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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 15
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
JOURNALISM EVENT
Waltham, Mass.
RALLY
Library Union rallies, negotiations continue ■ The Brandeis Library Union rallied on
Wednesday as they continue contract negotiations with the University. By LIN LIN HUTCHINSON JUSTICE EDITOR
Photo courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS
POLARIZATION: Dean Baquet spoke to Brandeis Journalism community on Tuesday.
Dean Baquet on the media's role in shaping polarization ■ On Tuesday, the Brandeis Journalism Department hosted former New York Times Executive Editor and Pulitzer Prize recipient Dean Baquet. By HANNAH SHAPIRO JUSTICE STAFF WRITER
On Tuesday, March 4, the Brandeis Journalism Department invited former New York Times Executive Editor and Pulitzer Prize recipient Dean Baquet to serve as keynote speaker for the 2025 Elaine Wong Distinguished Lecture Program. Baquet formerly served as the executive editor for the Los Angeles Times and made history as the first African American Executive Editor of the New York Times. He spoke about the interplay between the media and polarization in a discussion moderated by Associate Professor of the Practice of Journalism Ann Silvio (JOUR) and adjunct lecturer Adriana Lacy (JOUR), as well as Professor Paul Anskat (SOC). The event, which took place in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall, was packed with professors, students, alumni and prominent journalists from the Boston Globe, The New York Times, Boston University Radio and many more. Audience members who couldn’t grab a seat stood in the back or sat along the sides in order to witness the discussion. The forum began with opening remarks from the University’s Interim President, Arthur Levine ’70. He shared that “journalism … is going to be one of the most powerful forces we have for helping us maintain our democratic society.” He drew upon the role of journalism in United States history to frame the discussion, mentioning Woodward and Bernstein, the reporters who exposed the Watergate scandal. The conversation began with a response to the recent news that Jeff Bezos, who bought The Washington Post in 2013, has decided that its editorial page will be advocating for personal liberties and free markets. The newspaper will not be publishing opposing viewpoints moving forward. Baquet stated that “We know that we’re going to need an avid debate about everything, from tariffs to, I suspect, the First Amendment. I don’t think this is the time for one of the major leading news organizations to narrow that discussion.” He further shared his concerns for The Washington Post’s journalistic integrity, “[Jeff Bezos] is a very unusual publisher, and he has wide interests, and it looks to me that he’s put the interests of those wider interests, from his space program to Amazon itself, ahead of the newspaper.” He elaborated,
“I don’t think it’s great for democracy that the greatest American news organizations have very narrow slices in the audience, and that includes The New York Times and The Washington Post … It’s another attempt at a solution to a really powerful problem. It’s the fact that he did it just before the election.” Baquet subsequently spoke on the difficulty of striking a balance between maintaining journalistic principles, financial responsibilities and the need to expand audiences. “One of the hardest things about leading institutional change is … to really try to figure out what’s our core and what are the things that really matter? If that list is too long, you’re not going to change.” He gave an example, “The way we wrote news stories in the print era … is not a natural way to write. We were all forced to write the pyramid style … we were forced to do it. And it became such a part of our [ that if you poll journalists, they actually said ‘this is who we are’. It actually isn’t who we are … so I think you gotta make sure that the things you’re fighting for are actually the things you’re about.” Baquet pointed out “of course, editorial integrity is among them.” The discussion then shifted to cover journalism during President Donald Trump’s 2015 election campaign. Baquet discussed some methods employed by The New York Times to protect the integrity of the media, and elaborated on how Trump fundamentally altered the journalistic landscape. “One reason that news organizations are struggling with an issue of trust is that a guy who has … controlled anywhere from 30-45% of the American vote constantly, day in and day out, beats us up … we’re not very good at defending ourselves.” He recognized some shortcomings of The New York Times in protecting their media from delegitimization, “[Trump] would attack us and we would … stand with our stories. That’s not good enough anymore. If I had to do it over again, when he started attacking specific stories, I think I would have set up a way to defend them.” Baquet described the Times’ effort to become more transparent since then, “It used to be, we published a story and we didn’t tell you how we did the story … we didn’t tell you anything about the reporter’s background.” Baquet reflected on the changing nature of the field of journalism, “When I was in [Journalism] school, we were always taught not to be a part of the story and to kind of not really be visible. But now, we’re sort of doing quite the opposite, having them, you know, on Instagram … and very visible.” When questioned about coverage of Trump and the election, Baquet remarked that “Frankly. I actually think the press, the mainstream press, did a really good job covering this election … I think it was tough,
See DEAN BAQUET, 5 ☛
“Wrap it up” was the prevailing chant among Brandeis University library union staff, students and other Uuniversity employees during a March 5 rally. Around 30 attendees gathered outside the BernsteinMarcus Administration Center to express their continued support for the library union, which has now been in contract negotiations for eight months. The union is seeking safeguards to protect its employee’s’ future as it claims the University seeks to contract out work “without any restrictions.” Additionally, they are seeking a contract that prioritizes salary adjustments that account for inflation and the rising cost of living in the Greater Boston Area. The March 5 rally aimed to add pressure onto the administration. The previous contract, originally expiring in June 2024, has been extended multiple times while the union’s bargaining unit and the University work toward an agreement on fair terms. While the union acknowledges some progress since its Jan. 23 rally — particularly in discussions around its demand for structured pay increases over time — it remains concerned about the university’s approach to outsourcing union work. “We can't allow the University to contract out our work,” said Alexis Cooper, a member of the bargaining unit for the union in an opening statement to attendees. Cooper added “Our work is union work. If that work is no longer union work, then there's no need for us to keep the Union workers around.” Also present in support were members of Service Employees International Union 888’s newly formed university staff union that represents administrative, technical and academic staff. Rebecca Strauss, an art technician at Brandeis and member of the new union, expressed gratitude for the library union and other on-campus unions, as they were “instrumental” in the formation of the staff union, a process that be-
