the
Justice www.thejustice.org
The Independent Student Newspaper Volume LXXV, Number 13
of
B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
STUDENT UNION
branches explained each of their responsibilities at the town hall and released election results from their recent elections. By MAX FEIGELSON
JUSTICE UNION CORRESPONDENT
The Student Union held a town hall on Feb. 2 to answer student questions and give updates on various projects they are in the process of working toward. Student Union President Peyton Gillespie ’25 opened the event by welcoming the attendees and explaining the structure of the Union. Gillespie gave an overview of the five branches of the Union: Executive Board, Senate, Judiciary, Allocations Board, and Treasury. He said that each branch operates in coordination with the others and that the Union has “checks and balances” to prevent any one branch from overpowering the others. He then introduced the various branch heads, who gave more detailed explanations of each branch. Student Union Vice President Lia Bergen ’25, who is in charge of the Senate, gave an overview of the Senate’s powers and responsibilities.
Bergen explained that the Senators serve on a variety of committees that oversee aspects of campus life, including facilities, dining, health and wellness, and sustainability. All of these committees are open to the public and meet regularly with administrators to alert them to student concerns. Chief Justice Noah Risley ’24 said that their branch, the Judiciary branch, arbitrates and mediates cases on behalf of students and the Student Union. Allocations Board Chair Lexi Lazar ’24 said that her branch decides how to distribute University money to the clubs on campus. Lazar said that the money comes from the student activities fund, which is funded by the student activities fee, one percent of every student’s tuition. Co-head treasurer Emily Adelson ’23 described her branch as the other end of club finance from Allocations Board. The Treasury, Adelson said, mainly deals with reimbursements and other club purchases. Chief of Staff Tyler Carruth ’23 added that the Community Enhancement and Engagement Fund, or CEEF, is a fund with $250,000. Students can submit ideas relating to improving campus life, which
See SU, 5 ☛
OPIOID RESEARCH
Heller School Opioid Research Collaborative collects drug supply data ■ The goal of the project is to
create better informed public health and safety policies. By AMANDA CHEN
JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
The Heller School for Social Policy and Management’s Opioid Policy Research Collaborative provides a space for researchers to pursue projects that are broadly connected to opioids. One innovation that has come out of the OPRC is Director Traci C. Green and her team’s work on changing methods to collect data on the drug supply to create better informed policies. The Massachusetts Drug Supply Data Stream falls under the OPRC and was created to study the local illicit drug supply to better inform public health and public safety policies. MADDS provides a free website and app called StreetCheck that is designed “to develop and standardize sample collection and reporting for community drug checking programs.” The StreetCheck app helps programs with their community drug checking activities and can be
tailored to a specific drug checking program and lab partner arrangement. StreetCheck started in Massachusetts, grew to more locations in the Northeast, and is open to collaborating with communities all over the country. MADDS is a “state-funded collaboration,” according to the StreetCheck website, “between Brandeis University researchers, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, various town police departments and local community partners.” MADDS includes an advisory board that analyzes drug trends, produces actions based on the data, and advises on to whom these communications should be sent to. The Harm Reduction Commission, established in August 2018 by former Gov. Charlie Baker (D-MA), addresses substance use disorder by making recommendations on harm reduction opportunities. MADDS is part of the state’s response to the commission’s suggestions. MADDS’ first trial run in 2019 started in Boston and New Bedford and has since expanded to Quincy, Lynn, Greenfield, Brockton,
See RESEARCH, 5 ☛
ELIZA BIER/the Justice
GOSMAN UPDATE: Posters, such as the one pictured above, can be found around campus advertising the new initiative.
New female-identifying-only weight room hour at Gosman ■ Following the lead of
other universities, Brandeis attempts to create a safe and relaxed atmosphere for the female-identifying population. By SOPHIA DE LISI
JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Gosman Weight Room will only be open to female-identifying people every Tuesday from 8 to 9 p.m. Spearheaded by Kyla Ginsberg ’25, this initiative will begin on Feb. 7. In a Feb. 2 interview with the Justice, Ginsberg explained her inspiration for advocating to the Gosman faculty for this hour, saying that she wanted to go to the gym with her friends, but many were hesitant because of concerns “having to do with the fact there are a lot of men there.” She then spoke of her friend who goes to the University of Vermont where they implemented a similar program at their gym, inspiring Ginsberg to try to implement it at Brandeis. Ginsberg said the Gosman faculty were “quick to accept the idea,” and there were only a few days between her sending her initial email to Tom Rand, the senior associate director of Athletics, and printing out the official fliers advertising the hour.
‘DivestDeis’
Above all, Ginsberg clarified that her intention with this new program was to create an inclusive space for people who identify as female to feel more “comfortable in the gym in general so that they’re more comfortable working out whether there [are] men there or not,” referring to the consistent majority of men in gyms — particularly weight rooms — and how being the minority in a workout space is a common source of intimidation for the female-identifying population. This issue goes beyond Brandeis, and the reason why there is such a difference between gendered populations in part originates from the history of gym culture within American society. Katherine Page, a long time fitness coordinator at the University, recalled how wellness’ identity within society has changed through the generations, growing from the idea of gyms and heavy weight lifting associated with “the ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger’s’ [or] the big gym bros” of her parents’ generation to being “for everyone.” This shift, Page explained, was in part brought about due to advances in scientific studies that revealed the importance of strength training for women. Page said that there has been an increase in female-identifying presence at the University’s workout facilities within her time at Brandeis. From Page’s explanation, it is reason-
‘Maybe An Artist’
A review of Liz Montagues’ first memoir titled “Maybe An Artist” explores art, selfidentity, and social awareness.
Hedy Yang takes a deep dive into Brandeis’ long and complicated history of fossil fuel divestment.
By MINA ROWLAND
By HEDY YANG
Photo courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS
Waltham, Mass.
WEIGHT ROOM CHANGES
Union releases election results, hosts town hall ■ The Student Union’s varying
FEATURES 6
Waltham, Mass.
Photo courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS
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ARTS 14
able to conclude that this increase comes from gym culture’s shift in mainstream media. Although a female-identifyingonly gym hour is a new addition to Brandeis, the concept of femaleoriented gyms or designated female-identifying-only hours and programs within all-inclusive facilities have been around for decades. Long-standing women-only gym companies like Curves and Lucille Roberts — though not as popular as their all-gender counterparts — have been in business since 1992 and 1969, respectively. Even in 2008, Harvard University created set hours for female-identifying individuals only, per a religiouslymotivated request from Muslim students. Even if this is Brandeis’ first attempt at implementing femaleidentifying-only hours, Gosman has hosted faculty-only and beginners-only weight room hours to create more relaxed spaces. In terms of the beginners-only time that the gym provided in the fall, Page said the program came from the idea that “[regardless of your gender identity], if you don’t know what you’re doing, or you’ve never been [to the gym], it can be intimidating” to be in an unfamiliar space without support. Thus, the Gosman faculty implemented a set time to allow beginners to grow accustomed to equipment without the
I Love Study Abroad Week By AMANDA CHEN
See GYM, 5 ☛
NEWS 3
Disussing dining issues on campus By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
FORUM 8
A look at Brandeis Softball and Baseball By AKI YAMAGUCHI
COPYRIGHT 2023 FREE AT BRANDEIS.
SPORTS 11