out of concern for their job security, this individual has requested to be anonymous. The announcement to put a hold on merit increases was announced to all staff — union and non-union — at the same time as the rest of the community. Illustrating the impact of the decision on staff, a member of the Division of Science said, “Many of us are just kind of barely hanging on,” adding that the freezing of raises could potentially impact the experiences of students alongside staff and faculty. They further spoke on the indirect effects saying, “You’ve got to worry about people leaving … when the people leave departments … it can have knock-on effects that really mess with the functioning of different programs.”
Team Mangok
Mangok Bol and other faculty are working to bring Bol's orphaned niece and nephews from Sudan to the U.S.
FEATURES 8
See DEMONSTRATION, 7 ☛
Microforest to be built on campus
Brandeis students analyze readings of Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'.
By ZOE ZACHARY
Photo Courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS
For tips or info email editor@thejustice.org
In response to the sudden announcement, Brandeis staff worked in collaboration with Service Employees International Union Local 888 to develop a petition “calling on Brandeis administration to reverse its decision and keep our evaluations and raises on track for July.” As of the morning of April 15, the petition received over 300 signatures of undergraduate students, graduate student workers, staff, facilities employees, alumni and other community members. Following personal statements that were given at the Faculty Club during the gathering, several demonstrators attempted to deliver the petition to the Board of Trustees meeting next door. The initial entry was difficult as the demonstrators were reportedly stopped from entering because “a gentleman in plain clothes started blocking the door and pulling it closed,” according to the previously mentioned Heller staff member. They said that this gentleman identified himself as the “head of the Brandeis police,” though The Justice was unable to confirm this claim as of press time. “So I pushed the door open, and once I did that, he grabbed my arm and he shoved me over some of the glasses that were in the room,” they said, adding that the man did not immediately let go of their arm. Instead, another person present had to tell the man that he was pushing the individual into the glass in order for him to let go. They continued, “I am a staff person here, and I experienced violence while trying to exercise my freedom of speech and … defend the confiscation of my well-earned raise.” Another faculty member at the University sent The Justice a video of the demonstrators entering the Board of Trustees meeting, but a board member told them to leave. “Can you just go on the record as rejecting us, not wanting to speak with us right now? You just want to remain anonymous and tell us to leave?” a demonstrator behind the camera asked. “I’m not going on any record at all,” the board member replied. They spoke over the demonstrators’ overlapping requests for comment, repeatedly asking them to leave while gesturing to the exit. The video caught President Ronald Liebowitz; the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Lisa Kranc ’75; and the rest of the board observing the interaction, but not interfering. “So I worked at Brandeis [for] a few years and I care very deeply about this place,” a staff member of the Division of
Critical Creatives
By MAEVE COAKLEY AND MIKEY TERRENZI
By GRACE DOH Photo courtesy of LISA PANNELLA
Waltham, Mass.
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ARTS 20
Sports Facilities By THE JUSTICE EDITORIAL BOARD
Haley Nash '24 Making Waves By MILES GOLDSTEIN
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NEWS 5
FORUM 10 SPORTS 16