gan in October of 2024. Her presence at the rally was both a gesture of appreciation and a commitment to strengthening the solidarity between unions. She was also motivated to attend to demonstrate her appreciation for the role the library plays in the University’s function, as it goes beyond housing and lending books by serving as a hub for research, academic support and providing creative resources like the Digital Scholarship Lab and MakerLab. “I'm here because it's right,” said the ninth-year employee. “It is right for workers to demand respect, equitable pay and protections of the work. Those of us who work in higher [education] and in academia are not here because it’s gonna pay us a million bucks. We're here because we're passionate about it and we want to use our skills and expertise to support the mission of higher education.” Students of the Brandeis Jewish Bund were also present at the rally. A member of the student group spoke on the issue of respect as it relates to the Uuniversity’s reputation. “I think we all want Brandeis to be a respectable institution. We all go here. We all utilize Brandeis. We all came to Brandeis for a reason,” the student of Brandeis Jewish Bund said. “If Brandeis cannot pay its employees a living wage then that's not respectable, and they can't be respectable if they choose to outsource work that should be available for qualified people who are working here already.” The student noted that while the University has come to the bargaining table in good faith, it is not enough to address workers’ concerns. “They're really not asking the Administration to rake the moon when it comes to salary or anything else.” As of the rally, union organizers said the University has offered a 2.25% salary increase but remains concerned about the rise of inflation and cost of living. According to the Consumer Price Index, the inflation in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area is currently around 3.9%. The union's petition claims that several library workers earn below the minimum of Brandeis’s own hiring range for their positions, with over 89% earning below the median. The petition has received 400 signatures according to the union. Concluding the rally, organizers called for the University to live by its motto “Truth, even unto its innermost parts.” The union was scheduled to convene at the bargaining table the next day, on March 6.
Faculty debates University reorganization plan ■ The faculty discussed the University’s
potential reorganization plan and voted on possible amendments to it during their March 7 meeting. By SOPHIA DE LISI
JUSTICE DEPUTY EDITOR
On March 7, faculty members held a meeting in the Rapaporte Treasure Hall to further discuss the University reorganization plan that the Senior Associate for Faculty Affairs, Prof. Joel Christensen ’01 (CLAS), introduced during the faculty’s Feb. 28 special meeting. The meeting agenda included memorial minutes for Prof. Arthur Holmberg (THA) and researcher Robert Dunigan as well as an address from Interim President Arthur Levine ’70. The Chair of the Faculty Senate, Prof. Jeffrey Lenowitz (HIST), started the meeting by reviewing the minutes from the Feb. 7 and Feb. 28 meetings. There were no corrections raised, and Lenowitz declared the meeting minutes approved. Prof. Dmitry Troyanovsky ’98 (THA) spoke in memory of Holmberg, recalling that he met him 39 years ago as an undergraduate at the University. He said that Holmberg inspired him to become a professional theater director and educator, saying that Holmberg praised his strengths, but never held back his criticism when Troyranovsky’s work was lacking. Holmberg’s approach to teaching didn’t only apply to theater, but prepared students for life, he said. Prof. Sharon Reif Ph.D ’02 (HELLER) delivered Robert Dunigan’s memorial speech. She shared that Dunigan was the first in his family to attend college and encouraged many family members to follow in his example. As a Black man with a Ph.D, Dunigan was part of “a very small group,” and aware of the importance of giving back. Reif said he was a mentor to many Black and Latinx students at the Heller School
Churches respond
Museum closed
Leaders in churches across the Greater Boston Area weigh in on local politcal polarization By GRACE DOH
for Social Policy and Management and worked closely with his colleagues to start an anti-racism group. A moment of silence followed both of these memorial speeches, and Levine started his address. He said that while memorials are deeply sad, they also give him “extraordinary insight” into the work that faculty members do in the community. He started his address by thanking the faculty members for attending these meetings and town halls, “but most of all, for imagining a better Brandeis — a better future for Brandeis.” He thanked Christensen for designing and leading this process, and the Board of Trustees for giving the University a year without budget cuts, allowing time to launch a capital campaign along with “other remedies.” Levine urged the attendees to support the reorganization plan for a number of reasons, saying that “we can’t remain where we are” as we’ll move towards mediocrity if we don’t act.” He explained that changes in the economy and in Washington D.C. will see one-fifth of colleges close with increasing numbers of universities becoming “online degree programs.” He thinks this reorganization plan will strengthen the University by giving faculty the chance to re-imagine general education and create a program that better reflects its mission. “[The reorganization plan] really carries out what you told me you wanted, which is to remain an R1, a liberal arts college,” Levine said. He added that this reorganization plan responds directly to the needs of the Brandeis community, rather than allowing administration to continue letting time pass while deliberating the best course of action. Levine said that this plan also appeals to students and parents because it prioritizes internships, career preparation, microcredentials and transcripts. He said that the reorganization plan will also make Brandeis more unique, and a pioneer in higher education. “The result is going to be an onslaught of media [coverage],” Levine said. “But the real reason we need to do this is to generate revenue.” He added that the plan gives the University a chance to do something that it has needed to for a long time, to specifically
See FACULTY DEBATE, 5 ☛
Brandeis Alumnus fights bacteria
The National Modern Art Museum in Paris has closed its doors for the next five years.
The future of free press
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